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A review by elderlyemo
Brother by Ania Ahlborn
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I expected to like this book more, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it at all.
My main issue with this book was that it was boring, which was the last critique I thought I was going to have of it going into it initially. The manic pixie dream girl working at the record store ending up with the sad tormented gorgeous but socially maladjusted weirdo with long hair would have made seventeen year old me swoon but now it's just a bit played out.
The book itself is written well and the twists are there, they are just a bit predictable. I think the "biggest" twist is revealed (potentially, depending on if you notice it or not) way too soon and it gives the reader too much time to put the pieces together for them really to have any massive impact. The ideas are there, and they are twisted in the best possible way, but overall it was just a bit bland for me which is a big statement to make considering the subject matter.
I love AA and just wish she'd gone tooth and nail with this one and really messed us up. Getting blue balled by this book was such a disappointment but it was still a decent read and I'm sure it had the desired effect on many people, unfortunately it needed a bit more for me to remember or recommend it.
My main issue with this book was that it was boring, which was the last critique I thought I was going to have of it going into it initially. The manic pixie dream girl working at the record store ending up with the sad tormented gorgeous but socially maladjusted weirdo with long hair would have made seventeen year old me swoon but now it's just a bit played out.
The book itself is written well and the twists are there, they are just a bit predictable. I think the "biggest" twist is revealed (potentially, depending on if you notice it or not) way too soon and it gives the reader too much time to put the pieces together for them really to have any massive impact. The ideas are there, and they are twisted in the best possible way, but overall it was just a bit bland for me which is a big statement to make considering the subject matter.
I love AA and just wish she'd gone tooth and nail with this one and really messed us up. Getting blue balled by this book was such a disappointment but it was still a decent read and I'm sure it had the desired effect on many people, unfortunately it needed a bit more for me to remember or recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, and Rape