Reviews tagging 'War'

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

7 reviews

atheca_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A horror book novel that actually has a plot and is really well written. So many conflicting feelings as a reader because everyone's actions are so unforgiveable but Ahlborn's writing has so much depth it's hard to not feel sorry for the MC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Pedophilia, and War

detoxfive's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and War

midnightgremlin's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A good book and a quick read. Would pick up another book from the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: War

pullingthorns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is so Ethel cain coded 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Rape, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: War

maximum_max's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Vomit

Minor: War

Involves graphic child SA, and alcohol abuse by a very young minor.

lizardgod's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Vomit

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, and War

dragonbloom's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really liked this book. The ending was a little too much for me, I suppose, whilst the foreshadowing for everything was all there... I don't see why Alice had to die, seems a little too much, felt rude.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Misogyny

Minor: War

Abuse: Lots of abuse. The mother emotionally and physically abuses the family, especially the daughters. The father is less abusive, but still abusive, and certainly doesn't stop the mother. The brother abuses the main character. Alcoholism/alcohol: The main character's brother is an alcoholic. Animal Death/cruelty: Several animals are killed throughout the plot. Hunting and pets.

In the backstory chapters, Rebel kills a dog, quickly. This dog is explicitly stated to be neglected. Lauralynn keeps rabbits, one of which is killed, the others released. The rabbits were well taken care of until this point. Whilst hunting, Rebel tears the wing off a bird, dooming it to a slow, painful death.

All of these incidents come up again. Blood: It's a very violent book. Cannibalism: The family seem to eat the people they kill, and at one point there is graphic description of the MC preparing a body. Child death:

The mother kills Lauralynn.

Confinement: The family kidnap and torture girls. Incest: Incest is a running theme in the book.

The main character's adoptive sister tries to have sex with him, twice, whilst he is blatantly uncomfortable. It is fairly obvious, but the MC's love interest turns out to be his sister. Disturbing, though it never goes further than kissing in either case. Finally, the MC kisses and gropes what later turns out to be his mother's dead body, though he didn't know this at the time. It is revealed that the mother was molested by her father. The same man later molests Lauralynn.

Kidnapping: This is discovered early on, but

the main character turns out not to be blood related to the family, he was kidnapped, though he is not aware he was kidnapped until much later in the book.

The family also kidnap and torture girls before killing them. Misogyny: The family kills exclusively young girls and women. Rebel sometimes expresses misogynistic viewpoints. Necrophilia: This isn't on storygraph's list, but I feel like I should mention it.

MC is a necrophile. I don't believe he has engaged in full intercourse with corpses, but he expresses attraction to them, and at one point gropes one.

Sexual violence/rape:

Rebel rapes a woman after portraying himself as being her friend. Less violently, a woman comes onto the main character twice, after he attempts to get her to back off.

Torture: The family torture girls. Occasionally animals. War: The main character's father is a Vietnam veteran.