Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Bruder by Ania Ahlborn

46 reviews

itsjustgrumpy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Grim. Chews up your heart and spits it out. Then chews it up again. Some absolutely fantastic character work in this one! Just umm... check your Content Warnings...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing and Homophobia

rebekahmccubbins's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Every time you think you've read the most fucked up thing, you find out something even more horrible. Ania Ahlborn is a truly magnificent writer - a master of foreshadowing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Alcoholism

anastasiabeth's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Extremely dark and twisted but what a gripping and entertaining read. SA trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Sexual harassment

emmamee11's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

nicekweenreads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I couldn't put this book down! Everything I tried, the chapters would end on such a cliff hanger, I was begging for more. 

I really enjoyed that each chapter either had it's own subplot or answered some questions while adding more. There were multiple twists I didn't see coming at all. I found the main characters to be well written with arguably one of the best villains I've ever encountered in a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Incest, Vomit, and Abandonment

aleen_elizabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

xdawnsii's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Brother felt like you combined the movies Wrong Turn and House of a Thousand Corpses. The Morrows were deeply unsettling. This story was disturbing, uncomfortable, and so heart-breaking. As a fan of horror and darker themes, I found myself shocked by how dark this book was several times throughout the story. 

While reading, it felt like the beginning had been a bit slow to start. After finishing to book, I appreciate the time the author took to give us a deeper look into the characters and how they got to the events of the book. I would highly recommend this book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

kirahaycock21's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was heartbreaking. I didn’t like the ending, but mostly because it just didn’t wrap up nicely. It was also a little slow until the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Torture, and Abandonment

ryankaybee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

I am devastated that I'll never get to experience this book for the first time again. 

I went into Brother thinking that I had the big twist spoiled for me, and woo was I wrong. The characters are so well written that it made me physically uncomfortable at times - and the duel point of view is both disturbing and truly heart breaking. We have the birth of a serial killer on one side, explaining the world through his trauma and perception, then we have Michael and his battle against his own morality and the bonds of blood. Phenomenal writing, and an absolutely devastating story. I'm honestly glad that it didn't end with a pretty bow - it couldn't have ended in a better way.

While this is gruesome and pretty bloody at points, I would not consider it over the top or anywhere near splatterpunk territory. Check your trigger warnings and you should be fine. This is mainly a story of love and loss, and what it means to be family - kind of. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail