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ldcturner11's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
Was in the mood for something a little more.. Obscure. An I rememberd that my book app have books by Andrew Neiderman and they are usually weird. But wasn't prepared for enjoying tjis odd book. A very strange teenager scientist who does some "lab work" on her family. I enjoy creepy yet cheesy books from time to time
But they are a bit hard to find
But they are a bit hard to find
spooky_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5⭐️
I came across this gem of a book while skimming through the horror section of my local used bookstore and when I read the synopsis, my immediate thought was, “teenage girl as mad scientist? YES PLEASE!” I spent my weekend finishing this book and I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!
•
Brainchild is about Lois Wilson, a brilliant high school senior with a passion for behavioral science. When her father suffers a near-fatal stroke that changes the family’s sense of normal, Lois can’t help but use the unfortunate event as an opportunity for her biggest scientific study yet. Unbeknownst to her family, they are her new guinea pigs.
•
At first I couldn’t see how a brainy teenager could be so threatening in a horror novel. But as I discovered Lois’s talent for manipulation and deceit, I began to fear for the people around her! As a protagonist (or I guess antagonist?), I found Lois to be absolutely fascinating! While the people around her believed her to be snobby, arrogant, cold, and unfeeling, I personally couldn’t get enough of her. I hung on her every word. My only complaint was that the ending was a little anticlimactic.
•
I was also surprised to learn this book was featured in “Paperbacks From Hell”! If you haven’t read it yet, find yourself a copy and get to it!
I came across this gem of a book while skimming through the horror section of my local used bookstore and when I read the synopsis, my immediate thought was, “teenage girl as mad scientist? YES PLEASE!” I spent my weekend finishing this book and I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!
•
Brainchild is about Lois Wilson, a brilliant high school senior with a passion for behavioral science. When her father suffers a near-fatal stroke that changes the family’s sense of normal, Lois can’t help but use the unfortunate event as an opportunity for her biggest scientific study yet. Unbeknownst to her family, they are her new guinea pigs.
•
At first I couldn’t see how a brainy teenager could be so threatening in a horror novel. But as I discovered Lois’s talent for manipulation and deceit, I began to fear for the people around her! As a protagonist (or I guess antagonist?), I found Lois to be absolutely fascinating! While the people around her believed her to be snobby, arrogant, cold, and unfeeling, I personally couldn’t get enough of her. I hung on her every word. My only complaint was that the ending was a little anticlimactic.
•
I was also surprised to learn this book was featured in “Paperbacks From Hell”! If you haven’t read it yet, find yourself a copy and get to it!
nics_books's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
themadmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
Creepy and might have hit a little close to home as part of me wanted to be just like that main character when I was younger and even said I wanted to experiment on my family. I'm glad I gave it another chance as I almost gave up at the start. It got much better.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
Brainchild's plot may sound far fetched and silly from the surface, but it’s fascinating and portrayed in an addictive light. I couldn’t put the book down from the first word. The beginning foreshadowed what was to come while establishing who was who, the middle kept climbing up and never sagged once, and the ending was powerful, particularly the resolution and final paragraphs.
In the past Neiderman has been guilty of not fleshing characters out enough, but this book is an improvement. The moral type lessons are in this story, the age-old Frankenstein theme, stand out so clearly they could be picked out by a fourth grader.
The pace of Brainchild was evenly distributed and effective. Although it wasn’t a novel full of action-paced suspense, it had interesting incidents that held my attention. I literally read this in two sittings, breaking the first time only because I had to go out to dinner with the family.
Neiderman’s style is easily comprehended and straight forward. He used various points of view throughout the novel, but avoided skipping around too much, primarily telling through the eyes of Lois. His use of dialogue was ideal, and his methods of writing was is to follow.
Brainchild left me stunned. It is most likely my favorite Neiderman novel. You won’t regret reading this one; even if it’s not completely unpredictable, it’s still entertaining.
In the past Neiderman has been guilty of not fleshing characters out enough, but this book is an improvement. The moral type lessons are in this story, the age-old Frankenstein theme, stand out so clearly they could be picked out by a fourth grader.
The pace of Brainchild was evenly distributed and effective. Although it wasn’t a novel full of action-paced suspense, it had interesting incidents that held my attention. I literally read this in two sittings, breaking the first time only because I had to go out to dinner with the family.
Neiderman’s style is easily comprehended and straight forward. He used various points of view throughout the novel, but avoided skipping around too much, primarily telling through the eyes of Lois. His use of dialogue was ideal, and his methods of writing was is to follow.
Brainchild left me stunned. It is most likely my favorite Neiderman novel. You won’t regret reading this one; even if it’s not completely unpredictable, it’s still entertaining.
charlesmrose's review
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
prettyinpapercuts's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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