Review: Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Title: Brother

Author: Ania Ahlborn
Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
Published: Sept. 29, 2015
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thriller,
Review: ebook provided by NetGalley and Publisher
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon,uk

From the bestselling horror author of Within These Walls and The Bird Eater comes a brand-new novel of terror that follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions.
Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.
But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…

 I received this book via Netgalley to give an honest review.

Wow is really all I can say about this book. When I read the synopsis I didn't really think it would be as intense as it was. From the very beginning I was hooked and I was not putting this book down until I devoured it. It was really like nothing I honestly read before. You have this family who lives deep in the Appalachia mountains and they are really not a normal family. They are screwed up ten ways to Sunday. They keep to themselves, which is good because you don't wanna be friends with them. How they haven't been figured out is beyond me.

We are introduced to the character Michael from the get go and we slowly learn he isn't like the other members in his family he is bullied into the way he has to be from his older brother Rebel. It seems Rebel has some issues with Michael even though he tells him to follow his lead on more than one occasion.  As we continue reading you can't help but feel for Michael and you keep asking yourself why doesn't he just leave. As it continues on we learn that he can't leave no matter what Rebel won't let him. To me it seems Rebel pretty much rules the roost even though they have a daddy and the momma is meaner than dirt.

So it is a bit of a surprise when Michael meets Alice he starts opening up a bit more and starts thinking about moving away but his family won't let him. It seems they are more messed up and sinister than they really put on. What comes next will have you going WHAT!!!! 

The characters were strong and well written and the plot line amazing.

I plan on reading more by this author because she has a way of pulling you in and keeping you reading until the very end.

When the surprise came to light I had my mouth wide open going WOW! Totally didn't see that coming and I loved how the author twisted it all in together. She has a got a sick mind and I LOVE FREAKING LOVE IT. 

If you want something disturbing, gory (in some ways especially the soup), a psychological dark thriller then I say get this book right now.  

Born in Ciechanow Poland, Ania has always been drawn to the darker, mysterious, and sometimes morbid sides of life. Her earliest childhood memory is of crawling through a hole in the chain link fence that separated her family home from the large wooded cemetery next door. She’d spend hours among the headstones, breaking up bouquets of silk flowers so that everyone had their equal share.
Author of eight novels, Ania's books have been lauded by the likes of Publisher's Weekly, The New York Daily News, and The New York Times. Some titles have been optioned for film.
Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ania currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

For more from Ania, visit her site, or connect via social media on Facebook and Twitter.
Web: http://www.aniaahlborn.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/aniaahlbornTwitter: @aniaahlborn