Welcome to Litsy!

What makes family? Blood, bond, or disturbance in generational trauma? This story by the fantastic Ania Ahlborn contains elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, southern gothic, and distorted minds. But it‘s not a gore-fest. Michael internally struggles against his ‘family‘; his ‘brother‘ Reb focuses on twisted vengeance. I thought this was an excellent book. It asks: how much blood it takes to break a ‘family‘? A person? A mind?

Ania Ahlborn is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I love how all her books are so different, she keeps it interesting. I liked this one. It was pretty violent, and although I guessed the twist pretty early on, it was still fun to see it all unfold. Lots of trigger warnings.

Wow still sitting with this one as I did not expect that at all. All the trigger warnings but if you like horror it was great book.

When I‘m extra busy or stressed (I‘m moving over the next two weeks!), I like to read horror or dark thrillers. Something way outside of ordinary life. Does anyone have any favorites you can recommend?

Bonus points for something grisly and crazy, like these two books: The Troop by Nick Cutter and Brother by Ania Ahlborn. I read both of these last year and even though they were gross, I loved them.

Thank you, Litsy friends!

🌟blech🤮. Texas Chainsaw massacre meets Old Boy. Predictable, old tropes,no character development so I just don‘t care. If you‘re gonna do horror, don‘t reuse old stories. Be original!

I have never read a book as dark and disturbing as this one. Michael Morrow lives with his family in the Appalachian woods. They are NOT like other families, and that is pretty clear from page one. Michael is a sympathetic character even as he commits acts of atrocity and there are zero moments of levity, but holy moly, what a read. Reader beware.
This is my first completed book for the #14books14weeks2023 challenge
@TheHeartlandBookFairy

Super dark and incredibly gory, wow. But really good. I couldn‘t read it fast enough. I‘m always amazed/weirded out by stories with bad guys that pull at my heart strings and despite the wickedness of this family, I crossed my fingers for Michael Morrow.

This has to be one of the most disturbing books I have ever read.

This book was painfully predictable, to the point I couldn't even enjoy it because I knew what was gunna happen. Also from other people's reviews saying it was so violent and gruesome, and crazy cannibals, I expected waaay too much from this book. I was extremely let down. Compared to other books/shows/movies I've seen, this was pretty tame. Some parts were okay kinda gross.. but nothing I haven't seen before. Total letdown 2/5 stars

Ooooh this kept me up at night

‘A party ain‘t a party without a splash of red.‘
Well what can I say but this book was everything a horror book should be! The sense of dread from the first page to the last was so satisfying!
This book was horrifying and sick and awesome!
Thanks @Reggie for gifting this to me and introducing me to a new horror author, I will definitely be reading more of Ahlborns work. ♥️

@Reggie Ok. I‘m going in! Wish me luck! 😬😱

#12BooksOf2021

I am sharing my almost-favorites of the year. The ones who didn‘t make my #Top21Of21 but are favorites nevertheless. One for each month.

In #July I discovered Ania Ahlborn‘s horror and ever since reading this one I have meant to read more. So far I haven‘t but I definitely will.

So I have received 2 books in the mail from the book depository and I have no idea who they are from! They look like @Reggie books! Was it you?
Well whoever you are you are wonderfull! It‘s the best feeling to be gifted books! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! ♥️

I was surprised with whose perspective this was in, it was a nice change from others in this genre. I immediately felt for Michael and wanted the best for him throughout the book. It raises the nurture vs nature discussion in the most disturbing ways. Great read!

Totally in a mood for some really disturbing horror. Can‘t wait to dive into this one!

#21DaysofHorror Day10. Imagine being a 3yo boy just playing outside your house when you get abducted by a family who tells you that your parents put you outside because they didn‘t want you anymore. So you‘re heartbroken but grow to love the new family even though they are a sadistic serial killer family. And you don‘t know you are in a sick competition with a brother whose games will turn this story into a horror Greek tragedy. Dark, but so good.

I‘ve never read a book quite like this. Gory, disturbing, and psychologically intense are the first things that come to mind when reflecting. It was sick and twisted and I couldn‘t stop reading. Definitely recommend for spooky season ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just spend a perfect sunny day reading this extremely unsettling book. I can‘t say much about it, and it‘s impossible te recommend but wow, did I have a good time with this fucked-up family 😱 And under the violent surface it is a very sad novel as well. Not my regular cup of tea but I see why Ania Ahlborn is so popular.

#Booked2021 #AppalachianNoir

I think she liked it? See my previous post on Brother, this is what my daughter thought of one of my favorite crazy books!

Looking for Wrong Turn vibes? Grab some Ania Ahlborn. I do think she could have pushed this a little further. I mean, if you're writing some serious serial killer, abusive, cannibalistic hick lit....you can afford to push the barrier. Creepy, disturbing and just a tad heart-stringy. Love it!

Got another #bingo too!

#jumpstart2021 #bookspinbingo #joyousjanuary
@Clwojick @Lizpixie @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65

My first grade teacher daughter prefers historical fiction or feel-good books. This should be interesting 😂

This book is DARK. Filled with violence and gore, this book is not for everyone. But beneath it was a story of heartbreak and loss. This is a fast-paced read and the end really threw me for a loop. This is my third of Ahlborn's books, and probably my favorite so far. 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Seems like the perfect day to start this creepy read. Happy Halloween everyone!! 🎃🎃👻👻

If you like horror and you have yet to read any Ania Ahlborn, you‘re really missing out. It takes a lot to unsettle me, but she does, every time. This one is deeply disturbing and utterly terrifting. I love her messed up, horrific imagination. I find myself wondering what she dreams about.

#24B4MONDAY #readathon

Here is my stack. My goal is to finish Brother and The Secret Book. The read the two poetry books. Once those are finished I‘ll reassess my reads from the library.

Good luck to everyone participating! Remember the goal is always to have fun reading!

1. Bookish shelfie
2. “You have blood on them boots,” Wade said. “Probably have blood all over, but you went out anyway. Into town, right?”
3. It is 48F here and very cloudy. I‘m sitting on the couch watching bon appetit and reading.

#wonderouswednesday

Well I‘m in my living room where all my books are so probably about 400 points - I‘ve never counted how many books I have - guessing
11 books w/i reach - 22 points
12 books I can see - 36 points
Wearing no bookish items - Stewie pj pants
Brother book open - 5 points
Kindle app closed at the moment
Star Trek glass - semi bookish?
I‘m alone except for my dogs
8 library books within reach - 9 points
McDonaldland - 12 points

480-ish points

Here are the books I hope to read and get started on for the #24B4MONDAY readathon. A big congrats to @MrBook for reaching his amazing milestone. Please head on over to his page and scroll down to find the post to check out all of the details. #Litsypartyofone

Fast-paced, f*cked-up, fantastic!! Thanks for picking such a winner @Hestapleton for our #LMPBC. I was terrified to read it, hence why I used a cheery bookmark and only read it on planes and trains with lots of people around 🤣, but I loved it. Details and character development are revealed at the perfect moments throughout the novel to make the biggest impact.
@jb72 I'll get this in the mail to you on Monday!!

Dark Twisted Brutal. No silver lining to the dark cloud here. Ania builds an impressive tale of Morrow family who commits heinous crimes together. She makes you sympathize with one member, who you can clearly tell is not like the rest. The dread just builds throughout the plot and ends with an ultimate twist at the end, one that atleast I didnt see coming at all.
The tension is so palpable and continues building until the last moment.

Thank you so much for the extra goodies in my #LMPBC package, @Stacypatrice !! So sweet of you, and with Fall on the horizon I'll be climbing into those aloe socks in no time! Can't wait to get started!! I have a long flight today, so hoping to get through most of Slade House!

@jb72 @Hestapleton

So excited to start this one. The expectations are high after The Devil Crept In. Hope this lives up to the creepy quotient🤩😈

Safely sent off 📬💌 for its next round #Postalmarkup #TeamS

Yaaaaay!! @Hestapleton It arrived today 📬 My first #postalmarkupbook 😃 Super excited to dive in.

@suvata - This is so fun! Thank you again for putting it together!!!

What a wild ride! The book grabbed me from the start and I finished it in one night. I was rooting for Michael to escape the clutches of his family. I couldn't believe how evil they were. They weren't even nice to each other. And that mom. What a bitch! The story was always interesting and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. This is my first book by Ania Ahlborn, and it was a good one. I can't wait to read more.

Horrific and devastating from the first page, _Brother_ is utterly Shakespearean, and well worth reading.

Guys. This. Book. Is. Messed. Up. A bit of a slow start, but a twisty ending makes it all worth it. So excited for my #lmpbc #groups friends to read it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Book 13/30 for #brcr2

Getting ready to start this one! I‘ll be making all of my notes this round in red! 😊 #LMPBC #groupS

#hellothursday @wanderinglynn
1. Anything chocolate
2. Footloose always makes me happy!
3. Anything dark and disturbing. My book club friends think I'm weird ?‍♀️
4. Buying shoes, they always fit!
5. Looks like a quiet weekend ahead to have some "me" time!
?? @Readerbuzz Happy Thursday!

😮 whoa!!! What a dark, disturbing, horrific book. I don‘t know that I can say I enjoyed it, but I couldn‘t turn away or put it down. Not for the faint hearted or slightly scaredy-cat folks!!
Thanks @Reggie been on the tbr thanks to you.

While I found myself wanting to know what happened in this story, it couldn‘t seem to hold my attention for long. Took me over two weeks to read, which isn‘t very typical for me...maybe it‘s because I thought the story dragged out some or maybe it‘s because I picked up it during vacation? Not sure, but overall I thought it was an interesting, #creepy #horror story with an ending I really enjoyed.

#halloweenread #octoberread