Thursday, December 13, 2012

Review: Breed by Chase Novak

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Breed
Chase Novak
Publication date: September 4th 2012
by Mulholland Books 

 

Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives-fabulous jobs, a luxurious town house on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a passionate marriage. What they don’t have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. As a last-ditch attempt to make their dream of parenthood come true, Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that finally gives them what they so fervently desire . . . but with awful consequences.

Ten years later, cosseted and adored but living in a house of secrets, the twins Adam and Alice find themselves locked into their rooms every night, with sounds coming from their parents’ bedroom getting progressively louder, more violent, and more disturbing.

Driven to a desperate search for answers, Adam and Alice set out on a quest to learn the true nature of the man and woman who raised them. Their discovery will upend everything they thought they knew about their parents and will reveal a threat so horrible that it must be escaped, at any cost.

*Note that this is an adult novel*

Horror has always been my thing. I get thrills out of being scared, and I love when a good mystery is involved as well. Breed definitely brings both aspects. These people start to get truly bizarre side effects from an out of country fertility treatment, and frankly it freaked me the heck out. The mystery part gets less “mysterious” and more “What is going to happen next?” during part 2, when we fast-forward 10 years later to the kids’ perspective, and change from horror to more of a high speed chase. I found this part exciting at first, mostly fascinating due to the unknown, but it does drag on after a while, seemingly becoming a chase that never ends with spurts of unnecessary drama that slows things down.

Looking back, part 1 of the book is what I deem my favorite. We get introduced to this couple who desperately wants a baby. So badly that they hop on a plane to visit a doctor in a new country who they hear gets ridiculously positive results. Little could they know that shortly after, they’d be acting strangely similar to animals. From almost amusing animalistic behavior to eating their own barf, this book goes from strange to positively disgusting. I know some may warn, in books like Anna Dressed in Blood, or I Hunt Killers that it’s not for the faint of heart, so let me put this clear, this is nothing compared to getting a visual of someone enjoying licking their own sick off their fingers. This is just one example. I swear, this haunted me for days, causing loss of appetite and general nauseousness. I am not even kidding. I blame this book for days of discomfort! Nothing in the WORLD is grosser than vomit! I could watch a surgery while eating Spaghetti, but I can not deal with vomit. Even the word–vomit–is gross. Really, say it slow. Vo-m-it. *barf*

Grossness aside, it was like I couldn’t stop from finding out what weird twisted thing these people were going to do next. It’s pretty horrific, when you know the whole story, and kind of… well, it’s effed up! How the kids had to live their lives, the way they were raised, what they have to fear. Once we get to the second part, we see that the side effects did not escape their children, either; although in a different manner. The premise itself makes a great horror tale, perfect for fans of the Stephen King novels in all their strange glory. After we get past the initial shock, however, is where I found it started to slip and became more like a non stop action movie. The ones that are fast paced, but still feel especially drawn out. Dramatic happenings that, instead of being exciting as it is meant, feels like insignificant detours; adding action and no substance. Ultimately, I grew bored of it shortly after the half way point.

This is for none other than those who enjoy adult horror novels. Its unusual story is bound to bring you in for a real mind-f*ckery, and it will probably make you barf. Who’s in?

3 Hot Espressos
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Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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17 Responses to “Review: Breed by Chase Novak”

  1. Amy

    Lol!!! OMG I have this aversion to vomit. I don’t even like when books say that someone does it and I surely don’t want to think about it. See what you did? Now I’m thinking about it. This sounds like a creepy book and all, but I think you have completely turned me off to it. *gag*

  2. Kat Balcombe

    When I saw your comment on Twitter that this made you want to barf, I actually ordered it because I love that kind of goriness, I didn’t realise it was BECAUSE of barf! I may regret this one now! Or just skim those bits.

    Despite all that, I’m still going to read it, and most probably like it!

    Great review!

  3. Jenni @ Alluring Reads

    I think I must have a stronger stomach than you, my dear (and I am quite the queasy person) Happy that overall you still managed to enjoy it for what it is. I can’t wait to get my hands on more like this.. ohh and the sequel! Squeeee!

  4. Alexa

    This sounds really, really creepy. And the vomit part made me want to be sick! Though it intrigues me, I don’t think this book is for me…

  5. Erin W.

    I love creepy books – even ones that make you want to go ‘ewwwww’ at – but I don’t know . . . this seems like something where I’m not sure whether to read it or not even though I’ve been interested in reading it anyway. Hmmm guess we’ll see soon. Great review!

  6. Nick

    They lick their own puke? O_O
    Eww!
    That is disgusting. I can handle gory scenes too but vomit? No. Just no.
    I don’t think I’m going to ever try this book. It’s definitely not for me! Thanks for the honesty, Giselle! I died laughing reading your paragraph on vomit! 😀

  7. Christina

    Action can be so hard to get right. I mean, too long and it feels like it will never end and gets blase. Over too quickly and you’re like “Man, what a lame, anticlimactic fight scene.” Sounds like this was a bit too much the former.

    EWWWW. This book is not for me. I will now not be able to finish my cupcake for a while. So…thanks for that.

    Am I in? A WORLD OF NO.

  8. Soma Rostam

    This really sounds like a creepy book. I love the creepy vibe of the blurb and the cover, but OMG, licking their own….? What? Seriously? That’s gross. Like, 100%, absolutely gross. I can”t even think about vomit, let alone read about it. The premise looks very strange and people acting as animals? I think that I am in
    GREAT review, Giselle, as always.
    Your CONSTANT reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

  9. Lilian

    I read Breed a little over a month ago for Halloween, hoping for something spooky to send chills down my spine. And who better to recommend a horror book than Mr. Stephen King himself. But after Breed, I don’t believe any other book recommendation he gives ever again.

    Like you, I just got bored during the second half. I wasn’t disgusted, but I was just expecting more substance. I love action, but it felt like unnecessary filler in Breed.

    Really? They ate barf? Did I manage to forget that part? hmmmmm.

    Lilian @ A Novel Toybox

  10. Camille Picott

    Heh, I don’t like barf either, although I have become somewhat less disturbed by it after becoming a mother. The premise of this book sounds really good, although it may be too scary for me!

  11. Karen

    Wowza! This sounds incredibly intense.

    I’m fine with gory but this sounds unbelievably creepy. Too bad it sputtered out at the end but it still sounds like it’s worth reading.

  12. Candace

    Oh UGH!
    I cant read adult horror, its too scary for me. But I’m SO curious about why they changed and whatever.
    Yeah, that vomit stuff is stuck in my head. Why’d you have to tell us that?! UGH. UGH. UGH.