I've been on the Romantasy train lately, so it was nice getting back to my "women abducted in the woods" reading roots. Is it weird that this is my preferred thriller sub-genre? Probably, but this book fit the bill perfectly. Plus, there's a 17 year brood emerging as I read this, so it was an excellent moody vibe.

I really enjoyed this book. It took reconnecting with nature to a whole new level. The pacing was great and I never felt a lull in the plot. I really liked Girl's growth and the progression of her character (it's not everyday that I root for the kidnapper), as well as how Mary's past was incorporated into the story. Both characters were complex and had their own individual trauma that didn't feel forced or contrived, but moved the story forward in a meaningful way.

4.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you NetGalley for considering me for this ARC. Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me. I struggled with the pacing and the flashback sections, which slowed the first half of the book down for me. For such a short book, it took me too long to read it. I love bug themed horror, and I think I wanted more than just hulking, thoraxed bugs crawling all over everything and the occasional well-timed cicada scream.
The biggest plot hole for me was Mary crashing the car. It would have immediately sent out a crash notification, and no one seemed to think about this. This took me out of the book every time Mary mentioned the car, the few times she was actually in her car. It also seemed like it did not fit with Mary, as we were told constantly who she was, that she would not have this safety feature available.
I wanted to enjoy the book more than I did, the premise seemed very solid, but the pacing, the unnecessary first chapter to explain who Mary was and why she was in upstate NY didn't create a good set up for me. It felt like exposition, telling me about Mary, instead of showing me who she was. I think there were some great sections that played on the unbelievability to the Brood, the body horror, and the thriller aspect. The pace definitely quickens in the latter half, but I didn't feel very satisfied at the ending. Also, I know this is labeled as magical realism, but I think thriller and body horror are the real genres/themes for this book.
Again, there is definitely potential. The technical aspect of the writing was spot on, but the dialogue was hit or miss. But I have to say, there were parts that made me feel uncomfortable or squeamish, so good job on the author's part for that.

This is a fast-paced, Appalachian-esque horror thriller that explores themes of childhood trauma, motherhood, reproduction, and transformation. On one hand, it was gripping and stress-inducing, but on the other, some aspects felt problematic and rubbed me the wrong way.

Mary, the FMC, is a successful callous woman who worked her way up from the bottom. Despite her past of abuse, she spends her time as a hot shot lawyer covering up her boss’s sexual assaults and affairs. The other FMC, “Girl,” is a backwoods woman who, due to childhood trauma and lack of parental figures, behaves very childlike. She has a very strong motherly obsession with a brood of cicadas.

Some of the things I enjoyed (but also hated)…the CICADAS. I’m no fan of big flying bugs, so the eerie, plague-like descriptions creeped me out. The slight body horror was gross in the best way, and the tension had me on edge. There’s a fever-dream reawakening that sets Mary up for a pleasant ending with some self-reflection and growth.

Some things added nothing to the story, while others were left unexplained. My main issue is the glaring fatphobia the author has not sprinkled but DUMPED throughout the entire book. Every single description or mention of Girl, anytime Mary thinks about her, includes some new cruel way of calling her fat. It passed the point of simply describing her and quickly descended into the author just writing horrible things about fat people. It almost seemed like the author was trying to use her weight as a grotesque way to make the reader’s skin crawl, using fatness as a “horror” aspect that bordered on obsession. This grew old fast and honestly tainted the book for me.

Overall, I give this 3 stars. It’s a quick read with an interesting premise, fascinating body horror, and gripping thrills, but the fatphobic comments and minor plot holes really held it back for me. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

⭐⭐⭐

I love a good thriller, and this new release had such a creepy edge that kept me turning the pages! It leans more into horror than I usually read, with some gore and really vivid descriptions. What really stood out to me was the powerful main female character—I loved her strength throughout. The author’s writing is fantastic, but overall this landed as a solid three-star read for me: entertaining, unsettling in a good way, but just not fully my usual style.

A debut author, Rebecca Baum’s The Brood (2025) is a magical realism tale. Mary Whelton is an elite trial lawyer on the way to her private island, leaving instructions she is not to be disturbed. After having a car crash, she awakens bound and gagged in a cabin in the woods in upstate New York. She is being cared for by a young woman who is calling her mama. It soon becomes apparent that Mary cannot talk her way out of being released and her several attempts at escape are all futile. A dark thriller, with building narrative tension and added complication of visitors, spooky climax and all too rosy ending. It’s a mild horror and fantasy story with some repugnant scenes that make for a solid three and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

At the beginning, I assumed the narrative would follow a path similar to Misery. However, despite certain similarities, The Brood goes far beyond that. I have never encountered a fantasy quite like this — highly creative and well-constructed. The author also does not shy away from gore, which is quite present throughout the book and contributes significantly to the atmosphere. Regarding the writing, I didn’t particularly like the font choice, and as English is not my native language, the extensive vocabulary posed a minor challenge; nevertheless, I was able to learn many new terms.

intensely ominous and intensely grotesque. the vibes are very interesting, too. the characters are well written. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

The Brood is a chilling, genre-blending tale that hooked me from page one. After a car crash, a woman wakes in a remote cabin where an unsettling stranger insists she’s her mother—and escape is blocked by a terrifying swarm of cicadas. What follows is a suspenseful, surreal descent into horror and fantasy, with twists I never saw coming. The book explores themes of transformation, motherhood, and identity. Perfect for fans of psychological horror and anyone fascinated by cicadas, The Brood left me simultaneously unnerved and totally enthralled.

I thought this was a very interesting take on horror that I feel is rarely explored in books, and only sometimes in movies— I thought the psychology of Girl/Kallie was very interesting to witness and the atmosphere was unique and smothering. A lot of the plant/fungi references were a little lost on me, but overall I felt I could really engage with this book. I was happy for Kallie in the end!

A feminist horror novel with insects, body horror, and lots and lots of pus and body fluids, some of which is probably not naturally occurring in Homo sapiens. This book reminded me in many ways of Daryl Gregory’s Revelator, with its secret reproduction in the backwoods populated replete with hicks and sticks. There’s the sacred and the sacrificial, twisted up in a special brood of 17-year periodical cicadas.

The story follows a rich and powerful lawyer, Mary, quite the bitch type really, who ends up in the clutches of Girl, who has been awaiting the return of her “mama” and the 17-year Brood. Bloody and painful catastrophe awaits Mary, as she becomes hostage to the insanity of the place. There are other themes that permeate the story, dealing with childhood trauma, abandonment, abuse, motherhood. And it is these themes, I think, that elevate this story above a simple body horror tale of insect infestation with some incredibly jaw-dropping scenes. The one with Real Mother in the cave will stay with me for a long time.

I certainly fell down the internet rabbit hold chasing after knowledge of periodical cicadas after reading this book. I learned that cicada broods are differentiated by geographical location and length of hibernation, most commonly 17-year cycles and 13-year cycles. I read up on the male’s tymbals, which creates the unique cicada song that attracts the females.

As I am typing this, I can hear the tzitzikas’ songs in the trees by our house. The windows and doors are open to let in the breeze, and the sounds of the annual summer tzitzikas are timeless, as their chorus swells and then fades in the sunlight.

WOWWWW this one was truly un-put-down-able and fairly unhinged right from the get-go. Think “the hills have eyes”-type setting and old school, nature-driven horror. The prose is so descriptive and the plot is fairly fast-paced, so this story really grips you right from the start.

Mary Whelton is one of NYC’s finest attorneys, well established and self-built after a childhood of neglect and self-loathing. On her way to a quiet retreat on the Cape, she crashes her car somewhere off the beaten path. When she comes to, she finds herself held captive by Girl, who has mistaken Mary as her mother. Girl’s own childhood was riddled with abuse, setting the scene for wild mood swings, tumultuous daughterly love, and a ritualistic obsession with cicadas. There are quite a few dark, disturbing moments during Mary’s captivity, both at the hands of her captor and at the creepy legs of the cicadas, and her will is tested over and over again. Yet somehow, beyond the reader’s wildest imagination, you’re swept away in the prose and suddenly, reluctantly, appreciative of the whimsy of the brood of cicadas - and no, I can’t believe I’m even saying that. This book is absolutely bonkers in all the right ways. Bravo, Rebecca Baum!!!

I really wanted to love this book, but I ended up just liking it. As a misery stan I was expecting something a bit knock off-y but was pleasantly surprised that the story could hold its own. However i dont know, I found myself losing interest in the middle

With a astunning cover, this book is phenomenal. I really liked the plot and the characters. The story is truly unsettling from start to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thus wa a really weird and interesting g read
I loved the horror vibes and the setting.
The chatacters where very good developed.

The Brood is a book that is impossible to put down, it has a good pacing, mixing more slowish moments with extremely tense ones, which contributes to the book being addictive.

We follow Mary, who is a ruthless lawyer and a character that isn't easy to like, and in a sort of paradox, I liked having her as a main character, it was something refreshing to follow a character that isn't inherently good since the beginning. Mary then is kidnaped by a woman who goes by Girl, and is then put through various scenarios that at first reminded me of Misery, but then they took a turn to something more, and honestly that was one of the things that made this book a good one.

The only things that I think where kind of out of place where the first and last chapter and how they connect with the main plot, I felt they could be integrated in the story in a different way for it to make more sense. But all in all, they still give us insight about Mary.

In the narrative we have themes of womanhood and motherhood entwined with the plot, the images the author used and the metaphors were some of my favorite parts of this story. We also have some body horror and twists after twists, so I won't go into more detail about this because I think it's better to go into it without knowing too much.

I totally recommend this book, but also, check the trigger warnings; there are some scenes that can be disturbing.

This book was quite a strange one. It’s a speculative thriller that makes you wonder what’s real and what isn’t. After Mary, a hot-shot lawyer, leaves her ex-lovers funeral she gets into a car crash and is taken by a stranger named Girl. Girl keeps Mary locked up and tortures her. But somewhere along the way, through the locusts and craziness of it all, they end up fine.

This is a story of two women from very different backgrounds coming together to deal with childhood trauma. They grow and confront their demons from the past.

It was an okay book, but the locust really freaked me out. The writing was pretty good and the characters were well written. I just don’t think this was the book for me.

A super entertaining body/bug horror! The Hills Have Eyes meets Candyman, this one will have your skin crawling as you try to figure out exactly what's going on. You'll feel like you can hear the atmosphere in this one...let's just say I'll never look at cicadas the same way again!

This was a quick and pretty entertaining read. I finished it in just a few days. It’s this weird mix of horror and magical realism that really leans into body horror and nature-based creepiness. Definitely kept my attention.

The story follows Mary, this awful NYC lawyer (as a law school graduate who would rather be held hostage by cicadas than ever actually practice law, the adverse possession talk made me want to throw myself into a vat of acid 😭) who ends up stranded in a forest after fleeing the media circus around her dead mentor. She crashes into a swarm of cicadas and wakes up in a cabin being held by a woman named Girl, who thinks Mary is her mom. From there, it just gets progressively stranger and more intense. There’s this Brood (yes, cicadas, but also… not just cicadas) and Mary slowly gets pulled into something way bigger and weirder than she expected.

I liked how new elements kept getting added throughout the story. Like not necessarily twists, though there were a few, but stuff that kept changing the stakes and made everything feel more urgent. The pacing was okay. I also ended up liking the characters more than I thought I would. I really did just feel bad for Girl the whole time. Mary in particular had some really solid character development. I hated her at first, like truly didn’t care what happened to her, but she did grow on me. That said…

The ending didn’t fully land for me. While I was reading it, it was fine, but looking back, the last few chapters just felt kind of disconnected from the rest of the book. Mary fights so hard the whole time to stay the same terrible person, and then suddenly the Brood does its thing and—boom—she’s different. It felt like a switch got flipped without much build-up, which was kind of frustrating after all that tension.

Overall though, the writing is good, the concept is really original, and I’m glad I read it. I just wish the ending had been handled a little differently or given more time to breathe.

"The Brood" is my first DNF in a hot minute. Sold to me as cosmic horror with bugs. In reality, it's "Misery" but with insect body horror. A bit overwritten, slow, lots of flashbacks. Forced myself to get to 50%. Some parts were good—I love a protagonist who is basically an awful person. The writing needs trimming, but it is strong. Once you get past the first quarter and action speeds up, things improve. But I couldn't help but be distracted by writing choices, pacing problems, and the constant question: why should I care?

This was a pretty good read. Super dark and unsettling. A twist on a few classic horror tropes, which was fun. My issues with it lied with pacing--it was so slow with overly long descriptions that bogged it down. I found myself skimming a lot.