The Brood is beautiful despite being so terrifying! It’s wonderfully written, with vivid scenes and magical language that jumps off the page.

Mary, our main character, is a high-powered New York City lawyer who ends up in the backwoods of all backwoods and is being held against her will by Girl, a seemingly simplistic but actually very complex character. Girl believes Mary to be her long-missing mother, returning for the latest cicada brood. From there, the horror is intense! Each punch, bite, ingesting of gross concoctions, and desperate attempt to get away is action-packed. A chapter ends, and it’s nearly impossible to stop reading. It takes some interesting turns, and without spoiling the ending, there’s great character growth.

Generally, the horror genre is not one that I flock to, but The Brood is way more complex, with themes much deeper than a gory story that will enthrall any reader.

This book sent me on a journey, albeit unforgettable and uncomfortable it was gut turning with vivid imagery. This was body horror in the strictest sense and some scenes were leaving me trying to do anything to get comfortable. I enjoy horror so trying this sub genre was fun for me. The characters were wild but I did find Mary our protagonist a little 1D. Overall enjoyed this thoroughly!

Having read Rebecca Baum's "The Brood," I found it a novel that makes a distinct and unsettling impression. The premise itself—placing a lawyer in a state of captivity linked to ecological horror involving cicadas—is certainly unconventional and establishes a pervasive sense of unease right away. Baum is quite successful, I think, in cultivating an oppressive and eerie atmosphere throughout the narrative.

What particularly stood out to me was how the narrative seemed dedicated to exploring the female experience through this intense, genre-bending lens. It appears to leverage its elements of body horror and surreal situations purposefully, using them to explore complex themes regarding trauma, womanhood, bodily autonomy, and fraught connections between women and the natural world. The commitment to the horror elements feels clear and seems directly tied to examining these challenging ideas.

The book fully commits to its horror identity, requiring a strong stomach for its visceral intensity. This intense focus is clear in the narrative, which I found prioritized building its potent atmosphere and exploring psychological dread through its unconventional developments, making those aspects feel more central than, perhaps, the unfolding of intricate plot mechanics.

Ultimately, "The Brood" strikes me as a challenging and atmospheric piece of horror fiction. It employs its visceral elements with intent, aiming to probe uncomfortable themes. While its particular narrative structure might not resonate with everyone, those drawn to unconventional horror that emphasizes psychological and ecological dread, particularly one centered so strongly on female experience, will likely find it a potent and thought-provoking work.

An absolute knockout blend of horror and fantasy! This book had me hooked from the eerie opening scene to the chilling, bittersweet end. The world was darkly enchanting, filled with ancient magic, terrifying creatures, and a creeping sense of dread that never let up.

The author masterfully balanced the fantastical elements with genuinely unsettling horror—every twist felt earned, and the suspense was relentless. The protagonist's journey was both haunting and heroic, making me care deeply about their fate even as the stakes spiraled into madness.

Perfect for fans of gothic vibes, morally gray magic, and stories where the monsters are both literal and metaphorical. A stunning, spellbinding read that lingers long after the last page.

This book was freaky and heartbreaking all at the same time. The magical realism is beautifully on display and hit on body horror in a way that had me on edge

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Mary is leaving the funeral of a person she had a mixed relationship with. She gets into an accident and finds herself in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The only person there is another woman who only goes by Girl. Girl is holding Mary captive when lots of strange things happen. Girl is off her rocker, but it’s unclear on whether that is based on how she was raised or if there’s something more sinister happening. Girl is obsessed with the next brood of cicadas and she believes keeping Mary is what’s needed for the brood’s survival.

Brood is part thriller/horror with some magical realism. It sets a creepy atmosphere throughout and the feeling is very ominous. The dialogue is stilted, but that might be due to how unhinged Girl is. The plot gets a little convoluted in the middle and the ending was underwhelming, but I don’t know what would’ve made it any better. It’s weird through and through. It is an interesting read, but keep an open mind. I still recommend this book if the synopsis sounds interesting to you.

Magic Realism is not usually my jam, and yet I devoured this book. The magic is grounded in discomfort and fear, with the reality of being a woman and the expectations and impossible demands it requires. A compelling world is built up that forces you to reflect and look inwards, whilst not being able to look away from the fire.

I did not know what to make of this book at first. The main character seemed so unlikeable and Girl seemed so lost. However as the book progressed you learn more about what happened to each of them. Then came the bugs. At first I was disgusted and then intrigued. I wanted to find out more about what they were after and who was controlling them. I won't put spoilers here, but this is definitely worth the read even if you hate bugs. I honestly would even like an update say 17 years later to see where the characters are in their lives.

4 stars

Creepy, gross, and weirdly beautiful — The Brood is pure body horror meets folklore. I wouldn’t lie, I tore through it in def not in one sitting. But the more I deep into story more I felt that vibe. Like cicadas that crawling under my skin — that book crawl into my mind. The vibe is Misery meets The Descent, with cicadas, obsession, and twisted motherhood thrown in. Some parts felt a little off, especially the ending, but overall? Wild, eerie ride. I had so many theories and that lead me to re-read book in future. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

2.25/5 “The Brood” is a disturbing horror novel that will make you feel very uncomfortable at some points.
When I read the description of this book, I was intrigued! A lawyer named Mary is held prisoner by a crazy woman who mistakes Mary for her mother, and there’s something strange about the cicadas living in the area. The first third of the book hooked me. I liked the author’s writing style and reading about how Mary experiences being held captive by this seemingly crazy woman. Also, the strange encounters with cicadas and the descriptions of them grabbed my attention.
However, as the story progressed, it all felt too repetitive and monotonous to me. I found scenes that are essential for the plot to be rather dull and sometimes too random. I always waited for something big and unexpected to happen. This was especially the case at the end of this book.
Overall, I liked how the author managed to depict body horror, making me as a reader feel very uncomfortable and even disgusted. But I expected more from both the plot and the character developments.

By about 50% of the way in I was honestly so tempted to DNF despite knowing it would affect my rating on NG. I decided to stick with it and the second half of the book really turned it around for me!

I really struggled with the two main characters at first and found myself not really caring about either them until further into the story. I found some of the storyline a bit repetitive (runs away, gets caught, runs away, gets caught, etc). In the end, I liked the way the characters turned out and felt like the story wrapped up quite nice.

I’m typically more of a supernatural horror girl and this was much more body horror but I really appreciated how descriptive the author was. I had a very clear picture of everything going down. If you don’t like bugs and you don’t like body horror, skip this one. Probably worth a read for anyone that doesn’t mind those two things though!

I sure won’t be looking at or hearing cicadas the same ever again.

This book! The body horror that made me feel unease, throughout the whole book. The parallels of the main character's story to that of the cicadas. The views of how high society immediately views those lesser than them. The scientific accuracies of the cicadas and the Appalachian folklore and naming conventions are fantastic. I love the descriptions that both made me feel like I was in the woods and experiencing the trauma the main character goes through. This book is intense and has you in a sense of unease the whole time. It is over a three week period of time and was paced well. This is a book I'll think about and recommend for a long while on an emotional level.

I am going to start with the positive elements of this book. I did enjoy some of Mary’s personal stories you get to experience throughout the book. I love how she stood up to her bullies and her health journey.
I also enjoyed the ending of the book the last two chapters were very well written and I liked how she tied everything together.
There are many elements I disliked about this book and that did make it difficult to finish. I want to start off with say the first few pages are difficult to read and it doesn’t have something that hooks you and grabs your interest. I expected this book to be scary but it was just gross, there is no other way to describe it I understand that some people are afraid of bugs but this book is lacking good horror elements until the moment they are in the cave.
One of my biggest peeves about this book is the way this author chose to talk about overweight characters. Mary is stuck there for what I’m estimating is about a week and another character is talking about how chubby and gross she is and how much weight she has gained and I understand it’s fictions but if Mary was on a hunger strike how could she have gained so much weight? Another character named Girl gets talked about in awful ways due to her weight and I understand that might be how that character thinks but unfortunately it doesn’t need to be her whole personality and it's brought up more than once. If you don’t like overweight people then just don’t write them into your books.

I had some trepidation in the first chapter as I was getting to know Mary, the mc. Lawyers and corporate types are not my people and I couldn't see identifying with this woman. However, the writing was way above par and there were several sentences of the sort that you re-read not because you didn't understand it, but because you just want to savour the artistry with words.

So I stuck with it and was quickly rewarded with the sort of situation that deserves to be classed as Horror. My dislike of the mc actually served me well as the situation became clear and I found myself sardonically amused that her aggressive lawyer speak had no chance of saving her now. By the third chapter, I actually sympathised with her and hoped to see her escape.

The story really pulled me in. I had my suspicions about what the brood were, but I was totally wrong. They were much worse!

This is a creepy crawly story that hits some of my worst phobias, so quite a ride. Interestingly, the character arc for the mc was pretty impressive. Sometimes you have to lose everything to gain perspective.

Definitely for those who don't mind the nightmares.

I will start by saying I did not finish this book. I left off at around 20%.
That being said, the reasons I didn’t personally enjoy this book are reasons another reader may absolutely love it!
This story follows a New York City lawyer, Mary, who really leans into the victim blaming side of the “me too” movement. In the first chapter she crosses paths with a woman she knows has been through traumatic events, and makes it a point to note that the woman has “let herself go” and gained weight as if that is a moral failing.
She is, frankly, a hideously awful person.
If you would like to see a character like that thrust into as she puts it, “a b-grade horror film,” then you will absolutely enjoy this. I got the immediate sense that Mary will be getting hers in the form of extensive bug-related body horror.
There are some flashbacks to Mary’s past to explain her outlook and personality, but I didn’t find them particularly necessary, and the character still felt very flat to me even with that backstory.
I could absolutely see this appealing to someone who wanted a “watch this horrible person get what she ‘deserves’” story that feels very cut and dry, and not at all in a bad way.
That wasn’t what I was looking for in this story, but this story will absolutely find its people!

I've never read anything quite like this! The first thing to jump out, was what a great job Baum did at creating empathy for Girl, despite her doing pretty terrible things. The story was fascinated and dark and gross, I loved it!

I didn’t know what to expect from this novel. It was a slow start, but quickly evolved into a page-turner! The novel follows Mary, a successful lawyer, who is caught in a devastating car accident in a rural area. After the crash, she is taken in by a reclusive and mysterious woman named Girl. What begins as an attempt to heal and recover soon spirals into a nightmare, as Girl traps Mary, believing that she is her mother who has returned after a long absence.

The novel takes an unsettling turn when the story’s most bizarre element comes to the forefront—Girl’s obsession with cicadas. These cicadas, led by "Her in the Cave," become an integral part of the plot, with the creatures laying eggs in both Mary and Girl's bodies. The hatching of these eggs is described in vivid and painful detail, evoking the emotional intensity of childbirth.

One of the most powerful aspects of the book is the evolving relationship between Mary and Girl, especially after Girl’s biological mother returns. Initially, Mary is terrified and desperate to escape, but as the story unfolds, Mary begins to understand the tragic and delusional mindset that drives Girl.

Thank you Rebecca Baum, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy!

What an absolute rollercoaster! It hooked me right from the start with its creepy, tense vibe, a bit like Misery but then add in cicadas. It's eerie, intense, and super engaging.

The story follows the characters Mary and Girl, both caught in a horrifying situation. They both had mirroring external and internal struggles that added an emotional layer which elevated the book beyond suspense for me. This is not just a story about fear; it’s a story about survival, identity, and the bonds that tie us together.

If you're a fan of psychological thrillers with a dark, atmospheric edge (I’d put it in the Southern Gothic category too), The Brood is an absolute must-read. You’ll find yourself questioning what’s real, who can be trusted, and what you’d do to survive. Simply put: this book is unforgettable. And I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

I loved it!!

Perfect blend of horror, magic realism, feminism and weird-ness. I was gripped throughout, felt itchy in a lot of parts and said ‘oh my god’ more than a few times!

Mary, a badass attorney with a heartbreaking upbringing is attending a funeral of her old mentor, after leaving she is chased by paparazzi which results in a collision. Upon waking, she’s met by ‘Girl,’ her captor, who is convinced Mary is her mother. Then begins the horror, violence and a down-right weird experience that Mary endures.

There’s definitely some stomach churning scenes in this book, not for the weak-kneed for sure. The story gripped me pretty much straight away, kept wanting to know just WHAT was going to happen next. Couldn’t predict it. A page turner. Rebecca Baum knows how to keep a reader engaged.

It’s spine tingling, runs your blood cold, fastens your heart beat and you really route for Mary.

Also, the cover is absolutely stunning.

I found the story fascinating. The book contains a few religious references, although none are as evident as the protagonist's name, Mary. For me, Mary is the antithesis of the Virgin Mary, who accepted motherhood as a blessing, while the protagonist of this novel did everything in her power to avoid becoming a mother.

The central theme, as I understood it, is motherhood. Every character acts as a manifestation of motherhood in all its expressions: denied, desired, and resigned. What does it take to be a mother?

Through Girl, the issues of domestic abuse, body image (fatphobia) and the intrinsic human need for companionship are addressed. Her character was mysterious, yet a bit pitiful at times; nevertheless, she is somewhat of a guide to Mary, showing her— and us —that it is never too late to find our place in the world.

Don´t misunderstand these themes, The Brood is a horror novel. I spent entire chapters disgusted, horrified, confused, and angry. But the ending is beautifully written and satisfying.

I´m afraid this novel has changed my life. I don´t know yet if I'll be able to buy the book when it's published, but I´ll do my best to get my hands on it.