Book Review – Seed by Ania Ahlborn

I never know what to expect from the horror stories that Ania Ahlborn writes. That is a true compliment because her books are never predictable. Seed is no exception.

The book follows Jack, a father and husband whose childhood is a closely regarded secret. Those horrific events when he was a kid come back to haunt him when his youngest daughter starts exhibiting the same psychotic, creepy things that Jack did when he was a kid. His wife begins to believe that their daughter is dangerous. His older daughter is terrified. And Jack can do nothing to stop what is coming.

The first half of this book is a bit of a bore. I did not find Jack to be all that likable, which I thick is very intentional. I also had a hard time liking the wife who seems to be a bit hysterical, even over mundane things. That said, the second half of the book deep dives into some pretty horrific imagery, the kind of stuff I associate with Ahlborn’s writing. I’ll admit again to not expecting the gruesome deaths at the end, at least not all of them. Again, that’s a compliment.

Only one time during reading a novel have I had to set it down because of something gory. To take a minute to compose myself before finishing the book. That honor belonged to Stephen King’s Misery for I did not expect how gory the scene is where Annie chops the authors foot off with an ax or that it would make him think of BBQ when she blowtorches the stump. I was sixteen at the time. Seed came very close to that, to having such a gruesome death of a character that I almost had to set it down for a moment. Almost. So, it gets a bump in respect from me after boring me throughout the first half of the book.

Three out of five stars for this unevenly told book that ends far better than it starts.