Jasmine's Review
Till We Become Monsters by Amanda Headlee is a solid horror debut with a really strong start, but it left me feeling a bit confused at times and wanting more. The story follows two brothers, Korin and Davis, whose strained relationship is shaped by childhood trauma, folklore, and the belief that one of them might not be entirely human. Sixteen years later, a trip to a remote hunting cabin forces them to confront both their past and something far more dangerous lurking in the woods. I really enjoyed the folklore elements and the setup of the overall story, and the beginning really pulled me in. But once the hunting trip started, the story kind of went downhill for me. I understand that Korin was meant to be an unreliable narrator, but at the same time, his character changes so much, and I didn’t really understand why there was such a sudden 180 with him. Davis had a bit of a change too, and that also came across as confusing. At least for me. Though it is possible I misinterpreted some of the character shifts. The ending did feel a bit rushed, and while I usually don’t mind endings that are left open or have an almost cliffhanger vibe (while not actually being a cliffhanger), I wanted more, I suppose. Korin’s arc, especially toward the end, felt confusing and not...fully developed, I guess. Another downside for me was the grammatical errors and word usage issues. As a proofreader, I’m a bit fussy, so those stood out to me. Still, for a debut novel, it was a relatively good read. I enjoyed it for what it was, even though I think it could have been fleshed (ha!) out more and explained things more clearly.

If you love:

☑️Remote cabins and creepy woods
☑️Complicated sibling relationships
☑️Childhood trauma coming back to haunt you
☑️Folklore and possibly-not-quite-human characters
☑️ Unreliable narrators who keep you questioning things
☑️ ...and family hunting trips that go spectacularly wrong...
...then you might want to become acquainted with these monsters.
Rating: 3/5