While it takes about two-thirds of this novel to get the plot going full speed, the slow burn is worth the wait. So many ideas and thoughts about what I just read. Metaphysical, thought provoking and kind to the plight of the mentally ill.
I will read more of this author's work.
Highly recommended.

I wanted to like We are Monsters a lot more than I did. I was ready for a good bone-chilling horror story and anything set in a mental institute usually fits the bill nicely. Sadly, however, We are Monsters failed to horrifically chill me in any way other than dreading picking up my e-reader to get through it!

To start with, I felt absolutely nothing for Alex Drexler, the main character, after the end of the second chapter. In the first chapter, I was all ears for the man and his concerns for his clinical trials being dropped. Then he does something horrible (by accident) to his wife beloved pet dog and is more concerned about not getting laid that night then he is for her well-being. This guy is meant to be a psychiatrist, a pretty poor one if all he can think about is getting off rather than caring about someone he is meant to be in love with. So, bang, any positive thoughts I have for the main character are gone and sadly, my attitude towards him didn’t change throughout the novel either – despite him having a decent back story that might have evoked other feelings in me should he have been written a bit more sympathetically.

Other characters, Eli and Angela, are better written and more interesting than Alex but I just couldn’t seem to get on board with them either. Finding them somewhat forced – we have the traditional stories of ‘dead wife’ and ‘childhood abuse’ – and I found that there was little to get my teeth into. Possibly because the descriptions are lengthy to the point of jarring. Elements of characters (Physical or emotional descriptions) would be thrown in between passages of conversation and they interrupted the flow of speech to the point I had to back-pedal just to remember what characters were talking about.

Despite this, however, I enjoyed the first half of the book. The backstories of the characters (that was needed) were well delivered and led me to want to know more about them. To see if they had more to offer than it would first seem. The conflict between Alex and Elis medical approached was certainly a good dose of drama and I was keen to find out how this would play out.

Then about halfway through We are Monsters changes and attempts to become the horror story that we’re promised in the blurb. This is where the book undoes itself. It changed from a well-considered, almost gripping, novel into nonsensical drivel. I know that We are Monsters is set in a mental asylum, but when Alex Drexlers experimental drug shifts reality to the viewpoint of one of the patients, the plot lost it’s grounding in reality and let me scratching my head in utter confusion. I understood the basic premise of what was going on, but the story took on a different light and it became quite a struggle to read through. I am all for the use of imagination and I believe I have a great suspension of disbelief, but what happened in We are Monsters was not a shining example of the creative mind at work.

A lot of the second half of the book is spent in an alternative reality for the main characters. This is where the horror comes to the fore, and I credit Brian Kirk for treading in waters that the more faint-hearted author would fear to tread, but when the horror is overdone it becomes a dull read and We are Monsters suffers from this. It feels like there was a lot of repetition in this half of the novel and I think that adds to the confusion.

I don’t like to talk too much about the ending of books in my reviews as I’d encourage people to pick up a book I’ve reviewed and start a conversation about it, however, the lack of any explanation as to how the events came to be in We are Monsters was the final nail in the coffin for me. If there was just a single thread that grounded the story, in reality, I’d have felt much happier about it; but the ending on offer here was no better than ‘then they all woke up from their dream/nightmare.’ It was weak at best and frustrating at worst.

I’d like to believe that We are Monsters just wasn’t for me and I am eager to read more by Brian Kirk to see if this was the case. Maybe psychological horror isn’t right for this authors writing style and I’d love to give him the benefit of the doubt here as there were just enough good parts to We are Monsters that might be better applied to the thriller genre instead.

The Apocalypse has come to the Sugar Hill mental asylum.

He's the hospital's newest, and most notorious, patient--a paranoid schizophrenic who sees humanity's dark side.

Luckily he's in good hands. Dr. Eli Alpert has a talent for healing tortured souls. And his protégé is working on a cure for schizophrenia, a drug that returns patients to their former selves. But unforeseen side effects are starting to emerge. Forcing prior traumas to the surface. Setting inner demons free.

Monsters have been unleashed inside the Sugar Hill mental asylum. They don't have fangs or claws. They look just like you or me.

This was Brian Kirk's debut novel in Horror and boy was it horrific. I mean that in the good sense and the bad sense. All around I can’t quite wrap my mind whether or not I actually liked this novel. I know that may sound weird but have you ever read something that only a part of the book made it worth something to you? That is the eternal battle I have going inside right now and this is why.
When reading the description “We are Monsters” really grabs ones attention. There honestly aren't enough psychiatric hospital novels out there that I am aware of. So to see a fresh one out in the open with a premise such as this had me pretty excited. It has to be said though that the first half, the middle and the ending didn’t feel like a complete story. It was as though it was hastily put together from the three sections I mentioned. I enjoyed the two halves of the story that in reality would have wrapped up the story on its own. I liked the characters of Alex, Eli and Angela although Brian Kirk did his best to let the reader into their lives I yearned for more on them. I get it i am sounding ridiculous and like I can’t make up my mind about things but that is the truth. Premise, the characters and the build up I really enjoyed. The over descriptive scenes and narratives plus the ending that didn't really make sense not so much. So much has happened within the narratives which is why I feel it's up to whoever reads this ridiculously confusing review to make up their own mind whether they like it. So with that I give a final with no sense rating of 3.5 stars.

This book takes a long time to get to the real horror part. The chapters up to that point are all well written but it's not until after half way that things really go up a notch (or ten).
The other problem I had with the first half is that there is too much backstory for too many characters. It made focusing on one character impossible, and also made it hard to figure out where the key arc of the story was. As a result, I found it difficult to keep the story straight and frequently felt disinclined to pick it up to keep reading.
When the story does head into dark and strange waters, it's an intriguing and original narrative.
Overall, the writing is good, the story idea solid, but the novel could have done with some ruthless paring to become a better paced and gripping read.

We Are Monsters by Brian Kirk – 3.5 Stars
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
ISBN: 9781787583795

I thought I had a great story for the first 70%: well written, interesting, entertaining, and logical. I enjoyed the characters, relationships, and unique behaviors, challenges, and future plans. A new and total cure for schizophrenia raised my antenna for intriguing possibilities and, since this was under the Horror Category, some weird and scary events. I wasn’t wrong, and the horror did come about 55% into the story like falling off a cliff. The story changed from a mystery about who killed someone to a deeply psychotic world surrounding the insane and the staff caring for them. The murder is explained as an effect of the new drug use, but is the patient the only one involved? I was locked in for the next 15% of the book consuming brilliant fantasies and a crescendo of horror. Up to this point my rating would have been around 4.5.

However, too much of one thing, especially when is no longer new and refreshing, becomes stale and boring. I tired of reading trivial nonsense over and over again and rushed past the stuff to get to the end. I must say the book gives you an eerie feeling that the sane are the ones not in touch with the world and the insane are. I think I got the message. But I already got it 70% in and didn’t need it diminished by extraneous writing. I’d be hard pressed to rate the last 30% more than 2.5.

I see the author has another novel that I’ll probably look into and see if he learned from the reviews of this book. As I stated, his potential is promising and the horror category is my carrot. But, overall, I can only rate this one a 3.5 star.



Reviewer: Rich

Eh. I tried to get into this. I gave up halfway through and just grudgingly finished this thing over a period of like four weeks. Bah. It had a great premise, it just got boring to me halfway through. And then I kept finding other books to read instead. Maybe if I hadn't started King's "The Institute" (nope still not done) and seen some similar themes here, it would have grabbed me. Honestly it reminds me a lot of La Valle's "The Devil in Silver" with too many themes going on to settle on just one main thread.

"We Are Monsters" follows a a troubled psychiatrist Dr. Alex Drexler who starts to do experimental trails on the criminally insane at the asylum he works at. This ties into a serial killer who just arrives, Crosby Nelson, and of course bad consequences emerge. I didn't really like anyone in this because any doctor with a God complex is always going to start some shit. Honestly parts of this book reminds me a bit of old school Koontz with his whole debate about science moving faster than humanity and the consequences that emerge.

There are other characters in this book, Dr. Eli Alpert, Angela, of course Dr. Drexler and Crosby (woo boy that name). I just didn't care after a while what was going on with anyone though.

The writing was stilted after a while and some of the sentences made me scratch my head. Since this was an ARC, maybe the final version gets more polished. The flow just gets dragged down after a while too. I maybe went okay then, can we please move on like a dozen times.

The book definitely reads like a Southern Gothic novel I have to say. It's usually one of my fav genres. I just got bored and didn't feel wholly engaged by the time we get to the ending.

At Sugar Hill mental asylum, patients have been ethically treated under the direction of Dr. Eli Alpert. With his views on how to treat patients, he has been well respected until his protégé, Dr. Alex Drexler, presents the possibility of a miracle drug to treat schizophrenia. With conflicting interests, the promise of success changes the expected course.

“What’s wrong with this world if a normal, sane person can be plucked out of it and placed in this pocket of insanity?”

This narrative is divided into two parts with deep character development but the shift in focus takes on a completely new dynamic after the second half. Delving into morality, transgressions and trauma, the characters must confront what they fear. With a mixture of horror and apocalyptic doom, lines are blurred and reality becomes questionable.

“He said he could no longer hold it at bay. That he was forced to let it in. And he couldn’t control what it wanted him to do.”

What I liked about this story is how each character had significant issues and how they dealt with conflict and pain. As such, the distinction between doctor and patient crossed with all being treated as individuals and not lesser because of a known condition. Though I would have liked the second half to have granted the reader a bit more access, the element of the unknown underscored the characters’ confusing and life-altering experiences.

We are Monsters is a story with a sense of darkness in humanity but also serves to show the road to redemption.

Quite a strange and unusual tale that will tickle your senses both while and after reading it. Mr. Kirk has a talent for illuminating the darkness of the soul and enticing all the dark critters -- real and imagined -- out from under their respective rocks. Great read!

*Thanks to both the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this book free of charge, in exchange only for an honest review."

Thank you Flame Tree Press for the galley This book unfortunately fell behind. I hate giving crap reviews because this book was good, just not what i was expecting at all. It drove me crazy and it made me feel i was kind of going insane. It’s a decent read, just not my taste.

I liked the characters and the writing was decent. However, I felt the book was pretty scattered. Going back and forth between an almost soap opera power struggle at a hospital, testing of a medicine, and a potential supernatural element. There was just too much going on and not in a good keep me guessing way.

I'm afraid this book wasn't for me. I found it slow and difficult to get into and by the time it picked up in the second half I was over it. An interesting premise though and maybe if I had more patience with it it would have worked out better for me.

The first half was very slow and made it challenging to get in to. Although, I did enjoy the psychological evolution of the characters. The second half was perfectly creepy and exactly what I was expecting

We Are Monsters by Brian Kirk is much more than an entertaining horror story focused on the nature of reality; it explores an important moral concern that has plagued society for generations—the treatment of patients in psychiatric hospitals

Most of the novel takes place in the Sugar Hill Mental Hospital. The protagonist, Alex Drexler, is a staff psychiatrist at Sugar Hill. He is highly motivated and more focused on success than on the wellbeing of his patients. He lusts for financial profit and a major promotion. His foil is Dr. Eli Alpert, Sugar Hill’s Chief Medical Director, a gentle, softhearted man who respects his patients.

Drexler believes he has created a drug that will reset a patient’s mind so that it will function properly. Although the drug has not been approved, he secretly tests it on his patients with questionable results. Because a pharmaceutical company is interested is the drug, he forges ahead, his main goal huge profits that would cure his financial woes. When an infamous serial killer is admitted to Sugar Hill, Drexler cannot resist one more test of his drug, even though he doubts its efficacy. With this last test, psychotic illusion spills into reality.

“The world is an illusion: we only pretend it’s real.”

The setting, Sugar Hill, is clearly drawn and rings true. Readers will feel they are there among the patients. The two main characters are made real by extensive backstories that secure credibility and validate their behavior and motivations.

The diametrically opposed motivations of the two main characters add complexity to the plot, urging readers to choose sides and wonder who will succeed.

The elevated literary quality of the prose enhances the already compelling story. The text is clear and easy to read, making the novel a great choice for readers who love horror. In addition, the underlying societal message raises We Are Monsters above the fray, making it unique, praiseworthy, and a great choice for a wide range of readers who may very well reassess their views on reality and on the treatment of those facing mental challenges.

We Are Monsters is a recommended read.

Rougeski Reads

This book was very different from anything I have read in a long time. It did give me some Thomas Harris vibes, but only because of the setting. I had read a previous review that someone had stopped reading it as it was too sick and twisted. This actually warmed me to it more! Surely this is one of the reasons that we read psychological horror, to be shocked? In my de-sensitized opinion, it was never overly gratuitous without reason. Yes there were a couple of scenes which made me feel uncomfortable - it was to be hoped for, but I was never repulsed by the depravity. Considering this was a debut novel, I think that we will be seeing far more from Brian in the future and I hope that the madness continues. By Stephen King standards of sick and twisted dark themes, this was relatively normal. I liked the characters and the writing was clever and enjoyable. I would certainly recommend it to others.

This takes place in a mental institution which I believe is terrifying in and of itself! This one also holds the worst of the worst, the criminally insane. “Only a world that is in itself insane. So, that makes us all insane. And if that’s the case, then who determines who’s sick and who’s well?” Kinda scary!

There are two doctors here with very different treatment methods. An experimental drug is tried with apparent success but things go horribly wrong. The author brings us great characters with the doctors of the institute and their patients. Even the people that run the mental institutions must face their inner demons!

Slow and confusing, I couldn't understand what the point in the story was although I read until 40%, which should have been enough; I was totally lost. The ideas were interesting, the plot was appealing, but the structure was so confusing I couldn't keep reading it.

I loved the 50% of the book. It has a very AHS: Asylum feel to it. The characters were well created and I was so drawn to the asylum aspect for something different.
By the time I got to 62%, not only was I completely lost but I lost interest. I actually skipped to the last few pages because I couldn’t read anymore. It was slow and confusing.
Thank you for my free ARC.

"Not all of the voices we hear are imaginary."

I'm a big fan of FTP titles and was thrilled to receive an eARC of Brian Kirk's We Are Monsters for review consideration. Great cover, great blurb, I eagerly dove in.

We Are Monsters is a piercing, terrifying journey through madness, time, and redemption. From the first page, Kirk creates a world where what we know can't be trusted: memories, time, even our own eyes deceive us. Alex, an ambitious doctor determined to find a cure for schizophrenia, is on the verge of change. His secret trials aren't going well. He's broke, out of investors, and his idolized older brother's fall from star athlete to paranoid schizophrenia leaves him constantly in the shadow of his father's affections. Conversely, his mentor is set to hand over control of Sugar Hill institution to Alex.

As long as the review board meeting goes well.

Of course, things don't go as planned. Under the encouragement of his wife, Alex administers his unapproved serum to his brother, which ultimately has disastrous consequences and serves as a catalyst for a series of events which force the reader to endure a frightening, introspective unraveling of reality. Characters relive their pasts, their worst fears in brutal, bloody detail. The line between crazy and sane bends and blurs.

And at the forefront is one pervasive question: What if we're all crazy?

I loved so many things about this book. The quiet, philosophical moments Kirk explores the nature, stigmas, and treatment of mental illness in modern society are beautiful. Nightmarish imagery 10/10--his descriptions are vivid and visceral and cinematic. And while I didn't particularly like any of the characters--I'm not sure you're supposed to, in fact--I felt for them. They were complex and flawed, smart and forgiving.

An interesting read (with a few dense sections that could've been pared down for a crisper experience). Brian Kirk has breathed life into a horrifying interpretation on the asylum genre. If you like your MCs with a healthy dose of reality and an extra scoop of alternate reality, this is the book for you.

Very well written love this type.of book will be buying the hard copy for my library. Very good plot as well as very good page turner. Hope to read more from the author in the future. Will definitely be looking for others and adding this Author to my favorites list.

I really didn't get this book and it could be that I totally missed the mark and was hoping for something that this story wasn't. I was kind of hoping for some sort of demonic type exorcism story. I didn't really like the writing or really anything in this book. I think I went into it with the wrong expectations so when they weren't met I was disappointed.