Title: Chimera
Series: Korsak Brothers
Author: Rob Thurman
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Publisher: Roc
Purchase: Since this book is out of print, you can keep your eyes out on it in your local secondhand bookstore, used Amazon, or Better World Books. Or, check if your local public library has it.
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Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis:
A sci-fi thriller that asks the questions...
What makes us human...
What makes us unique...
And what makes us kill?
Ten years ago, Stefan Korsak's younger brother was kidnapped. Not a day has passed that Stefan hasn't thought about him. As a rising figure in the Russian mafia, he has finally found him. But when he rescues Lukas, he must confront a terrible truth-his brother is no longer his brother. He is a trained, genetically-altered killer. Now, those who created him will do anything to reclaim him. And the closer Stefan grows to his brother, the more he realizes that saving Lukas may be easier than surviving him...
My Review:
After procrastinating on it for a while, I finally picked up Rob Thurman's Chimera.
Okay, so I'm not usually a fantasy or sci-fi reader, but after hearing about all the brother feels it's got based on the reviews I've read, I instantly wanted to get my hands on it. I've thought of trying the author's Cal Leandros series first, but after a friend warned me about all the sexual content they've got - which I'm not a fan of - and suggested that I try The Korsak Brothers instead, I instantly went for it.
It's been sitting on my shelf for so long staring at me after I bought it, screaming, "READ ME!" But of course, as I was afraid I might not end up enjoying it because it's in the genre that I usually don't read in - especially after my sister borrowed it from me and ended up not finishing it because it was "confusing" - I was hesitant, thinking maybe I've wasted my money after all. Also, besides procrastinating on a book I'm excited to read, admittedly, I'm also someone who procrastinates on big books, especially as an extremely slow reader. 🙈
I'm so glad now that I finally picked it up after a while. Now I really want the sequel! 🥺
The first Korsak Brothers book, Chimera, follows Stefan Korsak, a young man who has lived for one thing for the past ten years of his life - find his brother and bring him home. But when Stefan finally finds him, it isn't as he'd expected. His brother, Lukas/Michael, is brainwashed, trained to kill.
Usually, prologues are famous for losing a reader, but for some reason, Chimera's prologue pulled me right in, which instantly gave me feelings of optimism for this book. The description of the dream sounded somewhat calm and magical... riding a horse in a field on a bright sunny day with the sky "blazing blue" and smelling the "sweet green smell of grass". The descriptions were just so... vivid and beautiful that I really felt like I was there. 🥺😌
Chimera was an intriguing read that kept me reading until the end. When Stefan finally rescues his brother from that Institute, they get chased by those who created his brother and would do anything to reclaim him...
Only when Stefan and his brother think they're finally safe and away from them, they suddenly reappear out of nowhere...
It was such a mystery how they kept finding them so quickly and seemed to know where they were right away... 👀
One of the things I loved most about this book was how Stefan was unwilling to give up on his brother - no matter how dangerous the circumstances were. Ahhh, the brother feels. 🥺 There was one moment between the brothers near the end of the book that made me melt so much I swear I almost peed. 🥺ðŸ˜
I also really enjoyed the humor added in.
And the twist - OMG, the twist! - I really didn't see it coming! 😠I was so shocked that I had to keep pausing, and read it over and over to process it. Hell, I even kinda almost cried! 😅
This may be my first book by Thurman, but I could already see that she's got talent in surprising a reader.
Finally, while I really enjoyed the first book of The Korsak Brothers and all the brother feels it gave me, there were some things I didn't like about it and parts that irritated me that made me knock out a star.
As someone who's not used to the sci-fi genre, there were some things that were confusing for me. For instance, it was hard for me to understand all that scientific stuff - I guess that's my problem since I'm someone who's never been into science, anyway. 🙈 The confusion wasn't just about the genre, though. The stuff about Stefan murdering Vasily and what it had to do with being screwed with his boss... I just didn't get it! 😫
Also, there were a few times where I had to keep rereading a sentence or paragraph in order to be able to understand something, or even go back to previous chapters to remember some particular things. I'm not sure if it was just me, but some parts were just a bit too over-descriptive, which kinda made it hard to catch up and a distraction from enjoying the story.
The innuendos may be few, but they still made me squirm. Whether it's a YA or Adult book, there are things I believe should just NOT be talked about at all.
While I really liked Stefan and admired his unwillingness to give up on his brother, there were times when I felt really annoyed at him and felt like he was an idiot. For instance, why would you risk picking up a hitchhiker you had suspicions for in the first place? It just didn't make sense!
Okay, so that might make me sound preachy, but I also felt a bit uncomfortable with some of his immoral acts, for instance, shoplifting and stealing cars... I mean, I really do get that authors should not sound preachy in their writings... but at least, I would have liked to see an acknowledgement that these things are wrong and not the answer. And then there was that part that annoyed me the most and made me cringe - when one guy accidently hits the rear end of their car with his truck due to bad weather, Stefan gets all pissy at him, despite the guy being sincerely sorry and even trying to get them help. But believe it or not, as a way of thanking the guy who was going out of his way to get them help, Stefan thinks of stealing his truck! Reading that part made me feel bad and horrified. What a way to thank someone who was trying to help you!
Overall, despite the few things that annoyed me, I really enjoyed the first book of The Korsak Brothers, especially all the brother feels. 🥺😠I already miss Stefan and Michael a lot, and already making plans to purchase the sequel soon, despite still having some unread books left to read. 🙈😉
