As you can guess, I love stories that feature female killers. Hello, have you read Dissecting House? Now, more psychopathic female murderers are starting to become more popular as opposed to women killing in revenge horror, which is where we previously saw most female killers in horror. I absolutely love this trend, so I’m always on the hunt for a good crazy female serial killer story.
A friend/colleague of mine recommended I check out Full Brutal by Kristopher Triana. And right when I started reading, I was hooked!
As you can see, the author nor the publisher asked me to review the book. I spent my own money on the book and all of the thoughts I’m sharing here are 100% my own.
Who Is Kim?
Kim is the main character here. She’s about the age of 16, very pretty, popular, and a cheerleader. On the outside, she seems like the typical teenager. She hangs out with friends, hosts house parties, is devoted to cheerleading, and balances all of this while attending school and making good grades. She’s not only popular with students but also with teachers, as she’s a good student. Kim also lives in a typical suburban town, one where people flip their shit if anything happens — especially murder.
However, she hates the banality of high school life. When she starts obsessing over losing her virginity, she discovers porn — and quickly moves onto the BDSM porn. Her sadistic urges overtake her and she starts torturing and murdering those around her. And that’s only the beginning of the book.
The Last Person You Would Suspect
Criminals, in general, are often the last person you would expect. So I enjoy Triana’s main psychopathic character being a popular, high school cheerleader. She commits all of these atrocities and no one suspects it was her. The best part? Others get framed.
Kim is beyond sadistic — she’s coldly calculated. She plans all of her murders and depravities in a clever way. She’s even smart about her random murders, being careful to not only ensure that the murder wouldn’t get traced back to her but that someone else will get framed.
Because of this, I enjoyed going into Kim’s head. Not only to learn about the crazy bitch she really is but also to get a glimpse of her double life — high school cheerleader by day and sadistic killer by night. And she knew how clever she was and that no one would catch her.
Triana Writes Women Well
One of the reasons why my friend recommended Full Brutal is how well Triana conveys Kim. While Kim is a psychopath, she’s a teenager going through all of the typical womanly crap. And he conveys these whirlwinds of emotions and gross female body stuff well.
My problem with men writing female characters is how most of the characters aren’t realistic and are often over-sexualized.
Now, Triana doesn’t convey Kim as an ugly nobody. She’s a popular cheerleader and is absolutely gorgeous. However, she is still a teenager. While she conveys typical teenager behavior, such as obsessing over losing her virginity, Triana mentions some of the details to make Kim’s character realistic. She talks about her period, compares herself to her best friend (something all women do, no matter how attractive we are), and discusses her weird meat cravings, which yes us women get crazy cravings.
Her first-time having sex also wasn’t anything amazing. Triana describes her first time as awkward, gross, and not a life-changing experience at all. The “first-time” is often fetishized and Triana described a scenario that many of us can relate to.
The High School Drama Got Boring
My only real complaint about this book was the high school drama was bland. I don’t want to give any of the book away, but before Kim starts killing, she manipulates everyone around her. She has a way of getting into everyones’ heads, which is interesting, but all of the high school drama made the book slightly stale.
If you’re reading Full Brutal for the first time and you’re at this part, force your way through it. First off, those scenes are integral to the story. They give insight into how fucked up Kim really is. We tend to forget how manipulative criminals are, which is largely why they’re able to get away with their atrocities. These scenes seem boring but as you finish the book, you understand why Triana included them.
How to Read Full Brutal
Full Brutal is available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
You can read Full Brutal on any one of these platforms:
I personally read it on Apple Books. If you have any Apple device, Apple Books is pre-installed on your device and you can purchase books directly on the platform.
Have you already read Full Brutal and want a similar recommendation? I wrote Dissecting House about a female serial. The sequel, Screaming Streets, will be released on February 4th.