Eric Linnaeus - A Family of Unkindness

by Kikito Lynn

I'm not scared of dying. I've done it enough times to know nothing is waiting for me on the other side, and I would gladly die a thousand more times if only it would take back the lies I’ve told. - Eric Linnaeus

As Eric struggles to keep his past hidden, Charles begins to succumb to the witch possessing him, and a new threat emerges. Whispers of an ancient enemy from the north carry on the frigid winter breeze and threaten to extinguish the flame of the fae.
Dormant powers surface, and unexpected enemies lurk within the castle walls as treasonous ideals circulate. A tangled web of lies unravels, and the truth is only further obscured. Betrayal is revealed, but not all is as it seems.

Book three in the dark fantasy horror series Eric Linnaeus.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Horror

Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2024

Reviews

[Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, brilliant, perfect - all the stars!

I'm totally distraught & pulling my hair out over that cliffhanger. Thank god book 4 is already out.

I love Eric so so much. His gradual isolation from everyone was really painful to read.

& Nathaniel's past trauma completely crushed me - I desperately need these boys to be happy, healed and in love ❤️😭

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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*****SPOILERS*****

**I’ll keep this review short,** mostly because I tend to fly through these books too fast and jump to conclusions—only for the next book to prove me wrong.

So Eric… I honestly didn’t think you were that dumb. Like—seriously, WTF? Nathaniel deserves a hug, a nap, and maybe financial compensation at this point. The betrayals are just too much for one book to hold.

First things first—Molly. Respectfully, I want to yeet you off a cliff.
And Achaicus, our poor soft boy, he’s too good for this world. Someone please protect him.


Now, Eric. About you. We all know you love them, and we also know you didn’t exactly do what everyone *thinks* you did. (Personally, I suspect you made some kind of shady deal with their dad to protect Nathaniel—but who even knows anymore?) Anyway, congrats on being basically unkillable. Nathaniel sweetheart, feel free to stab him once or twice. We won’t judge, he will come back anyway.


I can’t stop thinking about all the times Eric used his powers: when he got sick as a kid and bounced back, when he walked out of battles spotless, when he flexed immortality like a party trick. But then—what on earth were you thinking when you took away Claire’s choice of having kids with Marcus? That was never yours to decide, and pushing her toward an abortion so Marcus wouldn’t kill Calla, when *you’re literally the one who cursed Calla in the first place*? Galaxy-brain nonsense. No wonder everyone’s pissed. Even Charles. Yes—*Charles*. You know you F up when Charles is mad at you.


Honestly, I had this small hope that Nathaniel always knew Eric’s secret and was just waiting for the right moment to reveal it—like he’d been protecting him all along. But no. Instead, we just got pain.

Claire and Marcus getting married though? Adorable. Him finally realizing his love for her was so sweet. I did miss their dynamic a bit here, since we got so much of it in the previous book.


And of course—just when Nathaniel and Eric’s relationship finally starts to bloom, this disaster drops. I was so happy they finally got physical, but then Nathaniel pulled away… and now that we know what happened to him as a teenager, it absolutely shattered me. At least his sister tried to protect him a little, but honestly? She handled it with such coldness. I personally couldn’t. I just wanted to hug him through the screen.

Before everything fell apart, I loved seeing the whole gang living under one roof. Charles getting confused in the wrong room and realizing Eric and Nathaniel were together—iconic. Charles, please never change. Also, is it just me or is it hilarious that the witch living inside him is basically freeloading rent-free and chatting with him like it’s no big deal?

There are so many things that are finally starting to make sense, and others that absolutely don’t. I guess we’ll find out more in the next book.

As for Eric's family, Eric: burn them, drown them, grill them up in a nice little BBQ as an apology meal.

On a more positive note—I actually think the best thing Marcus ever did for Claire and Calla was making Calla her personal bodyguard. Best friends forever, anyone? I cannot wait to read more of their dynamic in the next book.

For the love of God, can someone tell Nathaniel and Eric to just SAY they love each other already? Three books in and they’re basically begging each other to admitthey care and love each other. Nathaniel, sweetie, Eric bought you a cat-statue-thing. That’s love. Accept it.

At this point, I demand therapy for literally everyone in this series. Including me. We’ll all heal together.

And finally—
“It looked like he was summoning the will to live for the remainder of the day.”
That’s not just a quote, that’s my new life motto. (And yes, it’s already my WhatsApp status.)

Did I say I will keep it short? Sorry, I learned to lie from Eric.

[Sydney Cabano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goooood. This one was even better than the last two. I’m going to loose my mind waiting for 5 and 6 after I read 4 I just know it. I need Eric and Nathaniel to be reunited quickly in the next book or I’ll loose my mind. I love them so much.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have similar issues with this one as I did with the previous book. Great potential in plot and character, less well executed as I would have liked, especially since I know that the first one was so well written. Especially the time-jumps did not fall as naturally as they’d done in the previous and first book.

While the first half of the book did keep me invested, I will not deny that it was a little slow. The second half however had me speeding through the ending.

I’m still a great fan of Eric and kinda want to punch anyone that doubts him (looks at Nathaniel). However, am unable to deny that he is an idiot sometimes. My feelings about Nathaniel are the same.

One that I do have strong hatred towards is Molly. Honestly, Eric should just have killed her the SECOND he knew that she wasn’t on their side. Especially since she’s been POISONING the twins. Eric, sometimes there are drastic measures that need to be taken and this situation is one of them.

Also, the ending? Hello?! Did everyone hit their head a like FORGET HOW TO DO ANYTHING CORRECTLY. COMMUNICATION PEOPLE.


COM-MUNI—CATION.

I, fortunately, already have the fourth book waiting for me on my shelf so you can BET that I’ll be diving into that. And someone’s PLEASE tell me when I can get my hands on the fifth book and the ALTERNATE series. I’m getting tired of staring at my empty basket not knowing when I’ll get my copy.

That’s it. Take care people💙

[Penguin]

Idk bout you guys but I'm absolutely in love with Charles. In the first book, I'd mistakenly thought he was the love interest because hello? THE CHEMISTRY? I can't be the only one that felt it. Anyways, after it became clear Nathaniel was gonna be the love interest, I tried to divert my intention from Charles and focus more on the main ship (Nathaniel and Eric) and they're cute, real cute. But Charles will always have my heart. He's so loveable and cool and real. The only character that actually feels like a person you can relate to. His mannerisms and reaction to everything going around him makes you really develop an attachment with him.

That aside, the series is great.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric and Nathanial need a hug.

I still hate Markos and Clair but this was a great read. I love learning more about Nathanial’s past and I hope Eric learns it too. Eric’s family are crap though.

[Atlanta Luelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED WITH THIS SERIES
BUT…. THE CLIFFHANGER 😣😣
WHYYYY
Honestly though this series is amazing but VERY frustrating, the constant plot twist are sooo crazy but I love them and it keeps me very interested!! I need the 4th book in my collection already!!

[Paulette Ondara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so the story comes together more. You learn back stories and how everyone is intertwined. You can’t put it down. All life fades away and you read chapter after chapter til the end.

[Annabelle Benölken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this. So many things I didn't expect to happen. And the ending...
I'm glad I already have the next book and can continue reading

[Kiki✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Such interesting world building
✨The incorporation of fun writing styles from the first book as so clever and pay off so well
✨Characters get developed in a really interesting way
✨Use of font to show commands is really fun
✨🏳️‍🌈
✨THE ENDING?!

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow.
just that.
nice story telling
I like the plot and how it comes together and puts people were they are or how they feel.
Akari is an amazing new addition I'm so curious where he'll end up, also the hair is a big plus😳
the power system is crazy good and well communicated.
also when it clicked about the times Eric was supposedly too tough to die....Amazing circling back to connect the dots.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book just as much as the last!

I loved finally seeing Nathaniel’s and Eric’s relationship develop, and all the plot reveals in this book!
Finally after all the foreshadowing about Eric payed off and we finally got to know what he is.

The only thing I didn’t like was all Eric’s secret crush him and his relationships (since i love Eric so much), but hopefully that will be resolved in the next book 🤞

However I still can’t rate this book anything less than 5⭐️

[Marwa]

It gave me butterflies and at the same time it really made anxious I'm really excited for the fourth book ( sorry I'm not really expressive but I really love your books and I hope you publish the other volumes soon 😘)

[Xanthosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, this is such a good book. I read the whole thing in one sitting, I couldn't put the book down.

Honestly, this series is my current obsession. The writing is really well done; it is not hard to read, but it isn't simple, it is really well thought-out, I would say. I can not get over the cliffhanger, though; my mind was racing. I'm so sad that I didn't have the fourth book already, but super excited for it to arrive.

Also, the characters. They are so amazing some of my favourite book characters. They are all different with their personalities, interests, and tastes. It's so fun reading the different POVs throughout the book and series in general.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending!!!What a cliffhanger

[Alloro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. I suffered a lot because of Eric, not just for his past, but also because of how he is treated in the present. The good thing about all his suffering is that I could enjoy a chapter from his point of view.
I especially loved Charles's chapters, it was so nice to read about him, unlike his sister, whom I could not suffer in this book.
I wish I had been less busy in the last weeks, because this book was really hard to put down.

[Janka Nagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect, that I will enjoy this series so much.