Book Review and Giveaway: Bird Box by Josh Malerman!

Before the review I just have to show you the trailer. Book trailers are a thing! And boy is it a hair raiser.

So! Let me start this by saying that I, a grownish woman, am actually avoiding looking out of the window as I type this. I am sat by a window, the birds are chirping and someone is mowing their lawn, but I am not looking and have found myself doing this for the past hour after reading this book.

Bird Box* is a stand-alone thriller and the first novel of Josh Malerman. We follow the story of Malorie and two children as they leave their house for the first time in years, completely blindfolded, in a world where people see ‘something’- go mad- and kill others then themselves. As they travel down the river, Malorie thinks back to how they got into such a terrifying and dangerous situation.

Let’s start with the positives; I was a huge fan of the protagonist, Malorie, a grippingly real character and I felt really close to her as the story went on. Her development and motherly instincts just had me rooting for her the whole way through. I wanted her to be okay, I wanted the kids to be okay, I cared what happened.
In general the story had me guessing throughout, I watch and read a lot of horror but this was impossible to guess where it was going. Every time I thought I was understanding how this dystopian type world was, Malerman threw in a curve ball.
Another thing this book did really well was the pacing, when stories do flashbacks it can be done really well (Lost/ Fringe) or really badly (True Blood) and this book did it engagingly well. The going back and forth felt like Malorie was reliving those memories, and best of all, it was a natural process.

However, I didn’t ‘feel’ the rare and elusive hook. I kept reading and it was interesting but I missed out on the pull. I did put it down a couple of times even though it was relatively short but it was easy to pick up again so I can’t fault it too much. I would definitely be interested in a sequel!

In conclusion, I really recommend this book for fans of the horror genre or if you liked Cell by Stephen King! If you want to be blindsided by a brilliant storyline, this is for you. If you were unlucky enough to watch The Happening, this will cleanse the taste from your mouth.
✮✮✮✮

Bird Box was released today and can be bought on Amazon here! Or you can enter my giveaway to win a copy in the rafflecoper below. Good luck!

*I was sent this book to review by the publisher. This is completely my honest opinion. The book being given away is being provided by the publisher for one of my readers. I am not responsible for delivery. This giveaway is UK only. If you’re under 18 please ask a parent or guardian for permission to enter.