Rating: 10/10
Synopsis
In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and “absolutely riveted” Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life.
The film adaptation of Malerman’s first novel, Bird Box, was watched by over forty-five million Netflix accounts in the first week, the best first seven days ever for a film on the platform. Countless more came to know the story through social media. The image of Sandra Bullock’s character, Malorie, blindfolded—as she’s led through a terrifying near-future apocalypse by the trained ears of her children—has become synonymous with a new generation of horror.
Now from the mind of a true master of suspense comes the next chapter in the riveting tale. This time, Malorie is front and center, and she will confront the dangers of her world head-on.
Review
Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of Malorie (Bird Box #2) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
Malorie is… simply put, breathtaking. We don’t deserve her at all. Malerman owes us absolutely nothing and has given us everything. Beautifully written and emotionally gripping; a quintessential sequel.
I have been attempting to wrap my head around what I want to convey to you guys in my review for a couple of days now. There is so much that I want to discuss and gush about, but with the publication date over four (4) months away, I simply do not want to give away any details that would spoil the read for you. I really want each and every one of you to go into this novel blind… pun intended. Let’s see how it goes.
Infinity considering itself.
Eternity facing its own endless journey.
I had the opportunity to chat with Josh on my podcast a couple of months ago, right around the time he was polishing up Malorie to send over to his editor. He had a couple of weeks to tweak things before sending, what he would consider, the final story he wanted to tell and gave me a little insight into how her story came about. Josh didn’t write Malorie because Bird Box was such a success, what with the record-breaking Netflix film and all. In fact, it was originally a part of Bird Box itself that he decided to pull out and set aside. While Bird Box was a story about Malorie and her survival before and after the outbreak, it also focused on a group of other characters that influenced her future. Characters that mold her into who she would become once she, along with her children, make for the river.
You see, THIS is HER story. And what a story it is.
Bird Box just left so many questions unanswered and the door for more story couldn’t have been left open any wider. What happens to Malorie? Boy? Girl? Are there more survivors outside of the Janet Tucker School for the Blind? If so, are they sane? What do these creatures intend? Is survival possible when it seems that humanity has lost its mind? The list goes on. But I’m not here to answer those, nor will I tell you if any get answered or get left to the imagination.
What I will tell you is that I really enjoyed Bird Box, but I LOVED Malorie. Like head-over-heels fell in love while reading it and was bawling by the end. The first couple of pages will have you hooked, and the characters will have you feeling every emotion throughout the story. You’ll cry, probably cry some more, be scared to death more than a couple of times, and will immediately need to lie down and gather your thoughts. It kills me that there are so few I can talk to about it, but it feels good knowing that tons of you have novel perfection waiting in your pre-orders.
If you enjoy character-driven stories with tons of heart and richly layered prose, alongside some downright terrifying moments, I can’t recommend Malorie enough. It is the Bird Box sequel you never knew you needed.
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