Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the arc of Malorie written by Josh Malerman.

This is the sequel to the Netflix hit film and best-selling book BirdBox.

If you have read or seen Birdbox then you will enjoy this sequel following on from Birdbox, It follows Malorie and her children whom are now in their teens. Taking place following the end on the first book, a decade later into the apocalypse and see the world and things within a different light. Malorie, Tom, and Olympia end up working together as a family a whole, intriguing evidence about some findings that make the trio to investigate it for themselves.

I really liked this sequel it was so gripping and hooking right from start to finish, recommend to everyone who loved Birdbox!!

Definitely recommend
5 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I liked Birdbox a lot and I loved A House a the Bottom of the Lake as well, super eerie and creepy. This was very much a creepy eerie, not bedtime read, but it wasn't as great as I was hoping. i think I built it up in my head too much and was hoping for a little bit more.

Another scary one!
Definitely not a bedtime read. This is eerie and has played on my mind long after finishing this one.

I read Birdbox long before the Netflix adaptation and loved Josh Malerman’s two later novels, Mad Black Wheel and Unbury Carol. Unfortunately Malorie felt a little too “made for tv”, driven by action sequences and recognisable stock characters and lacking the shock factor of the original. I was certainly compelled to keep on reading after the opening leap forward, intent on learning how the world of Birdbox had changed and whether Malorie’s children had retained their preternatural, life-saving sense of hearing. I’m not sure whether believability should come under discussion when we’re talking about a book where invisible monsters drive humans insane, but I disliked the fact that the villain was someone we’d already met- is it really possible to track a person when you can’t keep your eyes open for any length of time? I loved the census-takers and the train, which both felt like realistic additions to a post-apocalyptic landscape. I’m unsure about the ending- it seemed like the author can’t come to an agreement with his monsters- but I would probably commit to reading a third book in the series, if one appears. Creepy and thrilling, but not as characterful as Unbury Carol (go and read Unbury Carol!)

This is one sequel we did not need. I was really looking forward to reading this book as I LOVED Bird Box. Unfortunately it did nothing for me. The first book was fast paced, creepy and thoroughly entertaining. In comparison this book was more like a damp squib. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

I was SO excited to get my hands on the BIRDBOX sequel 🤩 but unfortunately, Malorie missed the mark for me 😔😔😔

The book was well written but I was hoping for another fast paced, super creepy read and it just wasn’t it. If you’re looking for a slower burn and desperate to catch up with Malorie and family. This could be for you!

The sequel we didn't know we needed...

In Bird Box Malerman created a world just like our own, but one where horrors were in abundance just beyond every closed eyelid. These horrors were unknown and uncategorised but instantly infected those who witnessed them with an insanity that saw its only outlet in the destruction of the self or those around them.

Malorie has lived in this world for twelve long years. Her two children are now in their teens and this reality has been the only one they have ever known. Their mother however can well remember the bustle of city life and the joy of sighting a loved one. Will this past ever be a possible future?

Just as in the first instalment, I was consistently impressed with how Malerman constructed a world lacking the sense we usually use to define it. A pervading dread emanated from the pages, as horrors lurked in the dark and the reader joined Malorie in her explorations of it. It was never evident were a threat would stem from, which meant I felt consistently terrorised by the actions throughout this book.

This also became more than a merely horrifying read as it explored the mental repercussions of living a life dogged by fear. As the world was opened up so too were various characters' experiences within it. Stories were shared and, with them, insights to the various methods of survival some had taken.

The conclusion was less concrete than I originally expected it to be but matched the tone throughout and ultimately had me revelling in the cleverness of the opaque reveal. This remained as suspenseful as it did thought-provoking throughout and I dually adored both sides of this dystopian story.

This followup to the fantastic Bird Box picks up the story several years later.  I'm not convinced that Bird Box really needed a sequel.  It was a hugely original book on its own and, in my opinion, this new book does not really add an awful lot to the story.  I liked 'Malorie' but I didn't love it and, though it breaks my heart to say it, I almost wish I hadn't read it.  Almost.

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since "Bird Box" was published. The idea of a follow-up was worrying. Would it be as good? Would it live up to the expectations placed on it by the original? Would it spoil "Bird Box" for me? Yes, yes, and no. "Malorie" is possibly better than "Bird Box". There are plenty of answers not given in the first book, but more are raised (Do I hear "Bird Box #3"? I really hope so!). The writing is perfect for the story... the story is perfect for the characters... and the characters are flawed like any real person. You don't need to have read "Bird Box" to enjoy this book, but I think you'll get a lot more out of "Malorie" if you do. Loved it.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

So I must be one of the few who hasn’t read Birdbox. I haven’t watched the Netflix show either, although I did have a fair idea what the book and film were about.

This takes place years after the first one with Malories two children now 16. It’s an end of the world type affair with creatures that nobody knows anything about. I’m sure you all know the spiel from the first book.

This does work as a stand-alone although there is plenty of reference to the first book and characters in it that I knew nothing about. It’s a kind of road movie this time and was extremely readable with great tension throughout. I did find it a little uneven at times but a minor criticism. Some of the scenes are exceptionally well constructed and written.

Parts of this did remind me of Stephen Kings The Stand although quite different books.
It does feel a little short. I don’t mind short books at all but there were a couple of characters that were introduced in this book who I thought would be major characters but are kinda tacked in at the end for the book to reach its conclusion.

Maybe all wrapped up in a bow too neatly at the end if I’m being super critical but I really did enjoy this one overall. So much so I’m going to seek out Birdbox and read it.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Orion Publishing Group and Josh Malerman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really good continuation of the original book Bird Box.
I really enjoying seeing how the children were brought up to be able to adapt to the creatures with better hearing e.t.c and the book kept me on my toes and needing to find out if her parents really are alive and if they manage to reach them.
I was overall happy with how the story ended and the twists were really great.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it was because I had been disappointed in the ending of Bird Box and this book satisfied all my questions and loose ends from that novel. So after leaving the blind school years have passed and we are back with Malorie and Olympia and Tom are teenagers. It’s hard to say much about the story without giving away spoilers so I’m not going to try. This book doesn’t seem as scary as the first but I think it has more depth to it and I really enjoyed the character of Tom and Olympia as teenagers especially with Tom who has developed in to quite a rebellious teen. It was a satisfying read and will there be another instalment well who knows I hope so as I still get the feeling there is more to come !!
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Booktube review will be posted on 21/5, and my book review will be posted on 15/7.

I read Bird Box before the Netflix movie came out and it succeeded in utterly disturbing me. I had no idea Josh Malerman was going to come out with a follow up, and so when I saw Malorie on NetGalley I just had to get my hands on it to review it!

My main question is, did Bird Box actually need a sequel? You can watch my Booktube review of Malorie in which I try to figure that out, but ultimately I think the answer is no.

Malorie is set several years after Bird Box when Malorie's two children are teenagers. You'd think they would be safe now, but word of Malorie's parents being alive makes the three of them set out across the state to find them.

I'm just going to come out and say it: I don't think Bird Box needed a sequel. At all.

In my opinion, Bird Box ended so well, with the hope that Malorie and her kids actually had a future ahead of them while also keeping the mystery of the creatures in tact.

Malorie felt entirely unnecessary as it seems as though Josh Malerman scrambled to tie up every single loose end, while presumably also trying to profit from the mild success of the Netflix film.

I don't think Josh Malerman had much more of a story to tell, and the rushed plot and hazy character development really cemented that for me.

Despite being the title character, I don't think this book did Malorie justice at all. Instead of deep diving into her character and her possible PTSD and mental health issues due to having to live with these creatures, Josh Malerman portrayed her as a paranoid, overly cautious woman that other characters laughed at and didn't take seriously at all.

This book was nowhere near as creepy and atmospheric as Bird Box because it tried to explain too much. There was barely any tension in this book, apart from in a few scenes. The blind train was the most interesting part of the book and it wasn't even the climax. The true climax of the story felt lacklustre and boring, as everything that the series had presumably been building up to was rushed and fell flat.

I think Bird Box should have been left alone because by trying to explain the creatures, Josh Malerman ended up taking away any mystery of intrigue that surrounded them. And that was my favourite part of the first book! It's the reason it stuck with me.

Did Josh Malerman write Malorie in the hope of it also getting adapted into film? I think so.

I'm really disappointed in this sequel and to be honest I'm going to forget I ever read it because Bird Box is really strongest as a standalone and I don't need any cash cows in my life.

I loved Bird Box, it was so original and creepy and really stayed with me for a long time as an example of brilliant horror done well. It also felt finished, like a complete story, so I was surprised to see there would be a sequel, but I was massively keen to read it.
Now I have, I'm left with mixed feelings. The sequel, Malorie is not as tense, creepy or scary as Bird Box. The story picks up from where Bird Box finishes, then jumps forward 10 years. Malorie is raising her two children, now teenagers, ruling with a very firm hand, insisting they follow her orders.
I don't want to give anything else away about the plot, but it deals much more with the aftermath of trauma, and kind of with survivalist mindset, than it does with monsters and horror.

SPOILERS FOLLOW NOW -
I also felt like the end was rushed. Gary was built up to be this huge monstrous adversary and we were headed to a massive showdown between him and Malorie, basically to the death, for Tom's soul. But.... they just killed him in his sleep. And the solution to seeing the creatures, and finding Malories dad, it just felt a little convenient rather than organic to the plot. The whole book was so much lighter in tone than Bird Box and maybe loads of people will love that, and feel that the characters deserve some happiness after the trauma of Bird Box. Maybe this just didn't line up with my expectations. People should definitely find out for themselves.

I think the best way to say it is - if you loved Bird Box you are keen for more of the same in terms of tone, this might not be it honestly. But if you really want to find out what happens to Malorie, Tom and Olympia ten years later and also a bit of how society has developed since the creatures arrived, then this is definitely worth a read. If you haven't read Bird Box, don't read this at all, it will not make sense but DO read Bird Box, its brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for allowing me to read an eARC of Malorie; all views and opinions discussed here are my own.

Let me start of by saying that as much as I was intrigued about this sequel, I do not feel at all that Bird Box needed a sequel. It was such a good book on it's own that I feel any sequel is going to almost cheapen its feel. Sadly I think this is what happened to the sequel for me. It wasn't a terrible book at all and there were definitely parts that I enjoyed, but I just feel it wasn't necessary to have this sequel. The first book was so tense and thrilling and the ending felt ambiguous but fulfilling. This kind of takes it away from what the first book did.

I definitely found it creepy early on in the book but as it went on it just sort of lost its chill and atmosphere for me. I don't know what did it for me but there was just a switch and it didn't quite feel the same. I will say that this was a really quick and easy read and I managed to read it in less than three hours. You can definitely fly through this book without problem!

The characters are interesting; I enjoyed Malorie and Olympia but I really didn't like Tom; honestly I found him so frustrating I just wanted to shake him. Yes I do get his POV and him being frustrated but like, his mum isn't being paranoid for no reason, she literally lived in a house where one of the the guys turned on them and then EVERYONE DIED. Think she's got a right to be a little creeped out.

The ending wasn't satisfying for me at all. It felt really rushed and like he just felt he had to wrap it up quickly. There was no explanation as to why Olympia could see the creatures; there's a suggestion hat she's immune but it does't tell us why or how she is.

It's a mixed bag for me; on the one hand I enjoyed it but it was lacking something for me and I just didn't think it was a necessary sequel.

Out 21st July 2020 for you to check out yourself!

Bird Box was, without doubt, the scariest book I'd ever read, but I was excited to read the sequel in a way that I suspect Tom can relate to. That mixture of fear and excitement, the what if? Malorie is a stunning conclusion to the events in Bird Box, and just as gripping and terrifying in equal measure. I could feel my heart pounding as I followed Malorie, Tom, and Olympia, blind and vulnerable once again. And, once again, I felt a flicker of fear when I glanced through the window while reading, I was so absorbed in the story. Tense, thrilling, and utterly heart-stopping.

Nothing much new here that wasn’t in Birdbox, as far as tension and innovative horror go.. Very repetitive, feels drawn out to fill the pages. I was disappointed by it.

I read Bird Box in 2018 and thought it was outstanding. It was THE most gripping and unputdownable book I've ever read (and let me tell you I'm no spring chicken!). Never before had a book made such an impression on me. It was bleak and terrifying, intelligently written and sent my imagination into overdrive. I knew I had found a staggeringly talented author. Bird Box took my breath away.

In the sequel it's seventeen years since the creatures first appeared. Malorie, along with her kids Tom and Olympia, are surviving in the New World. Tom, feeling smothered by his mother's strict rules, yearns for freedom. When a 'census man' knocks on their door Malorie refuses him entry. He leaves behind a list of names — survivors — who are building a future together without the need for blindfolds. Malorie knows two of the people on the list and decides to take Tom and Olympia to search for them. It's a treacherous journey fraught with danger. She knows they may not survive.

When I first heard about a sequel to Bird Box I knew I had to have it. If I had to walk barefoot over hot coals to get this book I would. But could it possibly live up to my expectations? I was about to find out. . .

I thought Malorie was amazing and it surpassed everything I thought it would be. I felt pain, heartache, desperation and eventually hope. The writing was superb and conveyed incredible emotion. I was completely enthralled as I sped through the pages. Full kudos to Josh Malerman for the fantastic twist towards the end; it was sheer genius. This is a book that will stay in my thoughts for a very long time.

So I was really excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel to birdbox, which is one of my favourite horror books, even though I didn't think there needed to be a sequel.

Unfortunately I was really disappointed by Malorie. It really lacked the creepiness and eeriness of the first book.

I can't say much of what actually happens in this book, as it's a direct sequel. But basically in bird box, there is this thing which is causing people to take there own lives or kill others if they see it. So they go around with blindfolds, so they can survive.

The great thing about bird box, was that you never really knew what that thing was, which made it a really creepy read. But the problem, with Malorie is, you kind of get told what that thing is, which ruins the magic a bit

I just wasn't sure what really was the point of this book. It was quite short and I don't think I really got much from it.

It was still well written and there were parts which were creepy, particularly the blind train was a tense part of the story.

But apart from that, it felt quite flat and could not capture the magic from the first book, which was a great shame.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with this sequel. It did feel a bit like a cash cow, after the netlfix film did so well.

TW: violence and suicide

The release of Birdbox in 2015 heralded one of the most original literary talents of the last decade and in the subsequent five years Josh Malerman’s creativity has dazzled the horror world. But did Birdbox genuinely need a sequel or is it simply a cash-in following the hugely successful Netflix film of the same name? Malerman has said Malorie’s story was unfinished business and so we head back to the postapocalyptic world, with sequel Malorie, where strange creatures roam freely and if sighted make the majority of those who see them go mad, kill themselves, those around them, or all three.

I read Birdbox when it was brand new and over the years have used it twice for my senior school book club, where we held both our discussion blindfolded. Hell, as far as I know, I might even have invented the ‘Bird Box Challenge’ which was hyped when the film was released! Over the past few years, I have enjoyed watching the novel spread out from being a cult horror story into a bestseller and Josh Malerman, who is an aimable and charming guy, deserves every success the book and film brings. But the million-dollar question is a big one: is Malorie any good?

First up, it is impossible to recreate the freshness, fear factor or sheer freshness of Birdbox, and to be fair to Malorie does not attempt to, it merely continues the story of Malorie a couple of years later. Interestingly, it seems to have been written in such a way that if you have only seen the film then you could probably follow the thread of this story easily enough. It goes without saying though, reading this without having devoured the predecessor would be the height of stupidity. There are countless references to the characters in Birdbox and what happened, so Malorie is a much richer experience for having read book one. Another notable difference is that this new book only has one linear narrative, rather than the narratives which were split over two time periods in the original, this fact alone makes Birdbox a more complex and challenging read.

Although Malorie was an entertaining page-turner, ultimately it lacked the ambition of Birdbox and seemed rather short, with quite a simple storyline which was not much more than a journey. Most of the action is set ten years after the conclusion of the previous book, seventeen years after the initial appearance of the creatures, Malorie is living in an isolated summer camp and they rarely see any other people. She lives with her two children Olympia and Tom who are now sixteen who know nothing of the world except what she has told them. But they are teenagers, not exactly rebellious, but want to branch out, Tom especially, longs for freedom.

For Malorie things take a scary turn when a census-taker turns up at their camp and although they refuse to talk to him he leaves a list of notes and names which detail recorded encounters with the creatures and other information, which leads to Malorie having to make a decision which will change their lives forever. This symbolised the first seed of a possible return to civilisation and the census guy reminded by of the conman pretending to deliver letters in David Brin’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece The Postman. And the fact that a long sequence of the novel is set on a train reinforces that fact, reminding me of Alden Bell’s zombie classic The Reapers are the Angels, where teenage Temple sees her first train, symbolising something similar, the possible return of the old ways.

Malorie just does not do enough. The creatures are no longer genuinely scary as this time out we realise all they ever do is going to lurk in the background, benign, and rather dull. The mounting dread of Birdbox is sadly lacking. Also, if you are looking for any resolution about the creatures, their motives, origins, or anything else, you are going to be sadly disappointed. I think this was a missed opportunity and the opportunity to take the story in a new direction, instead Malerman opted to play it safe.

The story is told in the third person from Malorie, Tom and Olympia’s point of view, with a couple of smaller characters thrown in. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the contrast between Malorie and the two teenagers, who see their mother as the equivalent of an old granny from a different world. They have grown up in the world full of creatures and have almost superhuman hearing, Malorie on the other hand not only wears a blindfold, but a hood also. Her children rebel against this regime which they see as over the top. These contrasts were fascinating; as for them survival is not enough, they want to live.

I am sure many readers will be delighted with this return to the Birdbox world, but we are talking about Josh Malerman here, an unpredictable author renowned for taking chances with his fiction. I have read everything he has published except Pig, and even if I have not connected with everything he has written, one cannot fault his vision and originality. Malorie is a decent sequel, but it lacks the qualities the qualities which attracted me to Josh Malerman in the first place. It is too ‘safe’, not a word I ever expected to use when referring to an author known for pushing boundaries.

3/5