Malorie is the long-awaited sequel to Bird Box, and with it, Josh Malerman does not disappoint. The passion, the angst is still there, fresh as ever. The novel compares the old world with the possibility of a new world; much as we are now contemplating during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is the world as it was before and after with a disaster the delineation. Malerman’s characters long for a normal life that has been denied them through no fault of their own, but the price of normalcy is their sanity. Darkness has served them well, or has it? Imagine never being able to let your guard down, not for an instant, not for anyone, all in the name of survival. Malorie is a study of a mother’s love in a very dark time when one false step can be fatal, and yet in the darkness there is a glimmer of hope. The story would be unbearable without that glimmer; the weight of the darkness is relentless and all-consuming. The book is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it to all who loved Bird Box.

Just like it's predecessor, I finished Malorie in one sitting. When I read Bird Box prior to the Netflix film release, I was stunned at it's atmospheric, claustrophobic horror and couldn't put it down. To say that Malorie is similar would be an understatement. Taking place immediately following the end on the first book, we then flash-forward a decade into the apocalypse and see the world in different light. With Malorie, Tom, and Olympia working together as a family, they get peculiar, yet intriguing evidence about some findings that force the trio to investigate for themselves. I will not spoil anything for you, so that's what you get from me.

Once I turned to first page, I could not put Malorie down. Josh Malerman's level of "psychological panic" (as I'd like to describe it as) is deeply unsettling and yet, so cinematic in the best way possible. It's no wonder that Bird Box did so well, both as a book and as a movie. I just know horror fans' expectations will be fulfilled with Malorie. I couldn't recommend it enough. Let's hope they make a Netflix sequel, I'm going to be holding out hope!

This was a short book. Reading about what happened to Malorie and the children who have grown up to be teenagers was enjoyable. There were times when I wanted to smack the teenage boy for acting like a rebellious teenager. Then the book just ends. There were many questions that don't get answered. It felt like the third act was supposed to be longer. Everything before the ending was so well put together that I don't know if this means this was a lead up to a third book.

Review based on ARC provided by Netgalley for honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for approving me for the egalley in exchange for an honest review. When I heard Bird Box was getting a sequel, I was excited but also hesitant. Bird Box seemed like such a complete story. However, Malorie was a highly enjoyable sequel and I felt like there was a definite story to be told. Bird Box is still my favorite, but this was a fun super quick read.

I loved Bird Box. I enjoyed seeing the character of Malorie flushed out a bit more but there are still so many unanswered questions! Perhaps there will be a book 3??

Some books just do not need sequels. I understand that this is the "next generation" but I still would have liked to leave these characters where they were at the end of Bird Box.

This was the followup I didn't know I needed. The Bird Box ended well, and I was fine with that. But with that said, I did love this sequel. Without giving too much away, it was everything I love about a journey in a post-apocalyptic world. My only complaint was that the end felt too rushed. It ended well and I feel closure I didn't with The Bird Box.

Malorie is the follow up book to Bird Box by Josh Malerman and was such a great read. I devoured this book in one night. The story's first chapter takes place 2 years after Malorie and her children arrive at the school for the blind. The second chapter takes place ten years later.
Malorie continues to keep her children on a tight leash with rules and guidelines to follow every day. Her son Tom is an inventor and is continually trying to make devices that could help them live life better but his mom never lets them get tested. Olympia her adopted daughter follows the rules tightly but keeps secrets from them both.
When a stranger shows up claiming he's doing a census Malorie quickly forbids him to come in and demands he leaves. Tom asks him to leave a copy of his census information but Malorie forbids that as well. Later Tom finds that the census taker in fact does leave a copy of the census and Tom quickly realizes that there is a place for people like him, inventors...thinkers...daredevils. When Malorie finds out about the book she takes it and quickly realizes that the parents she thought dead and left behind, could in fact, be alive. This takes the three of them on a dangerous journey that may end up in their deaths or something much greater.
I was so stressed in some parts of this book I had to slow myself down. I had to re-read parts I found myself skimming over in order to find out what happened next! Thank you NetGalley for this fantastic sequel to Bird Box.

I read and fell in love with Josh Malerman's Bird Box long before it ever was a hit Netflix film. Bird Box scared me like no other book ever had, and I wanted everyone I knew to read it. With the Netflix adaptation, I was given a renewed opportunity to discuss this incredible book with other people; however, most of those conversations were about all the things that Netflix got wrong. The novel itself was so incredibly atmospheric, haunting, and downright creepy, and Netflix failed to capture the essence of what made it so great. So imagine my joy when I learned that Malerman had written a sequel to the story that made everyone afraid to trust their own eyes. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Malorie.

Malorie picks up the Bird Box story some 16 years later with Malorie, Tom, and Olympia still living by the fold, protecting themselves from the creatures they must not look at or risk going mad. Tom and Olympia, now teenagers, aren't too keen to follow their mother's insistent and strict rules. Despite the creatures completely upturning the world and changing how people live, teenagers will always think they know more than their parents. As you can imagine, this is going to lead to some resistance down the line ... what's more dangerous than teenagers rebelling against their parents in a quite literal mad, mad world?

However, things get even more interesting when Malorie receives a bit of news that completely changes her perspective. A piece of news that convinces her to leave the safety of their home for the first time in years and set out on a dangerous journey in search of that nugget of information. This can't end well, right? The world is still swarming with creatures. Just what happens when this trio sets foot in a precarious world is something you will have to read Malorie to find out.

Going into Malorie, I wasn't sure how Malerman would keep the strange plot of Bird Box fresh, but he manages it. Attacking new angles and raising interesting questions, Malerman explores this creature-ridden world without the protection of walls and doors, adding a new level of terror to this horror series. Writing Tom and Olympia as teenagers was a brilliant move on Malerman's part, as they are the voice of rebellion to Malorie's voice of reason. They show a different side to the fear, and represent how an entire generation of children born after the creature takeover see the world.

Malorie kept me captivated and turning the pages. I couldn't wait to reach the end of this book to see how it all played out. The creatures are much more prevalent in Malorie than they were in Bird Box, and because the characters are moving out and about in the world, there's always the fear of what's lurking just around the corner. If you loved Bird Box, you must read Malorie. If you loved the Netflix adaptation, do yourself a favor and read Bird Box, and then pick up Malorie. If you love creepy, psychological fiction, read this series! Also, anyone feeling a bit isolated and tense amidst the Coronavirus pandemic may find much to relate to in the Bird Box series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#Malorie
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of Malorie by Josh Malerman. It was a heart-pounding thriller that fans of the book Birdbox will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a follow-up to Bird Box, which I really enjoyed. I was excited to read it and see where Malorie, Tom, and Olympia ended up. However, while I didn’t dislike this book, it fell a little flat for me. I am not sure that this book needed to happen. It seems like the author just wanted to get that money since everyone loved the Netflix movie, which good for him! But it just wasn’t as good as the first. The ending felt rushed and thrown together, and the authors acknowledgement section was strange and far too long (probably petty of me to notice, but that’s who I am). The writing was good, and I enjoyed the first half of the book, so I am still giving it three stars.

Josh Malerman's latest novel is a satisfying sequel to the deservedly popular Bird Box. It follows the protagonist from the events of the first story into a future in which the two children she cares for are growing up quickly. Fans of the first book will appreciate how much of the gap between the two books is filled in with descriptions of past events, without hindering the pace of the plot. Revelations about the nature of the creatures and the "new world" shed light on events from both books. If anything, the story could have used a little more time to develop, and the exciting climax seemed to arrive all too suddenly. The story is a meditation on one character's personal journey, but the end result is unexpected if not unsupported. You're sure to find this appropriate reading for the current pandemic, and an engaging, if unremarkable story. Secure your (mask) blindfold, and get set for Malorie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

It's been twelve years since Malorie and her two young children arrived at The Janet Tucker School For the Blind, but after an outbreak, the three narrowly escape. Five years later, Olympia and Tom, now teenagers, crave to see the world, convincing their mother to travel by train to a much sought after community. Malerman is a master of suspenseful terror and escalating mistrust but unlike Birdbox, this latest installment is also filled with hope and what appears to be a promising future.

Oh my goodness I was so excited that Bird Box had another book behind it! This takes us right to the ending
of Bird Box's conclusion where the main character - Malorie with her 2 children are in a group of other people in a safe place. It wasn't the ending I was expecting but it was still leaving them alive. The whole book made me feel like they would be killed any minute. I just loved it. This second book gets into the children and what happens to them when the group of people they are with become what they all fear , mad, crazy, killing others and even themselves, so yes, you guessed it they are on the run again. It just keeps you on the edge of your seat, but also gives a little more about them and their history. It's a great book, thanks for this chance to read it NetGalley! You guys are the best!

I was curious as to where the author would go with Malorie's story, and I was pleasantly surprised to see where he did take it. This book is just as fast-paced as Bird Box was, so it did not take me long to finish it. It really is horrifying to think that you could never look outside ever again. I feel like the author does a very good job of writing how someone might react to a situation like the one the people in the book are in, for as long as they have been in it. He also captured the mind of a teenager very well. There were a lot of surprises, and I am glad he continued the story. People who loved the first book, will love this one too!

After seeing the movie based on Bird Box, I am afraid that people may not realize how much better the book was. Now, in the midst of a real life pandemic, Malerman’s story of how humanity copes with a total change of life is even more relevant and all the more frightening for it

I thoroughly enjoyed Bird Box when it came out and I was really excited to read the sequel. Even though we're inhabiting the same world as the first book, the sense of danger and mystery just didn't feel as present as in this sequel. For most of the book, the fear comes from what the characters are thinking about in their heads rather than them actually encountering the unknown creatures out there. I did enjoy the fact that we learn more about the creatures and a lot more about Malorie, her children and their life and survival years on. I enjoy reading Josh Malerman and will continue to read anything he writes but this one didn't hit the same unnerving suspense that the first book perfected so well.

This was a fast read for me because I was riveted to the story.
After 17 years, the creatures are still around, and Malorie's children are now teenagers. I think it's a great premise for this book, because the teens, acting as teens, think they know better than Mom.
That's all I want to reveal, and plan to add more when the book is published in July.

I could have read this book in one sitting. I wanted to read this book in one sitting. But after the first few chapters, I knew I needed to make it last. I know it sounds crazy, but I read in little intervals, as a treat for myself.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I can’t go too much into the storyline. But obviously Malorie picks up after Birdbox, so you already know what is going on heading into it. Malorie, Tom, and Olivia are still surviving in their new world, but you know peace can’t last forever.
This was so satisfying, thank you Mr. Malerman!

I am just going to be honest and admit that before it was released on Netflix I had never heard of Josh Malerman or his amazing book Bird Box… I don’t tend to pick up horror books as often as I should. However, after seeing the preview I knew I had to read this book before watching the movie. (Isn’t that the rule?) Anyways I ordered the book and read it as soon as it arrived. From page one I was addicted to this apocalyptic world. I simply couldn’t put the book down until I reached the last page. So imagine my excitement when I heard the news that there was going to be a sequel.

Malorie shares everything that I loved about the first book-- perfectly depicted settings, an ebb and flow of suspense, and characters who you can’t help but want to get to know better!

As I was reading this book the scenery simply unfolded before my eyes. Josh Malerman has a beautiful way of bringing the scenery to life. Perhaps it is a little easier for me to envision everything because I was born and raised in Michigan, but I truly believe even someone who has never been here could picture these places as well.

In this book we find Malorie, “Boy” [Tom], and “Girl” [Olympia] twelve years after the end of Bird Box. At first I was a little frustrated by this because I wanted all the gaps to be filled in, but my disappointment didn’t last long. Malerman not only unravels their journey to this point, but gives us so much more through the reflections of all three of the characters.

Experiencing this story through the eyes of Malorie and her teenage children added a different level of understanding for me. As a mother of three teenage children I know all too well the ups and downs of teenage emotions. But it is easy to forget just how hard it can be to be a teenager. Even though Tom and Olympia have only known this apocalyptic world there is still a coming of age process, and I cannot fathom my children trying to figure out who they are with so many restrictions put upon them.

I think what I loved most about this book is exactly what I loved about the first book. The story is hard hitting from page one. It immediately sucks you in and you don’t want to stop reading. However, Malerman knows exactly when to give the reader a chance to catch their breath and process what is happening all while building the suspense back up. For me a lot of authors fall short in this area. I was happy to see this brilliance continue on into a second story.

I feel like I can’t say much more without giving away some spoilers... So I will just say this is a MUST read for anyone who read the first book. You should pre-order it today and devour it the second it lands on your doorstep in July!