My thanks to the author the publisher and netgalley for a chance to read this novel.

This was a fun read. As someone who played basketball and went to school with Candice Parker it was fun to see her name in print. Not the scary novel I was expecting but none the less it was one that I enjoyed because it brought up the concept of thinking something into reality. Great concept and cannot wait for his next book.

I am unable to post my review of DAPHNE by Josh Malerman, as it will be featured in SCREAM Magazine.

I've been a huge fan of Josh Malerman for a long time now and I was a bit unsure about this book. I had no reason to be unsure, I thought it was fantastic!

I highly recommend it!

I love the unique premise. It started out slow, and I almost DNF’d, but pushed through and in no time, found myself speeding through the book. I loved the mystery and suspense and felt as if I was living in the book. Definitely not my last Josh Malerman book!

Okay I love a good horror story especially a slasher one and Yes!! Give me all those 80's Nightmare on Elm Street vibes; except in this one you don't have to be asleep just think about Daphne!

In this story we follow a group of basketball players after they hear the urban legend about Daphne the night before a big game. This story was a little slow to take off, but once it did I couldn't stop and didn't want to put it down. I loved reading about the girl's friendships and even with all of their issues how they came together and bonded as a team. For anyone that has experienced playing on a team this should bring back great memories (I mean hopefully not of a 7 foot serial killer killing your team members off one by one, but of the good times). This book was definitely quite different than anything I've read, however I have come to expect that from Josh Malerman's books. I would consider this more of a psychological horror, and I thought the story provided thoughtful insight into the power of the mind. The addition of the very real struggles of those with anxiety, panic, and the intense horror that often accompanies it was so important in today's atmosphere. I think so many people struggle with these types of issues and this story gave hope for finding the strength to face those fears and have control over one's thoughts and life. Suffering from anxiety myself I know how terrifying our minds and the fear of our own imagination can be. What a fun story that had so many sides to it. Well done once again Josh well done!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the author Josh Malerman for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest review.

Another very strong outing from horror master Josh Malerman. Daphne hits all the right notes right up to a very satisfying ending.

Daphne by Josh Malerman is about Kit Lamb, a member of her high school basketball team. A team member tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl from their town who supposedly died under mysterious circumstances many years ago. The story goes, Daphne is hell bent on revenge and comes after anyone who talks about her. Shortly thereafter, Kit’s team members start getting picked off one by one. Kit is now in a race against time to figure out what’s going on before Daphne comes for her, and she has to confront the way her own thoughts make her a target.

This book is pretty pointedly about anxiety and panic attacks, and Malerman hits that right on the money. Kit’s thoughts and descriptions of her anxiety are so accurate it was slightly unsettling for me. Despite that, however, this is definitely my least favorite Malerman novel that I’ve read. There was little character development and the basketball commentary was a bit heavy, and I’m a basketball fan. Are high school basketball players really calling themselves “ballers” these days? I sincerely hope not. It made me cringe every time. If you like his stuff, this is worth a read, but don’t expect Bird Box (which I adored).

Thank you @netgalley and Random House - Ballantine!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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A story about a Bloody Mary-like urban legend come to life, which drew me in right away - I am a sucker for anything involving an urban legend. Daphne is a terrifying allegory for anxiety (personal and cultural), as any urban legend should be - though I did find it interesting that rather than some sort of truly evil villain out to get children, Daphne was described from the beginning as simply being a pretty weird person. I thought the journal entries were the most interesting part of the book and I think it lent a lot to the characterization of Kit. also enjoyed the exploration of how Daphne's story got twisted over time and the truth was forgotten. This story is definitely weird and different, but fun. My main complaint was there was too much of a focus on Basketball, and it didn't seem like the game itself was integral. I also found that it dragged at times.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Daphne up until the ending. I feel like the ending was rushed and it knocked a few stars off for me. I also would have liked more backstory on Daphne and the crimes she committed. Other than that, The story was fun, creepy and original. I also like the whole spin on “Bloody Mary” and chain letters etc.

As a fan of basketball it was cool to see it take center stage throughout the novel. I’m still a little bothered by the abrupt ending but I would recommend this his book to a friend especially if that person is a fan of the cliche happy ending.

I love Josh Malerman, I own every book that he’s put out and he’s one of my favorites. But I just couldn’t do it with this story and I’ll tell you why. It had nothing to do with Malerman but the MC has terrible anxiety which is described in great detail. I too have terrible anxiety so every time I tried to read and the MC would describe her anxiety or her panic attacks it would seriously trigger me. I have tried on so many occasions to get into it because 1. I love slashers so much 2. I LOVE basketball so I’m crushed I was unable to get a couple of chapters in. I will try to read it again in the future so wish me luck!

The protagonist was so, so annoying that I was on Daphne’s side. Not sure if Malerman has spoken to a teenage girl in the past decade but Kit read like she was a middle schooler. Disappointing considering how much I love sport-centric stories and horror!

This was my first Josh Malerman book, and to be honest, it just was not for me. Like other reviews have stated, this is a very basketball heavy book. While I appreciate the sport, I have always been a soccer player and dancer, so I do not understand or even like the basketball player “culture”. I could not appreciate it, but feel as if basketball is the sport of your heart than this book is a love letter to you.

I did truly appreciate the take on anxiety that the author presented, the journal entries in particular were original and gave a good insight into the inner working’s of Kit’s head. The writing was well done in that it definitely felt like a book about high schoolers. A lot of times with books with main characters that are teenagers I am left feeling that they are much older than they are presented to be, but not so with this book.

The writing style just did not work for me. It was very disjointed and bounced all over the place timewise. This was made even more confusing because there were no chapters or even paragraph breaks anywhere, let alone when switching between timelines. It was a different type of formatting, that while original, just did not work in my opinion. All that said, I will be giving another one of this author’s books a read. After reading other’s reviews and seeing similar thoughts, I think it is this book in particular that I do not click with rather than the author.

Imagine living in a town with the Boogeyman (or Boogeywoman, as it were). She's there, lingering around the fringes of everyone's mind. In order to summon her, all you need to do is think of her. It's that easy. But once you start thinking, you can't stop. And not unlike Santa, she sees you when you're sleeping, and she knows when you are thinking of her...

Kit and her basketball friends are at a sleepover when they are told the story of Daphne by a teammate. Daphne, the local legend, was supposed to be nearly 7 foot tall, an outcast that loved heavy metal music. And as many outcasts do in literature and movies, she met a horrible end at the hand of some mean classmates. Ever since, she has been haunting the people of her town that deign to even THINK about her, which is rather scary. Have you ever tried not thinking about something? You always end back thinking about it. ALWAYS.

Great unique take on the Boogey(wo)man tale. Loved it.

I wanted to love this. I've wanted to love Josh Malerman's work since Bird Box. The concepts are all interesting and original, but somewhere the writing just becomes tedious. Daphne had little horror action and entirely too much basketball talk I would feel my eyes glaze over. Someone will love this book, but it wasn't me.

This short ghostly book packs a PUNCH! Daphne and this book truly scared me...to the point of needing to put the book down several times, so know that going in! But if you look to be scared, read this now

In the small town of Samhattan, the girls' basketball team gets together one night, and a friend tells the story of a local legend, Daphne. The key to surviving Daphne's wrath is never thinking about her. But many town members can't help but devote their thoughts to her now that the story has resurfaced. Will anyone survive?

This book was SO good! I loved reading it and had so much fun piecing the story together. It was a mix between gore and psychological horror. The kill scenes were great, and I thought that Daphne would be coming for me at any moment. It does get a bit bloody so keep that in mind if that isn't your thing.

I thought the basketball element was a great addition since I am a fan. I know many people in my life that I will be recommending this to! Sabrina… If you are reading this, expect a copy for Christmas.

I liked having all of the points of view. Even with the constant shift, I felt we got to know Kit well. Her struggles with anxiety hit very close to home.

So this Halloween, don't think about her. Don't even say her name. She will come for you.

Thank you to Del Rey, Josh Malerman, and Net Galley for my gifted copy.

Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an e-ARC of Daphne & PRHAudio for providing me with a complimentary audiobook!

Did I have this weird feeling that Daphne was looming behind me while I listened to the audiobook? Yes. And I loved it. I think I needed Daphne in my life, especially during spooky season.

Daphne is a coming-of-age story that really dives into the characters of the girl's basketball team; typically I'd need more slashin' and less.. non-slashin', but I found myself so incredibly invested in these characters and their relationships. Especially our main character, Kit, whose anxiety representation is very relatable. For those who know the obsessive thoughts of anxiety, can you imagine how terrifying it would be to be put in a situation where thinking a thought could get you killed?! Cause that's what happens here -- the urban legend states that if you think about Daphne, Daphne will appear and kill you. You know who wouldn't survive? Me.

Oh! & the kill scenes? CHEF'S KISS. Love this book so much, it's officially my favorite Malerman read.

I loved this book so much more than I thought I would! I'm not an enormous horror fan -- I prefer psychological horror much more than gore -- but this book had a fantastic combination of both. This is actually the first time I've read anything by Josh Malerman, and now I intend to read everything he's written. I really appreciate how bold his voice is, and how much he is able to get you into the heads of the characters he creates.

I think anyone who enjoys horror or psychological thrillers will consider this a great read!

One of the best parts of any sleepover is scaring yourself. Whether it's with scary movies, games or just scary stories told amongst friends, there's no denying it's a fun way to pass the time. In the small town of Samhattan, when the girls basketball team gets together for a sleepover, one of the girls decides to tell the story of a local legend, Daphne.

Daphne attended their high school a few decades ago, around the same time as many of their parents actually. She was a 7-foot tall, social outcast, who wore Kiss makeup for no apparent reason and made a lot of people, children and adults alike, very uncomfortable. Legend has it that she died tragically, at the hands of classmates and ever since that time will haunt anyone who dares to think about her. Daphne allegedly appears and kills with her bare hands.

The concept is along the lines of Bloody Mary. We all know her, many of us fear her, but this is worse. With Bloody Mary, you have to be consciously summoning her, saying her name, doing certain things that are said to bring her forth. With Daphne, all you have to do is think about her though. Everyone knows that the more you try not to think about something, the more impossible it becomes. Thus, Daphne is now pretty much an inevitability for these teen girls.

Kit Lamb, one of the star players, has a really hard time not thinking about Daphne. As a matter of fact, she even asks the rim about her; a tradition the girls have. She asks the rim if Daphne will kill her. The ball goes in. I think you can all deduce what that means. Then it is a non-stop terror train of thoughts about Daphne for poor Kit. How can she possibly shut these thoughts off?

Will any of the girls basketball team survive knowing Daphne's story? Honestly, it's so awful. How could they not think about her after being told?

Daphne was a weirdly-fun and captivating story. Even though I wasn't crazy about some of the structural choices, it felt quite disjointed to me due to odd perspective shifts, overall, I really enjoyed it!

Truthfully, Malerman's work has been hit or miss for me; we have a 50/50 relationship. I was actually thinking this would be the last shot I was going to take. Regardless, I'm glad I took the chance as this story paid off. I really appreciated the exploration of anxiety through Kit's perspective and also enjoyed the whole idea behind this town and Daphne's legacy. The idea that it could collectively be blocked from the town memory, without anyone pushing for that to be so, was a really interesting concept.

That something so heinous and traumatic, a piece of history, could be swept under the rug, with everyone just pretending it didn't exist. That sounds pretty true to life, doesn't it?

The horror was fun. The concept of Daphne was very creative and well-imagined. There were scenes that definitely got my pulse going. Additionally, this had some twists towards the end that I didn't see coming. That absolutely contributed to my enjoyment. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I'm looking forward to more Malerman now!

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely recommend this one to Slasher fans, or anyone looking for a thoughtful, spooky, fun read!

Daphne is the latest title from one of my favorite modern horror authors. You’re probably already familiar with Bird Box, but @joshmalerman has a deep catalog of work that is perfect for this time of year 👻

Daphne is a coming of age story about a basketball team being collectively terrified of a local urban legend about, you guessed it, Daphne — a 7 foot tall, denim wearing, metal loving, outsider who was murdered and wants revenge.

I’m torn on my review for this one. The first 150 pages really resonated with me and honestly made me a bit emotional. Daphne is a book about anxiety, something I’ve struggled with for a long long time. The main character, Kit, is an anxious mess and I really don’t know the last time I’ve felt this connected to a character.

Now, I’ll avoid spoilers, but due to focusing on the characters that slowly get picked off by Daphne, we don’t get as much time with Kit. Due to the short runtime I didn’t seem to care about most of the side characters or feel the impact of their deaths. I also didn’t really care for the investigator POV. They just didn’t interest me.

The ending also felt really abrupt. I know endings are hard, especially for horror, but this one just didn’t land for me. I feel like Daphne would have been better as a novella and had 40-50 pages cut, or been a longer novel with another 100 or so pages developing Kit and some of the other girls.

Listen, I think my rating on this is a 3.5/5 ⭐️

But I also think that if you’re not as critical as me and love slashers, then this is a total slam dunk and a 5/5

Malerman is always consistently good. You can’t go wrong. If you want something else of his for this month then check out Goblin — an interconnected series of novellas about a weird little town (which he name drops a couple times in Daphne).