Daphne by Josh Malerman
Malerman has quickly become one of my favorite horror authors and this book did not disappoint. The only way to avoid being killed by the ghost/creature is to NOT think about them, and I find that idea SO CREEPY, because when you know when you’re not supposed to think about something, that’s when you think about it the most...
Another thing this book executed well was its representation of anxiety. I related so much to the way Kit, the main character, experienced anxiety. The way Malerman described Kit’s anxiety as starting with a cold feeling at the back of her neck is almost identical to my own personal experiences with anxiety. I also think Daphne was the perfect representation of anxiety in a monstrous form.
While I’ve never been a fan of basketball, I did like the usage of it as the backdrop for the connection between all of the characters and the way the main character had such a passion for it. I think people who are a fan of the sport or play it themselves will really enjoy this aspect.
Sadly, the one thing I didn’t like about this book was the end. I personally just didn’t find it satisfying. I think I wanted something ‘”bigger”. For example, think of the end of Carrie by Stephen King - that kind of “bigger”. However, I enjoyed the rest of the book so I still count that as a win.

"It's almost as if they have been spending their whole lives deliberately not thinking of Daphne.

What might someone call the opposite of deja vu? A sense of having intentionally not been there before."

DAPHNE by @joshmalerman is an absolute rush of anxiety-fueled horror and I can barely explain how much this one hit home. As someone who was dealing with anxiety from a pretty young age, I identified so powerfully with Kit. And this concept of willing something into existence by worrying about it absolutely slayed me since it is like the pinnacle of anxiety-induced worry come true.

As Kit discussed the ritual of a free throw routine I was mentally practicing mine from my high school days. The whole basketball aspect of this story was also a treat of nostalgia back to my teen years.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @penguinrandomhouse for the e-ARC.

🏀🏀🏀

Samhattan High's girls basketball team is being hunted by an urban legend that the whole town has suppressed out of memory. A seven foot tall, booze and nicotine infused powerhouse of a woman with only one mission: revenge.

"When one friend starts thinking about Daphne, they all do. And the problem is that the more you think about Daphne the more you will her into existence.

And once one friend conjures Daphne, the others can't stop thinking about her coming for them"

If you like basketball and urban legends and if you are an anxiety sufferer that could benefit from a story about managing anxiety, or even if you just wanna figure out why a seven foot tall woman would have a grudge against the high school basketball team, you should pick this book up NOW!

And most importantly, heed these words from the book:

"Make sure they understand the things we're told not to talk about are the things that get real bad. Those subjects get sick. And they get confused. And nobody can make sense of them because they were never allowed to talk them out."

#bibliophile #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #constantreader #booksofig #instabooks

This book was a lot of fun to read! Sure, there’s a lot of basketball talk, but that didn’t bother me. I love basketball, but it also makes sense that the character’s whole personality was wrapped up in her hobby, because I feel the same way about my hobbies. I love that this was a book about a ghost story legend you tell you friends at a sleepover. It reminded me of when I was young and we would scare each other with Bloody Mary. The kills were also interesting, and I feel like they escalated with each victim.

The only downfall for me is that there was no explanation as to how or why this was happening. I was looking forward to finding out the how and why, but we never got it. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read more from Josh Malerman!

I’ve never in my life felt so seen and represented in how impairing anxiety can be until I read this book, and had NO clue what a massive impact the main character would have on me. The 7ft tall killer with greasy black hair and all denim who murders those who think of her was scary to think about at night in the dark, but the real fear resided in the overwhelming monstrosity that is anxiety.

I could feel how much more personal this book was to him and the authors note almost made me tear up at the end (tears? who am i?) when he spoke directly to his readers who experience anxiety and how they are never alone.

This book was creepy, suspenseful and emotionally haunting in a way I’ve never found in books before. I definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy Malerman’s work, but also to people who enjoy horror and also happen to live with anxiety. Will definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Ray for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

This wasn't my favorite Josh Malerman book. It was pretty creepy at first, but then it was just kind of weird. I'm still not really sure what happened at the ending. I actually enjoyed the Acknowledgments at the end of the book more than the actual story. I did enjoy the narration of Kit mostly, with the other characters interspersing along with Kit's journal entries. It held my attention more. I'd say if you love basketball, and you love ghost stories, this will be right up your alley!

Daphne is a coming of age.book the likes I've never read. The passages with Kit and her internal battle with anxiety are gripping. As someone who has dealt with strong anxiety, I can tell you this was a bit tough at times. I loved the myth that was Daphne, she took on a life of her own. It was also an interesting premise of 'how do you not think of something ' and 'can you escape a thought'. In only a way Josh Malerman can do, he slips you past reality and into another world without a clue it happened. This was one of my favorites and I'm glad I requested it.

Daphne by Josh Malerman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is my second & favorite Malerman book. I usually don’t enjoy the books that are hyped, but once I started this books I found it difficult to put down. It is so well written, I was actually spooked through this one, I absolutely loved it. A wild ride from start to finish. Daphne is also just terrifying on her own, something that gives me chills thinking about. I highly recommend this book.

Daphne is a Thriller/Horror book with lots of edge of your seat scary parts. It has elements of old school horror movies like Nightmare On Elm Street and Candy Man. Josh Malerman, known for Netflix series Bird Box, brings something unique to the table with his love of both sports and horror films by adding a high school girl's basketball team component and a terrifyingly iconic female villain. Daphne was a total win for me and I found it to be both unsettling and nostalgic. I loved it.

Kit McLamb and her fellow basketball teammates are about to celebrate their last summer before college. The night before the big game one of the girls tells the story of Daphne, a girl who was a student at their school many years ago who died under mysterious circumstances. Rumors suggest she was murdered, but some believe she died at her own hand. The girls are told that if they think of Daphne then she will come and kill them. Kit becomes obsessed with Daphne, hearing her name wherever she goes. She can't stop thinking about her. Then one by one her friends are murdered and no suspect can be found. Is Daphne killing the girls when they think of her and if so will Kit be next?

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to PRH Audio for my ALC. All thoughts are my own.

A story about the sports, about growing up, about ghosts, and things that haunt you. It is hard to describe what I liked and what I didn't like about this story. It focused a lot on basketball - that didn't bother me, but the rest is kind of forgettable. The story wasn't really scary, it didn't bother me much, it didn't disturb me. Yes, the ending twist is gruesome, but up to it it was kind meh.

Do I recommend it? as an audiobook, yes. It's almost like a monologue, with different POVs, and there's a little of a mystery. Though reading it, one long chapter with little breaks would be hard IMHO,

Wow! Wow! Wow! Josh Malerman blows me away with everything he writes! When I first started this book, I was curious about where it was going with the Bloody Mary like story and it took it exactly where I was hoping it would go! Malerman has a way of making my skin crawl and making me double check over my shoulder for things hiding in the shadows. As someone who could pretty much couldn't care less about basketball, that aspect of the story didn't put me off at all. Absolutely exciting to read everything Malerman writes (or republishes) in the future.

"It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins."

The town of Samhattan has a spooky legend that no one wants to talk about. The legend is of Daphne, and the details are not quite clear. Was she murdered? Did she take her own life? Was she a murderer? The only clear part of the legend is that Daphne wants revenge......and the more you think about her the more likely she will come for you.

The night before Samhattan's big basketball game one of the players tells a ghost story about Daphne. After hearing the story the team members try to brush it from their minds and focus on the game. But how do you stop thinking about something that is now on your mind? While we do hear a few different perspectives in this story, it's mostly told through the voice of Kit Lamb. Kit is trying to understand what is happening as her teammates are murdered one by one.

This story is a slow burn. It definitely had some spooky moments when learning about Daphne and when she made an appearance on the page. However, the overall story focused more on Kit's anxiety, building a bridge between the monster of Daphne and anxiety. For Kit the more that she thinks about and focuses on her anxiety, the more likely she will experience an attack, and the same is true with the legend of Daphne. Josh Malerman did an excellent job writing the character of Kit as she realizes that focusing on controlling her thoughts could possibly help both her anxiety and ward off Daphne.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.
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Malerman is hit or miss for me. Love GOBLIN and BIRD BOX, unfortunately, this one is a drawn-out piece for me that is weighed down with too much basketball. Daphne is a creepy character, but I would have preferred something different. Thanks to the publisher for this advanced copy. I look forward to Malerman's next romp.

Another home run for Malerman. You never know what to expect from him, besides excellent storytelling. He always finds some new path to terror that he hasn't trod previously. And each path is terrifying. I was surprised at how well the whole "Daphne won't appear unless you think about her or talk about her" premise worked and got under my skin. It's also a metaphor for how society chooses to "bury" or ignore the "sins of the father", but that never solves anything. Burying it just makes it fester and arise and damage people. Bravo, Malerman.

If you think About Daphne, it’s already too late. Daphne is a 7’ ghost who is violently haunting a girl’s HS basketball team. This one can be campy at times, but overall a good story that you’ll breeze through. I’m a fan of Malerman and he doesn’t disappoint here. Thank you to @delreybooks and @joshmalerman for my copy.
4⭐️

Daphne, the newest novel by Josh Malerman and the first novel after the reissues of Goblin and Pearl, starts with Kit Lamb at the free throw line to win the basketball championship. This is the beginning of the summer before she goes to college so this is the culmination of her high school basketball career. She has her routine and does a simple superstitious thing that all of her teammates do during free throw practice: ask the basketball goal a Yes or No question. In this case, Kit asks, “Is Daphne going to kill me?” The answer is a game winning free throw. Kit had only heard about Daphne the night before when the team was having a sleepover and trying to tell stories to scare one another. Daphne is a town haunt, supposed to be over 7 feet tall, smelling like smoke and whiskey, and killing anyone who thinks about her for revenge. This description has stuck in Kit Lamb's head, and the legend of Daphne comes to town after this game, after this winning shot, and Kit thinks Daphne's return has everything to do with her and her basketball team. 

The first half of this novel starts slow, setting up a much better second half. There are times when I was reading the first half and wondering how much setup we need to go into the second half. This novel seemed to be wandering around, trying to figure out where it wanted to go. The second half brings everything together, and honestly we are rewarded for our patience. Malerman uses Daphne as a metaphor for the changes in Kit Lamb’s life, which is filled with uncertainty, a large amount of anxiety and fear. We do not know if some of this anxiety is what manifests Daphne or if Daphne is what manifests the heightened anxiety.

Daphne is not a flawless novel. There are questions that are not answered and scenes that do not make much sense to the rest of the novel. I think about this like many classic horror films, because so many of them are not perfect but they are so beloved. Horror enthusiasts find so much merit in stories even if there are many stories that take much longer to develop than they should. Horror in general is not perfect. Whether it be Jason and Michael Myers always returning from the dead, to giallo movies as a whole, to the bloated novels of Stephen King, most is not perfect, there are things that do not make sense, things that do not add up, but horror fans love horror regardless. Daphne is one of those horror stories. Despite it's problems, Daphne is a great horror novel, and definitely worth reading. 

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

thinking about Daphne could be enough to summon her to you.

This boogiewoman is a perfect opportunity to subvert the slasher archetype. Bringing a feminist change, though often in horror the victims are female, it is rare to see a female killer. Further, the focus on Kit and her experience with anxiety is refreshing and fitting for the world we are in, with a growing knowledge of mental health struggles and the stigma that can still exist.

Malerman takes us through a few different, all-female perspectives, but we find out home base there with Kit, who is learning to handle the anxiety that’s found itself home in her brain. That anxiety gives way to intrusive thoughts of Daphne, the fear growing in Kit’s mind until the bodies of her friends start showing up. Daphne all but becomes a memetic Tulpa, seemingly created by the very unspoken fears and desires of Samhatten. The mystery is captivating, drawing you deeper into the world Malerman creates here. With threads linking this to his other work, Daphne proves Malerman is a growing talent in the horror field. Coming to widescale prominence with his first novel, Bird Box, he again proves willing to bring art to the genre, breathing new life into the skin of the slasher, of the horror novel

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and Ballantine Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Okay now that we have had what feels like a slasher book extravaganza, I'm stopping with this one. This book was so boring I felt myself skimming through it. Honestly surprised at Josh Malerman for following the trend.

I don't like high school, high school girls basketball, or this book. I am truly sorry I can't give this one a great rating I'd just be lying. If you are tired of slasher/horror with groups of teenagers, skip this one.

I was excited to pick this up because I loved Bird box and I was curious to see if I would like this one too. Unfortunately, I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would have. The first part of the book talks mostly about basketball and I'm not a big fan of sports so I might not have been the best audience for this. The mc suffers from anxiety and it plays a huge part in the story, the depiction of anxiety was well written and spot on so A+ for that. Basketball and anxiety pretty much sum up the whole book. The part of an urban legend possibly terrorizing the girls basketball team was a fun concept but it wasn't enough to keep me interested. I had to skim through some paragraphs at times because I felt like it dragged on quite a bit, there weren't any chapters so that didn't help much either. In the author's note he mentioned that this was supposed to be a short story but was encouraged to make it into a full-length novel. Sadly, I think this should have stayed a short story.

Josh Mallerman really knows how to get under your skin. There were times I did want to give up on this story, mainly because I felt there was a lot of repetition in the telling of the urban legend of Daphne, a 7 foot woman who will come back if you think of her and kill. Her story is of course not what you expect, and she kinda of falls under the "Bloody Mary" trope modernized.
But overall it was a good scary book that sometimes got under my skin as one after another the members of a high school basketball team fell victim to Daphne. I was beginning to wonder if anyone would live to the end. A great choice for the halloween season if you like a ghot story for the chilly fall nights.
Thanks to @netglley, and Josh Mallerman for the chance to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I am so glad I read this book in October. How perfectly spooky.

I have a love hate relationship with Josh Malerman. I really liked Bird Box... who didn’t? But I read three more novels that he came out with, and I didn’t like any of them.

So, I didn’t actually rush to this one. But, it was really good.

It kind of has a Stephen King vibe to it. It also kind of put me in the same mindset as the latest Grady Hendricks, "how to sell a haunted house". It’s definitely that seem kind of gruesome horror mixed with emotional depth. Which is my favorite kind of horror.

But, this had elements in that I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t expecting to care about women’s basketball. I really, really don’t. But the characters in this book are well drawn.

Also, this book totally surprised me by having a level of depth around the subject of living with an anxiety disorder that I just didn’t expect. I didn’t expect it to be touched on it all, and I didn’t expect it to be so clearly written by someone who struggles with anxiety. As I was reading it, I said to myself “Josh definitely has an anxiety disorder, as someone who lives with one, I know it when I read it.“ And in the acknowledgments, he does a lovely job of making that clear and describing why he wanted to write the book in this way.

Don’t fret, this also just has a straight up scary premise, and some really frightening scenes. definite triggers for body, core and trauma, including repressed memory.

But this is done in a really interesting way, and I was flipping pages in my Kindle like crazy. In fact, I ended up reading it in a single afternoon. I just inhaled it.

I am so glad that I like this book because I really like Josh Malerman and I’m glad that he is back on my auto-buy list.

This is such a great book for this time of year. If you love a book that is going to have your eyes wide and your spine tingling, choose this one.