Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Series: Bird Box #1

Publication date: February 10th, 2015

Pages: 260

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

"A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one's fingers. There has never been a horror story quite like this. Josh Malerman truly delivers." -- Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

Written with the narrative tension of The Road and the exquisite terror of classic Stephen King, Bird Box is a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future world--a masterpiece of suspense from the brilliantly imaginative Josh Malerman.

Something is out there...

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey--a trip that takes her into the unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside--and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Interweaving past and present, Malerman's breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

Available at:

Plot: It had been a while since I have read a horror book that has gripped me as hard as some of the classic Stephen King books did. Bird Box had me nervous to leave the sanctuary of my own room while I was engrossed in the pages and increasingly happy that I had thick blinds on my windows. Going outside even seemed harrowing because I was so engrossed in Josh Malerman's story that I started to fuse it with my own reality. That is a good indication of a great read. The eerie feeling dripped from the pages and caused an unsettling feeling to grow in the pit of my stomach. Watching Malorie shift from her former self while pregnant to her harrowing journey down the river to supposed safety made me grab my pillow and strangle the life out of it for comfort. There were some parts where I desperately wanted to know what came of certain characters--how did they die, where did they go, what truly happened to them--but that lack of knowledge only made the anxiety of the read that much more delicious. I don't think the author could have done a thing differently with the plot of the book that would have made it irredeemable in my eyes.

Characters: Malorie was a character that you were expected to have slight mixed feelings about. She was drive by her fear and it took her a long time to face it. She conditioned her children to depend on their hearing to the point where she didn't even award them with names. Their future was so tenuous that it felt like she was too afraid to get too attached to them while her guard was up so far. Once you read about her experiences you start to understand why she is the way she is. She had a devastating life. The outcome of her companions was heartbreaking and devastating. I truly loved Tom. He seemed so good for the group as a whole but even he was way too trusting which was a main controversy within the group throughout the book's flashbacks. The author gave each of the characters a specific role in Malorie's story and was masterful in not deviating from their paths.

Writing: There was something within the writing of Malerman's book that manages to harness the panic and turmoil of his characters to the point that you can physical feel what they are as you read along. That has only ever been accomplished by the great Stephen King as far as I have seen. That is a high bar set that he managed to reach with little effort. I think that if he sticks to the method of his writing and keeps that uneasy feel to the way he writes his stories, that he will be just as big a household name as many of the greats of the horror genre.

Overall: I don't think I can come up with much that was subpar in this book. I liked every facet of it. The only thing I would have liked would be if it was longer. If we could delve deeper into the lives of Malorie's companions or the four years that she lived on her own with her children. How did she find that inner strength? How did she keep moving? How did she fight every instinct that a human being has to see the danger lurking around the corner from them? I wanted more. But being as I just discovered that it has a sequel I am hoping those requests will be fulfilled. This is was great horror read and I highly recommend it to any who love books that make you flip the lights on in every single room just to go get a glass of water in the middle of the night.

Review: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Publication date: July 4th, 2023

Pages: 475

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mariana Zapata's most beloved book, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me--now with new exclusive content!

Vanessa Mazur refuses to feel bad for quitting--she knows she's doing the right thing. The thankless job of personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans for her life, and none of them include washing extra-large underwear one more day for a man who could never find it in him to tell her good morning, congratulate her on a job well done, or wish her a happy birthday--even when she was spending it working for him.

The legendary "Wall of Winnipeg" may be adored by thousands, but after two years Van has had enough.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door begging her to come back, she's beyond shocked. Mr. Walled-Off Emotions is actually letting his guard down for once. And she's even more dumbstruck when he explains that her job description is about to become even more outrageous: something that takes the "personal" in personal assistant to a whole new level.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

Available at:

Plot: Vanessa and Aiden's story was unlike most of the stereotypical football themed romance stories. Don't get me wrong, it of course showed Vanessa as being the studious misunderstood loner who was the only one who didn't fall all over themselves when in the presence of Aiden's star power. But it was different in the sense that Vanessa didn't sit and pine for Aiden like so many of the other female protagonists of such a story would have. She got fed up with his aloof attitude and once she was capable of leaving, she had no desire to ever look back. Of course, Aiden didn't realize what he had until it was gone and had to try to find a way to pull her back in. Offering her a way out of financial debt and setting her up for success in the future if she were to help him out with his own issues was a no brainer. I really liked the slow discovery of their feelings for each other and how the author didn't put an emphasis on sex like most romance novels do (even in the romantic comedy department). In truth, the plot was extremely slow burn to the point where the characters never even shared a single ounce of intimacy until he final 50 pages or so. I feel that this was an excellent choice by the author because, while it frustrated me to no end, it forced the characters to have a deeper connection than they may have had if sex was introduced too early on. I liked that the author put little snippets in the book that could harken back to a few other standalones featuring beloved side characters. Masterfully done to not make a reader feel obligated to read the rest of the "series" but keeping the characters connected.

Characters: I loved these characters. Aiden with his stoic quietness that almost made me wonder if he was a little be autistic with how he operated. He didn't like people, he liked his life just so, he had a stringent vegan diet of safe foods, and he abhorred emotional connection especially of the physical variety. Even if the author wasn't trying to display a little bit of inclusivity there, Aiden was a darling of a character. He was blunt and to the point which I feel we need more of in reality. Then we have Vanessa; determined and diligent. She knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go for it. She didn't take criticism without standing by her morals and aiming to prove everyone wrong. Her job was fascinating and one that I would have loved to learn even more about. She had a good heart and I couldn't find a thing dislikable about her.

Writing: The writing was beautifully done. The comedy was slipped in so well that you didn't see it coming until it hit you right between the eyes. It is what got me to openly chuckle into the pages of my book when normally I will just smirk and think to myself, "that was funny". Vanessa had the comedic timing of a professional and Aiden's dry humor complimented it perfectly. The only thing that I found I didn't enjoy was when the author kept calling Aiden's, ahem, equipment by its biological term. There is something about it constantly being called 'penis' that makes the romance of the scene a bit more like a biology lesson than the culmination of hundreds of pages of smoldering heat finally reaching its precipice. But other than that... I can't complain at all.

Overall: I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I honestly skipped over it a few times in my library haul when it came to selecting my next read. Apparently my daughter has better taste in books than I do as she picked it up and told me to read it next because she liked the pretty colored cover. I think as far as slow burn romance goes, this was glacial, but once it heated up the entire iceberg melted and dripped off the pages. I loved the characters, the world, the chemistry, and it even had a cute puppy! There isn't much more you can ask for in a romantic comedy.

 

Review: Caged by Clarissa Wild

Caged by Clarissa Wild

Series: Savage Men #1

Publication date: September 21st, 2017

Pages: 503

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A new dirty dark romance by New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Clarissa Wild!

They call me savage. An untamed beast.

I was born in the cage. Born to fight. Born to carry its name.

Locked away, I've spent years waiting for my mate.

I'm pent up with need. Brimming with desire.

All I want is her... That beautiful girl from the picture on my prison wall.

Now she's finally here, sharing a cell.

So close. So hard to resist.

But one thing's for sure...

Even if she doesn't know it yet, she's already mine.

This book contains both CAGED and UNCAGED, originally meant as a duet.

Note: This STANDALONE novel contains disturbing content that may be offensive to some readers. Complete at 120,000 words. NO Cliffhanger. Book 1 in the Savage Men Series.

Available at:

Plot: I am all for a book that wants to push the boundaries and dabble in the deep dark that is dark romance, but this one missed the mark on a lot of fronts. I didn't realize that the book was originally a duet but it makes a bit of sense with how it was written. First you encounter the captivity that Ella and Cage both endure and how they manage their way through it with the psychotic man Graham at the helm of their activities. Ella is simply breeding stock while Cage is Graham's prized fighter and son. The whole thing seems a little vague and a little all over the place. There were times when I felt like the story could have ended hundreds of pages before it actually did. Perhaps the books would have read better as a duet with a cliffhanger than trying to mash them together to make one extremely long and drawn out book that seemed to circle around nothing of importance for several chapters. The layout of the story was simply all wrong. It felt like a lot of filler for a story that could have been concluded much faster. All the facets of the story seemed too odd to be real so it really hindered me from getting a real sense of the story. There were times when the author would dredge on for chapters and chapters about nothing of importance while she would gloss over more important facts. It all felt like a story thrown together with Elmer's glue and a prayer hoping that it is stable enough to support an audience's attention. It did not for me. 

Characters: I didn't like Cage. There, I'll say it. I didn't like that he was so sheltered that he had no idea about the world to the point where Ella had to treat him like a wide-eyed toddler a lot of the time. One thing that does not say 'Ooo hot' for me and that is a man who doesn't know how to shake hands but knows exactly how sex works in every single facet. Granted, I can understand that it was probably part of his teachings from his father so he could do what he was meant to do, but still. He was far too childlike for me to find appealing in anyway. It was either confused toddler or aggressive caveman and nothing in between. Ella was okay but she was no Jane Porter. Come to think of it, the two of them did remind me a bit of Tarzan and Jane. Neither of which I would really want to see featured in a dark romance personally. I think if I were to read any of the future books in this series, it would not be for the normal reasons of me wanting to see what happens next in the previous characters.  

Writing: The writing, as mentioned before, felt a bit forced. While there weren't many spelling or grammatical errors (only spotted a couple), the description and character definitions were lacking for the overall enjoyment of the book. The author, once again, felt rushed in producing the book and so cut corners in their writing that would have otherwise boosted the book into a more enjoyable bracket for me. While I can't exactly say that the writing was a mess, the plot's formatting did leave a lot to be desired.

Overall: I did not enjoy this book. At the 50% mark I strongly considered DNFing the book but after having already DNFed a book previously I felt I needed to finish this one so as not to appear as if I am being far too picky with my book selections. I was reading another book at the same time as this one and I found myself wanting reach for that one a lot more often than this one. However, I was determined to complete the read. I will say that I am a bit intrigued by the next installment of books in this series and the characters they are featuring so I will not discount me attempting to read this series again, but I do hope they are a better fit for me than the manchild Cage and the blindly optimistic Ella.

Book Blitz with Excerpt + Giveaway: Find Me At The Disco by Diahanna Aurora Hampton @XpressoTours

Find Me At The Disco by Diahanna Aurora Hampton

Publication date: January 8th, 2026

Synopsis:

New York, 1977. Liza Collins is struggling to reconcile her relationship with her father, Will, after a lifetime of secrets and betrayal. Upon graduating from boarding school in London, Liza returns to her hometown of New York City seeking answers about her childhood that Will has largely left unanswered. Instead of answers, Liza unearths a series of illicit affairs, sham marriages, and financial troubles her father has tried to keep buried.

As Liza struggles with these findings and navigates adulthood, she meets Jennifer Blake--a woman who introduces her to a world of drugs, alcohol, and disco. In the midst of it all, Liza then discovers something about her family that she never could have imagined, clouding her judgment and sense of self. Consequently, Will is forced to either confess his mistakes or give up on his relationship with his daughter entirely.

Available at:

BookFinity

Jennifer grabbed Liza's arm. "Let's go boogie!"

"I don't know. It's kind of crowded."

Liza stood awkwardly, watching people bump into each other. "That's the best though, people moving their bodies against you. No one cares if you can't dance, you just move to the beat and have fun."

Before Liza could respond, a different song came on, Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," making people cheer and dance faster than before.

"Oh my God! I love this song, come on!" Jennifer squealed.

Liza let Jennifer pull her onto the dance floor. At first, she wasn't really dancing. She kept getting shoved and pushed as she stood in front of Jennifer, who automatically moved to the beat. She tried to mimic her friend's movements, but she felt unsure of herself as she struggled to get the right rhythm. Jennifer must have noticed Liza's efforts, as she turned Liza around and placed her hands on her hips to help guide her. The song's beat got easier for Liza to follow as she heard Donna Summer's voice hum from the speakers.

Liza relaxed as the alcohol coursed through her veins. She let her body move under Jennifer's direction and stopped overthinking. Jennifer turned Liza back around to face her, moving their bodies closer. Jennifer reached into her pocket to show Liza a few pills in a small plastic bag. She still moved to the beat when she popped one in her mouth and then promptly kissed Liza, transferring a piece of the pill from her tongue to Liza's. When Jennifer pulled away, she smirked.

After a few moments, Liza threw her head back as she felt the drug take hold. She saw the disco ball spinning above her, and the multicolored lights flashing around the club. Her vision blurred, coming in and out of focus like a kaleidoscope. Jennifer was behind her again bumping and grinding, leaving no room between them. Liza's heart rate sped up, and she felt sweat drip down her neck. It was hot on the dance floor. Although she was breathing heavily, she continued to dance, letting the beat take over her movements.

They danced for several more songs, each one faster than the last. Liza's skin was slick from sweat.

DIAHANNA AURORA HAMPTON is a Boston based writer with a B.A. in Art Studies. Find Me At The Disco is her first novel.

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