Bird Box - Josh Malerman - 4.5 stars

I wanted to read creepy books for this month and came across this one at our local UBS and decided to get it. I had not heard a lot about the book but from a friend so I decided to just go into it blindly, and wow I am glad I did.

In this story the world is very different, something terrible has happened. There is something out there that makes people go mad and when this happens the madness takes over, killing and destruction is everywhere. Malorie and her children are left to their own devices living their lives inside an old house that has sheltered them from this madness only to go outside to get water from the well and all the while blindfolded to keep from seeing the creatures that lurk there.

Wow this book was pretty intense. I could only imagine how horrible it would be to have to go around blindfolded while outside and with children. It had such a great creepy aspect to the story not knowing what was around you, and I loved that. It makes it a great read for Halloween. The perspective changes many times from Malorie in present time and then also in the past that works it's way up to where she is now. Despite this the book stayed very fluid and easy to follow. One thing that I was a little disappointed about was that there was not a clear understanding at what these 'creatures' were. A mental image of them would have been interesting.

I really enjoyed the characters of this story, especially Malorie. She is a very strong character and she is very disciplined almost to a point of being to disciplined which can make her feel a little unrealistic at times. It could have maybe used a bit more about her and the children in the span of about 4 years that is only mentioned and not really included in the story, but it might have a added a bit more depth and we would have gotten to know her and children a little bit better.

The story is left somewhat open I think where perhaps a sequel will come into play, but it has enough closure in the chance that there is not a sequel. I recommend this to anyone who loves creepy mysterious books. Tis was a treat to read. I am rating this a 4.5 stars.