Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!    Journeys that are harrowing in the face of danger is what drew me to read Bird Box twice. The fast-paced story set in a world beset with madness made the novel a global sensation and led to a film adaptation. When a sequel comes along it can go both ways, either better than the original or not as good as its predecessor. Let's see how book two stacks up against the first.         Malorie is the sequel to Josh Malerman's 2014 runaway hit, Bird Box. It is published by Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is twelve years after the events of the first novel and the world has adapted to a sightless existence among the creatures that have stolen the world's sanity. Malorie and her now teenage children are living in Camp Yadin, an abandoned Summer campground. After the horrifying events that led them to Yadin, Malorie is aware that over time the creatures have evolved. Not only do humans go ...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!    My first review of 2019 started off with a genuinely creepy tale. Bird Box by Josh Malerman left a lasting impression with me. This year saw its sequel, Malorie, arrive in book stores. To prepare for part two, I decided that the first novel deserved a re-read. Was it better the second time around? Or did think less of this novel upon giving it a second look?       Bird Box is Josh Malerman's debut novel. It is published by ECCO Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. In this post-apocalyptic novel of dread and survival we are introduced to Malorie, mother of two small children who makes a desperate attempt to forge the river as they flee the home they have known for the past   several  years. The children are trained to listen and are   hyper aware  of their   possibly  dangerous surroundings. As they  continue  on,   silent  and blindfolded, she reflects...