Book Review: Malorie (Bird Box, Book Two) by Josh Malerman
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 mad by seeing them, but also by being touched by them. The unknown fuels Malorie's vigilance as she lives day by day to keep her family safe. But seventeen years of hiding and survival have made teens Tom and Olympia resentful and complacent. Tom is tired of being cautious and wants to see the world. Olympia is living by the blindfold, never straying too far away from her mother's orders. They are as happy as they can be and safe. Malorie has worked hard to make their unconventional childhood as normal as she can.
Then a stranger arrives at Camp Yadin. He claims to be a Census taker that has gathered up many stories from all over the country. He talks of a Blind Train that runs across the United States, safely transporting survivors. Malorie turns the man away, but he leaves pages of information for them to read on the state of the world. Tom and Olympia read the pages and discover information that may change Malorie's life forever. As they embark on a dangerous journey to reach the Blind Train, an old adversary of Malorie's waits in the shadows set on exacting long-overdue revenge. Can Malorie and her children once again battle the odds to reach their destination? Or will Malorie's past seal their fate?
Malorie was a sequel that started off exciting but slowly began to linger, then struggled to deliver a finale. The narrative was not as claustrophobic as the original. And at times I felt that the story would not get off the ground. Tom and Olympia delivered a fresh outlook on the story that was welcomed. I found myself liking their narrative more than Malorie's. Malorie's paranoia and cautious behavior could rub me the wrong way at times. It seemed that in twelve years she had become a shadow of her Bird Box self. The villain of the story was not a surprise. What was surprising was how little the character was used and the way he was written out of the story. It was very anti-climactic in my opinion. The finale felt rushed and choppy and a moment happens that wraps up one part of the storyline a bit too easily.
I read Malorie in part with the incredible narration of actress, Cassandra Campbell. Her performance was loaded with emotion and her performance once again kept me engrossed. I am happy she was asked to read book two. I love her work.
Malorie was a three-star read for me. It did not capture the excitement and danger of the first novel for me. The story's lingering chapters stole time away from the finale. In the end, I did not leave Malorie with the same enthusiasm as I did book one.
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