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...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!    Choosing a short novel that can pass the time adequately can often be a chore. Enter Stephen King with his amazing short works and at 290 pages (short for me), Carrie filled this requirement quite well.        Carrie is Stephen King's 1974 novel, currently published by Doubleday Books. In the novel of telekinetic terror, we are introduced to Carietta White. An outcast and school punching bag, Carrie does her best to live her life sin-free and keep her head down at school, lest she becomes her classmate's latest prank. Her mother, Margaret, is a hard-working woman who reports to work every day. But Mrs. White has a dark side, one fueled by religious zealotry and insanity. When Carrie is home she lives in fear that her mother may snap at any moment, sending her to be locked in their "prayer closet" for hours on end. Carrie desperately wants to live her life like other girls, but Margaret is always on duty t...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!      The haunted house. It is a place of legend in many cultures. But for Baneberry Hall, it is a place of treachery, betrayal, and hidden secrets. Riley Sager once again rewrites a classic genre, with surprising results.     Home Before Dark is the fourth thriller by Riley Sager. It is published by Dutton Books, a Penguin Random House imprint. In this latest offering we are introduced to Maggie Holt, an interior designer that has been given the project of a lifetime...renovate the infamous Baneberry Hall, one of America's most haunted houses. But Maggie has an edge over other designers. She once lived in Banberry Hall,  fleeing into the night from dark forces when she was a little girl. She does not remember what transpired and only knows the details from her father's book, House of Horrors. For decades she has believed that her parents lied about their haunting. Now that she has been left the home in her fat...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!    Just when you thought it was safe to venture back into the Burg, Stephanie Plum is once again neck-deep in the proverbial poop. She is watching a famous musician, babysitting a crabby teenager, and may or may not be attending the wedding of Lula.       Fearless Fourteen is written by Janet Evanovich and is published by St. Martins Press. In this zany tale of kidnapping and larceny, Stephanie Plum must once again prove her worth as a fearless bounty hunter. Problem is, she is not anywhere close to being that. We begin with one of Stephanie's bond skippers getting ready to commit suicide. After having second thoughts of death, Loretta Rizzi agrees to go with Stephanie to be re-bonded. One problem, Loretta's son, Zook, will be alone while she is in jail. Luckily for Zook, Stephanie is easily coerced into taking care of the teen. Soon she has Loretta re-bonded and in jail for the time ...