As a newcomer to the horror genre I was keen to dive in headfirst with this book, which my colleague told me was the scariest book she had ever read. I was absolutely floored by it and I could barely be in a room by myself reading it! The plot centres around Malorie; a woman who is initially sceptical when news of grisly murder-suicides rumoured to be caused by the perpetrator seeing something that drives them mad, causes America to spiral into paranoia so fierce that windows are boarded up and people obscure their vision whenever they are outside. She soon grows to fear this unknown entity, however, as the deaths become more frequent and closer to home. I could not recommend this enough, both for newcomers such as myself and for horror superfans. Remember how 'It' made clowns scary? How 'Jaws' made the sea scary? Bird Box makes looking outside scary. Seriously. Read it.

This chilling novel is surely one to remember ages after putting it down. Malorie finds out she is pregnant when reports are coming in of unexplained incidents in which people are turning against each other after seeing something. When she sees an ad in a newspaper about a safe house she knows she must go there. Here she meets a group of people, one of which she grows very close to and he gives her courage later on when her children are born. Nobody goes outdoors anymore except blindfolded and all windows and glass are covered up. The novel switches between the present and the past which I liked. I'm really looking forward to the movie, especially as its by the director of Mama. Although the ending didn't really explain what the 'creatures' were I was still terrified of what was revealed in the novel.

This book has definitely been added to my must-read recommendations. Wonderfully written and a book I couldn't put down, you really start to question whether it is safe to go outside, and you find yourself terrified for the characters themselves, such is the power of the writing. An original concept, the book follows a desperate woman and two children, unable to venture outside without covering their eyes, lest they set their sights on the creature that causes those that have seen it to die. Can they reach a safe haven, or are they doomed to discover the identity of this terrifying thing?

While this book certainly doesn't make for a comfortable read, it was gripping right up to the last page. Giving a slightly new slant on the post-apocalyptic genre, it was refreshing (and disturbing) to read about a new reason for the end of the world. The fact that the characters can't open their eyes outside helps to build the tension and you share in their helplessness and fear. I also enjoyed the way it jumps between the present day (for the characters) and the events that led up to them being where they are. Great for fans for the Walking Dead series, Day of the Triffids, or the post-apocalyptic genre in general.

A great horror story in the best traditions of the original Stephen King books. I expected something like the 'Birds' but it is that and so much more. The author takes us to a bleak and terrifying world where something is making people go mad, really insane. No-one knows what 'it' is but if you can't see it then it can't affect you. Everyone who goes outside wears a blindfold and windows and doors are covered to prevent accidental contamination. This provides a totally new perpective on the world for everyone involved. Their natural instinct to survive kicks in and the suspicion that not everyone is behaving in everyone else's best interests brings out the worst in them all with some surprising and horrifying results. If I had one criticism I thought some of the characters lacked depth and real personality which sometimes made it difficult to care what happened to them. The main character, Malorie however was drawn sympathetically and she clearly showed the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children when they are threatened. I was also very impressed by the author's ability to describe an unseen world. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller