We’ve all heard of Bird Box, right? The book was made into a Netflix film and it was massive, everyone was talking about it. Now I haven’t watched the film (too much blood, guts and gore for me – I get all of that from my books and not film or television!) so I can’t comment on that but this book, this incredible book with such a stunning concept is exceptional. I devoured this book in a few short hours. I very occasionally say it doesn’t take me long to read a book (more often than not it takes me AGES as I’m a slow reader for a book blogger) but this is by far my quickest read in a long time. I could not put this book down and I flew through the pages like my life depended on it. I was mesmerised by Malorie’s incredible story and wanted to see what was going to happen but also savour my time with this courageous woman struggling through an unimaginable scenario. The publishers say this book will haunt you long after reading and they are so right. I’m traumatised by Bird Box and I love it! If you haven’t watched the film but you have a vague idea of the concept then you must read this book. I don’t think you truly ‘get it’ until you’re living it with Malorie and the children. Oh my gosh, it’s buried deep down in my soul. Absolutely superb! Malorie discovers she’s pregnant. It’s not what she planned, the father of the baby isn’t one for a committed relationship but she knows she’s going to have the baby and do the best she can for her child. But then life takes a completely unexpected swerve. The news starts to report normal, everyday people committing unprovoked acts of extreme violence and then killing themselves. The killings start in Russia but before long there have been a number of attacks closer to home in America. No one knows for sure what provokes these normal people to carry out such horrific acts but it is believed they all ‘saw’ something. Something beyond what the human brain can comprehend. Something so unimaginable that it drives people violently mad. The solution? Don’t look. Windows are covered. Doors are locked tight. Blindfolds become the norm. Whatever you do, no matter how tempting, don’t look… Don’t look. It sounds so simple. How many times has someone said ‘don’t look behind you, but….’ which of course makes you want to look even more. Malerman’s terrifying world full of unknown ‘creatures’ puts you on edge from the start. The book is told in the past and the present. The past shows us Malorie’s journey to the safe house where we meet a cast of fascinating characters, all thrown together with the same threat hanging over them and having to cope as best they can. In the present we are with Malorie and the children as she courageously takes them blindly up the river. To where we don’t actually find out until much later in the book but this just adds to the books tension and ratches the drama up tenfold. This is a truly wonderful piece of fiction. It’s the kind of book you want your friend to read just so you can talk to someone about it. Malorie is a stand-out character and you see her change and adapt to her situation as you move through the story. She becomes hardened and it was fascinating to watch. Cope or die. Malorie isn’t the only fascinating character in this novel though. The residents of the safe house all add something and the children broke my heart. Would I recommend this book? Definitely. I loved this book and it will stay with me for some time to come. The only downside is the rather sudden and abrupt ending. I thought I had just under 100 pages left with Malorie which I planned to savour, only to find those pages were a short story. That, however, will not deter me from giving this atmospheric, creepy, mesmerising book five fabulous stars and a place on my top books of the year list, no siree! Bird Box is magnificent. Unsettling, terrifying, thought-provoking and impossible to put down. Highly recommended.

This an excellent science fiction/horror novel, gripping from start to finish. A real page turner, it was the first time in a long time that I found myself thinking 'one more page before lights out'. It's not for the faint hearted however. The unknown horror that is sweeping the globe and bringing about a disaster of aplocalyptic proportions literally drives people mad, leading to a level of violence and horror that is hard to stomach at times. Overall, if you enjoyed books such as Richard Matheson's 'I am Legend' or Margaret Atwood's 'The Year of the Floor', this is a good choice for you.

A gripping horror story of mankind threatened by an unthinkable, unknown horror. Just the sight of this "thing" sends people and animals mad. The only way to survive is to be blindfolded or actually blind in order to ensure you never set eyes on it. An imaginative story-line that is very well written, fast paced and totally gripping. It is also a story of man's incredible strength and survival instinct and in the end there is some hope that man will get through this devastating scenario. Full marks to the author.

The film doesn't do this justice. I read it in one sitting. Terrifying, it made me squirm in my chair and speed read to find out what happened next. I cried, I jumped, I felt exhausted after it and it kept me thinking about long after I put it down. I would read it again.

I read Bird Box in one hit. The sense of danger was immediate and I had to find out what was going happening and why. Josh Malerman manages to drop hints throughout the novel without giving too much away in any one go so you’re hooked until the end. The way the story moved between present and past really works as we know something terrible has happened to Malorie and others early on but it isn’t until right towards the end that everything is revealed. The book works so well as it doesn’t seem far- fetched the way some apocalyptic novels do. There’s no huge war or attack by aliens, it’s all very subtle and played out on the news and online until strange things start to occur in Malorie’s own neighbourhood. It feels like something that could actually happen. There’s a lot of dialogue compared to many novels but it works as the story seems to move faster because of this. I felt like I could see the scenes taking place and imagine the constant fear. This is not your average horror and I loved it.