A review by kelseymn18
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
4.0
[b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box|Josh Malerman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1383949470s/18498558.jpg|26186624] was creepy, suspenseful and well-written, and I did not want to put it down! I especially loved how it was set up, switching between the present, where Malorie and the two children are escaping to some mysterious safe haven, and flashbacks that show how the madness spread and how Malorie and company tried to survive.
While I loved most of the story, the ending was very underwhelming. It happened too quickly and left some major questions unanswered. Most disappointing was the fact that we never find out what's happening and what's killing everyone! Is it some weird disease? Is the earth taking revenge a la The Happening? Did some alien species take over? Is it all mental and people are making themselves go mad? WHAT WAS IT?! I think the author chose to leave it a mystery because the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown, which makes sense thematically. But at the same, not having an explanation at the end felt like a cop-out on the author's part. The main reason I couldn't put the book down was because I wanted to get to the end and find out what was going on, and sadly, I was left hanging.
Overall, the story is told very well and has just the right amount of creepiness, but the ending could have been better and more thought out.
While I loved most of the story, the ending was very underwhelming. It happened too quickly and left some major questions unanswered. Most disappointing was the fact that we never find out what's happening and what's killing everyone! Is it some weird disease? Is the earth taking revenge a la The Happening? Did some alien species take over? Is it all mental and people are making themselves go mad? WHAT WAS IT?! I think the author chose to leave it a mystery because the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown, which makes sense thematically. But at the same, not having an explanation at the end felt like a cop-out on the author's part. The main reason I couldn't put the book down was because I wanted to get to the end and find out what was going on, and sadly, I was left hanging.
Overall, the story is told very well and has just the right amount of creepiness, but the ending could have been better and more thought out.