Bird Box

Published March 27, 2014 by Harper Voyager.

ISBN:
978-0-00-752987-2
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4 stars (12 reviews)

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to …

1 edition

Review of 'Bird Box' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

It wasn't very well written and was full of plot holes, but I found the pacing worked excellently to build suspense. I kept expecting things to happen differently from how they did, which certainly helped with that. I've read very little horror, but I imagine the format with alternating past and present can feel clichéd for those who have. The author's linking of the two, with events at the start of a chapter seeming to lead on from those in the other time, was nice. I love the premise and thought the ending leaving everything unanswered was the right decision. Given how horrifying the world is and how little hope there seems to be of finding a solution I struggle to see how someone could try so hard to survive.

Review of 'Bird Box' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I found so much wrong with this book. Firstly, the main character was just annoying. She went through the whole novel and was so unhappy, until she could actually tell people what to do. When we got to the present storylines, every time her children who she annoyingly called "Boy and Girl," throughout the book, until the last couple sentences, she'd smack them. No wonder why they were always so quiet.
I also knew someone in the house was going to betray them, so I wasn't even surprised by that one bit. The ending also fell so flat. I should've seen it coming, but I just didn't.

Review of 'Bird Box' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Many reviews describe this as a horror novel, but I'd classify it as a suspense thriller. If you've seen the movies "The Happening" or "Pitch Black," it's a very similar premise, set in the context of a post-apocalyptic survivor drama. While the themes might not be too original, it was a very entertaining read with well-drawn characters that I'd recommend, but with the caveat that animals do come to harm in the story (although the descriptions aren't overly graphic).