Bird Box by Josh Malerman Book Review

bird box, book review, book reviews, dystopian, horror, mystery, psychological thriller, thrillers,

Title: Bird Box
Author: Josh Malerman
Publication Date: 2014
Genres: Psychological thriller, Mystery, Dystopia
Number of pages: 262

Bird Box was a novel that really intrigued me. I had heard that the characters cannot go outside because everyone that does changes, killing others and themselves. The main character and her two children, after four years are finally leaving their home, blindfolded. I wanted to know why everyone was changing when they went outside. This is the mystery that kept me reading. This book follows Malorie, we see her experiences from when reports first surface of vicious deaths to four years later when she is finally leaving her home. The chapters are mixed, following these two different time periods. Usually, shifts like this will make me feel disconnected. But in this case, it actually worked really well.

I found Malorie to be a very realistic character. When reports surface, she acts in disbelief. She does everything she can to survive, for her and her children. She takes caution to not look outside. She worries about her family and friends. She becomes stronger through her experiences and she puts her children first. The other characters also felt well developed. We find out more about some of these characters than others but they each have their own personalities and characteristics.

The cast is quite large but I didn't feel lost. We had Malorie as the main character, then close friends who we find out more about and then other characters who have a lesser relationship with Malorie. We mostly follow Malorie but there are a few times when we follow other characters. This was actually really interesting to see how each character felt fear and desperation. It also allowed us to find out more about what was happening when Malorie was not present in that place.

One thing that did bother me was how Malorie acted once her children were born. She basically uses techniques to condition the children so that they don't look outside and so they follow her instructions.

This book can get quite dark. There are many trigger warnings for this book including child abuse, animal harm, self-harm, violence and suicide.

Final thoughts:
I haven't read a thriller or mystery in quite a long time. But I found this to be such a fast-paced read. The fact that the horror side was more of something that we didn't know if it existed or not and if it did, what kind of existence it was, was in my opinion a really great mystery. Even the characters themselves were also trying to find out more about the 'creatures' and whether the change in mental state happens at different lengths of time.

There is a sequel expected in October, called Malorie. The ending of Bird Box was creepy but I want to know what happens next.

As someone who doesn't usually read thrillers, I am now planning on reading more. I found this book to be a quick read, there wasn't a ton of description and even when we were following different events, it never felt long-winded.

In conclusion, if you like to read psychological thrillers or if this sounds interesting to you, it may be a good read for you.

Star rating: 4.9/5 stars


  1. Great review. I hadn't even heard of Bird Box until the Netflix movie came out, which I haven't seen yet. I do enjoy thrillers, but admittedly don't read them very often. This sounds like quite an interesting book. I shall have to add it to my TBR since you have really peeked my interest in it.

    1. Thank you! I heard about it from one other reader. I haven't seen the Netflix adaptation but from what I've heard I already think the book is likely better. If you read it please let me know what you thought!

  2. I hear the book's ending was different from the movie ending- but only with certain aspects.

    1. That's interesting, I wonder what the differences are. I don't intend to watch the film so I will do some research!