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gunderchump's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whatyoutolkienabout's review
4.0
As always I want to start by saying that I was given an ARC of this to review. My review is honest and left voluntarily.
Black Mouth is an addictive horror that pays homage to the likes of Stephen King’s IT while still delivering an atmospheric unique tale. It is clear Ronald Malfi knows the genre of horror well and is a accomplished story teller.
Black Mouth follows four adults as they return to their home town to confront an evil they were exposed to as teenagers. A master at building suspense we feel the dread and tension our protagonists experience as they come closer to the truth of what happened summers before. Together Jamie Warren, his estranged brother Dennis, Mia and Clay must all come face to face with a man who may well turn out to be a monster and confront their own demons along the way.
As always I don’t like spoiling a novel by going too depth to the plot. What I will say is the pacing was addictive. You feel you have to keep reading to find out the mystery of it all. With a few twists and turns along the way this truly is an horror come crime thriller that you will not be able to put down. The characters, while not perfect, are all well rounded and so human it is refreshing. Jamie in particular was a fantastic choice for a protagonist. He fails, he’s scared, he’s in some ways broken but still he keeps going. Normally he is the kind of character I would not root for but honestly it’s hard not to when you see him progress and overcome the events of one fateful summer.
As well as the characters the descriptions and setting are so unsettling. Towards the end of the novel Malfi utilises the idea of a sort of liminal space to amazing affect. As someone who loves horror even I was unsettled then. It was perfect.
The only one flaw I found was more to personal taste which is the trope of animals being hurt in the horror genre. It always unsettles me and oftentimes I find it used more for shock value than an actual plot point. Thankfully, while I still don’t enjoy it, Malfi does have justification and doesn’t just use it for this shock value. The events are there for reason and do serve a purpose which is why I did not deduct half a star. Even if personally I would have preferred an off page anecdote.
Blending magic, supernatural, horror and human morality Malfi in Black Mouth manages to create a gripping terrifying read that I am still thinking about now.
Black Mouth is an addictive horror that pays homage to the likes of Stephen King’s IT while still delivering an atmospheric unique tale. It is clear Ronald Malfi knows the genre of horror well and is a accomplished story teller.
Black Mouth follows four adults as they return to their home town to confront an evil they were exposed to as teenagers. A master at building suspense we feel the dread and tension our protagonists experience as they come closer to the truth of what happened summers before. Together Jamie Warren, his estranged brother Dennis, Mia and Clay must all come face to face with a man who may well turn out to be a monster and confront their own demons along the way.
As always I don’t like spoiling a novel by going too depth to the plot. What I will say is the pacing was addictive. You feel you have to keep reading to find out the mystery of it all. With a few twists and turns along the way this truly is an horror come crime thriller that you will not be able to put down. The characters, while not perfect, are all well rounded and so human it is refreshing. Jamie in particular was a fantastic choice for a protagonist. He fails, he’s scared, he’s in some ways broken but still he keeps going. Normally he is the kind of character I would not root for but honestly it’s hard not to when you see him progress and overcome the events of one fateful summer.
As well as the characters the descriptions and setting are so unsettling. Towards the end of the novel Malfi utilises the idea of a sort of liminal space to amazing affect. As someone who loves horror even I was unsettled then. It was perfect.
The only one flaw I found was more to personal taste which is the trope of animals being hurt in the horror genre. It always unsettles me and oftentimes I find it used more for shock value than an actual plot point. Thankfully, while I still don’t enjoy it, Malfi does have justification and doesn’t just use it for this shock value. The events are there for reason and do serve a purpose which is why I did not deduct half a star. Even if personally I would have preferred an off page anecdote.
Blending magic, supernatural, horror and human morality Malfi in Black Mouth manages to create a gripping terrifying read that I am still thinking about now.
kyillme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
madisonreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
nickkimball's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sammyisobsessed24's review
2.0
This book was such a disappointment after reading Malfi's "Come With Me." This won't stop me from trying Malfi's work again, but I did not like this one. "Black Mouth" is very clearly inspired by Steven King's "IT," but it feels like a discount version. The characters are not flushed-out enough to be enjoyable, and the villain needs major development.
Overall, I found that the story had potential but was poorly executed and needed a lot of work.
Overall, I found that the story had potential but was poorly executed and needed a lot of work.
kimberlyf's review
5.0
ingredients for the perfect story:
small town
character struggling with addiction
a carnival
some magic
creepy, elusive villain
adults coming back together to vanquish childhood trauma
dread
Black Mouth has it all.
small town
character struggling with addiction
a carnival
some magic
creepy, elusive villain
adults coming back together to vanquish childhood trauma
dread
Black Mouth has it all.
charm_city_sinner's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
msmagoo502's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0