windsorgrace 's review for:

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

3.5

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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This was an interesting book. It’s my first Ronald Malfi, and it reminded me of how Bentley Little finds horror in the mundane. I enjoyed it even though I wish there were a few more terrifying horror elements. There’s also a bit of cosmic horror thrown in at the end and I’d have loved more of that. 

For almost two decades since Jamie Warren left home, he’s run from his past. As children, he and his two best friends, Mia and Clay, and brother met a magician in the woods near Jamie’s home. At first, the magician was a fascinating addition to Jamie’s boring, mundane life. The man taught them magic tricks and became a friend. But as time went on, Jamie realized there wasn’t something right about the man. 

Now Jamie has returned home to take care of his brother after his mom’s death. Events are beginning to repeat themselves, which draws Mia, Clay, Jamie, and Dennis back together. Can they figure out what’s going on before more evil events take place?

I enjoyed the relationships between the four main characters. Dennis has an intellectual disability and the group treats him just like one of the gang, and includes him in everything. Dennis’s intuition is a key part of the plot. I felt like the four of them are all real people with dynamic backstories and lives.