A review by kaleereads
Daphne by Josh Malerman

4.0

need a netflix movie adaptation immediately. daphne is a bit of a slow burn but once it starts, it doesn’t relent. this novel has been on my radar since it was released last year, but it came back up to the top of my list again after I binge watched yellowjackets and was looking for a similar vibe in novel form. Our story follows a high school basketball team that is being picked off one by one by a local urban legend. the body horror and gore is pretty gruesome and the tension and jump scares are very effective. The ending is a little too rushed and ambiguous for my liking. I’m all about ambiguity especially in horror, but it felt like the author was trying to make a lot make sense at once and it kind of fell flat. but ultimately I had a blast reading this book and can definitely see myself rereading this the same way I rewatch my favorite slasher movies.