brandonwriteshorror 's review for:

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I have never been a substance abuser, but I feel like I have a much better understanding after reading this.

I also understand you don't trust magicians you meet in the woods.

My feeling after reading this was sorrow (you'll know by the end), but also an immense satisfaction of closure for the characters, which is rare in horror.

I won't summarize the plot (just read it).

However, by the end, you will be in your feelings too.

This book was an excellent telling of the "childhood trauma/revenge" trope that Stephen King did so well in IT.

As someone who lives in WV, I'm glad that he didn't make us look like backwoods morons. When I first grabbed this book, I had no idea it was set there and that was a nice surprise for me.

Malfi also did a great job writing about how generational trauma can derail your life if you don't stop it.

I have one final statement to make after reading this:

Ronald. Malfi. Is. A. Genius.