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A review by jrharris
Daphne by Josh Malerman
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW. To say I was impressed by this is an understatement. Malerman has fully dived into the world of slashers now with Daphne.
Centered around the current Samhatten basketball team, a group of girls is stalked by Daphne, a 7ft tall woman dressed in all denim and KISS makeup. The name sounds familiar, like something they heard as children but were told never to speak of again. But why?
Not gonna lie, the concept of Daphne gives Bye Bye Man vibes. If you say her name or even think of her, she’ll come for you. However, this concept is 1000x better than that movie. Daphne, while Michael Myers-esque in the fact she has no lines, carries an unsettling and horrifying presence throughout the whole book. She’s a refreshing take on a slasher killer, with a backstory that will truly horrify you. The kills in this book are truly baffling to read. There were multiple parts that i had to re-read cause I could not believe what happened. It was horrifying and kept me entertained the whole way through.
However, this book is more than just kills! I really enjoyed the main character Kit and her discussions on mental health throughout the book. You can tell that it’s a subject close to Malerman and he portrays anxiety very well throughout this. Overall, I was very impressed with this and Malerman needs to write more slashers!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the digital ARC I received. My review is all my own personal thoughts and I truly enjoyed every second of Daphne.
Centered around the current Samhatten basketball team, a group of girls is stalked by Daphne, a 7ft tall woman dressed in all denim and KISS makeup. The name sounds familiar, like something they heard as children but were told never to speak of again. But why?
Not gonna lie, the concept of Daphne gives Bye Bye Man vibes. If you say her name or even think of her, she’ll come for you. However, this concept is 1000x better than that movie. Daphne, while Michael Myers-esque in the fact she has no lines, carries an unsettling and horrifying presence throughout the whole book. She’s a refreshing take on a slasher killer, with a backstory that will truly horrify you. The kills in this book are truly baffling to read. There were multiple parts that i had to re-read cause I could not believe what happened. It was horrifying and kept me entertained the whole way through.
However, this book is more than just kills! I really enjoyed the main character Kit and her discussions on mental health throughout the book. You can tell that it’s a subject close to Malerman and he portrays anxiety very well throughout this. Overall, I was very impressed with this and Malerman needs to write more slashers!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the digital ARC I received. My review is all my own personal thoughts and I truly enjoyed every second of Daphne.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death