Review was limited to Goodreads due to 1 star review. I love me some Ronald Malfi, but this book felt way too much like a copy cat of IT. It took me FOREVER to read it when I finished Malfi’s last book in 3 days.

I think I can now say that Malfi has become one of my favorite horror authors. This book may be the best of his I've read yet, reminding me a lot of Stephen King without losing Malfi's own unique voice.

Two of my favorite themes in horror are grief, which I've mentioned before, and anything related to the circus, carnivals, etc. This book encompasses both, and I couldn't have been happier about it. The writing was rich and detailed, the characters well-formed and likeable (or, in a couple cases, not so likeable), and everything is explained enough and tied up by the end in a way that leaves the reader satisfied.

I also want to commend the author for writing a character with special needs in a heartfelt and realistic manner. It's not something that's commonly seen, especially not in horror, and I found it really refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Man, I’ve really struck out with Malfi so far. I’m just gonna list bullet points of my thoughts:

- main character is lame and a played out trope
- his brother has a disability and it’s handled questionably and is constantly described as fat or large in various degrading ways
- the female character is there to drive the “fulfill your destiny” plot
- the black character has a skin disease and it’s handled really poorly and the descriptions of it seem harmful

- the beginning is strong and the main bad guy seems promising

- the adult sections were a slog and nothing interesting happened

- the book is heavily derivative of IT and the Outsider but doesn’t do any of what it steals well. Honestly… it’s kinda like what he does with the second main bad guy…

SPOILERS

- they kill the main bad off screen halfway through the book and replace him with a different bad guy… but he does mostly the same things but not in a supernatural way? Seriously it’s like if Stephen King decided to kill Pennywise off screen and then have Henry Bowers take the spot as the main antagonist… but like… still wear a clown mask to fake you out… but poorly.

- the “real magic” part is really underdeveloped

- they kill the only likable character in the whole book

- seriously Ronald Malfi seems like he hates fat people



Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a book. It had pages. The prose was very well written, but the plot was a mess and didn’t seem like it did anything worthwhile. The book ended like one of those 80s sitcom drug awareness episodes.

“Hey friends, we all had fun here today. But seriously, drinking and drugs are bad. Don’t drink, smoke, or chew, or go with girls who do.”

This was my first Ronald Malfi book and I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it. I thought the plot was intriguing and paced really well throughout and the antagonist was genuinely creepy. I liked the relationship between the four friends, both as eleven year olds and as adults and thought the relationship between Jamie and his brother, Dennis was well drawn. Overall, I found this to be a very compelling read and I will definitely pick up more books by the author.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧.

📍 Read if you like:
• Horror
• Atmospheric Stories
• Childhood Friends Reuniting
• Stephen King's ‘IT’

To all my horror readers, you should definitely pick this book up - you’ll love it. It gave me huge Stephen King vibes, specifically IT.

I could see myself reading more from this author when I want something dark, disturbing, terrifying, and captivating.

As long as you’re okay with the trigger warnings, I would highly recommend going into this book not knowing much. It’s super creepy and eerie.

I listened to the audiobook mostly for this book, and it definitely was spooky - perfect for the fall season.

I was immediately interested in the way this book started. Also, it’s always entertaining when childhood friends reunite to confront the evil that haunts them… see the IT comparison?

The West Virginia setting was such a great place to choose for this story! It added so much suspense and the whole time I had no idea what was going to happen.

The ending was a bit underwhelming for me, but I can understand why it ended like that. Also, I feel like the book was slow at times and a bit too long.

Ralfi has such a captivating writing style that has me so intrigued. I want to read more of his backlist titles. It had a coming-of-age narrative style to it with dark horror elements.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Titan Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Alcoholism, child abuse, murder, child death, animal cruelty, animal death

Ronald Malfi does it again! A staple in the genre I can't wait to dive deeper into his back list. Fans of Stephen King and IT will of course be drawn in by the concept of Black Mouth. This can be a difficult read because of some of the concepts but it is well worth it in the end!

Well I plowed through the whole 449 pages in just a couple of days. It may be just a miracle for that.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Malfi is a singular talent in horror and this book proves that! I can see why he’s so beloved by those who enjoy a good scare.

This was such a creepy book and written so well.

Malfi knows how to create dread and suspense, unsettling themese but does it all so well

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and Ronald Malfi for the ARC of this book.

I’ve previously read two of Malfi’s books and LOVED them. I just could not connect with this one. Writing is fine but I just could not get invested in the characters. I will definitely read more from this author.

Malfi doing what he does best. If you have not had the privilege of picking up one of his novels, do yourself a favor and correct that immediately..

What: classic coming if age horror in the vein of Robert R. McCammon, Stephen King,
About: a group of kids encounter a mysterious magician when the carnival comes to town. His magic lessons curse and scar the children into adulthood until the magician resurfaces and the broken adults seek him out.
Features: deepening unease, layers of fear, rich character backstories, more psychological than visceral.
Assets: perfect pacing, a dark carnival, cursed grounds, well developed characters
Obstacles: It's Ronald Malfi…there are no obstacles.
Who it’s for: readers (and former/lapsed readers) looking to rekindle the feelings they had when reading “The Body” (Stand by Me).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ love Ronald Malfi and he does it again with this one. One of my 5star reads for 2022. Definitely worth checking out. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Ronald Malfi is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine, and this book just further affirmed it. One thing he consistently nails is atmosphere, and this book felt a lot like a mix between IT by Stephen King and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Admittedly, I think there were some opportunities in the way of the way some things were handled, like disability and some fat shaming, but I think he handled the subject of addiction very well. If you have a fear of carnivals I think this one will definitely get you! Would highly recommend.

Is there a second book? I feel like the story could produce a sequel! Rigghhht?

Cheers to Netgalley for the copy!

I was dissapointed with this story.
It started promising, with a a bunch of misfit kids, who met someone or something mysterious and now in their adult years, they want to find out what has happened. I have a feeling that author tried to copy the writing style from Stephen King, but it just didn't go as planned. The lack of original idea was very obvious, it was a diluted version of ''It''.
The repetaviness of same frazes, sentences and words was infuriating and could have been easily edited, it could have been a much shorter book.
The characters were boring to no end, and I couldn't care less about what will happen to them.
I read until 65% mark and that was the end for me with this book. To be honest, I didn't want to waist my time on a book, that doesn't give me any joy.
Do not reccomend.

Ronald Malfi’s new novel Black Mouth is extremely creepy and atmospheric. This is definitely a mixture of horror, mystery and drama. I highly recommend it for fans of Stephen King- there’s a lot of similarities.

Black Mouth is a story about where we're from and how those places can shape us and follow us through life, for better or for worse. It's also a story about overcoming those places, learning to accept what we can't change, and finding the strength to change the things that we can.

This is my third Malfi novel and each one I've read is just as unique and wonderful as the last.
The characters in Black Mouth are as fully realized and tangible as the world in which they exist.
Part cosmic horror, part coming-of-age, part slasher even, Black Mouth scratches just about any itch you could have when it comes to looking for a fresh new horror novel.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

Definitely check TW for this read before going in. This was my first real by this author and I was really impressed. The spooky atmosphere really makes the book, that’s something I love in horror books. I need to feel chills and creeped out and Black Mouth definitely did that!!