4.5🌟
The story follows friends Jamie, Mia, Clay, and Dennis as they revisit their hometown as adults to face fears and to take care of some unfinished business from their childhood that involves magic and serial killers.
I was so excited when I received an ARC of one of Ronald Malfi ‘s books. Thank you NetGalley and Titan books for the ARC and in return for an honest review.
My only trigger is animal cruelty and there is a little bit in Black Mouth, but I would still highly recommend reading it.

I haven’t read a Malfi book that I didn’t love and that now includes Blackmouth as well. Great revenge story with coming of age elements. Jamie and his friends are rich layered characters and you’ll want to root for them even though They’ve done some regrettable things. The book moves fast and you won’t want to put it down. Another brilliant book from Ronald Malfi

Ronald Malfi's writing is a superb mix of internal struggle and paranormal horror. His books almost always appear on my favorites list in part because the characters point of view absolutely engulfs the reader. Their struggle becomes your reality and you actually lose yourself in the storyline. The prose in 'Black Mouth' is no exception. I consistently find his books magnificent.

Ronald Malfi's BLACK MOUTH is this year's literary heir to King's IT. Flawed characters doing their best against unspeakable evil, both within and without. Friends that will make you miss your childhood. A tense supernatural thriller. One of the year's best horror reads.

Not quite my tempo.

I am a huge fan of Malfi and I have no idea what happened here.
It's not the first time he tackles the small town/group of friends/coming of age horror. He did something similar in December Park and did it better. This novel is uses variations on several things from his other books: Bone White for relationship between brothers, Little Girls for the ghosts, Floating Staircase for spoiler-y plot twist, mixed with various tropes from "Kids on Bikes" genre we love to read: developmentally challenged kid who is magic, travelling carnivals, teenage bullies and a monster. It's like he tossed all of it on the wall and what stuck to it is what we got.
Those Malfi books I mentioned? They are better than Black Mouth.
The comparison with It? Sure, but, again, only on the surface level because Boy's Life, Summer of Night, 20th Century Boys. The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1, Paper Girls, Vol. 1 and The Body exist and I wouldn't put in the same rank. If there is one thing these books share is the atmosphere, nostalgia and elusive magic of young person's imagination and sense of wonder.
I don't think Malfi managed to struck that gold with Jamie, Dennis, Mia and Clay. I know enough of them when they were kids only to differentiate between them. Or to be precise, I know their issue, why they were troubled and hence, why they caught the attention of Magician. But I never felt the friendship bond between them nor did I get the sense of them as characters. Beside Jamie's struggle with addiction, I don't have much to tell you about them as grown ups. Mia was particularly undeveloped character who for bigger part of the book was just there for other characters to ruminate on curve of her neck and her back, her piercings, smile and sexuality.
There is also a side character, a killer, who appears around the middle of the book for some reason and I never understood why was he included in the first place, beside having a really unnecessary scene of cruelty toward dog that somehow managed to be more repulsive than the opening villain scene from The Dead Zone. If I am not sure about some character in the book I just ask myself if I took them out completely, would the story still stand and the answer with Stull is sadly, yes. I get it, he is a bad guy with scary tendencies, but many of his scenes were so unnecessary because Malfi can do nuance. Like, with Mia's childhood he didn't have to tell us ugly details, he left us to make our own conclusions.
As for other wtf scenes: I, as a woman, really try to understand what's the deal with men and breastfeeding, but to put it as a repeated haunting scene that puts the fear into mc's bones really overcomes my ability. The whole thing reminded me of that teenagers scene from Hex that baffled me as well, so I'll just put it as a me thing.
And speaking of plot progression, there was a serious stagnation in the middle. I am conflicted about this: it's like there are parts of the story I wished he spent more time with: childhood memories, urban legends about Black Mouth, their lessons with Magician, period after the fire. And then there are repeated scenes in motels, with Clay on his laptop and Jamie's introspection where on page things are happening, but plot didn't progress one iota. And I struggled with these.

This seems a lot. And I don't even sound as Malfi fan, but I am. I love horror. I really love "Kids on Bikes" books. But this one didn't work for me. The writing in here is great because Malfi is a talented writer, but the premise is a half-effort and his talent alone doesn't carry it to something more memorable.

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed Malfi’s release last year - Come With Me, so I was very happy to get my hands on this one. Black Mouth tells the story of three friends - Jamie Warren, Clay Willis and Mia Toamasina and the dramatic events that took place when they were 11 years old. Also part of the group is Dennis, Jamie’s brother but more on him later.

The 3 friends and Dennis live at the edge of the Black Mouth which is a massive depression in the ground following a collapse of some mine shafts years ago. Some of the miners were not able to be saved and some folk believe the place is haunted by their spirits. Mostly though it is just very dangerous as the whole area is still riddled with mineshafts that could yet collapse. The residents of Sutton’s Quay that live by the black mouth are pretty much shunned by the other townsfolk so the children are their own little clique.

One day they meet ‘the magician’ in the woods. He shows them magic tricks and teaches them sleight of hand. If they want to learn real magic, however, they will need to go to ‘the well’. The guy is a bit creepy and what he asks of them makes them balk. In a fit of pique they set fire to some trees with terrible consequences. As soon as they are able the children move away and mostly forget about the magician, except for Jamie who has his own demons and secrets. And Dennis stays behind with his mother.

24 years later Mia thinks she sees the magician at a fairground in Kentucky and takes some covert photos. This is the catalyst for bringing the group together again, whence they are thrust into a nightmare situation.

I love the way this is written! You are never sure what is real and what is imaginary or even an hallucination. The book flirts with the paranormal without thrusting it in your face. The human mind is still a very mysterious thing and the power of suggestion is very, well, powerful. Still, the book was very creepy (yay a creepy book at last) and there was a growing sense of doom as the friends tried to find this magician again.

The characters were very well developed and I enjoyed them all. They were very relatable and had all overcome obstacles in their lives. Their loyalty to one another was beautiful to see but Dennis stole the show.

Dennis, the gentle giant with an unknowable mind. Always considered to be slow witted, Dennis was tuned in to things the others could not fathom. He sensed so much that was hidden as if his mind was purer than that of a ‘normal’ person. The group looked out for Dennis and Dennis looked out for them. The bond between the brothers was wonderful and, in the end, it was Dennis who guided Jamie to where he had to go. Many thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Epic. No stone left unturned. Creepy, fun, intriguing. IT vibes mixed with crime thriller energy.

This was a long read for me. What I mean by no stone left unturned, is that I don't think the reader is left with any questions about what happened to any of the characters or their individual stories by the end. The author was extremely thorough. So much so that there were at least 3 times when I thought the book had ended and I was satisfied with that ending. But, turning to the next page, the story continued tying up more loose ends that I didn't even realize were still loose. Very thorough.

I really enjoyed this. Like I said, to me, this was an epic story. There were so many parts, so many individual stories that were seamlessly brought together to form this unique and intriguing book. I don't even know how to begin to explain it. It has magic, carnivals and childhood wonder, family drama and true friendship, murder and mystery, adults still fighting childhood ghosts and coming together to protect the future. It's truly a fantastic read.

I received this ebook ARC through Netgalley. I was ecstatic to receive it because I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it months ago. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. I now need a physical copy of this book to display on my shelves like a trophy. I will most definitely read it again. 5⭐️

This is your perfect summer paranormal read. If you love “It” or Stephen King’s tales of childhood horrors, this book is for you.

You can feel the humid, searing and terrifying atmosphere that these kids are being raised in. When you see how easily motivated they are to get away, you don’t questions those choices. You understand because their life feels so motionless and stagnant.

There are plenty of “IT” similarities, the “Magic Man” is “Pennywise” and the kids are all some interchangeable versions of Bill, Mike, Stanley and Bev. There seems to be such a specific vibe with a concept like “circus”, “kids”, “scary magicians”, “abusive homes”. It all tends to point in the same direction but this book brings characters that are also incredibly “together”. Yes, trauma and anguish is a major aspect of this story and each character has their shortcomings but to see them become adults that come from this situation and end up advocate for children, advocate for a vulnerable adult and are successful at what they do generally is not only heartwarming it’s also more realistic then most similar stories. I tell you there is not one major plot choice in this that I don’t understand. Everything they do makes sense overall. They go to the cops, they keep in contact with the detective, they hold back on “evidence” so it won’t hurt other cases hinging on their findings. It makes sense, it’s smart, and that’s refreshing to see in this genre.

There are some connections that are slightly reaching but they happen and from there are taken to excellent places. It might be a rough start to get there but once it’s there it’s easy to overlook the shaky ground it started on. There are no loose ends in this which is such a rarity in such a multi-layered story. I’m always disappointed or forced to look to the next book in a 8 book series to see those dangling strings be wrapped up (and not always does this happen).

This is my first Ronald Malfi read and I am looking forward to reding the rest of his backlog.

A absorbing read for the pool, beach, vacation or comfortably in the AC during the sweltering summer months ahead.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy.

See my Goodreads review at
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4781629751?book_show_action=false

The overall plot and story idea is really intriguing and rather Stephen King-esque but the slow burn turns into a slow drag.

This book is shelved as 'horror' but I struggled to locate any horror elements in the first twenty-two chapters of the twenty-four chapter story. And what 'horror' was then included was more just a pinch of the supernatural. Mystery & Thriller would be a much better shelving choice.

There's very little atmosphere and none of the growing suspense and foreboding that a slow burning horror needs. There were also a lot of pacing issues where long stretches of nothing would occur and then just a snippet of backstory or plot would be revealed.

At Chapter Seventeen, I was strongly considering whether to keep going or to add this book to my DNF list. In the end, I decided to see it through and I honestly don't feel like the payoff was worth it.

With better editing, I think this book could be a decent slow burner. The bones of the story and plot are good and the characters are well-developed, there just needs to be a lot more attention giving to the pacing and preferably the ending as well which was rather lacklustre.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Malfi getting a deeper and deeper place in my heart! So good yet again! The writing, the style, his character and plot, everything will catch you and won't let go until the end!

Once upon a time, there were four children from the wrong end of town. One day, they met a magician, who offered to teach them all he knew, tricks and more, real magic. True to his word, the children learned tricks and misdirection, but then they learned more. He led them to death and destruction, and a lifetime of guilt and pain. Once there were four children together in Black Mouth, and then there was one.

Death, addiction, and a haunted past that just won’t let go, conspires to draw Jamie Warren home to Black Mouth, back to Dennis, back to all they’d done before. Not just Jamie, but Clay and Mia, too. Fate or something worse, pulling them in close to finish what it started when they were children. To learn their final magic trick.

Through events and terrors unlike any other they’ve dealt with before, the friends continue to search, to try and right their wrongs, and become more than their pasts.

I enjoyed every single page of this book! My first Malfi, but certainly not my last. Horror defined in so many ways, not just jump scares and corpses(oh, my!), but pain and loss, longing for what could have been. It was an emotional ride, and worth every star of the five I’m giving it.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I’ve read most of Malfi’s work and this one didn’t disappoint.

There’s been a lot of comparisons to Stephen King’s IT and I’d agree with that assessment BUT this is definitely Malfi’s story. Yes, it’s about a group of adults coming back to the town they grew up in to face something evil but Malfi puts his own spin on it.

The story follows Jamie, Mia, Dennis, and Clay with dual perspectives of their childhood and adult lives. I fell in love with Dennis’s character. This is something Malfi does so well. He makes you care about the people he writes about. His character development skills are flawless. You’ll find yourself routing for these four to overcome the darkness that has followed them throughout their whole lives.

What is that dark evil? I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil that for others readers but I will say it involves magic, carnivals and serial killers.

The only thing I didn’t like was that it dragged a bit in the middle but other than that I enjoyed the hell out of BLACK MOUTH. I highly recommend for all fans of horror and dark fiction.

Thank you netgalley for my arc. The books release date is June 28th and it’s available for preorder now!!

Ronald Malfi is quickly becoming my new favorite horror writer. His latest, Black Mouth, is an epic horror about a group of friends pulled back to their hometown only to face the nightmares of their childhood again as adults. With a classic Stephen King feel, Malfi writes a spellbinding terror with dual timelines of the friends as adolescents and again as adults. For anyone who loves the coming of age and horror genre, this dark tale is your perfect combination.

The story centers on four adults who were once childhood friends but have lost touch over the years. When Jamie and Dennis Warren’s mother dies, it triggers a stream of events that eventually lead all four (Dennis, Jaime, Clay and Mia) back to their childhood town of Suttons Quay. I liked each of our main characters—especially our hero Dennis. They were complex, imperfect and yet loyal and unwavering in their support of each other. I appreciated that we got dual timelines of their childhood and their adult lives. The coming of age adolescent side was written incredibly well and (aside for the horrors that took place) had a nostalgic, summertime feel that anyone can relate to. I also thought the Magician was a true villain—scarier even than some of our favorite slashers from other horror books. He was believable, terrifying and oh so real. There’s something about those types of characters that prey on children that take the story to a whole other level of horror.

This was a nice mix of a character and plot driven narrative with great pacing and excellent writing. You enjoy the time you spend with it, fully engaging into their pasts and into the perils that await them upon returning home. As with his other books I’ve read, Malfi writes horror with a heart, incorporating lots of layered themes including tragedy, loss, addiction and loyalty. He also gives us diverse characters to champion. A compelling, trauma and terror-filled horror, this one also touches your heart and will remind you of childhood friendships from summers long past. 4.5 stars

I'd firstly like to say thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Black Mouth, as always this does not sway nor influence my review in this slightest and this opinions are my own.

I'd only read one other book by the author (Ronald Malfi) before this and had thoroughly enjoyed that, so my expectations were high going in.

As much as I loved the actually story of Black Mouth which was chilling and at times gruesome. What really drew in me was the characters. Jamie, Dennis, Clay and Mia. What a team and such history. I will not spoil that at all for you, but I came away from this book feeling hopeful and at peace. Which considering this is a horror story sounds an odd thing to say. As a mother, I fell in love with Dennis. I wanted to look after him and at times my heart wept for his, but not just him. But also the things all the children went through at Black Mouth. There's also adult struggles in this book and I felt Jamie's addiction to alcohol was handled extremely well.

I read this book over 2 days and even now having just finished it, I'm still thinking about the friendship group. Like they are real people. Ronald does that with his characters and having just finished this I really do need to read more of his work. This book suggests it would be perfect for Stephen King fans and while I hate 'tags' stating this and comparing, I want to say that yes I did get that friendship unity feel like in 'It' (Book not film!!) with Black Mouth. A solid 4 stars, I highly rate this one!

This is perfect for fans of IT by Stephen King, Dreamcatcher by Stephen King, and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. It's definitely one of my favorites by Ronald Malfi. I feel like it had enough of the supernatural to keep you guessing, but also enough reality to make you connect to the characters and wonder how much is in their heads - is this supernatural? Is so, what parts? How does your childhood shape your adulthood, both negatively and positively? It was a really enjoyable read.

Absolutely could not get into this book. The prose felt bloated and tedious, as if the author were focused far more on language than story. The book is billed as reminiscent of King and that is certainly apparent in the writing--as are the tropes and some frustrating depictions of female characters. Not my favorite of Malfi's books, but still open to reading his others.

Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, and Ronald Malfi for the advanced copy of Black Mouth in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the writing style in this book, and loved that it started off with a bang and I was immediately invested. It was one of those books that I asked myself a couple times "what in the world is going on?" but I tend to love books like that, so that's a point in the plus column for me.

I did feel it dragged a bit in the middle, and I wasn't wholly satisfied with the ending. There was one big element of the plot (no spoilers) that I felt didn't get adequately resolved.

I have now read two of Malfi's books and I very thoroughly enjoy his writing style, so I will not hesitate to pick up whatever he writes next.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. So I will be honest this was my first Malfi book. I know shame on me for not reading him sooner, but to be fair his stuff usually isn’t up my alley. This pre conceived notion is now completely out of my head as he has with this one novel completely sucked me in and made me a fan. My only complaint is that the ending dragged a little bit, but not enough to make me feel the need to not finish. It is a wonderful story and the characters are relatable and make you feel their pain. I highly recommend.

Fans of Stephen King’s It will really enjoy this horror novel :)
I have loved some of Malfi’s books in the past. Unfortunately this one wasn’t my cup of tea. While there were many things I loved (haunted house, creepy carnival, friendship, mystery, magic), there were a few things that really got under my skin (the only female main character being manic pixie dream girl to the max, a throw away character and story line with extremely graphic gore and child abuse recollection, an unneeded epilogue) which led me to giving this novel 3/5.

“Do you want to see a magic trick?”
✨
This story felt so comfortably familiar but also unlike other horror I have read. I have seen people liken it to Stephen King’s IT and I think that is a fair comparison!
In Black Mouth we follow a group of friends who are drawn back to their hometown to face a nightmare from their childhoods.
As kids they were bound inexplicably by a dark character called The Magician. The Magician delighted them with magic tricks but ultimately asked more of them than any kid would be able to give. He left a scar on each of them that doesn’t seem to fade.
And now it appears that The Magician is back?…
I found this book to be tense, atmospheric and nuanced. It spins a fantastic ride of a tale that would hook any horror lover but also explores important human themes like trauma, grief and addiction.
I gasped, giggled and cried.
Honestly for me that’s the formula for a fantastic story!
👏🏻
Be sure to add this one to your TBR! It releases on July 19th, 2022.
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