Living with anxiety issues can be relentless. Daphne by Josh Malerman captures that perfectly. A small town is forced to navigate what seems to be a rash of murders. We see the characters through multiple points of view, which is fascinating and in a stream of consciousness style that I usually hate. It worked with this book though. As the story progresses the possibility of Daphne being more than an urban legend becomes more and more apparent. What is really going on?

Fans of psychological thrillers and dark horror rejoice! Daphne is yet another hit from Josh Malerman. I loved the writing as well as the originality of the characters. Bravo, great book.

First off, thank you so much to #Netgalley, the publisher and especially the author for this ARC!

Let me start off by saying that I read this book in one sitting and didn’t intend to! It was wonderfully creepy and perfect for spooky season…. The only thing that I didn’t LOVE was how much basketball was spoken about however, I understand that it was intended to be a love letter to basketball in a way and I knew this going in so I can’t fault the book at all. Another banger book from Josh Malerman!

Josh Malerman is very good at picking the names of his female characters, especially if they’re the villain. Pearl, which was about a pig, is a powerful name and fit the story. Daphne is the next great name to be associated with spooky larger then life villains. Almost like Bloody Mary’s notoriety, Daphne is a name you do not say. If you do, there will be death.
Though I thought the basketball theme in the story was a little weird, most likely because I don’t like sports, it does work with the big picture. The girls basketball team said or thought Daphne’s name, and they are picked off one by one. A whole team is designated by an unseen killer who leaves behind blood and gore. The suspense is high level as we count down the girls, watch them scramble to stay alive, and let anxiety take over.
Who wouldn’t love a story about a deranged metal loving, denim wearing, seven foot tall woman right out of the 80’s as their local urban legend? Daphne is unstoppable and scary as hell. And everything you need for spooky season.

A terrifying look into both the human and inhuman - Josh Malerman managed to bring me back to my childhood while also sending shivers up my spine as an adult. The discussion of mental health throughout the book (a lot of which was based on Malerman's own experiences) was beautifully done as well. Brilliant work.

Josh Malerman’s new novel Daphne is a rambling, disjointed final girl story. Daphne is a jean jacket wearing Jason Voorhees who is picking off the current members of the high school girls’ basketball team one by one.

I found the novel to be boring. Passages between the murder scenes came across as filler and I never engaged with the characters. I simply didn’t care about them. The reader is placed in the heads of the girls where the author then rambles until their subsequent death scene.

I think the novel would’ve worked better as a novella at approximately 100-150 pages. Unfortunately the constant basketball talk, “I’m a baller” and “I can’t think about Daphne” grew old and redundant.

The final denouement was lackluster at best. If only Jamie Lee Curtis had been allowed to wish Jason away via a game of basketball.

The last thing Kit and the rest of her basketball teammates expected after hearing a spooky story about a local urban legend is that it is true. If you think about Daphne then she comes from beyond the grave to kill you.

This book is a great mix of coming of age, supernatural, and serial killer novel. It captures the feeling of dread and anxiety that the characters would be feeling with such a formidable opponent. And Daphne is definitely and unforgettable antagonist at seven feet tall with murderous tendencies, not to mention how do you kill she who is already dead. Since so much of the novel is the anticipation of attack, those sections got a little repetitive. However, there were great kills, and the backstory for Daphne was wonderfully heinous. This fast paced take on a serial killer novel is one to check out this spooky season.

I have this principle that I motivates me to read, as well as review and promote books. It’s simply this: Reading fiction makes us a more empathetic people. The more that we read, the more we are exposed to the experiences of others and the more our own beliefs are challenged and refined.

DAPHNE is one of those books that brings this to the surface.

At its core, this is a book that reveals the dangers of a community or society deciding that some topics are better left hidden, unspoken. It reveals that reality that those things don’t simply go away because we choose to pretend that they don’t exist. And it shows the importance of sticking together in the face of adversity when circumstances require the truth to come out.

It is a chilling tale of unwanted thoughts leading to terrible outcomes. It gave me goosebumps. I started imagining that I was seeing things in the dark. The creepiness of this book is off the chart, and the outcome is moving. Josh really stuck the landing.

One of the many lines that I highlighted:

“Make sure they understand the things we’re told not to talk about are the things that get real bad. Those subjects get sick. And they get confused. And nobody can make sense of them because they were never allowed to talk them out.”

This book is highly recommended.

3.5 stars
likes
- daphne as a villain
- really good creepy scenes

dislikes
- even though we were following Kit the entire time, i feel like i didn't exactly get to go on the journey of her coming of age with her
- some questions left unanswered

Josh Malerman is the author of Bird Box and its sequel Malorie, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of those titles as well as Malerman's writing style and approach to the horror genre. In a departure from the storylines of Bird Box and Malorie, this book was more of a traditional "slasher" novel. I really liked centering a female villain, but found it hard to suspend my disbelief when it came to the paranormal elements of the story. The ending felt rather abrupt and I think that was intentional because the prospect of having to explain away some of the more fantastical elements of the story. Overall I still enjoy Malerman's writing, but I still stand by the Bird Box books as being his best work.

Review Originally Published at:

https://runningreader87.wordpress.com/2022/09/29/book-review-daphne-by-josh-malerman/

Quote:

"“I can’t stop her!” Her huge hands are made into fists. Her stringy hair hides most of her face but Kit catches a glimpse… KISS makeup. But no cat. No stars. Demon."

Summary:

Kit Lamb stands at the free throw line of the summer league championship, the game on the line and asks the rim a question:

"Will Daphne Kill Me?" She thinks.

The rim doesn't lie. Ask it a question and if you make the shot the answer is "yes", if you miss the answer is "no."

Kit ices the game by swishing the shot. But did she also just seal her own fate?

Thus, we are introduced to Daphne. A 7-foot-tall ghost who haunts the fringes of consciousness. An urban legend in the small town of Samhattan, MI that is ever present and NEVER discussed. Because here's the thing about Daphne: if you think about her too much, she'll haunt you, hunt you down and kill you.

Unfortunately, for Kit, and the girls of the Samhattan High School basketball team, the legend was told one night during a sleepover. Now each of the girls can't stop thinking about Daphne. And someone or something is stalking the team. Picking them off one-by-one. Could the legend of Daphne be real or is some psycho out there trying to live out their darkest fantasies?

Review:

I'll start this review by asking the rim a question.

Would it be worth your time to read Daphne?

SWISH.

Here's why:

Daphne is a truly entertaining tale about an urban legend.

The way Josh Malerman tells us the legend of Daphne is brilliant. It's a slow burn. It almost feels like you've recently moved to a small town and are learning the local history of the town secret in bits and pieces. And you're not exactly sure what the whole truth is until quite a ways into the book.

The what, why and who are mysterious. For a long time, even though you think you know that the ghost of Daphne is real you have lingering doubts. You wonder if there couldn't be someone else actually doing the killings. Malerman puts on a great show with smoke and mirrors.

Daphne herself is juuust absurd enough to be a superb legend. Clad in all denim, with heavy metal band patches on the jacket, Daphne stands 7-feet-tall (!) and wears KISS makeup to cover her blue face.

Whoa.

That is some description. But it works. You have a vision in your head of someone like that right now, don't you? It's just enough detail to give us a picture, but also vague enough to let our imaginations run wild.

And listen, I had a 7-footer in my office the other day while I was reading this which gave me an even better perspective. If you saw a 7-foot behemoth of a ghost dressed and looking like the above description, you would be absolutely terrified!

The setting was great too. Samhattan, much like Goblin (which is mentioned in a little Easter Egg in this book!), is a unique little creation from the authors own imagination. I love when an author can make an entire town out of nothing but words, and create an intimate familiarity with it.

Malerman does this with unique details. Things like having the cemetery in the middle of town and the little book shop on the town square with the fun name Third-and-Fourth-Eye Books.

The story itself follows three separate arcs.

One is the story of the ballers on the basketball team-- the girls outside of our final girl. Mostly, with one exception, you know that when you're reading about one of these ballers that someone is getting ready to die. This could be annoying-- but Malerman gives the reader just enough detail to make each of these characters endearing. Then, even better than thism is that he kills them off in unique and horrifying ways! You actually look forward to seeing how the next girl is going to die (morbid, but true!)

The second arc follows Detective McGowan. McGowan is on her third (fourth or fifth?) strike in law enforcement. Rough, abrasive, and willing to break rules to get stuff done, McGowan seems to be immune to the spell that seems to be cast over the town of Samhattan when it comes to discussing Daphne. This allows her to fight for the truth.

At first I wasn't sure whether I liked the character of McGowan or not. But the more I read about her, the more intrigued I became. I felt like a lot of the action fell on her shoulders, and found myself looking forward to, and unable to look away from when this storyline came up for reading. In fact, I wouldn't mind another story detailing some of her past misadventures in law enforcement!

The final story arc is our main and final girl, Kit Lamb.

Kit is a suitable final girl. She's the quiet star of the basketball team, reluctantly brave, and not afraid to follow her own train of thought. But the most charming quality about Kit is her struggle with anxiety.

Kit has struggled with inexplicable anxiety for a long time. And she is open and honest about her struggles. Throughout the tale we hear about this, with her even going so far as to call 911 on herself.

Through this storytelling, Malerman tells the reader that it is OK to do something about anxiety. This is refreshing. Anxiety, to the sufferer tends to be a taboo subject. You don't want to speak about it. But he tells us, through Kit, that you CAN take action. You CAN make a call. You DON'T have to suffer.

Critique:

*Possible Spoiler*

My biggest issue with the book was the big reveal about Coach Wanda. Not that it was a bad reveal. In fact, when we find out her history with Daphne I was glued to the book and wanting to find out more.

And, that was my issue. We don't find out a lot more about the situation. I wanted to know how Coach had escaped from Daphne when she was a kid. I wanted to know where she went and what caused her to come back. But the discourse here is too brief.

A great twist! But too brief.

Conclusion:

I've already said that I think it's a big SWISH (yes!) to reading the book. I love the idea for the story. I love it when an author creates a fictional town that has it's own ambiance. I love it when the readers rewarded for reading other tales by the author with nods towards those other books (Goblin!)

This is my third book to read by Josh Malerman. I'd say it falls smack dab in the middle, between Goblin and The House at the Bottom of the Lake. Of the three, I think it is best suited for a movie adaptation!

It's well written like everything Malerman has every published. And it's a clear love letter to the game of basketball, horror and the importance of mental health.

1.5
Such a cool concept but such a bad execution. I am surprised that I even finished the book coz it was SOO boringg. Every single part was BORING. I started this as a buddy read in the beginning of September and just finished it. And reading other reviews I feel like I read a book which was completely different to what the others read:(
Also the writing style was so confusing and hard to understand and I still dont know what happened in the end. Gonna have to ask someone to explain the entire plot of the book to me😂😂
But I have heard that Bird Box is better soo I might give that a go to see whether I like that:)

Daphne is not anywhere near my normal genre of choice. But seeing that I have loved everything of his that I've read so far I figured I'd give it a shot. It was so good, definitely just in time for the spooky season. Kit was such a great character. She was very thoughtfully developed and you really felt that you got to know her very well.
Daphne of course was extremely creepy and definitely had me on the edge. Highly recommend for horror fans.

“Just because you’re paranoid, don’t mean they’re not after you”. Nirvana-Territorial Pissings
Kip is paranoid and by sinking the winning basket in the game, she may have also got an assist in her own death. Kip is sure of this because she asked the rim before her shot “Will Daphne kill me?” The rim is never wrong. She is convinced that she will die by Daphne’s hand and this is a major source of tension and anxiety in the book. The legend is that once you start thinking about Daphne, you become the focus of the killers attention.
Come on though, the stories can’t be true can they? but every town has its myths and legends. Just like Blackwood Vermont has the legend of Benny Rose, Samhattan Michigan has Daphne, a seven foot tall woman that kills with her bare hands.
Be careful of asking questions you don’t want the answer to, now everyone in town is thinking about Daphne

Well this is going to come as no surprise to anyone but I loved this book! Josh Malerman has done it once again for me!

I played basketball all the way into college so I really connected with this book. I loved how this story was written. Between Kits journal entries and the players povs. The legend of Daphne was done so well. Parts of this book gave me goosebumps and had me looking over my shoulder. Malerman knocked it out of the park with this one.

The ending was a bit of miss for me. I just wanted a little bit more. But I did really enjoy the twist. I just wanted that part to he explained a tiny bit more.

Overall I really enjoyed Daphne. I could see this as a movie. I just really connected with this one. I highly recommend this one to any fans of horror or ghost stories.
4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This dread-filled (YA) horror novel about growing up with anxiety seemed perfect for me. However, the heaviness surrounding the MC’s mental health was too much, and the scares too few and far between.

Thank you for this opportunity!

DAPHNE – by Josh Malerman

‘It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend …But the night before the big game, one of the players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances.’

‘Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself.’ They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge ….’

DAPHNE is admittedly a hard book for me to review. I love the main character, Kit, who is very relatable; however, I found myself wanting to know more about Daphne, the specifics I won’t reveal here as it ventures toward Spoilerville Lane.

Though the first half is a bit of a slow burn, the hook is immediate and pulled me in; followed by some cringe-worthy scenes that had this horror fan's full attention, with a conclusion I love but felt like it needed to be fleshed out a bit more.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey (Random House Publishing), for providing me with an eARC of DAPHNE at the request of an honest review.

“You can think anything into being.”

Daphne. Say that name.

A high school team is being brutally slain one by one and no one can stop it. All because they think of the name Daphne.

Who is Daphne? It seems like the whole town knows her, but no one wants to even say her name. Don’t even think it.

This book had me at the edge of my seat, my heart pounding, and legitimately freaked out. Daphne is terrifying.

Josh Malerman did a fantastic job personifying anxiety into a truly nightmarish horror story.

This gave me vibes of the newer movie “It Follows” with a dab of “Nightmare on Elm Street.”

I loved everything about it. Excuse me while I go pick up the author’s entire back catalogue.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Daphne by Josh Malerman is officially one of my favorite books of 2022 and Josh Malerman is officially an auto-buy author for me! Fantastically frightening and well-paced, the story of Daphne will have you looking over your shoulder. I loved the storytelling, the sequencing, and the imagery! So glad I started the Fall with a win. This is easily 5 stars!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Published on Goodreads 9/25: I’ve read a couple of books by Malerman that I really enjoyed, but this was pretty disappointing. I contemplated DNFing multiple times and really had to push to get through this. The whole folklore behind Daphne has the potential to be interesting, but this really wasn’t it for me. Also, there were a ton of characters in here and it was extremely confusing to keep track of them all and it took aware from the story.

This was such a tense, spooky read. Perfect for this time of the year! I loved the multiple POVs that never felt confusing. Usually I feel overwhelmed when it’s more than 2 POVs but it worked well in this case. I also loved how the story revolved around anxiety and basketball. The former because I suffer from it and found the depiction of it relatable and the latter because it’s one of my favorite sports to watch. Though I predicted the ending, it was still thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend this book and plan on reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.