Review: Inspection

Inspection by Josh Malerman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Like many readers, Josh Malerman came to my attention through Bird Box. Unfortunately, I was in the minority with the book. It was interesting, yes, but I didn’t quite get the hype. Nevertheless, I saw the potential for great things. However, my other Josh Malerman read, Black Mad Wheel, was even harder for me to get through than Bird Box. With Inspection, I decided to give Josh Malerman a final try.

My feelings towards Inspection sit somewhere between my feelings towards Black Mad Wheel and Bird Box. I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Black Mad Wheel, but I did not enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed Bird Box. It was an addictive read, but I expected something more from this one.

In truth, my rating is stuck between a two-star rating and a three-star rating, sitting right on the two-point-five-star point. I did consider rounding up, but I expected more from the ending of this one. There was plenty of build-up, there was the chance of many interesting things, yet things happened much too quickly. I expected more from the ending, expected to dig deeper into things, only for everything to finish in the blink of an eye.

I think, after three books, it is safe to say Josh Malerman is not for me. I can certainly see the appeal, but the books do not do for me what they seem to do for other readers.

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