Black Mamba is Friend's debut novel that follows the lives of Alfie, his twin daughters, his sister-in-law Julia and the mysterious Black Mamba that clouds their lives after Alfie's wife Pippa passes away. It is definitely a genre I don't gravitate towards but was excited to read this!
From the beginning, I was definitely pulled into the story as Friend starts off with how the twins telling Alfie that there was a man in their room. I mean, what an opener! After which, the story was told from the perspectives of Alfie and Julia. While I don't mind dual-perspectives books, I did feel that the flow of the book was interrupted at times. I would've loved to have read more about Pippa's and Julia's childhood as I felt that was an important aspect in understanding the dynamics of twins and the family. A lot of interesting side stories and history of the characters were brought up and I would've liked to seen more development in those areas.
The ending was rather vague and it did leave a lot of room for interpretation. I think I would've preferred a more conclusive ending though as it does seem a bit unresolved. Perhaps it leaves room for a sequel if Friend choses to do so.
As for the characters, Alfie was just unlikable. I couldn't stand him at all throughout the book but I think that was the point. It was meant to show how everyone deals with grief differently and sometimes it just changes a person completely. But the twins definitely left an impression on me and they did creep me out a bit which was the main point of the story.
Overall, if you are looking for a quick horror read, I think this would be a good book for it but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to recommend it.
From the beginning, I was definitely pulled into the story as Friend starts off with how the twins telling Alfie that there was a man in their room. I mean, what an opener! After which, the story was told from the perspectives of Alfie and Julia. While I don't mind dual-perspectives books, I did feel that the flow of the book was interrupted at times. I would've loved to have read more about Pippa's and Julia's childhood as I felt that was an important aspect in understanding the dynamics of twins and the family. A lot of interesting side stories and history of the characters were brought up and I would've liked to seen more development in those areas.
The ending was rather vague and it did leave a lot of room for interpretation. I think I would've preferred a more conclusive ending though as it does seem a bit unresolved. Perhaps it leaves room for a sequel if Friend choses to do so.
As for the characters, Alfie was just unlikable. I couldn't stand him at all throughout the book but I think that was the point. It was meant to show how everyone deals with grief differently and sometimes it just changes a person completely. But the twins definitely left an impression on me and they did creep me out a bit which was the main point of the story.
Overall, if you are looking for a quick horror read, I think this would be a good book for it but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to recommend it.