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katrinaxx's review against another edition
3.0
Not that great of writing, and pretty short, all things considered. But it was ok.
briartherose's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not bad at all. A bit derivative, especially of Stephen King, and the need to end every chapter on some sort of whammy grew very tiresome. But it had a really nicely nasty beginning and ending, and sufficiently sustained my interest in between.
snootybeans's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
From the first sentence to the last page this book was wild!
Full review on instagram @thriller_chick
From the first sentence to the last page this book was wild!
Full review on instagram @thriller_chick
ayeshhasrinath's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
archiegitdog's review against another edition
5.0
I have just finished this book and cant understand why its not got a higher mark. This is the first time I have ever brought a book into work, got in early just so I could finish it off. Maybe others saw the ending way before me but I loved this. Well written!!!
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Playing with chalk has an innocent, childlike quality to it, but for one group of friends in C. J. Tudor's The Chalk Man it has a sinister undertone.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
In 1986 Eddie and his friends develop a code of chalk drawings to secretly communicate with each other to arrange various adventures and meet ups. One day the chalk drawings lead the group to discover the dead body of a local girl, which threw the quiet, small English village into the scandalous spotlight. Thirty years later, the group of friends has each received a mysterious chalk figure in the mail. When one of the friends winds up dead, Eddie tries to save himself by launching into investigation mode to figure out what happened to that girl decades ago, even if the truth is unfathomable.
Quickly paced, the narrative alternates between the past and present of Eddie's life, bringing forth relevant details to help build the suspense. There were a few too many coincidences throughout the story that built toward the ending, and though I'm often fond of unreliable narrators, the lack of an adequately seeded build left me a bit unpleasantly jarred at the end. Well-written overall with a familiar boyhood adventure story but still unique, this is a strong debut novel that grips readers' attention and provokes thought on knowing and understanding people's motivations.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
In 1986 Eddie and his friends develop a code of chalk drawings to secretly communicate with each other to arrange various adventures and meet ups. One day the chalk drawings lead the group to discover the dead body of a local girl, which threw the quiet, small English village into the scandalous spotlight. Thirty years later, the group of friends has each received a mysterious chalk figure in the mail. When one of the friends winds up dead, Eddie tries to save himself by launching into investigation mode to figure out what happened to that girl decades ago, even if the truth is unfathomable.
Quickly paced, the narrative alternates between the past and present of Eddie's life, bringing forth relevant details to help build the suspense. There were a few too many coincidences throughout the story that built toward the ending, and though I'm often fond of unreliable narrators, the lack of an adequately seeded build left me a bit unpleasantly jarred at the end. Well-written overall with a familiar boyhood adventure story but still unique, this is a strong debut novel that grips readers' attention and provokes thought on knowing and understanding people's motivations.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
ilman002's review against another edition
2.0
This book was pretty solid up until the final 50 pages. If I was 12 years old, I'd be drooling over these incredible plot twists. Unfortunately, I'm a bit older and I'm just not buying it. The unbelievable incompetence of police, eye-rolling revelations, and that ridiculous final chapter that serves as an epilogue ruin a story that has some potential. For a debut author, C.J. Tudor can write and I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book. Ultimately, the book falls flat. Having said that, I will be checking her future works, just because the potential is undeniably there.