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bigcandle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Really intense and gripping horror, balancing a complicated series of mysteries and horrors which fall together beautifully.
Tudor keeps you gripped by alternating chapters between 1986 and 2016, leaving each chapter on a mini cliffhanger that gets resolved incrementally in a way which manages to be incredibly satisfying, instead of frustrating. At no point does it get jumbled or unclear, which is impressive considering how many plot points are introduced across timelines!
It's brilliantly mysterious and spooky, funny at points and devastating at others. I just could not put it down and read the final 200 pages last night. Just a great balance of tense thriller and contemplative discovery.
Oh, and the epilogue? Incredible. It tied the story together in a way which was equal parts shocking and satisfying. I literally closed it and said "yep. That was a fucking good ending." Very gothic very good.
I think there could/should have been some more exploration of certain types of trauma and how they influence the character, specifically Ed being raped by Sean, which is really very rarely discussed, but would have been a good point of exploration/relation particularly w regards to his issues with navigating sexuality/relationships with women. Basically just. More exploration of how it affected him, would have tied in more of Adult Ed's personality to the traumatic things which happened
One thing I really enjoyed was the tragedy of consequences, how impulsive, understandable actions led to cascade effects which were unthinkable. It really evokes a feeling of the gothic, of corruption and fear meddling in people's lives, leaving them to stand by and watch their awful role.
Tudor keeps you gripped by alternating chapters between 1986 and 2016, leaving each chapter on a mini cliffhanger that gets resolved incrementally in a way which manages to be incredibly satisfying, instead of frustrating. At no point does it get jumbled or unclear, which is impressive considering how many plot points are introduced across timelines!
It's brilliantly mysterious and spooky, funny at points and devastating at others. I just could not put it down and read the final 200 pages last night. Just a great balance of tense thriller and contemplative discovery.
Oh, and the epilogue? Incredible. It tied the story together in a way which was equal parts shocking and satisfying. I literally closed it and said "yep. That was a fucking good ending." Very gothic very good.
I think there could/should have been some more exploration of certain types of trauma and how they influence the character, specifically
One thing I really enjoyed was the tragedy of consequences, how impulsive, understandable actions led to cascade effects which were unthinkable. It really evokes a feeling of the gothic, of corruption and fear meddling in people's lives, leaving them to stand by and watch their awful role.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Dementia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Violence
araceliream's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
crusoe's review against another edition
100 pages in I realised that this mystery did not grip me at all. I had no interest in who the girl (found dead) is, who her killer is, the role of the characters in this mystery... For a thriller, that's a really bad sign. I'd rather invest my time in a book that's more interesting and I don't think I'll pick this book up again.
The SA of the MC by his bully (Sean) and the overall way in which women and relationships between men and women were described was also disgusting. I'm so sick and tired of thrillers that objectify women and write about SA/inappropriate relationships without critical engagement. Yuck.
The SA of the MC by his bully (Sean) and the overall way in which women and relationships between men and women were described was also disgusting. I'm so sick and tired of thrillers that objectify women and write about SA/inappropriate relationships without critical engagement. Yuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion
vbfields's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I listened to the audiobook version.
This fell very flat for me. It is more of a murder mystery than true horror, which would be fine but I felt the blurb and the whole first half of the book was setting this up to be something so creepy and maybe a little supernatural but that was not the case at all. The characters were all very one dimensional, including the narrator, Eddie. I could not stand that everyone kept lying about everything! Nobody was reliable to the reader and I felt there was a lot of fluff thrown in just to throw us off the true answer that did not even matter in the end. The ending was not surprising and it was actually a little frustrating. I suspected from the beginning about what happened in the final scene with Eddie, but why? And prior to Mickey coming to see him it seemed like this was something Eddie never even thought about in 30 years. His descriptions of women and especially /girls/ were also just disgusting. Every time one came up (and there was a lot) it made me uncomfortable. The actual character of the chalk man was also just completely wasted. Should have just called him straw man.
This fell very flat for me. It is more of a murder mystery than true horror, which would be fine but I felt the blurb and the whole first half of the book was setting this up to be something so creepy and maybe a little supernatural but that was not the case at all. The characters were all very one dimensional, including the narrator, Eddie. I could not stand that everyone kept lying about everything! Nobody was reliable to the reader and I felt there was a lot of fluff thrown in just to throw us off the true answer that did not even matter in the end. The ending was not surprising and it was actually a little frustrating. I suspected from the beginning about what happened in the final scene with Eddie, but why? And prior to Mickey coming to see him it seemed like this was something Eddie never even thought about in 30 years. His descriptions of women and especially /girls/ were also just disgusting. Every time one came up (and there was a lot) it made me uncomfortable. The actual character of the chalk man was also just completely wasted. Should have just called him straw man.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia
georgiiaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Bit of a slow burner.
Twists and turns but almost so many it got a bit confusing I found? Lots of different names and relationships to keep track of.
Although, the ending was wrapped up nicely - I enjoyed the last few pages.
Twists and turns but almost so many it got a bit confusing I found? Lots of different names and relationships to keep track of.
Although, the ending was wrapped up nicely - I enjoyed the last few pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Dementia, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy
hailey_horror's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
redtemptation's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
tlskayte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, and Car accident
mithrun's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
it was a fun read, there’s some strange plot holes and loose ends but the mystery wraps up kinda succinctly.
definitely do not read if you are squeamish about violence wrt children!
definitely do not read if you are squeamish about violence wrt children!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse
luverbyrd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I went in expecting one murderer reveal and this book is so twisty there are multiple who dunnits.
Definitely an unsettling read but it kept me captivated with the past/present swaps.
Definitely an unsettling read but it kept me captivated with the past/present swaps.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia, Violence, and Abortion