Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Chalk Man, by C.J. Tudor

27 reviews

seraphina2000's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Suicide, Child abuse, and Terminal illness

trifi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Rape, Self harm, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse

alisacress's review against another edition

I can’t stand to read the parts with the bad sexual abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gore, Murder, Blood, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Minor: Alcohol

mghrt06's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

beckyyreadss's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 Thank you, Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing, for sending this book in a welcome pack in exchange for an honest review. 

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of becoming teens. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body of a child, and nothing is ever the same. 30 years later, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he’s put his past behind him, but then he gets a letter in the mail containing a single chalk stick figure. When it runs out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank – until one of them dies. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago. 

I really enjoyed this book – it was messy and weird, but I feel like it was the writing style. It was bizarre but it worked by the end. At the beginning, my head was completely battered. I was so confused and it sort of had to go round the bend and back again but at the end I understood the plot. Eddie is a messed-up kid and really should have gone to therapy when he was younger because the actions he took as a child and an adult were weird and messed-up. Like all those children involved are messed up and desperately need therapy. It sorts of shows that everyone is always hiding something.  

If you really want to read a messed-up book that will screw with your mind, this book is for you.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Abortion, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Injury/injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent

glutenfreebread's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Suicide, Abortion, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse

litalia's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Murder, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pregnancy

blouviere4's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Murder, Death, Blood, Body horror, and Injury/injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Pregnancy, Animal death, Death of parent, Dementia, Abortion, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Car accident

crustyy_rat's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Child abuse, Dementia, and Death of parent

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Big Stephen King/ loosers club vibes which was cool, and unique enough plot-wise to not just feel like a rip off. I really enjoyed this, it was darker than I expected, lots of messed up characters that were fun to explore.

Also some really great (tragically current) commentary on abortion, and the very real fear of alzeimer's and memory loss.

I did want it to be a lil' spookier though, I feel like it kinda sold itself as horror/thriller and the premise could have easily allowed for some more creepy elements

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Death, Child abuse, Dementia, Murder, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts