Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

37 reviews

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Dementia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Violence

mariaramses's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

this might be my least favourite CJ Tudor so far but also I'm giving it 4 stars because it's still a very solid story, and considering it's her debut!! I really liked the setting of the book, I enjoyed the dual timeline and reading from the perspective of a child. I did see the ending coming (kind of) but it wasn't as annoying as one might think. it's a fast paced thriller that does its job of grabbing your attention and breaking any reading slump. I will definitely continue my journey through tudor's backlist and I'm excited to pick up the next one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Gore, and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

whiskeywoman79's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

 Fiction / Horror / Mystery / Thriller / Crime / Suspense
⭐⭐⭐/5
TW: SA (graphic once, but mentioned in different ways throughout)

I am not sure what to say about this story. It was creepy. It had its good parts and its bad parts? I was left confused and underwhelmed? I am rather unsure how I feel about it as a whole.
 

 
I feel like the author kept trying to justify inappropriate adult-child relationships. Like the one that was forced was bad, but because the young girl liked the teacher back that one wasn't bad, TF?!! Both shouldn't have happened, and neither should be condoned.
Can we also acknowledge that he was sexually assaulted!! They kept glazing over that Other than when he asked about the accusation made at the church "What he did to you - some people would give that same name."
I have no idea how it won the awards it did.
Will like this if you like Stephen King? For me it is like SCI Fi movies it's the B-rated version of Stand By Me.
I grew up in a small US town in the 1980s, yet I felt so disconnected from the flashbacks, maybe it is a UK v US thing? I never believed they were 80's kids.
I had such high hopes for this read because The Burning Girls is one of my 5-star reads for this year, after DNFing The Drift, and now my experience with this I am starting to think it was a one-off. 

I am using this for a challenge I am just not sure which one yet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Gore, Dementia, Abortion, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident

eelsauce's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The resolution was slightly disappointing but the ending was enough to win me back. It’s hard for a book to keep my attention but this was really very good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Dementia, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• Loveable characters? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

rae_em's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Gore, and Pregnancy

breruby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, and Alcohol

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

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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

dezaray_the_pale's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Horrific, mysterious, nostalgic. I love the 80s aesthetic (secret code chalk drawings, riding bikes around town, building forts in the woods, changes in the seasons) and the dual time line. A good mystery with clues sprinkled throughout.

Halloran is my favorite character. The albino strange new teacher. Public opinion sways from hero to creep. 

Eddie is a good protagonist; his views and revelations both in childhood and as an adult keep the story on track.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Sexual assault

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship