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blouviere4's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Physical abuse, Dementia, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
megpadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- Wtf was that ending! I low key expected it because there were hints all the way through but it was so sudden!
- I really wanted it to turn out to be supernatural
- Still not entirely sure about the dreams- trauma or was Ed starting to show symptoms of dementia like his dad?
- Did we ever find out who was murdered in the playground a few generations before?
- Was the traveller man at the fair actually the reverend?
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
richardw2024's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm
tayahmarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
However, I did enjoy the story for what it was. I thought the plot was unique, I was invested in the characters/their fate, and it was insanely gripping. Like I mentioned in previous posts, I love dual timelines and Tudor executed it well here. My interest in wanting to find out everything I could about what happened in the past and the present day was equal.
The idea of some crazed killer drawing Chalk Men symbols around your hometown (much less a crime scene) is terrifying. Tudor is phenomenal when it comes to imagery and documenting some of the most gnarly and gruesome scenes, as well as just downright CREEPY (the church scene/one of Eddie’s nightmares towards the end? WTF!) There were a few paragraphs I had to bypass because I could actually picture what was going on and wanted to jump out of my skin and throw the book across my room. It was disgusting! That’s how you know someone’s a good writer in that realm, lol. Also, I definitely recommend looking up trigger warnings prior to reading this because there are A LOT. I wish I would’ve because I was completely caught off guard.
Final Thoughts: Overall, this was good. Really good. It was very reminiscent of a Stephen King novel (as if I read more than one book of his 😅). Lastly, this story has me looking at EVERYONE suspect 👀 - it’s pretty crazy when you think about how you don’t REALLY know someone. That goes for your family, your friends, co-workers, the person you’re sitting next to on a train/plane, etc. We all keep secrets, yes, but some are more dangerous, deadly, and downright depraved than others. The quote I chose, in the beginning, is a true sentiment to this little novel, especially the ending 😶!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Murder
seanisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
readingwryly's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Pregnancy
daniahthomas's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion
annnareads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
I write this review with the understanding that it is near impossible to write completely original plots and characters, however this is just way too similar to Stephen King's IT, especially the characters and the way the book is structured; 5 friends, one red haired girl and skipping back between 1986 and 2016, oh and the fair, what else could you steal from IT?! I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one who thought this when I read, yes I know *gasp*, reviews on Goodreads. The main part of the novel which attracted me to this book was the idea of the drawings of Chalk men, which intrigued me up until the end when the intrigue turned to confusion and frustration. I believe the drawings were useless to the plot of the story, and if not, their origin should have been explained better at the end. Yes, Eddie drew one set of them to hide the fact he found the dead girl, but who drew the ones that Eddie saw? (The drowning man and the dog?). On the other hand, without the aspect of the chalk drawings, I would have probably not picked up this book, I have many thrillers on my TBR and I know the story of IT.
Also why the f*** was THAT scene needed??
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
saradallapalma's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Religious bigotry