Reviews

Levaram Annie Thorne by C.J. Tudor

m_addu's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

2.0

harrietj's review against another edition

3.75

Solid horror. Heavy shades of Pet Semetary and IT, as a lot of reviewers have said, but it works. Quick read. Perhaps a little light on the horror but what there is, works, and the thriller side of the book is done well. Pleasing twists towards the end.

dovesfalling's review against another edition

4.0

Because for Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn’t the day his sister went missing. It was the day she came back.

Ouch.

That is one hell of a lede. Okay, so it’s not the first sentence of the blurb, but damn. The second I read it, I was hooked. Not that I wasn’t determined to read this book to begin with, having enjoyed C.J Tudor’s first novel, The Chalk Man so much. Largely, I’ve seen positive reviews of this one, with a few detractors. I’ve even seen comments about of racism and homophobia, and maybe my memory is shot, but I can’t recall any that spring to mind …? If I’m wrong, please correct me by all means!

However, I’m not sure when it became important for books to be perfect in that regard. My own personal opinion is that it’s more entertaining to read about flawed human beings that angels. Further, I didn’t get the sense that Tudor set Joe up specifically to be a “hero”. If anything, he’s a cautionary tale.

Set in Arnhill, a soiled spot on the British landscape, The Hiding Place captures one of my favourite journeys – the adult returning to their childhood home to face a half-remembered horror. Stephen King is particularly good at this, and so is C.J. Tudor. Every step that Joe Thorne takes is leaden, every page he turns in the ghostly book of his past is crumbling, and every detail he reveals to us seems to come directly from the belly of the beast.

The novel begins with an act of madness. A local teacher murders her son and then shoots herself, leaving only questions behind. In Arnhill, an old mining town that seems best left to rot, the questions go unanswered. Enter (walking disaster) Joe Thorne, stage left. Ostensibly, Joe returns to Arnhill to work as a teacher at his old school and pay off debts (or hide from his lenders), but in reality, he’s back because something is happening.

And what is happening,

happened before.

What exactly occurred in the past, I’ll leave you to discover. Suffice to say, it involves the disappearance of Joe’s sister, Annie, a childhood gang of “friends” that lead Joe straight into the bowels of the earth, and a particular horror that once it gets its claws into you, doesn’t let go, not for anyone, not for death or dreams or innocence or tears.

Genuinely creepy and viscerally atmospheric, this novel interrupted my sleep. What more can you ask for?

strahinja's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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? No

3.0

witch_of_bywater's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

1.5

Doesn’t pick up until chapter 26. None of the questions answered, lots of holes in the story. Complete waste of time. 

kelly24lox's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

leighsinden's review against another edition

4.0

This book had all the makings of an excellent horror but it ended too abruptly and I was left with too many questions.

gordonk's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this more than The Chalk Man. I loved the supernatural element to it. Yet again you can see how Tudor loves the work of Stephen King and draws inspiration from that, this story is very Pet Sematary-esque but also lovingly British and that’s what Tudor brings to the table. I would like to see more of Joe and Beth, I felt as though that was a relationship which deserved to grow. I hope we will see them again in a future novel. The taking of Annie Thorne is a sad yet gripping story which I will definitely reread at some point.

lw_reads's review against another edition

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. From the start Tudor's writing drew me in and I got so lost in the story, before I knew it, I was more than 3/4 of the way through the book. Everything was laid out and subtly revealed at a perfect pace that kept me engaged and thinking and not able to put the book down.

Tudor did an amazing job of setting a creepy atmosphere that wasn't completely out there scare your pants off, but was perfectly subtle so the fear is just there and slowly building, which is just so much better than a quick scare. The character development was also great in that I knew the main character wasn't a great person, but I was still on his side and wanted things to work out for him.

This was a great storm day read for me, and I'd definitely recommend it to others.

* Thank you to Netgalley for copy of this in exchange for my honest review

lw_reads's review against another edition

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. From the start Tudor's writing drew me in and I got so lost in the story, before I knew it, I was more than 3/4 of the way through the book. Everything was laid out and subtly revealed at a perfect pace that kept me engaged and thinking and not able to put the book down.

Tudor did an amazing job of setting a creepy atmosphere that wasn't completely out there scare your pants off, but was perfectly subtle so the fear is just there and slowly building, which is just so much better than a quick scare. The character development was also great in that I knew the main character wasn't a great person, but I was still on his side and wanted things to work out for him.

This was a great storm day read for me, and I'd definitely recommend it to others.

* Thank you to Netgalley for copy of this in exchange for my honest review