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caraem3's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
hyperbooktivity's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
namitakhanna's review
4.0
The Chalk Man is an impressive ,gripping psychological debut thriller by C.J. Tudor
12 year old Eddie , Hoppo , Fat Gav, Metal Mickey and Nicky were enjoying a lazy summer when Eddie meets the Chalk Man for the first time while saving a teenage girl. The Chalk Man gives Eddie an idea about creating a secret code among friends using chalk where each friend has a special color chalk so that everybody knows who the message is from. This creates a lot of fun until the chalk symbols lead them to find a dismembered body. Now 30 years later when Eddie receives another letter with a stick figure drawn in chalk , he realizes the deadly game has started all over again.
Powerful writing , interesting characters , intriguing suspense , lots of twists and turns makes this book a compelling read . I cannot recommend it enough .
Many thanks to Crown Publishing & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
12 year old Eddie , Hoppo , Fat Gav, Metal Mickey and Nicky were enjoying a lazy summer when Eddie meets the Chalk Man for the first time while saving a teenage girl. The Chalk Man gives Eddie an idea about creating a secret code among friends using chalk where each friend has a special color chalk so that everybody knows who the message is from. This creates a lot of fun until the chalk symbols lead them to find a dismembered body. Now 30 years later when Eddie receives another letter with a stick figure drawn in chalk , he realizes the deadly game has started all over again.
Powerful writing , interesting characters , intriguing suspense , lots of twists and turns makes this book a compelling read . I cannot recommend it enough .
Many thanks to Crown Publishing & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
craftygiant's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don't know why this didn't grab me but it didn't. I think more than anything I'm just sad for the characters. It's pretty well paced, there are some fun lines, and I liked the cast enough for me to be sad for them at various points. But did I enjoy it? Not so much.
I wish there had been something to break up the bleakness, because with a bit more up in amongst the down the writing would have shone better.
I wish there had been something to break up the bleakness, because with a bit more up in amongst the down the writing would have shone better.
emolbe's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
2.0
ritikaupadhyay's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
happymealbox's review against another edition
4.0
(Let's call it 4.5, because I never give 5 stars.)
I stepped away from this book once. To sleep.
C. J. Tudor has written a compelling story - a very human story - that is nowhere near finished until the very last sentence. If you're expecting the formulaic read suited to long journeys you will either be pleasantly surprised or dissatisfied. The Chalk Man is something of a slow burner in the manner of Stephen King's It, balancing two timelines that illustrate the bigger picture piece by piece. It ticks the boxes of creepy, unnerving and gory with a side of insidious to boot.
I will definitely be rereading this.
I stepped away from this book once. To sleep.
C. J. Tudor has written a compelling story - a very human story - that is nowhere near finished until the very last sentence. If you're expecting the formulaic read suited to long journeys you will either be pleasantly surprised or dissatisfied. The Chalk Man is something of a slow burner in the manner of Stephen King's It, balancing two timelines that illustrate the bigger picture piece by piece. It ticks the boxes of creepy, unnerving and gory with a side of insidious to boot.
I will definitely be rereading this.
madiengen's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Physical abuse
I was not expecting the last chapter to reveal what it did at all. I did find the trope of “the pastor did it” to be a little underwhelming to be honest and a bit played out.okjaaaaa's review against another edition
1.0
A triller you say? I ask you: where is the thrill? The suspense? The horror? The eminent feeling of dread?
The whole novel reads like the “I’m not like other teens”-YA tropes, just age coded for 40-year-olds going through a dry mid-life crisis.
POV character felt the need to spend two whole pages establishing their ineptitude on technology and “the Internet”.
The writing gives me the vibe of the author trying to write a person they have no knowledge of whatsoever. Like a female author trying to write a horny teenage boy.
Also, the mystery would have been somewhat decent if the plot twists weren’t as predictable as the were. (Aka; The butler* did it! But the butler is supposedly a psychopath now? *not a literal butler, but I do hope you get the point)
And how all of the threads tie in are mind-blowingly big leaps.
At least in my, humble, opinion.
The whole novel reads like the “I’m not like other teens”-YA tropes, just age coded for 40-year-olds going through a dry mid-life crisis.
POV character felt the need to spend two whole pages establishing their ineptitude on technology and “the Internet”.
The writing gives me the vibe of the author trying to write a person they have no knowledge of whatsoever. Like a female author trying to write a horny teenage boy.
Also, the mystery would have been somewhat decent if the plot twists weren’t as predictable as the were. (Aka; The butler* did it! But the butler is supposedly a psychopath now? *not a literal butler, but I do hope you get the point)
And how all of the threads tie in are mind-blowingly big leaps.
At least in my, humble, opinion.