Friday Book Review: The Chalk Man

We made it to the first Friday of 2018! Only 51 more to go! YES, I Googled that!

Aaaanyway...
Let me tell you how I am spending said first Friday:

botm! 

Yes, that's right. My social life - be jealous - takes a nice hard plunge in the winter months, save for the intermittent trips to the trails, the mountain and/or the gym. Yes guys, that's the exciting life and times of yours truly.

My excuse tonight was that tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I was fine flying under the radar tonight. My days of two-in-a-row are rare, and besides, I'm committing to Whole30 so my options while I'm out are limited.

AAAAND, I have lots and lots of anticipated reads on which to catch up!
I finally started The Blinds (Adam Sternbergh), after flying through The Chalk Man (CJ Tudor).

the chalk man | cj tudor

So I'm not the best at book reviews, primarily because I don't ever write them (good reason, right?).

If you haven't read this, and have an interest in doing so BEFORE I spoil the whole thing for you, this would be a good time for me to do the initial sign off for you. See you tomorrow ;)

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Still with me? 

Last warning: Spoilers Ahead :) 

Ok so I got this book through BOTM. I have a friend who has the unfortunate monthly task of blindly selecting which book I have them send, but he got a break this time around when the list came out and I read the first line of the synopsis: "If you're a fan of Stranger Things,...." 

Say no more: Selected. I intentionally avoided all the GoodReads reviews, although I was itching to dig into why this book has an average rating of 4.5 stars, with over 10k reviews across a couple different sites. Now I see why. 

FIRST: I have a really hard time acknowledging that this is C.J. Tudor's debut book. If you didn't know that, it'd be easy to assume she's had at least a couple under her belt. She has - in my opinion - an excellent grasp on prose, character development, plot twists and ability to convey something truly gruesome without emptying a well of gory descriptives. 

"The girl's head rested on a small pile of orange-and-brown leaves."

^ The first line of the first page. Read on? YES, I think I will! 

This is a book with five core characters: Eddie, Gav, Nikki, Hoppo & Mike - a set of friends who share a rupturing experience from their adolescence together. It toggles back and forth between the then (1986) and the now (2016), and fills in the gaps along the way. The book itself opens up with the event around which the rest of the book seems to revolve. 

1986: Tudor paints a picture that is so easy to feel: Five kids living life in the prime of the 80's - riding bikes, meeting at the playground, hanging out at the local small-town hotspots and being blissfully unassuming about what life in the long run might look like. And then there's an accident, followed by a morbid discovery, and things get progressively weird after that. 

2016: We fast forward to Eddie - who is now Ed - who is now a middle-aged teacher residing in the same house in which he grew up. He's constantly haunted by and continually processing the past and the people in it. And as Tudor writes it, it feels.so.relatable. 

Back and forth between 1986 and 2016, we learn that the title is derived from the chalk man drawings that, in their childhood, were a form of communication between the friends, and in their adult lives, seem to keep appearing as haunting messages and warnings.

1986, when the kids go to the fair and the accident leaves a girl half maimed: missing her leg and half her face. Enter in Mr. Halloran, the albino teacher with strange tendencies and awareness, to whom Eddie seems to gravitate throughout the early part of his story (not the story).  Then later in that same year to the final discovery of the body in the woods, and a series of other events: abuse, false allegations and secrets that highlight the nature in which skeletons from the most unlikely closets are revealed on the stages of small community towns. The kids start to disband - a timeline that is steadily unraveled throughout the book, quite consistently and clearly, even through the pattern of time toggling.

2016: Back to Eddie as an adult. He's got a housemate, Chloe, who Tudor paints for us as a wayfaring girl with sharp edges, alternative haircut and a seemingly soft spot for Eddie. They have a platonic relationship as co-inhabitants, despite the age and social gaps between them. Chloe, we learn, has an ulterior agenda all her own, which unsurprisingly ties her together with Eddie and his past, but surprisingly not in the way I would've expected. Again, Tudor with a plot twist win. The characters from Eddie's past resurface in their respective adult forms: Hoppo & Gav, Nikki, Mike. We find out Gav is in a wheelchair. Nikki has disowned her father. Mike... well, Mike's story ends in the same way his brother's did much earlier in the story.

By the end of this book, I had that weird sense of tingly achievement - the one where you've figured it out and feel like you should've seen it all coming before you got to the last sentence. Really, I did nothing but read through what Tudor laid out, but dangit, I wanted more. I wanted to immediately hand the book to the closest human to me and demand they READ IT NOW. 

Character & plot development: Thank heavens for the absence of static characters and story line. Literally there's nothing worse for me than a set of stagnant character who learn zilch and do nothing but exist for 3-400+ pages in a plot that doesn't go anywhere.

Prose, construction, composition: I'm pretty sure that when I try to do this, it looks like the plot from Memento, but like, drunk. Seriously. I've never used the word toggling more in one blog entry, but that's exactly what Tudor's done with this, and she does it with a precision that I kindasortadefinitely envy.

Overall: 100% I recommend this book. It's in the Thriller/Mystery genre, and while I don't know how much I'd call it a relative of Stranger Things, it is certainly strange, suspenseful and capturing. It's a quickish read, at 352 pages and relatively short, easy-to-conquer individual chapters.

Oh, and here's C.J. Tudor talking about the book, if you're into that :) 

And there ya have it! My Friday night, as a book review. Whew. Now I remember why I don't do reviews often.. haha.

I'm on a war path to find some good reads for 2018, so if you're here, if you've made it this far, feel free to leave a suggestion of something you loved in 2017 (or beyond!) that I can add to that list.

For now, I'm off to dig into this Sternbergh read. Maybe I'll review that, too... later. ;)

Happy weekend, blogbots!

xo | cms

He's Not a Morganstern : Shadowhunters 2x10 Review

YA'LL.

Excuse me, please, while I channel my inner Christine [@xtinemay] here and gush over the Winter Finale episode of Shadowhunters.

To preface, let me say that if you didn't know, I am among the ranks of those who've read all the Shadowhunters books so far - which, for clarity, they aren't technically called that:

The Mortal Instruments:

... and yes, I bought these also, because SPINES: 

same books, different covers... 

The Infernal Devices: 

The Dark Artifices [at this point, Lady Midnight]:

& the author, cassandra clare

And naturally, I spent 3 months hunting down and fiiiiiinally obtaining the UK version of LM:

this was worth every day waiting & every penny. 

And Lord of Shadows has been pre-ordered. And I finished up both The Bane Chronicles and Simon's conversion journey in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. So we're all set.

Mmkay, mmkay, mmmmkeehhh. If you don't want the Shadowhunters experience spoiled for you, then stop reading this. If you have only watched the show so far, and have not read the books, please, please, please go and READ.THE.BOOKS. I would recommend starting with The Infernal Devices, even though they were released after The Mortal Instruments. They're intended as a prequel trilogy anyway, so start there and I DARE YOU not to fall in love with Tessa, Jem & Will.

And then read The Mortal Instruments, and I dare you then to not fall in love with Magnus. Clary's a little grating, and Jace is sassy as can be, but in the end, if you're like me, you'll love it all the way Cassandra Clare wrapped it together for us. 

That brings me back to the show. It goes without saying that the writers of season 1, at best, LOOSELY based the show on the books themselves. I feel like the conversation surrounding plot departures in general is a song for another day. Now that we're in season 2 with all of these new plot departures, I have finally accepted that that's how it is, but honestly, I'd find it hard to believe that I'm the ONLY ONE who was leary after episode 9, of how they'd pull this back together and at least make some nods to the books. 

SPOILER: The creepy clown warehouse, neither Iris Rouse nor Madzie even exist in the books [same for Lydia Branwell], Jocelyn doesn't die AT ALL, EVER in the books, and Clace don't find out they're not related until after Sebastian comes along in the books. Oh, and Alaric doesn't die that way in the books. OH, and shape shifter runes? Definitely a show thing. 

So it's been a rough ride for me and seemingly some others who hold the books dear. But that brings me to tonight's Winter Finale episode.

I.. did.. not hate it. I can't decide if I'm embarrassed for not hating it. I didn't love it the way I would like to, but if nothing else it's refreshing to watch the show and not know exactly what and when things will happen.

********And sidenote, I'd kinda started writing this with the intent of just including this show as part of what I did today, but now that I've unintentionally launched into full review mode, let's go with it... ********

I'll start with the Hmmmmeehh?!:  

- Oh heeey, kinda-recovering DOT, on Magnus' couch?
- Are we supposed to believe that Madzie is the warlock "baby" that will be eventually adopted by Magnus & Alec? She's just kinda here now, and since Iris is in Idris..... I just.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?
- Simon GETTING HIS THROAT CUT BY VALENTINE was exceptionally unexpected, gross and chronologically weird for me to digest. Especially given that
- JACE then uses a SHAPE SHIFTING RUNE to be Clary, and then Simon drinks his blood instead of Clary's and now Simon is a Daylighter but doesn't understand it but it happened at the INSTITUTE and that's not how it goes in the books someonepleaseexplainthis.
- Shape. Shifting. Runes. 
- And then Clary, being very Clary-ish, is all "No Magnus, go on ahead. I'll WALK THROUGH THE INSTITUTE ON MY OWN BECAUSE WHAT COULD GO WRONG IN THIS SPECIFIC SCENARIO."
- Alec got locked in an elevator by a kid warlock. MehhhIIII dunno.
- Maia's brash tantrums don't seem at all like the more calculated, precise book Maia. 

- Alaric and half the wolf pack and a handful of seelies die in the institute after Jace accidentally activated the soul sword.
- JACE JUST ACTIVATED THE SOUL SWORD. 

- Jocelyn is still dead. Again, Jocelyn's not dead at any point in any of these books. WHO is Luke going to marry now?! *sniffle.
- #RAPHSWERVE: For SOME reason, Raphael is the only one of the downworlders who went raging into the room to attack Valentine, but left just before everybody else died. Which was only like 4 seconds after they ran into the room. So did he like, U-Turn as soon as he got there?!
- So the soul sword can wipe out the entire downworld.... but only if they're in the same room?! (Mmmkay.)

- Izzy is [still] addicted to Yin Fen. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL......
- P.S. - Yin Fen is made from Vampire Venom?! For REAL?
- Aldertree: Since show you is doing whatevs you want except for knowing the password to the iPad on the roof of The Institute, please go find Izzy a cure for the Yin Fen that YOU. GAVE. HER. 

- Clary is alladasudden an expert at hand-to-hand deathblows with a seraph blade, but looks like a toddler being dragged across the room by Valentine. Plausible. *dry cough.
- Climon. I'm still cringy. Nothing to do with the acting, just... romantic Climon is cringy.
- I. Want. SASSY Jace back. Not this brooding, moody Alec-ish character. Alec is Alec for a reason.
- Who's the Assassin's Creed-looking person who strolls off with the Soul Sword at the end?! WHO IS THAT?!
- Lastly, JUST LIKE THAT, Valentine tells Jace he's not his son, and Jocelyn's not his mom and by the Angel, Maury, Clary is NOT his sister.

Which brings me to this clip. In my opinion, I thought the acting was very well done, and even as I sat wide-eyed shaking my head because Valentine would never just make it this easy, I still felt that moment, and for all intensive purposes, that's how it should be. I should feel things. 

  Poor Jace. Poor, poor broody show Jace.  Here are some things I found redeeming. Again, my opinions - feel free to agree or wholly disagree! (And share them freely, but politely). 

The Yasss Moments: 

- Maybe not in any particular order with these, so I'll start with the Simon-drinking-Jace's-blood thing. NO, it didn't happen in the institute [per books], but I got pretty stoked once it clicked in my head that THIS was the moment that Simon drinks Jace's blood, becomes a daylighter and erego doesn't die. And Jace doesn't die, either. And even though it didn't happen on the ship, this moment is a real catalyst for all the core characters......... at least it is in the BOOKS.  - Jace finds out he's not Clary's brother. Yeah, THAT part. Can we get this Climon crap off the table STAT, please?!  - MALEC. - Luke. I just.. I love Luke. Regardless of how weird the assembling of the downworlders at the institute was, I felt like the show painted Luke correctly in that he leads the pack and speaks for both Shadowhunters and Downworlders.  - Meliorn's back, making calm but snarky comments at Luke. Fun.  - Show-y plot twists that were fun to watch: i.e.: Jace shape shifting as Clary. Jace not having demon blood [sure, at the expense of accidental soul sword activation & destroying a room full of well-intentioned downworlders]. Valentine spilling that Jace isn't his son.  - MALEC.  - Aldertree's FACE on the rooftop when he realizes what a turdbag he is. And presumably also for what he did to Izzy.  - Izzy & Alec having a sibling moment, after some clear dissension over the Raphael.... thing.  - Madzie. I do and I don't know how to feel about her as a character, but if she's here to stay, well then.. ok. I did like the scene with her and Magnus, I think more so because it highlighted Magnus' compassionate, candid side.  - I liked how the writers wove this sense of unity into this episode, to tie together all the various downworlders and Shadowhunters. It's a little early for all that, if we're comparing it to the chronology in the books, but we're really not, I guess, so I'm willing to let the show stand on its own in this way. I think [hope] this sets the stage nicely for June, when 2b starts.  - And.. MALEC.
I never would've imagined myself so wholly entrenched in a book series, or so adamant about holding a candle to the show version, but here I am, and here that was, and here we go, fingers crossed looking very much forward to June and 2b.  I am not ashamed by any of this. :) 
Happy Monday!  xo | cms