The Taking of Annie Thorne: 'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail

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Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time . . . The Taking of Annie Thorne is terrific in every way Lee Child I really struggled with what to say in this review as I didn’t care for this one. Is it the author’s writing style? Is it the storyline itself? I think it’s a bit of both. After reading The Chalk Man, I was left with questions that were never answered directly. Instead the reader was allowed to infer some things on their own which I found to be a novelty of sorts (even though it really isn’t, if that makes any sense). But now in her second offering, I find Tudor’s style to be more of a ploy. I was hooked by never being quite sure of the reasons behind happenings but looking forward to the reveals later on. But my disappointment came when I didn’t get those reveals. I was left with the why of so many things still being a mystery. For me, it’s almost as if the author just threw in a bunch of cliché happenings hoping they would carry the story. I loved this book. It was dark and so creepy. If you love creepy then I think you will love this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. It was horrifying in some parts. It had a very creepy supernatural factor to it that I just loved. I noticed that this book had some similarities to two of Stephen King's books. I love Stephen King, so I really loved this book. This book was so bizarre. The ending wasn’t what I thought either. It was a satisfying finale to the plot but not to the teacher.....or the one female I thought connected to him.

The town is as much a character as any of the people and Tudor does an excellent job of portraying that small town, claustrophobic, cloying nature. Kudos, Madam Tudor, for another winner. I quite enjoyed this piece and hope others will find as many chills as I did throughout. But Joe is leaving behind a questionable past from the last school that he taught at. A bit of creativity in his resume will most assuredly secure him a position at the Arnhill Academy.....that and the fact that the Academy is desperate to fill the opening left by the previous teacher who was found dead along with her son in the very cottage that Joe will be renting. Joe will be telling y'all about those spiffy accommodations soon. Tudor grabbed me with the grotesque and dingy opening. Two dead bodies to make sense of in a tired cottage swarming with bluebottles, flies and the stench of decay. From there the author flashes forward a few months in time, with an introduction to Joe.

The book is as much a horror story as a mystery. There are some particularly gruesome scenes. There are ghosts. There are creepy, crawly things that sent shivers up my spine. The story kept me engaged and I kept wanting to read just one more chapter. The ending had a few nice twists, even if it was a tad contrived. I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister.

Oh, well. Title and cover changes aside, this is one freakin’ fun and twisted spooky tale! The tone is very similar to THE CHALK MAN, but I liked this one a bit more. The novel starts with a grisly bang and your attention is immediately hooked. I found this book super-addictive. I could not wait to see what had happened to Annie Thorne!! Now when I finally read a horror book, after years and years of pause (my last one (I think) was sth written by R.L. Stine, and we don’t count rereads here!), I want to read more.No one is as disappointed as I am that I’m having to write “that” review. I was sure this would be the easiest 5 stars given in 2018 (or 2019 based on publication), but unfortunately there were too many issues I couldn’t glance over. Between the unnecessary racism and prejudice of people on the spectrum that was added for “character development”, to the plot twist that anyone who has read a certain Stephen King book will find unnervingly familiar, it’s safe to say this one just wasn’t for me. I feel another round of editing to take away some of the choppy presentation might improve the overall quality as well. If you're wanting to go into this one blind, I would recommend you stop reading this review right here as I'll be discussing below in greater detail some of the things that worked and didn't work for me.

This was a Traveling Sister Read and we all had mixed feelings about this book. I am just happy that I ended up loving it. In the early nineties, she fell into a job as a television presenter for a show on Channel 4 called Moviewatch. Although a terrible presenter, she got to interview acting legends such as Sigourney Weaver, Michael Douglas, Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. She also annoyed Tim Robbins by asking a question about Susan Sarandon’s breasts and was extremely flattered when Robert Downey Junior showed her his chest. With shades of Pet Sematary and an all-round aura of creepiness, The Taking of Annie Thorne cements C. J. Tudor's position as a major new talent at the dark heart of crime writing. Brilliant." - Fiona Cummins

Only if you like your books to be so similar to a another and more famous book that it’s no problem for you. It’s not that C.J. Tudor’s writing is bad, it’s that she’s not coming up with any original plots. Both The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place have plots that are so close to Stephen King books and characters, that I just can’t rate this any higher. First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, C.J. Tudor, and Crown Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Even though I was left wanting—if only Tudor had pushed the envelope a bit further—it won’t deter me from visiting another of her literary creations. In fact, at the moment, I find myself contemplating a peek at her debut, The Chalk Man. THE AUTHOR: C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter.