Monday, April 7, 2014

Black Chalk, by Christopher J. Yates

A group of students at Oxford create a complicated game that forces them into uncomfortable situations.  6 students begin the game, only 5 survive it, and only 1 can win it.  As the game's intensity progresses, it takes a toll on the players' education, friendships, and in at least one instance, sanity.  Is there really any way to actually win this game?

This book had be hooked from the very beginning.  There was something incredibly original in this storyline.  I thought the plot was well thought out, terribly clever, and totally riveting.  We meet the players one by one, and while they are well developed, they do not surrender all their secrets immediately.  By the time I realized the tricky nature of the narrative, I was certain that this book was going to take me places I did not expect.  That is a quality I admire in a thriller, and this one delivered on all its promises.

The nature of the writing is luxurious and extravagant.  Yates knows how to turn a phrase in a way seldom seen in contemporary writing.  The writing is smart, without being pretentious.  In short, this book surpassed all my expectations in those most wonderful ways.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

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