I requested Black Chuck because I love Supernatural and wanted to read about Wendigos. This book was weird and gross and creepy. And sometimes the pacing was slow.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!


I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not the book for me. DNF a 17%.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

There are bits of this story that I really enjoyed, but overall, I was left unsatisfied by this book. I think that it suffers from some pacing issues and some parts are a little muddled and not well fleshed out. I didn't really latch onto or care about any of the characters. The overall plot of the story was interesting and I did want to know what happened. But then the ending wasn't really sealed up with a bow and I have mentioned in past reviews how I really don't like open ended stories.

This book was really freaking weird. That's all i have to say. It was real weird. The characters weren't very developed and plot was confusing

Really did not enjoy the writing, felt young and campy. The plot in itself didn't feel believable for teenagers, and the characters didn't feel real.

Musings:

Black Chuck made me feel like I was back watching Until Dawn, but only in a whispering barely there sort of way. Black Chuck is a story all its own and there are times where gross darkness smashes against a bit of hopeful light.

What I Enjoyed:

The dark description. When Real dreams the gross description of him killing and eating his friend. I may not like to watch that stuff happen in movies (I could never bring myself to watch raw or saw (why the names are so similar.. I don’t know) but in a book I don’t mind it at all. I think that the way it was described was in a almost tasteful way it was unsettling, but not overtly Corey. (Why does talking about this make me uncomfortable?)

The idea. The wendigo are creatures that truly fascinate me. Using them in the way this author did was smart. It kept me interested in the story. All I wanted was to see Real transform with that demon taking over him. Seeing a little into what their minds might be like was really creative and cool.

Sunny. I liked this character because she may have been completely flowed and horrible as a person, but it comes from a place that is real and I appreciate that. A lot of her thinking made sense to me even if I didn’t agree with the decisions she made.

Grey morality. The morals in this book were skewed all over the place. In a lot of ways that only added to the atmosphere of the novel. It isn’t really about rooting for the characters more as watching them live and make decisions that they tell themselves is right even when it isn’t. It added to making me feel uncomfortable and I read horror exactly for that dreadful feeling it gives.

What I Wish Was Different:

Evie’s behavior while pregnant. I know that she was thinking of giving up the baby and that it wouldn’t matter what she did, but it made me cringe on the inside with some of the actions she took. I feel like it might have all been part of the horror, but I feel like it took away more then it added.

MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

The ending. This end was far too positive for my liking. I feel like a lot of what makes a good horror ending was absent. Real didn’t even eat his friend… it would have made a better story if at least someone had. It’s like all the build up and all the amazing horrific description was for naught, because in the end it didn’t matter. It was like giving me a tasty treat and saying sike as it dissolves into salt in my mouth. I just want my horror to give me horror. Let it end in the terrible darkness that began it. Don’t undue the story you have created by giving it an ending like this.

All in All:

Black Chuck is a fun thrill ride. It turns stomachs and creates an atmosphere. It is a diverse horror that I wish lacked the punch I knew it could have given.

Black Chuck by Regan McDonell is the story of five friends, told from the perspective of two of the friends. The story starts off with one of the friends being dead and progressed from there. The two points of view are from the girlfriend and best friend of the deceased. The book takes place in Canada.

Rèal Dufresne is our first main character. Shaun, the deceased, has been his best friend since they were nine. But Rè has a pretty big secret waiting to explode from him. Before Shaun was found dead, they had a huge fight that left both of them bloody. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be too big of a problem, only... Shaun's body was found somewhere not many people, aside from their group, go and Rè can't remember anything from that night after the fight. He just knows that his clothes from that night are bloody. More bloody than they should be.

Evie was Shaun's girlfriend for nine months before his death. Their relationship started pretty randomly with Shaun just stopping by her house one day. He felt like they had kind of the same life with no real parents and that had bonded them. Now, with Shaun gone, Evie is stuck in a pretty serious situation and she doesn't know what to do about it. But Rèal makes it very clear to Evie that he will be there for her no matter what she decides. He feels responsible for her since Shaun was pretty much his brother.

The other two friends are Sunny and Alex. Sunny is a Goth Asian girl who gets her way no matter what and Alex is her boyfriend who just happens to be from a family of really powerful bikers. Together they make up a small, tight-knit group of friends. But maybe a few of them were a little too tight.

As I was reading, I realized the hook has this ominous feel to it. I felt like I was being followed by a really dark cloud the entire time. Like something bad was going to happen or some shocking realization was about to be had. I liked that aspect of the book a lot.

In the end, I was kind of surprised by the ending. I was really expecting it to end as a gruesome murder by someone close to Shaun. I really didn't see THAT ending coming. This book really surprised me with how good it was and how much I liked all of the characters and the story they had to tell.

In the end, I gave the book 4.5/5 stars.

This book was an okay read for me. I was kind of intrigued by the whole mystery surrounding the death of their friend but it was a bit dark and touched on some dark issues. I liked the idea of the POV of the friend postmortem but it gave a kind of eery effect to the whole thing and the characters were fine but I didn’t really fall in love with them. Would I recommend this book to a friend... maybe? But overall I thought it was a little lacking but a great idea!

Thanks again for the advanced copy!

Book Review
Title: Black Chuck
Author: Regan McDonell
Genre: YA/Romance/Psychological/Thriller
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Black Chuck was explosive to say they least, we are introduced to Réal and Evie who are Shaun’s best friend and girlfriend just after they find out that Shaun is dead in what seemed like murder. Réal blames himself while Evie is thinking about terminating her three-month pregnancy which Shaun had wanted. We instantly know there is something off about Réal as we learn he and Shaun fought over him and Evie having a baby and he was also the one to discover Shaun’s body and didn’t report it, he left it for someone else to discover and from the tone I am assuming that Réal had something to do with Shaun’s death. We also see Evie intercept Réal when he attacks a student making jokes at Shaun’s memorial.
As we bounce between Evie and Réal’s perspectives we learn that Réal either did or believes he killed Shaun and that because of that he has to protect Evie especially in her current state that only she, Shaun and himself knew about but he is the only one beside herself and the deceased Shaun that know that Evie wanted to get rid of the baby because she is only 16 while Shaun was 18. She and Réal begin to get a lot closer and with Shaun’s death so recent neither wants a relationship but they can’t deny the attraction between them, however Réal does hint in a way at what he has done when he tells Evie about his uncle who was a cannibal who they believe was possessed by a demon and his nickname was Black Chuck so I have a feeling that cannibalism will play a larger role in this story especially given the manner in which Shaun was killed.
Réal and Evie seem to be developing a relationship but Réal is haunted by what he has done and the demons in his nightmares and every time he is close to Evie he wants to confess to her, but he knows it will only break her more than she already is. After telling Alex that he was with Shaun the night of his death and that they fought coupled with the fact he has no memory after midnight he seeks to help of a healer to try and kill the demon he thinks is possessing him. We also begin to learn a lot more about the group before Shaun’s death and it seems like Evie was the outcast only fitting in because of Shaun and Réal is also an outcast but does whatever he can to maintain his image in front of the others especially Shaun.
As we cross the halfway mark into the novel there is some tension building as there seems to be some history between Sunny and Réal despite the fact she is dating Alex and Sunny doesn’t seem pleased that Evie is moving in on Réal even going as far as telling Evie that it isn’t right they see each other but Evie doesn’t mention anything that she knows despite the fact she would be well within her right to threaten Sunny. However, Evie seems to be drowning in her secrets, but she manages to talk to Nan who despite her obvious memory problems tells Evie that her mother will still love her no matter what just like she did with Shaun’s mother although Sherrie all but abandoned her.
As Evie is slowly coming to terms with everything she is beginning to think that she might have the baby after all despite the fact that she didn’t want it in the beginning and that she didn’t love Shaun. When Réal receives a cure from a healer he is pinning all his hopes on it so that he can be happy. He ends things with Sunny which is great as Alex inherits the biker business from his father and he and Evie are beginning to develop a proper relationship which is amazing as we learn that Réal is still a virgin. However, Sunny runs into Evie when she is going for her ultrasounds and discovers she is pregnant, but she isn’t scared as Réal agrees to help her tell her mother about the baby and that she is considering adoption.
At Alex’s graduation party Réal, Sunny and Evie work out their issues and Sunny even helps Evie when she is dosed and attacked but luckily nothing happens as Evie fights the guy who she is seeing as Shaun off and Sunny comes to her rescue. Afterwards Alex confront both Sunny and Réal about their relationship and it dissolves into a brawl where Réal confesses that he killed Shaun, however, Evie comes flying in to tell Réal and Alex that it was her that killed Shaun and then end up in a car crash.
In the final section Evie wakes up in hospital with Réal at her bedside, she learns that her baby girl is still there and that she and Réal can have a proper relationship because he has learnt to let go and Evie has learnt that neither of them killed Shaun, that he was actually killed by a passing train after stumbling out onto the tracks drunk. Free of all their guilt and secrets they are now free to live their lives.
Overall, Black Chuck was a fast paced, action novel with lots of cultural, racial and social undertones woven into it. It is also a story of love, loss, moving on and coming to terms with one’s own secrets. I highly recommend Black Chuck if anyone is looking for a powerful, emotional and fast read.

Thank you to #Negalley and the publisher. I received this for free in exchange for a honest review.

This book is definitely one of those who done it book!

ATTENTION! There are trigger warnings in this book. There are graphic scenes of abuse, mutilation, and rape, as well as language that may not be suitable for some younger readers.

We have a girl that is pregnant by the dead guy, a friend that remembers beating his friend the night he died, and then we have the dead friend.

The girl and the guy left behind find themselves leaning on each other. Honestly you find yourself wanting them find their way to each other.

This is a journey of finding out who done it? I think this is a good read. I love a good mystery novel and really would recommend this book to those of the older age.

I don't love this book. I don't hate it but I'm not fond of it either. I can't deny that it's vaguely interesting. Relationships. Grief and guilt. They're big, though standard, topics so there's plenty of room for exploration. I kind of liked the inclusion of the Windigo sprit though it does make the plot take some grim and gruesome turns. We've got a lot of perspective, though. And character exploration is limited.

I thought this was fine.
But just fine.
The characters were ok, but just ok.
I didn’t fall for any of them. I didn’t love the dynamics between them. It felt pretty fake to me.
The whole Black Chuck myth sounded pretty wrong to me to and even though I wanted to know how the mystery ended, I just floated through it, not really caring about anything else…

Black Chuck was really different for me. I honestly wasnt sure what to expect, I just knew I wanted out of my comfort zone. Black Chuck did just that.
The main character Real, loses his friend Shaun, his body found mangled. Now Tough as Nails Real keeps having nightmares about that night when he and Shaun had fought.
This is definitely not a tale for a weak stomach. It was gritty and dark, yet at the same time I saw other emotion in the characters. This was definitely a good read just took a minute for me to get into it.

I received this eARC from Orca Book Publishers on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.


Warning: This book contains graphic scenes of abuse, mutilation, and rape, as well as language that may not be suitable for some younger YA readers.



I AM BEYOND SHOOK


The Writing


The writing was mostly very well done, with a very unique and strong voice and style, but sometimes I found myself having to reread a line several times and still not understand it. Luckily, the gripping mystery, character development, and suspense really made up for it.

I really appreciated that there was a really strong Native American (First Nation in this case, as the book takes place in Canada) influence on the spiritual beliefs of one of the main characters, Réal. It was unique and interesting. I'm sure most people have heard about the Windigo but not many know much beyond that, myself included, so it was refreshing and added a whole other element to the story.

The Characters

The cast was believably diverse; no one felt like a token or an addition just to fill a quota. They all felt like actual people with actual lives.

Réal Dufresne: He was just that. Real. He felt like a real person. He was the best friend of the dead boy and deep down, he believes that he's has something to do with his death, but his kind soul shows who he really is. His journey of letting go of your fears and accepting love is so wonderful. His inner struggle made sense with his actions, and I was really rooting for him to have nice things.

Evelyn (Evie) Hawley: She finds herself pregnant with her dead boyfriend's baby at the beginning of the story and isn't sure what to do. She was quiet and shy and really reminded me of Ellie from I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter, which was released February 27 of this year (*shameless plug* check out my review) but with more spunk and more fire to her.

Shaun Henry-Deacon: The dead boy. As the story goes on, we learn more of what kind of person Shaun really was: the best friend, the boyfriend, the King. He was just as complex as all of the characters who were alive and present.

Sunny: She was the scary pretty girl who's secretly insecure and caring, who feels too deeply and internalizes too much. Her cold beauty was a shield just like Ré's toughness was, to protect herself. I was not much of a fan of how her reveal of being bulemic was dealt with, though, as it felt a tad tacked on and somewhat inconsiderate on Evie's part when she called her "crazy" for going to a group therapy session.

Alex Janes: While he wasn't a key player until the climax, he was a steady character who was interesting in his own right. I'd have liked to know more about him.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this book! It's a very fast, gripping read that will have you guessing and second guessing until the very end, which was extremely satisfying. It felt like what I would have liked from Pretty Little Liars. There is a love story plot that was kind of the A plot, and usually I hate those, especially in a contemporary, but I actually really loved this. It was a great book that tackled topics like rape, murder, domestic abuse, parental neglect, poverty, and mental illness in a smart, considerate, and effective way. The ending was somewhat open ended but I was very happy with it and am currently stuck trying to figure out if this was a 4 star or a 5 star rating...

This is the blurb from the book Black Chuck

Psycho. Sick. Dangerous. Réal Dufresne's reputation precedes him. When the mangled body of his best friend, Shaun, turns up in a field just east of town, tough-as-hell Réal blames himself. But except for the nightmares, all Ré remembers is beating the living crap out of Shaun the night of his death.

Shaun's girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Evie Hawley, keeps her feelings locked up tight. But now she's pregnant, and the father of her baby is dead. And when Réal looks to her to atone for his sins, everything goes sideways. Fast.

The tighter Evie and Réal get, the faster things seem to fall apart. And falling in love might just be the card that knocks the whole house down.

I really liked this book but I kind of hate the synopsis. Reading this book started off feeling like a horror book. Real believes he killed his best friend Shaun. He has a secret in his families past as to why he believes this. Evie's pregnancy is also a secret to their group of friends. their best friends Sunny and Alex also have secrets as well. Even Shaun has secrets that are revealed in this book.This story revolves around these secrets and the damage these secrets does to this group of friends Real,Evie Sunny and Alex. It's not a horror book even though it reads like that in the beginning. The death of Shaun spirals this group of friends into despair and destruction and the secrets they have threaten to destroy this group. I loved the characterizations in this book These are not your typical YA drawn characters by any means. For that alone you should pick this book up. These characters have real emotional problems and insecurities that are drawn so well. the love story between Evie and Real I didn't have a problem with and found it just an extension of the insecurities these characters felt about Shaun.Clinging to each other in their grief. In the end these are damaged insecure people we are reading about and characters I have never seen written like that in YA. The story is really a mystery about what happened to Shaun but also how that death opened up a pandoras box of the problems this group of friends have been hiding. A great book 4 stars.

black chuck by Regan McDonnell.
Psycho. Sick. Dangerous. Réal Dufresne's reputation precedes him. When the mangled body of his best friend, Shaun, turns up in a field just east of town, tough-as-hell Réal blames himself. But except for the nightmares, all Ré remembers is beating the living crap out of Shaun the night of his death.
Shaun's girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Evie Hawley, keeps her feelings locked up tight. But now she's pregnant, and the father of her baby is dead. And when Réal looks to her to atone for his sins, everything goes sideways. Fast.
The tighter Evie and Réal get, the faster things seem to fall apart. And falling in love might just be the card that knocks the whole house down.
this was a slow starter. but picked up a bit. I liked the story. so only 4*.

There were more issues than positives in my reading experience of this novel, one of the biggest issues being the lack of plot development. It started out as engaging, but fell flat for about 70% of the story, before picking up as interesting again. The story slowly became less about the friendships and grieving, and more about the budding insta-love that was happening between Real and Evie. I felt as though there wasn’t enough consistency, too many cliches to count, and a few confusing plot elements that lost my attention.

However, I did appreciate that it is Canadian and focuses on some diverse characters - that being French and of Native heritage. Some of the religious and cultural beliefs recognized in this novel were ones that I was only partially familiar with, so I enjoyed being exposed on a deeper level. I did find this to be a quick read, probably aided by the fact that I read it on my iPad, since I tend to fly through ebooks. Her writing style was engaging and flowed well, but she was also descriptive in her atmospheres which I liked. But everyone cried all of the time, and that got old quite quickly. This is Regan McDonell’s first published work, and I hope she continues to write and develop her talent for storytelling.

One of the most important elements in a novel is characters and their subsequent development, but I found both to be quite lacking in this novel. This story is told through alternating perspectives of the main characters, which was fine, but it also bounced between past and present randomly and confusingly. Real was built-up as this tough guy that people didn’t mess with, but all of a sudden he’s a crying mess that is torn between two girls? And Evie is written as a quiet girl that only joined the friend group because of Shaun, and is now suddenly centre of attention? Not believable enough for me. t found the characters to be unlikeable, but was able to find some compassion for them through the grieving of their best friend and boyfriend. Unfortunately once the two started pursuing a relationship together and falling too hard too fast, I lost respect for the both of them and just wanted to get to the conclusion of what happened to Shaun.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Well, that was a let down. What I hoped would be a creepy murder mystery turned into a YA drama/love fest. The romance felt like a bad Mills and Boon for me; forced, pointless, meant to be the driving part of the story...except I kind of thought SHAUN was the driving point of the story? Not Evie, romance, Sunny tantrums or parties. But that's the direction the story took, with the final chapter being the grand reveal on the mystery that was basically forgotten to help the romance along.

The story takes place over the course of three weeks, in which timeit feels like not much gets done in the case of Shaun, or his Nan for that matter. Surely the police could see his Nan could not live alone? But nope, she's just there for story progression.

All in all I found the story wanting, the characters gritty and unlikable, and the writing only OK (it was probably the best part, if I'm honest) Not the book I was expecting. Two stars.

Réal Dufresne can't remember everything that happened that night just the fight and then later seeing Shaun's mutilated body. Réal is known for being psycho, sick and dangerous and he's beginning to think they are right. He is left to clean up the mess Shaun left behind and deal with his guilt over the events of that night.
Evie Hawley, Shawn's girlfriend, is sixteen and pregnant and now Shaun is dead. Suddenly Réal is in her life, the only other person who knows about the baby, and things begin to get even more complicated than they were. Evie must decide whether to keep her secrets about Shaun or open up to the one person who might truly understand her.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this novel but I really enjoyed it. It's hard to describe the plot of this one without giving anything away. The beginning of the novel is a bit confusing until the different layers of the story are pulled away and the complexity of the characters is revealed. None of the characters are exactly who they appear to be and as the plot progresses you get pulled into the web of lies and deceit surrounding Shaun's death and those individuals closest to him. This is one of those books I couldn't put down until I figured everything out. It definitely gets more complex as the story progresses and you will slowly see the characters transition. This novel explores the shift from high school into adulthood as the characters deal with the responsibilities placed on them as well as the grief and guilt associated with the death of their friend. I really enjoyed this one and stayed up just so I could finish it in one sitting.