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Chalktrauma
Navigating the complex labyrinth of high school, friends confront the question of what's more important: loyalty or self-preservation? Rock and Lilly are dating and have a substitute following the passing of their previous teacher. They and their friends react like normal high school students, joking, goofing off, etc. until the teacher runs her long nails down the chalkboard. Suspicious incidents occur thereafter, Rock theorizing she has some strange ability. She takes an interest in him and he decides it’s best to accept her advances, causing friction between he, Lilly, and their friends. When his relationships reach a critical point, Rock must make a choice. Will it prove beneficial? Or will it result in the end of all their friendships?
379 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2017
About the author
David DeGeorge
7 books134 followersDavid DeGeorge is the author of various published short stories, several of which were finalists in writing contests. His first novel, Friendship, is a coming of age story.
He's since had Internment, a psychological suspense novel, Chalktrauma, a horror novel, The Chair, a chiller, and Accounting for Clues, a mystery, published. If he's not writing or drawing, he's reading (with, as John D. MacDonald said, either grinding envy or weary contempt) or he's talking with/visiting his nieces. Read some of his short stories, excerpts of the novels, and background information on the stories and novels at his website, www.daviddegeorge.com
He's since had Internment, a psychological suspense novel, Chalktrauma, a horror novel, The Chair, a chiller, and Accounting for Clues, a mystery, published. If he's not writing or drawing, he's reading (with, as John D. MacDonald said, either grinding envy or weary contempt) or he's talking with/visiting his nieces. Read some of his short stories, excerpts of the novels, and background information on the stories and novels at his website, www.daviddegeorge.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2018
This book started out with an intense situation between a teacher and student that captures your attention right away. The story centers around four high school seniors, close friends, that are in a trigonometry class together. Feeling invincible, as most high school seniors do, they sometimes push class behavior, tardiness and authority figures to the limit. When their trigonometry teacher unexpectedly passes away, a young, beautiful substitute teacher is assigned to take charge of the class. As usual, the class tries to show the substitute that they will do as they please and that she can't control their behavior.
It doesn't take long for the teacher to take control of the class by running her fingernails down the chalkboard. For some reason her fingernails make a shrill piercing noise that permeates the students' body and soul. Covering their ears does nothing to dull the noise and when she stops, the students feel chilled, nauseous and weak. It takes a few times of the punishment before the class behaves. Sometimes, it seems like the teacher has super power hearing or eyes in the back of her head because one slight whisper or a passing note and the punishment begins. If there's a indiscretion by a single student, the teacher stares down the student so severely that her eyes become black. When that happens, within a short time the guilty student is injured or killed. The four friends compare observations of this "power" that this teacher has over others and a few serious and fatal events that have occurred to those students that have "crossed" her. Eventually, one of the four friends figures out a way to break her power over them. If they work together and support each other, they can remove her influence in their life. This story has twists and turns and it's hard to put down. I enjoyed the characters in this story, you get excellent descriptions of them and the area they live in and it seems like you go to high school and college with them. Reading this brings feelings of nostalgia, memories, and the carefree life of the teenager. Thank-you to David DeGeorge, Silver Leaf Books and Goodreads, for for the Giveaway I won and the opportunity to read and review this book. I appreciate the opportunity!
It doesn't take long for the teacher to take control of the class by running her fingernails down the chalkboard. For some reason her fingernails make a shrill piercing noise that permeates the students' body and soul. Covering their ears does nothing to dull the noise and when she stops, the students feel chilled, nauseous and weak. It takes a few times of the punishment before the class behaves. Sometimes, it seems like the teacher has super power hearing or eyes in the back of her head because one slight whisper or a passing note and the punishment begins. If there's a indiscretion by a single student, the teacher stares down the student so severely that her eyes become black. When that happens, within a short time the guilty student is injured or killed. The four friends compare observations of this "power" that this teacher has over others and a few serious and fatal events that have occurred to those students that have "crossed" her. Eventually, one of the four friends figures out a way to break her power over them. If they work together and support each other, they can remove her influence in their life. This story has twists and turns and it's hard to put down. I enjoyed the characters in this story, you get excellent descriptions of them and the area they live in and it seems like you go to high school and college with them. Reading this brings feelings of nostalgia, memories, and the carefree life of the teenager. Thank-you to David DeGeorge, Silver Leaf Books and Goodreads, for for the Giveaway I won and the opportunity to read and review this book. I appreciate the opportunity!
July 12, 2020
I received a copy of Chalktrauma in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had and interesting concept and appeared to be a book that would be right up my alley. Instead I was met with a book that took me far longer to read than I would have expected. I had tried to start reading this book multiple times only to stop reading it again and again.
The book contained uninteresting characters I didn't really care for let alone care about what happened to them. These were supposed to be seniors in high school, however the way the characters spoke about specific subjects made them appear to be very immature and far younger than seniors in high school. I would have understood the characters perhaps being embarrassed about certain subjects but that is not how it came across. Some of the wording and terms they used had me thinking more of kids that were closer to preteen in age.
The next issue I had with this book is it needed further editing, to the point where every few pages the wrong word was used, a word was missing, or the sentence ended in mid-thought causing me to be pulled out of the story.
Ultimately a fun idea for a book but with characters that were flat and unlikable along with the need of editing it left the book wanting and incapable of keeping my attention for more than a few minutes at a time.
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had and interesting concept and appeared to be a book that would be right up my alley. Instead I was met with a book that took me far longer to read than I would have expected. I had tried to start reading this book multiple times only to stop reading it again and again.
The book contained uninteresting characters I didn't really care for let alone care about what happened to them. These were supposed to be seniors in high school, however the way the characters spoke about specific subjects made them appear to be very immature and far younger than seniors in high school. I would have understood the characters perhaps being embarrassed about certain subjects but that is not how it came across. Some of the wording and terms they used had me thinking more of kids that were closer to preteen in age.
The next issue I had with this book is it needed further editing, to the point where every few pages the wrong word was used, a word was missing, or the sentence ended in mid-thought causing me to be pulled out of the story.
Ultimately a fun idea for a book but with characters that were flat and unlikable along with the need of editing it left the book wanting and incapable of keeping my attention for more than a few minutes at a time.
May 12, 2022
**I received a copy of this title for free from the author in a goodreads giveaway. This does not affect my rating as such. Thank you, David DeGeorge!**
DNF @ 17%
I honestly feel bad, but I won't be moving forward with this book. Between the homophobic language on page one, lack of clear setting, the sexual nature of this teacher's relationship with their students, and strange characterizations I'm having a hard time wanting to pick this up. I was also skimming through sections just to move the plot forward and nothing is really different between page 71 and page 10.
DNF @ 17%
I honestly feel bad, but I won't be moving forward with this book. Between the homophobic language on page one, lack of clear setting, the sexual nature of this teacher's relationship with their students, and strange characterizations I'm having a hard time wanting to pick this up. I was also skimming through sections just to move the plot forward and nothing is really different between page 71 and page 10.
June 3, 2019
I enjoyed the premise and general story - this was a very unique idea, and I always love seeing "powers" used in new ways. The writing left a bit to be desired - much of the book felt like a draft copy, with sentences and ideas unfinished, and it was a little hard to follow in places. I would have liked more detail and fleshed out dialogue.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews