Reviews with content warning for Gore - She Is a Haunting

This book was almost impossible to put down. I tore through it, even though I rarely read horror and there was some disturbing stuff on the page. I really found Jade an instantly relatable character. While I, as a white woman, cannot directly relate to her experience as a Vietnamese-American teen who doesn't feel wholly at home in the US or in the country of her parents' birth, I can definitely remember being on the cusp of 18 and angry and at odds with my family. Jade's emotions feel so real and well-portrayed, giving me a lot of empathy for what it must be like to be in diaspora and have to deal with the legacy of issues like colonization and being the child of refugees.

This very complex human character serves to anchor a story that can otherwise feel a bit like a fever dream.

If you're not a big horror reader, make sure to check the content warnings to decide if this is a good book for dipping your toes into the genre!

Content Warnings

nickthebooktoker's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you're after a brilliantly written YA gothic horror that you're absolutely gonna devour then look no further. Trang Thanh Tran's writing is vivid and lyrical and, whilst first-person YA can come across as simplistic and lacking depth, this wasn't the case with Tran's writing at all.

She Is a Haunting follows Jade, a Vietnamese-American girl who reluctantly agrees to stay with her estranged father in a spooky old house that he hopes to renovate into a bed-and-breakfast. Soon enough, Jade is convinced that the house is haunted—and for good reason—for it comes with a lot of history that slowly unravels, creating a palpable sense of dread.

Along the way, Tran weaves themes of colonialism, generational trauma, and coming to terms with one's identities that may be at odds with each other. As a first generation immigrant, Jade struggles with not feeling "Vietnamese enough", for example when unable to communicate in her mother tongue, whilst not quite passing as a typical American teenage girl either. She's also bisexual and unsure how to come out to her mother, who she also has a complicated relationship with.

One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the inclusion of a slow-burn sapphic subplot which I was excited to see develop. Whilst this isn't a full-blown romance, I was thankful for its inclusion as it provides some wholesome moments amidst the darkness of the plot—and it can get quite dark.

There are a couple of instances where the writing almost verges into body horror territory, with some pretty visceral imagery that is sure to repulse. But this is still a YA novel, so the horrific is more often articulated through dread and suspense rather than outright gore.

After abandoning the book I tried to read before this one, partly due to its unremarkable writing, She Is a Haunting proved to be a breath of fresh air. The plot kept me hooked, the characters were interesting, and what could have been a typical haunted house story revealed itself to be a complex exploration of some very important themes. YA writing is often underestimated yet this debut novel serves as a prime example of how effective and rewarding YA fiction can be.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

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