Reviews with content warning for Racism - She Is a Haunting

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

87 reviews

vampire_burrito's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

"Did you all die here?" I ask out loud, when the question I mean is, Have I buried you well enough?

Let me start this review off by saying that I can completely understand why some people didn't like this book. There are some pacing issues and for a horror novel this was not at all scary (for context, I'm a massive wimp who has read like three horror books in her life and gets weirded out by scenes on Stranger Things) but it also has so many things that worked so well for me personally. Let's start of with the main character Jade. In so many ways Jade is me. We are both older sisters, both perpetually stressed out, both crave validation in every aspect of our lives, we are both queer. She doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life despite having a meticulous plan. Obviously there are differences (I'm not Vietnamese, she is) but reading about a character who struggles with so many of the things I do, and feeling so seen by that character was an experience I don't think I'll forget. In many ways Jade's haracter felt like a love letter to confused queer teens. I also loved the way this book focused on familial love and family relationships (both positive and negative)over platonic and romantic ones (although there is a little touch of romance mixed in) because I feel like I haven't read a lot of books that have that focus. Jade's relationship with her sister was lovely to read about. I also loved the way her relationship with her dad was presented because I thought the author portrayed a situation like that in a really nuanced way. Jade has a lot of harsh feelings against her dad

she is angry at him for leaving her mother and younger siblings as well as his rejection of her bisexuality

but she cannot help but still care about him and want his love and acceptance. This is all written about in a way that shows the love she still has for this parent but does not diminish her anger. The writing style in this book was also really great (especially for a debut novel) in my opinion. The quote at the beginning of this review was one of my favourites, but there are so many other lines and passages that I highlighted on my kindle. As for the horror in this book, I think this would make a pretty good introduction to horror but that seasoned horror readers/consumers would find that aspect of the book to be lacking. The themes behind the horror (the use of the house to show the way the colonial and violent past of Vietnam continues to impact people living today) was far more interesting and scary that the actual on-page horror, which I think is exactly what the author intended and they executed it really well in my opinion.
Overall, She Is A Haunting is a fascinating debut that unpacks heavy themes, while also managing to have a flawed but relatable protagonist. I will definitely be reading this authors next book. I would recommend this book to teenagers who don't know what they want to do with their life, people who want an introduction to horror and people who enjoy books with a heavy focus on family and familial pain.

I carry the burden of being the first child, and it sinks me into the soil.

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adragoninspace's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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hobbithopeful's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

4.75

Sapphic colonization horror!?? LIKE WHAT! This was such an engaging and creepy read. I couldn't put it down, even as I had goosebumps from the suffocating imagery. I don't think there are many authors that can pull off writing about race and colonisation for a horror book, but Trang Thanh Tran NAILED it! I am a grade A weenie, so this wasn't too scary for me to read. I was guessing the whole time, and I loved the twists and turns.
I absolutely loved how race was talked about, it was just done so well and seamlessly. Honestly still cracking up about the line "this woman has a PHD in colonization.." . Jade feels so out of place in Vietnam, like a banana she mentions, and honestly I relate so much to her with my own race struggles.
Also this book is sapphic!
A truly creepy and tense tale about a hungry house, and too many bugs!
If you like thriller books you will definitely like this one!

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belava's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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beholderess's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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jaqylantern's review against another edition

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dark tense 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

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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars rounded up!

this started off super interesting but the haunting within a haunting threw me off a bit and the family dynamics were a bit too heavy for the haunting plot to balance out. the “scares” felt a bit cheesy and 2D in comparison to the commentary on race/colonization in Vietnam and the crumbling family

that being said the relationships, especially between sisters were lovely! as an oldest sister i deeply felt all the heavy lifting Jade did and how she felt she had to pay everyone before herself. Lily was a really accurate 2nd child; old enough to remember the rosy “before” but too young to understand or process the fucked up “after”. I have a sister just like that & our different approaches to our deadbeat father have driven a wedge between us over time just like this. really affirming to see on a page, as sad as it was

the ending was a bit cheesy & grand gesture-y so minus some points for that

anyways gotta love a book that ends with a deadbeat dad on fire!

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense

4.5

This author is a genius. She is elevating YA

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Not my fave haunted house book but not bad. Things I liked - the setting, the exploration of complicated family, discussion of colonialism and the erasure (and trying to memorialize) of those who were colonized, the cover art . Things I didn't care for- jade as a character, all the freaking bugs (like I liked them as a horror element but I don't like bugs haha).
I would be willing to read more from this author even though I didn't love this book.

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jessicanb93's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While I enjoyed the story overall, I did struggle a bit with the writing. I found it a little difficult to follow sometimes (I feel like there were random time jumps in the middle of a paragraph).
On the side of horror, this is the most I’ve read about bugs or food in a story, and it really grossed me out. I would recommend checking trigger warnings, and if you have any sensitivities to subject matter dealing with food and long descriptions of food being eaten, please proceed with caution.

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