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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Creepy. Upsetting. Real. This book is about a haunted house in a community that has been destroyed by greed, power, classism and racism. My heart was in my throat several times. Great YA horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
emily_mh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I could not put this book down! It was so gripping and fast-paced. Jackson did a superb job at crafting a super tense, atmospheric storyline that was rooted in and explored systemic racism. The MC of the story, Mari, was so dynamic and undergoes really meaningful development. I also liked the focus on sibling relationships. I cannot wait to read more of Jackson’s backlog because this has just solidified to me how much I enjoy her writing.
I docked a half star because at first the plot is a little directionless, and the ending could have done with a bit more resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Racism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Violence, Cursing, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Colonisation, Excrement, Sexism, Transphobia, Vomit, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Car accident, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Rape, Child abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Child death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Confinement
Graphic warnings for insects, gentrification, imprisonment, anaphylactic shock, divorce Moderate warnings for eye trauma, sleep paralysis, self injury, blackmail, missing loved one Minor warnings for loss of a loved one, bomb, menstruation, theft Use of the ableist s-slur. It is my understanding there is a different culture around this word in the US? But I don't know why it was not edited out in the UK/Commonwealth copy.booksthatburn's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WHITE SMOKE features Mari, newly moved to small-town Ohio, trying to convince her family that she won't make the same mistakes as before. But the house is creepy, her stepsister is bratty and creepy, and weed is the only thing that might let her stop obsessing that every tiny speck is a bedbug here to ruin everything.
Mari has anxiety and a fixation on bedbugs because of a prior incident. Throughout the story she has panic attacks and ideation about bedbugs, including but not limited to obsessing over whether she's seen them, and trying to cope with the idea of them by thinking about bedbug facts. These serve to both instruct the reader about the pests, if they're not currently aware, and to show what and how much Mari thinks about them. She's also dealing with constant cravings for weed, because it's the only thing that helps her (obviously very severe) anxiety. Half the town's Black folks were locked up years ago for anti-drug laws that aren't laws anymore, which means that even though she might be able to get some, attempting it has higher stakes than it did when she lived in California before.
Mari has a pretty good relationship with her brother, but a very tumultuous one with her stepsister, Piper. She sees everything Piper does as negative and manipulative, even though Piper's behaving well within the bounds of someone would act who is a stressed-out ten-year-old kid in a new place with no friends and a new stepsister who seems to hate her.
One of the most basic questions in any horror story as things slowly get worse is "why don't they leave". The reasons here are relatable, basic, and immediately understandable. The first one is the house they just moved into is part of an agreement for Mari's mother to work on a project there for three years. The house is free... unless they leave early. That alone is enough to justify a hell of a lot, and then other reasons abound from there. The worldbuilding is excellent, truly magnificent. It's the foundation for a late-book reveal which had me in awe, all while being completely consistent with several possible explanations for what's happening, right up until the actual answer is made clear.
The audiobook narrator is excellent, they were a phenomenal part of my experience of the book. Their various voices fit the characters and really brought them to life in way that suited them and the story as a whole.
I have no notes, no quibbles, no qualms. Just a damn good book which any fans of horror/thrillers should read ASAP.
Mari has anxiety and a fixation on bedbugs because of a prior incident. Throughout the story she has panic attacks and ideation about bedbugs, including but not limited to obsessing over whether she's seen them, and trying to cope with the idea of them by thinking about bedbug facts. These serve to both instruct the reader about the pests, if they're not currently aware, and to show what and how much Mari thinks about them. She's also dealing with constant cravings for weed, because it's the only thing that helps her (obviously very severe) anxiety. Half the town's Black folks were locked up years ago for anti-drug laws that aren't laws anymore, which means that even though she might be able to get some, attempting it has higher stakes than it did when she lived in California before.
Mari has a pretty good relationship with her brother, but a very tumultuous one with her stepsister, Piper. She sees everything Piper does as negative and manipulative, even though Piper's behaving well within the bounds of someone would act who is a stressed-out ten-year-old kid in a new place with no friends and a new stepsister who seems to hate her.
One of the most basic questions in any horror story as things slowly get worse is "why don't they leave". The reasons here are relatable, basic, and immediately understandable. The first one is the house they just moved into is part of an agreement for Mari's mother to work on a project there for three years. The house is free... unless they leave early. That alone is enough to justify a hell of a lot, and then other reasons abound from there. The worldbuilding is excellent, truly magnificent. It's the foundation for a late-book reveal which had me in awe, all while being completely consistent with several possible explanations for what's happening, right up until the actual answer is made clear.
The audiobook narrator is excellent, they were a phenomenal part of my experience of the book. Their various voices fit the characters and really brought them to life in way that suited them and the story as a whole.
I have no notes, no quibbles, no qualms. Just a damn good book which any fans of horror/thrillers should read ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Excrement, Death, and Confinement
emably's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
The pacing was slow at first, but manageable. Once it really started to pick up, it ended abruptly with little resolution. Lots of small pieces of the plot felt like they were given a lot of importance only to never be elaborated on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Confinement, Addiction, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Drug abuse
jackelz's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was creepy AF. That’s it. That’s my review.
Tiffany D. Jackson is an auto-buy author for me. What I love most about her books is that she brings up some seriously heavy topics but doesn’t do the thinking for you.
In White Smoke, Jackson brings up how marijuana laws, mass incarceration, and gentrification disproportionally affect people of color. These laws have sent a majority of the town’s population to jail. None of these issues are fully addressed, because BIPOC are exhausted, and that’s not the plot of the story. Jackson just plants ideas in your head and inspires you to do the work.
I loved Mari’s character development. She had a lot of shit to figure out, and the creepy new house didn’t help matters. Sammy was the best little brother. And I loved the platonic friendship between Yusef and Mari.
Also, can we talk about Piper for a sec? She was the absolute worst. I know this was done intentionally, but I just can’t get over how much I disliked her as a character. She was a snobby, little (white) brat and she got away with everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse and Kidnapping
Additional content warnings: extreme phobia/delusional parasitosis (bed bugs), accidental overdose, sleep paralysis, gentrification, predatory prison systems, child endangerment, anaphylactic shock, attempted murdercaseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
- I've seen a lot of reviews call WHITE SMOKE the YA version of WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING, and I do think that's mostly accurate, but it's also more than that. For one, it was way more creepy and terrifying!
- I loved that Mari wasn't a picture-perfect protagonist (you know I love prickly women and girls), but also that at the same time she was kind of just misunderstood by the adults in her life.
- I don't want to spoil anything, but the way Jackson incorporated real life injustices into the plot was masterful. I hope it gets young kids to read more about it and get involved in righting those wrongs.
- I loved that Mari wasn't a picture-perfect protagonist (you know I love prickly women and girls), but also that at the same time she was kind of just misunderstood by the adults in her life.
- I don't want to spoil anything, but the way Jackson incorporated real life injustices into the plot was masterful. I hope it gets young kids to read more about it and get involved in righting those wrongs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pedophilia
rorikae's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
'White Smoke' by Tiffany D. Jackson is an eerie haunted house story that delves into the mental health of its main character.
Marigold is dragged along to the Midwest after her mother receives a writing fellowship. Still dealing with the fall out from a traumatic experience last year, she is dealing with the ghosts of her past and the frustrations that come along with having to deal with her stepsister. But then eerie things start happening in their house. On top of her increasing panic attacks, Marigold starts to suspect that something else is going on in their neighborhood and she has to balance wanting to be heard while not giving her family ammunition to question her mental health.
Jackson creates a haunting story that deals with mental health, the broken past of a neighborhood, and the struggles of being a teenager trying to stitch your life back together. Marigold is a deeply flawed but also deeply relatable character that it is easy to root for. Jackson perfectly writes the annoying stepsister, whose presence and actions add another layer to the eeriness of the story. We get hints of what is going on with each encounter that Marigold has and it slowly and deftly builds the tension. There were many moments in this story that freaked me out and I think it is a great October read. I will add that it has very visceral descriptions of panic attacks that are hard to experience but add a lot to how the reader understands Marigold.
I don't know how to feel about the ending. It happened very quickly and I do think there are some pieces that weren't wrapped up. There is one character present throughout the novel that I thought was going to have a larger part to play though his presence did a lot to heighten the off feeling of the world. Even with this hiccup, I still think this is a great read, especially for the fall season, and I recommend the audiobook.
Marigold is dragged along to the Midwest after her mother receives a writing fellowship. Still dealing with the fall out from a traumatic experience last year, she is dealing with the ghosts of her past and the frustrations that come along with having to deal with her stepsister. But then eerie things start happening in their house. On top of her increasing panic attacks, Marigold starts to suspect that something else is going on in their neighborhood and she has to balance wanting to be heard while not giving her family ammunition to question her mental health.
Jackson creates a haunting story that deals with mental health, the broken past of a neighborhood, and the struggles of being a teenager trying to stitch your life back together. Marigold is a deeply flawed but also deeply relatable character that it is easy to root for. Jackson perfectly writes the annoying stepsister, whose presence and actions add another layer to the eeriness of the story. We get hints of what is going on with each encounter that Marigold has and it slowly and deftly builds the tension. There were many moments in this story that freaked me out and I think it is a great October read. I will add that it has very visceral descriptions of panic attacks that are hard to experience but add a lot to how the reader understands Marigold.
I don't know how to feel about the ending. It happened very quickly and I do think there are some pieces that weren't wrapped up. There is one character present throughout the novel that I thought was going to have a larger part to play though his presence did a lot to heighten the off feeling of the world. Even with this hiccup, I still think this is a great read, especially for the fall season, and I recommend the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, and Racism
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