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fkshg8465's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
*********kind of spoiler *********
Upgrading to a four after some thought. It's a good allegory for racism in the US. Would be a good book to teach in high school, if I had it my way ;-)
Felt like I was reading a version of the Korean movie Parasite. But it was a lot less creepy.
Upgrading to a four after some thought. It's a good allegory for racism in the US. Would be a good book to teach in high school, if I had it my way ;-)
Felt like I was reading a version of the Korean movie Parasite. But it was a lot less creepy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
ashleytalksbooks's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.75
I’ve had this book for over a year but finally started and finished it in one day after The Weight of blood. I’m officially a Tiffany D. Jackson Stan and am going to read all her other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, and Racism
stephanielee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Teen Mari moves with her mother, stepfather and 10 year old stepsister from California to the midwest. Immediately Mari feels like something is off about the house and neighborhood they are in and then she also has to deal with her stepsister Piper being bratty while trying to fit in. We don't know at first what happened to Mari in California, but it is alluded to that she did something bad. We eventually find out what happened to Mari and it is important in understanding why she acts and feels the way she does. When Piper starts talking to a "friend" who doesn't like Mari and wants her gone, Mari starts trying to find out what is wrong with their house. With the help of a friend she makes, they dig into the history of the town and the house and find more than they ever expected to uncover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
chris_reads's review
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Drug use
Minor: Classism, Stalking, Racism, and Self harm
achay91's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Toxic relationship
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was so underwhelmed by this book. The spooky aspect was ruined by the plot twist and the horror elements felt almost cartoonish. The characters were two-dimensional, the writing was lazy and the plot was weak.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
thescenery's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
A book that is marketed as "The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out" had everything to be a disappointment. Like, nothing could be that good, right?
Except this book was right about the marketing, and it was, indeed, very good. I only now came to realise I read from Tiffany D. Jackson before, and I liked this format and genre way better. Her writing here is good, it glowed under the horror genre and the scary atmosphere (I got chills!), it just fit really perfectly with the story and the characters, and I even if I usually have a hard time following teenagers, Marigold captivated me and I was rooting for her all the way through.
Her brother and little Piper were also good, and I loved reading about them and their relationship with Marigold. However, her relationship with her mother and stepfather made me angry in a way I couldn't get past, and that's why I coulnd't give it 5 stars (sorry I'm rancorous)
Except this book was right about the marketing, and it was, indeed, very good. I only now came to realise I read from Tiffany D. Jackson before, and I liked this format and genre way better. Her writing here is good, it glowed under the horror genre and the scary atmosphere (I got chills!), it just fit really perfectly with the story and the characters, and I even if I usually have a hard time following teenagers, Marigold captivated me and I was rooting for her all the way through.
Her brother and little Piper were also good, and I loved reading about them and their relationship with Marigold. However, her relationship with her mother and stepfather made me angry in a way I couldn't get past, and that's why I coulnd't give it 5 stars (sorry I'm rancorous)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Drug use
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.0
This book is like, the definition of fine? It wasn’t bad, but I also didn’t love it. The premise was interesting and I do generally enjoy YA horror, so I did really like how creepy it was from the onset and the escalation of all of the scary and unnerving things to outright danger.
I listened to the first 60% in audiobook and finished the rest in hardcopy which I definitely preferred, which meant I could skim a bit when the pacing was kind of weird, which it frequently was. The ending was so abrupt that if I hadn’t read reviews saying “what just happened??” I honestly would have thought I was missing a page in my copy.
While Marigold was a very compelling protagonist and I was rooting for her (and her brother Sammy, who I adored!) I felt like the subject matter of the book, such as her struggles with addiction and substance use, did not match how juvenile the narration felt. I’m not sure if that was in part due to the audio narrator that I didn’t love, but some editorial choices just didn’t really match up for me.
All in all, not a bad way to spend a few days in October when you’re in the mood for something creepy, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read.
I listened to the first 60% in audiobook and finished the rest in hardcopy which I definitely preferred, which meant I could skim a bit when the pacing was kind of weird, which it frequently was. The ending was so abrupt that if I hadn’t read reviews saying “what just happened??” I honestly would have thought I was missing a page in my copy.
While Marigold was a very compelling protagonist and I was rooting for her (and her brother Sammy, who I adored!) I felt like the subject matter of the book, such as her struggles with addiction and substance use, did not match how juvenile the narration felt. I’m not sure if that was in part due to the audio narrator that I didn’t love, but some editorial choices just didn’t really match up for me.
All in all, not a bad way to spend a few days in October when you’re in the mood for something creepy, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Addiction, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
Pedophelia mention (past false accusations)onemamareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Read my review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/white-smoke
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Murder