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catsandbookstacks's review against another edition
4.0
Do you have a fear of bed bugs? If the answer is yes, skip this book.
White Smoke is a YA haunted house horror with a lens focused on addiction, gentrification, blended families and the criminalization of marijuana.
I love a haunted house story, asking yourself whether it's paranormal, just in your head or some other explanation. The author blends social commentary into the horror, which is what I typically expect within the genre these days. I'm upset at myself for sleeping on Tiffany D. Jackson until now and look forward to reading more!
Jackson set the ominous scene of Cedarville and Maple Street through the dilapidated neighbourhood, construction workers leaving the site as soon as 5pm hits and odd things happening around the house.
The steady build of peculiar occurrences are balanced by Marcella Cox's vivid narration. I felt anxiety each time Marigold spiraled over her fear of bed bugs. I admit, I checked my bed halfway through this book.
Marigold struggles to find her footing within her family and in a new town. The relationship she has with her brother is heartwarming, though she holds a lot of guilt over him finding her overdosing. Stepsister Piper is just as annoying as you'd expect a ten year old to be from the eyes of an older sibling.
The ending was somewhat abrupt and I could have used an epilogue to provide a little more closure for the characters and town. Perhaps a sequel?
White Smoke is a YA haunted house horror with a lens focused on addiction, gentrification, blended families and the criminalization of marijuana.
I love a haunted house story, asking yourself whether it's paranormal, just in your head or some other explanation. The author blends social commentary into the horror, which is what I typically expect within the genre these days. I'm upset at myself for sleeping on Tiffany D. Jackson until now and look forward to reading more!
Jackson set the ominous scene of Cedarville and Maple Street through the dilapidated neighbourhood, construction workers leaving the site as soon as 5pm hits and odd things happening around the house.
The steady build of peculiar occurrences are balanced by Marcella Cox's vivid narration. I felt anxiety each time Marigold spiraled over her fear of bed bugs. I admit, I checked my bed halfway through this book.
Marigold struggles to find her footing within her family and in a new town. The relationship she has with her brother is heartwarming, though she holds a lot of guilt over him finding her overdosing. Stepsister Piper is just as annoying as you'd expect a ten year old to be from the eyes of an older sibling.
The ending was somewhat abrupt and I could have used an epilogue to provide a little more closure for the characters and town. Perhaps a sequel?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug use, Racism, and Addiction
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Child death, Death, and Police brutality
Minor: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury
newkgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A fast paced YA thriller with twists and turns at every corner.
A trigger warning for anyone that hated bedbugs. They are mentioned several times in the book.
Marigold is running from ghosts and not just the ones from her past but real ones that are causing chaos for her and her family in their new home in the strange town of Cedarville.
A classic haunted house story with a modern take and a rather dark twist, I loved this story and found myself drawn in right from the get go.
I loved the author’s portrayal on anxiety and how it can manifest in different ways (in Marigold’s case this was her fear of bed bugs) and more importantly that POC can experience mental health issues as well and that they shouldn’t be treated as a taboo subject.
Jackson’s portrayal of a blended family and issues of race where confronted head on and not shied around as well as the sub-plot about gentrification and the wiping out of black communities.
A five star read for me. That said, I would have like some additional background on the key players that were responsible for all that was going on in Cedarville as it was only mildly touched on and the ending left little to no resolution in regards to what happens to said key players.
A trigger warning for anyone that hated bedbugs. They are mentioned several times in the book.
Marigold is running from ghosts and not just the ones from her past but real ones that are causing chaos for her and her family in their new home in the strange town of Cedarville.
A classic haunted house story with a modern take and a rather dark twist, I loved this story and found myself drawn in right from the get go.
I loved the author’s portrayal on anxiety and how it can manifest in different ways (in Marigold’s case this was her fear of bed bugs) and more importantly that POC can experience mental health issues as well and that they shouldn’t be treated as a taboo subject.
Jackson’s portrayal of a blended family and issues of race where confronted head on and not shied around as well as the sub-plot about gentrification and the wiping out of black communities.
A five star read for me. That said, I would have like some additional background on the key players that were responsible for all that was going on in Cedarville as it was only mildly touched on and the ending left little to no resolution in regards to what happens to said key players.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, and Drug use
madyou's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Cursing, and Mental illness
Moderate: Kidnapping and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
kaitlinlovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Racism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture
The narrator lives with intense anxiety, particularly surrounding her family's experience with bedbugs. The author does an excellent job of portraying the all-consuming nature of intense anxiety spirals, including panic attacks.peachani's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My biggest gripe is the ending. I would have liked to see what happened directly after the events of the last chapter, when The Foundation is finally exposed . Maybe the author left it ambiguous because in real life, those with money, power and privilege usually win.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Pedophilia
solenekeleroux's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Gaslighting, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism
Moderate: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Confinement, and Body horror
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
“Yusef, ‘I have anxiety’ is a full and complete statement. I don’t have to explain the what and why to you!”
➽ White Smoke was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it really gripped me! The story follows Marigold, a young black girl who moves into a new house with her annoying younger stepsister, her stepfather and mother. Right from the get-go, something is strange about the house and Marigold begins to fear something might be haunting them. It doesn't help that their new town has a ton of secrets and Marigold herself struggles with her past. She has a phobia of bedbugs because of a past incident and also gets anxiety and panic attacks. I liked how her mental health was discussed, though if bedbugs gross you out, I'd definitely skip this, as Marigold has a lot of intrusive thoughts connected to them. I liked how the whole 'haunting' storyline was resolved and I felt for Marigold, as it's easy to brush her off as 'hysterical' with her history, yet she knows something is off!
➽ White Smoke was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it really gripped me! The story follows Marigold, a young black girl who moves into a new house with her annoying younger stepsister, her stepfather and mother. Right from the get-go, something is strange about the house and Marigold begins to fear something might be haunting them. It doesn't help that their new town has a ton of secrets and Marigold herself struggles with her past. She has a phobia of bedbugs because of a past incident and also gets anxiety and panic attacks. I liked how her mental health was discussed, though if bedbugs gross you out, I'd definitely skip this, as Marigold has a lot of intrusive thoughts connected to them. I liked how the whole 'haunting' storyline was resolved and I felt for Marigold, as it's easy to brush her off as 'hysterical' with her history, yet she knows something is off!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Racism
Minor: Murder and Death
kshertz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
This was a 5 until the ending! It’s a great book that I couldn’t put down. It was mysterious. You can’t tell if the house is haunted or it’s just in the unreliable narrators mind. There’s a corrupt corporation to take into account too. Also a family that doesn’t totally trust each other. Its fantastic and then it just…ends! There’s no resolution. Which is true of life but not how I wanted the book to conclude! So that bums me out but I still highly recommend this book ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Abandonment, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
pamshenanigans's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
White Smoke is one of those books where the blurb/promo was pretty accurate! In this case, it was “The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out”. That’s literally how I would describe it as well, but more of on the “Get Out” side.
Tiffany Jackson’s writing is just as riveting and exhilarating as her other book, Grown. Granted that that was the only previous work of hers that I’ve read, I just have this feeling that Tiffany’s writing is pretty consistent. I was super creeped out, especially at the beginning of the story up until before the reveal was made. It was just so eerie and mysterious that I found it very hard to stop reading.
I think my most favorite thing about White Smoke is the audiobook! It really added to the creep factor of the book because the narrator did such a fantastic job narrating! Even as simple as the word “CREAAAAAAK” it was read so creepily that I felt extra anxious reading the upcoming scenes.
White Smoke is more than just a thrilling horror book though as it dives into social themes and issues like poverty, racism, flawed justice system, unjust criminalization of Black folk, and gentrification.
The only thing keeping me from giving this a perfect rating is the ending. It had an open-ended conclusion that didn’t really have any resolution (i.e. getting justice for the people oppressed, taking down the culprits). Given that, I’d still recommend this to people looking for something creepy and mysterious to read!
Tiffany Jackson’s writing is just as riveting and exhilarating as her other book, Grown. Granted that that was the only previous work of hers that I’ve read, I just have this feeling that Tiffany’s writing is pretty consistent. I was super creeped out, especially at the beginning of the story up until before the reveal was made. It was just so eerie and mysterious that I found it very hard to stop reading.
I think my most favorite thing about White Smoke is the audiobook! It really added to the creep factor of the book because the narrator did such a fantastic job narrating! Even as simple as the word “CREAAAAAAK” it was read so creepily that I felt extra anxious reading the upcoming scenes.
White Smoke is more than just a thrilling horror book though as it dives into social themes and issues like poverty, racism, flawed justice system, unjust criminalization of Black folk, and gentrification.
The only thing keeping me from giving this a perfect rating is the ending. It had an open-ended conclusion that didn’t really have any resolution (i.e. getting justice for the people oppressed, taking down the culprits). Given that, I’d still recommend this to people looking for something creepy and mysterious to read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence