Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

White smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

4 reviews

torihbu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

this was an action-packed thrill from start to finish. there were multiple plots going on at once (some more developed than others), but between all of it, i never got confused. i thought the gentrification subplot was a bit under-developed—there's only so much you can fit in 350ish words. but the main character's PTS/anxiety subplot and the main "haunting" of the book were extremely well-written, well-paced, and compelling. everything totals up to present the horrors of reality. just when you think you know what's going to happen next, you'll be surprised by this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Bullying, Grief, Cursing, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Hate crime

bseigel's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Pedophilia

gem114's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s, NetGalley, and author Tiffany D. Jackson for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

White Smoke is a young adult horror novel that touches on gentrification, blended families, drug use/abuse, mental health, and the criminal justice system. 

Marigold’s mother thinks it’s a blessing when she lands a writing fellowship that will give their family the fresh start it needs. When they get to their new home in the midwestern city of Cedarville, Mari starts to think their blessing is more of a curse. Marigold already suffers from acute anxiety, but she really thinks she’s losing her mind when things start going missing, doors open and close on their own, and strange smells fill the house.

Honestly, the horror aspect of this novel genuinely freaked me out. With that said, I had a hard time relating to Mari and felt frustrated that it didn’t seem like she was getting the help she needed to handle her mental health challenges.  In the novel, Mari smokes weed to help combat her anxiety, and her reliance on it definitely makes it more of an addiction. Unfortunately, the writing simply seemed repetitive rather than garnering sympathy or understanding about why a person may turn to drugs for escape.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite of Jackson’s novels, but it was still an enjoyable read that has valuable messages about systemic issues of gentrification and incarceration. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Mental illness

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, and Kidnapping

cbbyles07's review against another edition

dark informative 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Blood, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt