Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

White smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

21 reviews

beeeenerys's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

Get Out meets The Boy

Really enjoyed this one, I was so invested in the audio i ended up working on auto-pilot through my shifts so i could pay attention, Marcella Cox did an amazing job as the narrator.

Mari's anxiety spirals felt very realistic, as well as her issues with Piper, Mari felt and acted like her age. It's also nice to read a YA that didn't feature any romance (I feel like it happens all the time in YA of any genre especially with an FMC). the time was instead spent working resolving Mari's issues and exploring the environment. 

This was a great read and I'll be keeping my eye out for a physical copy to add to my haunted house collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, and Drug abuse

pagelikebooks's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death and Kidnapping

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

sarafinley's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Blood, Body horror, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Violence

greywolfheir's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Hate crime, Racism, Cursing, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Classism, Kidnapping, and Medical content

Minor: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying

maregred's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, and Death

caughtbetweenpages's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.25

Not my favorite Tiffany D Jackson book, but still really, really good! Setting Marigold up as an unreliable narrator was an excellent decision in terms of adding to the sense of dread throughout the novel, not only because you couldn't tell whether the horror elements/the supernatural was in her head or real until closer to the end of the story. The looming, constant presence of a darkness both internal and external kept the suspense up throughout, and made me genuinely worried for this child who is regularly ignored or disbelieved by the adults in her life. I wish that some of the interpersonal character relationships were treated differently; I don't think this story needed a romance element, and that in fact it detracted from page space that could better have been spent developing Mari's familial bonds with her siblings (esp. with Piper; I feel like we should've known more about that from the jump), and that the complicated and sometimes shitty way Mari treats all her friends would've been betrayal enough in Yousef's eyes without adding in the element of "he has a crush on her and feels used and betrayed". The twist of the

rich white folks planning to take over the town, push out the Black population, and use the citizens themselves to burn down a neighborhood to make the takeover easier

felt incredibly real, and I loved the ending note of the story was one of taking action against it. This story was about Mari surviving. What comes after is a different story, one that may be even more fraught. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Racism and Classism

turtleycool's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Why is it called “White Smoke“? Abrupt ending, an emotionally unintelligent protagonist, unsatisfactory resolution. Can be a thrilling read though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Body horror, Bullying, Racism, and Mental illness

lovealwaysadi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Drug use, Gore, Addiction, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Classism

Moderate: Hate crime, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Confinement, Alcohol, Excrement, Racism, and Grief

hollyk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

4.0

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???????

The ending felt a little messy and several threads were not tied up or even given a hint at what could potentially happen.

Really good though, creepy, and horror-filled. This book also tackles addiction, so be warned if that is a trigger for you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry