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A review by katsbooks
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
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? It's complicated
5.0
"Anxiety is a real thing. I wouldn't be this way for shits and giggles."
"...you can't grow where you're not wanted."
"Why would you hurt yourself because of a... mistake?"
"Change is good. Change is not always necessary. But the right change is most definitely needed."
This was a great horror novel. Take that with a grain of salt, I suppose, since I don't often read this genre. However, I really enjoyed my time reading it. It gave me the creepy crawlies. At one point, I was in a room by myself reading and got so creeped out that I had to walk into the living room and sit with my partner to not completely freak myself out. So the atmosphere was definitely a 10/10. I would give a trigger warning for bug phobia -- every chapter mentions bed bugs so if that's not a thing you can handle, this might not be the book for you. However, this was one of the reasons that I got the creepy crawlies. I also lived the underlying narrative of gentrification. It feels naturally insidious which led itself well to a horror novel. My only major critique is that the ending felt too abrupt. I genuinely thought my book might have been missing pages. There was almost no closure after the climax of the novel.
"...you can't grow where you're not wanted."
"Why would you hurt yourself because of a... mistake?"
"Change is good. Change is not always necessary. But the right change is most definitely needed."
This was a great horror novel. Take that with a grain of salt, I suppose, since I don't often read this genre. However, I really enjoyed my time reading it. It gave me the creepy crawlies. At one point, I was in a room by myself reading and got so creeped out that I had to walk into the living room and sit with my partner to not completely freak myself out. So the atmosphere was definitely a 10/10. I would give a trigger warning for bug phobia -- every chapter mentions bed bugs so if that's not a thing you can handle, this might not be the book for you. However, this was one of the reasons that I got the creepy crawlies. I also lived the underlying narrative of gentrification. It feels naturally insidious which led itself well to a horror novel. My only major critique is that the ending felt too abrupt. I genuinely thought my book might have been missing pages. There was almost no closure after the climax of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder