A review by abitbetterbooks
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

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. 
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