Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

26 reviews

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.5

The Details:
Narrated by full cast
Unabridged 

A Carrie retelling, with a podcast narration style, focusing on racial identity and segregation. 

It was a nice suprise to have the podcast style as I wasn't expecting that and I've been enjoying the use of this tool or podcasts being a theme in my reads this year (e.g. Sadie).

Reminded me also of Anna dressed in blood as well as Carrie.

This was such a moving and distraught story of a young girl forced to suppress her nature (in multiple ways) under the cruelty of her father and the racist, segregated town she lives in. It felt so dated in the way the views of the white people held on the Black community and demonised them and the themes about equality in this day and age was painful and poignant.

Just when you hope Maddy can catch a break, all hell breaks lose at an awful happening of police brutality and that's when the Carrie retelling really shines. 

This was a fantastic character study and discussion of deep rooted hatred of the 'other' with well done supernatural elements.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Religious bigotry, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

dragonwriter's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

In this "Carrie" retelling, Maddy Williams is a white-presenting half-black girl in her senior year of high school. Initially kept at home to hide her from the world, Maddy was finally allowed to go to public school when she was twelve under the condition that no one ever discover her biracial heritage. Her white father wanted her to be white, so he kept her hair straight and her out of the sun so her skin wouldn't tan. This over-protectiveness made Maddy reclusive at school--a situation not helped by a water balloon attack from her classmates, triggered by her apparent fear of water. The abuse continues into her senior year, when a rainstorm during gym reveals her dark secret, turning her straight hair into an afro. Things only get worse when her classmates begin to throw pencils into her hair, laughing when it sticks--and then someone shares a video of the bullying to social media. The video begins to circulate, casting a damning light on the small town, a town that still has segregated proms. In an attempt to recover their good reputation, white student, Wendy, suggests to combine the two proms, but that only seems to add flame to the fire. Infuriated that their traditions are being called into question, white students begin to target the girl that "started" the problems: Maddy Williams, and Maddy and Wendy both watch as the small towns' "traditions" tear their world apart.

There was a LOT going on in this book. Poor Maddy was getting racism from all sides! She was too black for her father, her black classmates were accusing her of capitalizing on her light-skin priviledge, and her white classmates said she deserved all of their bullying for lying to them--ignoring the fact that they had bullied her even when they thought she was white. The true ray of sunshine came in the form of Kendrick, the high school football star, though he only asked Maddy to the prom initially because Wendy wanted to save face to the press. and she told him to. Seeing Kendrick grow from being the "black best friend" whose silence justified the way his white friends talked about and treated Maddy (and other black kids in the school) to standing up for his people was brilliant to see, especially knowing how his own father taught him to ignore the various micro-aggressions he faced every day in order to advance in the world. I was really stressed in the back half of the book as Prom approached--and I think I would have cried if it hadn't been for the prologue. Definitely recommend!

TW: Bullying, racism, gore, mass murder, misogyny, parental abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, Gore, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Abortion

taytayfondue's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I feel like I almost liked this book but it was missing something. The writing was fine but a bit lacking sometimes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse

augustinedreams's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

5.0

I highly recommend reading this book. It is a fantastic take on the classic Carrie but with a modern day twist that comments on modern racism. Take your time with this book it has so much to give and all of it is brutally honest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Hate crime

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Cursing, and Alcohol

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Racism, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual content, and Vomit

caseymac's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Blood, Racism, Death, Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Gore, Vomit, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

Moderate: Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

This was a fantastic book that delves into social horror. This is really about what fear can do to people who feel like things are getting out of their control. We follow Maddie, a young girl who passes as white and is suddenly found out to be Black. This starts a series of events that start with Maddie finding out she has the power to move things with her mind and end with a tragic prom night to top it all, many years later, a true crime podcast that's trying to find out what "really happened" that night. 

The supernatural aspect of this book was done so well, it doesn't overpower our main character and also gives us a lot of intrigue as to what really is happening with her powers. This has been described as a Carrie retelling and I feel like it keeps the spirit of Carrie while Jackson gives it her own twists and style. 

I listened to the audiobook, which was awesome because it has a whole production with almost a full cast, and really helped immerse me in the story. 

This is a very difficult book to read because there is a lot of outright racism, bigotry, mysoginy, etc etc. Do take care when reading, check for all content warnings! 

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys horror that focuses more on the horror that humans are capable of and also if you want characters who are multidimensional and who go beyond what you expect from them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Body horror, Bullying, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Violence

cjdbooks1's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Death, Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Murder, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Racism, and Hate crime

browniebby's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Police brutality, Death of parent, Violence, Cursing, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Death

yellow_ylugbug's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gore, Child death, Bullying, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship