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catsandbookstacks's review against another edition
4.0
Do you have a fear of bed bugs? If the answer is yes, skip this book.
White Smoke is a YA haunted house horror with a lens focused on addiction, gentrification, blended families and the criminalization of marijuana.
I love a haunted house story, asking yourself whether it's paranormal, just in your head or some other explanation. The author blends social commentary into the horror, which is what I typically expect within the genre these days. I'm upset at myself for sleeping on Tiffany D. Jackson until now and look forward to reading more!
Jackson set the ominous scene of Cedarville and Maple Street through the dilapidated neighbourhood, construction workers leaving the site as soon as 5pm hits and odd things happening around the house.
The steady build of peculiar occurrences are balanced by Marcella Cox's vivid narration. I felt anxiety each time Marigold spiraled over her fear of bed bugs. I admit, I checked my bed halfway through this book.
Marigold struggles to find her footing within her family and in a new town. The relationship she has with her brother is heartwarming, though she holds a lot of guilt over him finding her overdosing. Stepsister Piper is just as annoying as you'd expect a ten year old to be from the eyes of an older sibling.
The ending was somewhat abrupt and I could have used an epilogue to provide a little more closure for the characters and town. Perhaps a sequel?
White Smoke is a YA haunted house horror with a lens focused on addiction, gentrification, blended families and the criminalization of marijuana.
I love a haunted house story, asking yourself whether it's paranormal, just in your head or some other explanation. The author blends social commentary into the horror, which is what I typically expect within the genre these days. I'm upset at myself for sleeping on Tiffany D. Jackson until now and look forward to reading more!
Jackson set the ominous scene of Cedarville and Maple Street through the dilapidated neighbourhood, construction workers leaving the site as soon as 5pm hits and odd things happening around the house.
The steady build of peculiar occurrences are balanced by Marcella Cox's vivid narration. I felt anxiety each time Marigold spiraled over her fear of bed bugs. I admit, I checked my bed halfway through this book.
Marigold struggles to find her footing within her family and in a new town. The relationship she has with her brother is heartwarming, though she holds a lot of guilt over him finding her overdosing. Stepsister Piper is just as annoying as you'd expect a ten year old to be from the eyes of an older sibling.
The ending was somewhat abrupt and I could have used an epilogue to provide a little more closure for the characters and town. Perhaps a sequel?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Death, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Minor: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury
peachmoni's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My biggest gripe is the ending. I would have liked to see what happened directly after the events of the last chapter, when The Foundation is finally exposed . Maybe the author left it ambiguous because in real life, those with money, power and privilege usually win.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Medical content
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
“Yusef, ‘I have anxiety’ is a full and complete statement. I don’t have to explain the what and why to you!”
➽ White Smoke was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it really gripped me! The story follows Marigold, a young black girl who moves into a new house with her annoying younger stepsister, her stepfather and mother. Right from the get-go, something is strange about the house and Marigold begins to fear something might be haunting them. It doesn't help that their new town has a ton of secrets and Marigold herself struggles with her past. She has a phobia of bedbugs because of a past incident and also gets anxiety and panic attacks. I liked how her mental health was discussed, though if bedbugs gross you out, I'd definitely skip this, as Marigold has a lot of intrusive thoughts connected to them. I liked how the whole 'haunting' storyline was resolved and I felt for Marigold, as it's easy to brush her off as 'hysterical' with her history, yet she knows something is off!
➽ White Smoke was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it really gripped me! The story follows Marigold, a young black girl who moves into a new house with her annoying younger stepsister, her stepfather and mother. Right from the get-go, something is strange about the house and Marigold begins to fear something might be haunting them. It doesn't help that their new town has a ton of secrets and Marigold herself struggles with her past. She has a phobia of bedbugs because of a past incident and also gets anxiety and panic attacks. I liked how her mental health was discussed, though if bedbugs gross you out, I'd definitely skip this, as Marigold has a lot of intrusive thoughts connected to them. I liked how the whole 'haunting' storyline was resolved and I felt for Marigold, as it's easy to brush her off as 'hysterical' with her history, yet she knows something is off!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Police brutality
Minor: Death and Murder
madisone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
Tiffany D. Jackson can never fail. The writing is this book was fast paced and descriptive. The spooky atmosphere and the mystery aspect blended in perfectly with a narrative about forgiving past mistakes and family love. I loved Sammy and Buddy entirely, and I still can’t make myself like Alec and Piper very much no matter how hard I try. This was a great October book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault
danaslitlist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Never in my life have I wanted to kick a child more than I wanted to kick Piper.
This is my second book by Tiffany D Jackson after reading The Weight of Blood and I think that did this one a disservice. Because I absolutely loved TWoB so much it was going to be hard for any book by her to be as good. It’s not that White Smoke isn’t entertaining, it’s just that TWoB was so great this one pales a bit in comparison.
However! I highly recommend this one as well. This is the tension and gaslighting of Rebecca meets the eeriness and unsettling atmosphere of Get Out. There were plenty of moments that had the hairs standing up on the back of neck and me shaking my head saying “nope nope nope”, in the best way. Marigold is unreliable, unlikable character (for the first half) who gets you on her side due to the behavior of the majority of her family. I think this works really well to allow the reader to feel isolated and trapped within the events just like Mari.
I think the ending was a bit sudden and wish there was more of a dedicated conclusion but for those who don’t mind that type of conclusion there won’t be a problem.
This is my second book by Tiffany D Jackson after reading The Weight of Blood and I think that did this one a disservice. Because I absolutely loved TWoB so much it was going to be hard for any book by her to be as good. It’s not that White Smoke isn’t entertaining, it’s just that TWoB was so great this one pales a bit in comparison.
However! I highly recommend this one as well. This is the tension and gaslighting of Rebecca meets the eeriness and unsettling atmosphere of Get Out. There were plenty of moments that had the hairs standing up on the back of neck and me shaking my head saying “nope nope nope”, in the best way. Marigold is unreliable, unlikable character (for the first half) who gets you on her side due to the behavior of the majority of her family. I think this works really well to allow the reader to feel isolated and trapped within the events just like Mari.
I think the ending was a bit sudden and wish there was more of a dedicated conclusion but for those who don’t mind that type of conclusion there won’t be a problem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Racism
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty and Death
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
Creepy. Upsetting. Real. This book is about a haunted house in a community that has been destroyed by greed, power, classism and racism. My heart was in my throat several times. Great YA horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
emily_mh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I could not put this book down! It was so gripping and fast-paced. Jackson did a superb job at crafting a super tense, atmospheric storyline that was rooted in and explored systemic racism. The MC of the story, Mari, was so dynamic and undergoes really meaningful development. I also liked the focus on sibling relationships. I cannot wait to read more of Jackson’s backlog because this has just solidified to me how much I enjoy her writing.
I docked a half star because at first the plot is a little directionless, and the ending could have done with a bit more resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Graphic warnings for insects, gentrification, imprisonment, anaphylactic shock, divorce Moderate warnings for eye trauma, sleep paralysis, self injury, blackmail, missing loved one Minor warnings for loss of a loved one, bomb, menstruation, theft Use of the ableist s-slur. It is my understanding there is a different culture around this word in the US? But I don't know why it was not edited out in the UK/Commonwealth copy.ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Sexual violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
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
WHITE SMOKE features Mari, newly moved to small-town Ohio, trying to convince her family that she won't make the same mistakes as before. But the house is creepy, her stepsister is bratty and creepy, and weed is the only thing that might let her stop obsessing that every tiny speck is a bedbug here to ruin everything.
Mari has anxiety and a fixation on bedbugs because of a prior incident. Throughout the story she has panic attacks and ideation about bedbugs, including but not limited to obsessing over whether she's seen them, and trying to cope with the idea of them by thinking about bedbug facts. These serve to both instruct the reader about the pests, if they're not currently aware, and to show what and how much Mari thinks about them. She's also dealing with constant cravings for weed, because it's the only thing that helps her (obviously very severe) anxiety. Half the town's Black folks were locked up years ago for anti-drug laws that aren't laws anymore, which means that even though she might be able to get some, attempting it has higher stakes than it did when she lived in California before.
Mari has a pretty good relationship with her brother, but a very tumultuous one with her stepsister, Piper. She sees everything Piper does as negative and manipulative, even though Piper's behaving well within the bounds of someone would act who is a stressed-out ten-year-old kid in a new place with no friends and a new stepsister who seems to hate her.
One of the most basic questions in any horror story as things slowly get worse is "why don't they leave". The reasons here are relatable, basic, and immediately understandable. The first one is the house they just moved into is part of an agreement for Mari's mother to work on a project there for three years. The house is free... unless they leave early. That alone is enough to justify a hell of a lot, and then other reasons abound from there. The worldbuilding is excellent, truly magnificent. It's the foundation for a late-book reveal which had me in awe, all while being completely consistent with several possible explanations for what's happening, right up until the actual answer is made clear.
The audiobook narrator is excellent, they were a phenomenal part of my experience of the book. Their various voices fit the characters and really brought them to life in way that suited them and the story as a whole.
I have no notes, no quibbles, no qualms. Just a damn good book which any fans of horror/thrillers should read ASAP.
Mari has anxiety and a fixation on bedbugs because of a prior incident. Throughout the story she has panic attacks and ideation about bedbugs, including but not limited to obsessing over whether she's seen them, and trying to cope with the idea of them by thinking about bedbug facts. These serve to both instruct the reader about the pests, if they're not currently aware, and to show what and how much Mari thinks about them. She's also dealing with constant cravings for weed, because it's the only thing that helps her (obviously very severe) anxiety. Half the town's Black folks were locked up years ago for anti-drug laws that aren't laws anymore, which means that even though she might be able to get some, attempting it has higher stakes than it did when she lived in California before.
Mari has a pretty good relationship with her brother, but a very tumultuous one with her stepsister, Piper. She sees everything Piper does as negative and manipulative, even though Piper's behaving well within the bounds of someone would act who is a stressed-out ten-year-old kid in a new place with no friends and a new stepsister who seems to hate her.
One of the most basic questions in any horror story as things slowly get worse is "why don't they leave". The reasons here are relatable, basic, and immediately understandable. The first one is the house they just moved into is part of an agreement for Mari's mother to work on a project there for three years. The house is free... unless they leave early. That alone is enough to justify a hell of a lot, and then other reasons abound from there. The worldbuilding is excellent, truly magnificent. It's the foundation for a late-book reveal which had me in awe, all while being completely consistent with several possible explanations for what's happening, right up until the actual answer is made clear.
The audiobook narrator is excellent, they were a phenomenal part of my experience of the book. Their various voices fit the characters and really brought them to life in way that suited them and the story as a whole.
I have no notes, no quibbles, no qualms. Just a damn good book which any fans of horror/thrillers should read ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Death, and Excrement
starrysteph's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.25
i launched into white smoke ready to LOVE it. and i did have fun! there were things that jackson did really, really well (i’d love to explore her other books). but there were a lot of loose threads and big misses for me.
the good:
- atmospheric horror and good building of tension; plus the haunted house elements and general “eerie” feelings
- the commentary on gentrification and criminalization of weed (and the general war on drugs) and manipulation by those in power were well-integrated and definitely digestible for young readers (sometimes a little too hard hitting for adult readers).
- great characterization of our lead, marigold. i felt like we really got to know her.
- exploration of a blended family & the sweetest sibling relationship between marigold and sammy
the not-as-good:
- i was physically pained at the way marigold was treated by her family. it was so heartbreaking to watch them villainize her instead of HELP her. this girl had severe, severe anxiety and paranoia. at not one point does her mother try to bring her to a therapist or get her professional help, and no one explores any further way of supporting her. she’s so desperate to heal her trauma that she is hyper fixating on weed .. and her family (who should be her support system) are just calling her a junkie / drug addict every chance they get. why on earth wouldn’t her parents support her (maybe look into medical marijuana so she could access it safely)?!
- the opening was very, very slow and WAY too much of mari’s internal dialogue was focused on weed and bed bugs. the repetition was hard to get through. there were scary things happening around her .. but she didn’t really decide to get involved until the second half of the book. why was the first 30% SO slow and only for us to get one of the most abrupt thriller endings i’ve ever read?
- while the commentary i mentioned above was great, jackson falls a bit into the trap of wanting to say SO many things (gentrification, war on drugs, mental health, mass incarceration, televangelism, etc. etc.) at once that several threads started getting lost. it ended up getting a little messy.
- i guessed the ending pretty much immediately, which made me frown at some of the bigger plot holes during the buildup. predictability isn’t a negative for me, but the issues with the “twist” were. i also think jackson could have had a bit more fun here; the buildup of horror was so great that i wanted to be a little more shocked and delighted at the ending.
- finally, i felt that the character of piper was a little too “adult-cartoon-villain” level cruel at the start. it was unbelievable .. i wished she’d been given a little more depth at the start. and mari’s treatment of her & the way she spoke about her was so sad, too. like .. definitely call out alec for his bad behavior. don’t be so hateful to the 10 yr old kid who suffered a major loss and has been hopping around from place to place! i wished mari came around to her sooner. i would have loved some sister moments.
CW: racism, panic attacks/disorders, drug use, addiction, fire/injuries from fire, death, phobias
the good:
- atmospheric horror and good building of tension; plus the haunted house elements and general “eerie” feelings
- the commentary on gentrification and criminalization of weed (and the general war on drugs) and manipulation by those in power were well-integrated and definitely digestible for young readers (sometimes a little too hard hitting for adult readers).
- great characterization of our lead, marigold. i felt like we really got to know her.
- exploration of a blended family & the sweetest sibling relationship between marigold and sammy
the not-as-good:
- i was physically pained at the way marigold was treated by her family. it was so heartbreaking to watch them villainize her instead of HELP her. this girl had severe, severe anxiety and paranoia. at not one point does her mother try to bring her to a therapist or get her professional help, and no one explores any further way of supporting her. she’s so desperate to heal her trauma that she is hyper fixating on weed .. and her family (who should be her support system) are just calling her a junkie / drug addict every chance they get. why on earth wouldn’t her parents support her (maybe look into medical marijuana so she could access it safely)?!
- the opening was very, very slow and WAY too much of mari’s internal dialogue was focused on weed and bed bugs. the repetition was hard to get through. there were scary things happening around her .. but she didn’t really decide to get involved until the second half of the book. why was the first 30% SO slow and only for us to get one of the most abrupt thriller endings i’ve ever read?
- while the commentary i mentioned above was great, jackson falls a bit into the trap of wanting to say SO many things (gentrification, war on drugs, mental health, mass incarceration, televangelism, etc. etc.) at once that several threads started getting lost. it ended up getting a little messy.
- i guessed the ending pretty much immediately, which made me frown at some of the bigger plot holes during the buildup. predictability isn’t a negative for me, but the issues with the “twist” were. i also think jackson could have had a bit more fun here; the buildup of horror was so great that i wanted to be a little more shocked and delighted at the ending.
- finally, i felt that the character of piper was a little too “adult-cartoon-villain” level cruel at the start. it was unbelievable .. i wished she’d been given a little more depth at the start. and mari’s treatment of her & the way she spoke about her was so sad, too. like .. definitely call out alec for his bad behavior. don’t be so hateful to the 10 yr old kid who suffered a major loss and has been hopping around from place to place! i wished mari came around to her sooner. i would have loved some sister moments.
CW: racism, panic attacks/disorders, drug use, addiction, fire/injuries from fire, death, phobias
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
minor animal injury