Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

16 reviews

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. 

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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. 

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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.

gem114's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s, NetGalley, and author Tiffany D. Jackson for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

White Smoke is a young adult horror novel that touches on gentrification, blended families, drug use/abuse, mental health, and the criminal justice system. 

Marigold’s mother thinks it’s a blessing when she lands a writing fellowship that will give their family the fresh start it needs. When they get to their new home in the midwestern city of Cedarville, Mari starts to think their blessing is more of a curse. Marigold already suffers from acute anxiety, but she really thinks she’s losing her mind when things start going missing, doors open and close on their own, and strange smells fill the house.

Honestly, the horror aspect of this novel genuinely freaked me out. With that said, I had a hard time relating to Mari and felt frustrated that it didn’t seem like she was getting the help she needed to handle her mental health challenges.  In the novel, Mari smokes weed to help combat her anxiety, and her reliance on it definitely makes it more of an addiction. Unfortunately, the writing simply seemed repetitive rather than garnering sympathy or understanding about why a person may turn to drugs for escape.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite of Jackson’s novels, but it was still an enjoyable read that has valuable messages about systemic issues of gentrification and incarceration. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

saldre's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.5

White Smoke is a well written YA horror book with quirky, relatable characters that you care about. I enjoyed the spooky haunted house parts of the book and the mystery around it. The author did a good job accurately representing anxiety/panic attacks and substance abuse issues. I truly felt Mari's anxiety about bed bugs. In addition, there are some important topics discussed including gentrification, racism, blended/interracial families, etc. The only part I didnt like was the twist and abrupt ending to the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

theloveofwordss's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Vomit, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury

misty_muskrat's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

It felt like the author was a little obsessed with the idea that marijuana is an addictive substance/gateway drug. Marijuana didn't need to be a thing in this, especially with so many big themes already existing in the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Racism

Minor: Pedophilia