Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - White Smoke

This book had a bit of a slow start for me, but it picked up eventually. I made the grave mistake of reading this at night and I had to double check that I was alone in my room.. Don't be like me unless you like scaring yourself.

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catsandbookstacks's review against another edition

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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?

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madyou's review against another edition

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mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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solenekeleroux's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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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!

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bookish_ann's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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