Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

10 reviews

mzgeee53'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

3.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Car accident

diannasbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad 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

4.75

The narration in this book was amazing!!! The story was amazing! This story had so many layers to it! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

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?

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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

_tara_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Blood, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.25

Flickering between 3.25/3.5 stars. This book was definitely encompassing a creepy, spooky vibe from beginning to end. Tiffany Jackson knew how to envelope the reader into a haunted house. Her descriptions were on point as well as having a good use of showing not telling.
I also loved the mc’s name - Marigold sounds lovely although she is not a sunshine character in terms of personality. 
Mari has accepted that her parents are not getting back together. Her mother, in fact, has remarried but to a white man named Alec who has a ten year old white daughter named Piper from his previous marriage. 
Mari and her brother Sam are moving from sunny California to the Midwest, in a neighborhood that has more secrets than they’d like to admit. 
I loved certain parts of the book a lot but sadly, I thought the climax most thrilling parts were all squeezed in the last 20 percent ish of the book. The ending was also not as clear cut as other books. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Body horror, Drug use, and Medical trauma

kamp99's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

emily_mh's review

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.

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Vomit, and Murder

Gentrification, Displacement, Incarceration

cheerful_bursts's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

I did a mix of audiobook and text. This book definitely gave me the spooks when reading it at night. It kept me curious and wanting more. It was a great mix of mental health, fact, and lore. The audiobook was cast well but the narrator didn’t always correctly capture the emotions. Id definitely give it a reread. 
An animal is effected in the book, check spoilers

No animals die in the book.

Does the ending wrap up? check spoiler:

Ending isn’t conclusive on all plot points

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Extreme Gentrification

cbbyles07's review against another edition

dark informative 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail