White Smoke by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: White Smoke

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 9/14/21

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Thriller, Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary

The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson!

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its . . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?

As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.

I wanted a Halloween read to give me chills and make me afraid to read it at night and I can say this story did a pretty good job and almost made me not read it at night. But I wanted the chills lol…

Marigold and her family move into a new neighborhood that is rebuilding but it’s in a town that is rundown. To make matters worse, her stepsister Piper is creepy as heck. According to people who live around the town, Marigold’s house is haunted and the story delivered in giving me the chills. If I was living in that house, I don’t know that I would ever want to be alone in it!

Marigold is an interesting character because she has a background of drug use and some major anxiety about bedbugs. So is she seeing things? Her anxiety gave ME anxiety! Personality wise, I can see Marigold is trying to be better than her past self but I wish she made some better choices. I love her brother Sammy who is a sweetheart and eventually is the one to believe Marigold when things get crazier in the house.

Yusef is a solid character and I felt safe when Marigold was with him. He gives her background about the history about the town. I also liked how the story shows gentrification and how so many of the townspeople ended up in jail because of the people running it. In the back story we also learn about Ms. Suga, the “ghost” or imaginary friend that Piper has, it really lent to the spooky vibes in the book.

There is a good twist to the story and I like how there was a buildup to it.

Content Warnings: drug use, bed bug phobia, scary scenes

The book is more creepy and at times scary than straight “horror”. I don’t read much horror and this was good enough to scare me but not too much!

The ending is so abrupt – I was a little bummed about that.

Why you should read it:

• to get creeped out
• you like haunted house stories
• good twist in the story

Why you might not want to read it:

• bed bug phobia – so much anxiety
• abrupt ending
• might not be scary enough/horror for you

My Thoughts:

I can handle this kind of spooky story where the house is haunted enough to make me consider putting down the book but I power through it anyway just to get the chills lol. It’s a story filled with creepy scenes, and perfect for a Halloween read if you want a quick read with an interesting twist at the end.

📚 ~ Yolanda