Book Review: White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson is a YA Horror novel that follows the life of Marigold (Mari) a teenage girl who struggles with addiction and one strange phobia, bedbugs. Mari and her family move to Cedarville, a shell of a town littered with the remains of burnt homes and what homes are left standing have been abandoned. The strange thing? The families seemed to have left all of their belongings behind too.

As if moving and leaving all your friends behind wasn’t hard enough it looks as though their new home comes with some unwanted perks. Strange noises, check, shadows moving in the night, check, funky smells, double check.

This was a fun read. Jackson does an excellent job fleshing out Mari’s addiction struggles and phobia. The reader really gets a sense of what it’s like to become completely consumed by your fears. The family dynamics were a great touch.

When I went into this read, I was really expecting something quite different but was pleasantly surprised. If you like a good twist, you’ll love White Smoke. Cedarville is a town full of mystery and rumors. I really didn’t know what to expect next.

I found myself asking, “Is Cedarville haunted or is it a conspiracy?” several times throughout. I found Mari easy to identify with and Jackson’s amazing character development shines through. I do have to admit that my skin was crawling a bit after reading this one though. This was body horror meets haunted house meets small-town conspiracy and it was a lot of fun. I give White Smoke four out of five stars.