The Weight of Blood
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- Create Date：2022-09-08 07:19:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Tiffany D. Jackson
- ISBN：0063029146
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Summary
Author Tiffany D。 Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom。
When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night， they all have the same explanation。。。 Maddy did it。
An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school， Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies。 And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage。 Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial。 She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father， Thomas Washington。
After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots， student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity。 The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date， leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life。
But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet。 And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret。。。 one that will cost them all their lives。
When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night， they all have the same explanation。。。 Maddy did it。
An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school， Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies。 And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage。 Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial。 She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father， Thomas Washington。
After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots， student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity。 The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date， leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life。
But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet。 And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret。。。 one that will cost them all their lives。
Reviews
Samantha Powers
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This was fantastic。 It was really heavy at times and definitely trigger warnings for racism， it's included all throughout the book。 Several times I had to put this book down and just breath because of how angry I was at the people living in this small town of Springville。 Really loved this Carrie retelling， definitely kept to the same premise but with I have to say better twists。 And also， good for her。 This was fantastic。 It was really heavy at times and definitely trigger warnings for racism， it's included all throughout the book。 Several times I had to put this book down and just breath because of how angry I was at the people living in this small town of Springville。 Really loved this Carrie retelling， definitely kept to the same premise but with I have to say better twists。 And also， good for her。 。。。more
Nay
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This book is just a retelling of Carrie but with a twist。 I liked she mentioned racism blacks continue to deal with today。。Jules got lucky cause her ass should have burned to death too。。I low key feel like Maddy and Kenny are together with her mom。 There should have been an epilogue stating what happened to Kenny and Maddy instead of the sudden ending。
Jay
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High school senior Maddy Washington thinks she’s not doing too bad in her Bible Belt town。 Despite having an abusive white father， biracial Maddy has been passing as white since she started school。 She’s supposed to check the weather multiple times a day， so she’s not caught in a storm which could curl her straightened hair， exposing her true identity。 But that’s exactly what happens one day， and she receives some cruel treatment from her classmates， as they bully her by launching pencils in her High school senior Maddy Washington thinks she’s not doing too bad in her Bible Belt town。 Despite having an abusive white father， biracial Maddy has been passing as white since she started school。 She’s supposed to check the weather multiple times a day， so she’s not caught in a storm which could curl her straightened hair， exposing her true identity。 But that’s exactly what happens one day， and she receives some cruel treatment from her classmates， as they bully her by launching pencils in her hair。 The aftermath follows the school trying to make reparations for that and other racist incidents by having their first integrated prom。 As the countdown to prom ticks on， Maddy comes to learn things about herself that will change her life forever。It’s no secret that I’m a diehard Tiffany D。 Jackson fan， and as soon as she drops a book， I’m the first to snatch it up。 In The Weight of Blood， does not disappoint。 Here she weaves together her trademark horror with a story of a town so racist that its guaranteed to make you sicker than any gore she throws at you。 At least it made me sick several times。 In Maddy she creates a character that will not only break your heart， but also have you cheering for her to come out on top。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this book。 I definitely recommend The Weight of Blood。 。。。more
John Clark
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As the author notes in the back of the book， this is a homage to Stephen King， and it's a dandy。 Reminiscent of Carrie， only transported to a small， racist town in Georgia， this has a perfect blend of creepiness， gore， and empathy for the main character。 Add in an ending that's ambiguous （allowing and encouraging readers to create their own） and you have a pure treat for horror fans of any age。 As the author notes in the back of the book， this is a homage to Stephen King， and it's a dandy。 Reminiscent of Carrie， only transported to a small， racist town in Georgia， this has a perfect blend of creepiness， gore， and empathy for the main character。 Add in an ending that's ambiguous （allowing and encouraging readers to create their own） and you have a pure treat for horror fans of any age。 。。。more
Gina
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What I've noticed so far with Tiffany's horror stories is that they don't scare me， but that might be for one of two reasons。 Either a。 I experience some of the things in her books so often in real life as a black woman that her novels don't phase me， or b。 her books are meant to be terrifying to a specific audience。 There's also （c） where the books are sold as horror novels to reach a specific audience to make a point to， Either way， this one in particular should be made into a film。 It would b What I've noticed so far with Tiffany's horror stories is that they don't scare me， but that might be for one of two reasons。 Either a。 I experience some of the things in her books so often in real life as a black woman that her novels don't phase me， or b。 her books are meant to be terrifying to a specific audience。 There's also （c） where the books are sold as horror novels to reach a specific audience to make a point to， Either way， this one in particular should be made into a film。 It would be so good as a film。 。。。more
Lois Young
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This was an amazing horror book！ Yes， it's a retelling of Stephen King's "Carrie"; and yes， it's a YA novel， but it was SOOO GOOD！！！ The author takes the plot further and delves into issues teens face such as racism， poverty， bullying， cliches， physical and emotional abuse， identity and heritage。 This book is the believable social commentary our current world needs right now。 I need more time to process what I read。Complete RTC; and， it's going to be an extensive one！ This was an amazing horror book！ Yes， it's a retelling of Stephen King's "Carrie"; and yes， it's a YA novel， but it was SOOO GOOD！！！ The author takes the plot further and delves into issues teens face such as racism， poverty， bullying， cliches， physical and emotional abuse， identity and heritage。 This book is the believable social commentary our current world needs right now。 I need more time to process what I read。Complete RTC; and， it's going to be an extensive one！ 。。。more
DoctorWhosUrDaddy89
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This book was amazing。 It felt so real。 Every character came to life with Tiffany’s writing。 This is my favorite book of the year so far。 I hope they make this into a movie， it deserves to be a movie。
AGilden
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One has to admire an author for re-writing Stephen King's Carrie almost exactly， distinguishing her own work mostly by the ending and by social commentary about race relations。 I have no idea how to rate this。 Being able to predict every twist and turn of plot before it happens is not a great reading experience。 But because the relationships and emotions are so deep and meaningful and the plot is copied from a superb novel， it certainly is far from a bad reading experience。 In fact， calling it a One has to admire an author for re-writing Stephen King's Carrie almost exactly， distinguishing her own work mostly by the ending and by social commentary about race relations。 I have no idea how to rate this。 Being able to predict every twist and turn of plot before it happens is not a great reading experience。 But because the relationships and emotions are so deep and meaningful and the plot is copied from a superb novel， it certainly is far from a bad reading experience。 In fact， calling it a Carrie copy isn't even fair， since it genuinely is beautifully written。 I smiled several times about cell phones， text messages， Netflix， podcasts， and remote controlled drones in a 1970s Carrie plot。 So， I enjoyed it a lot， but I'll understand if some other people don't。 。。。more
Emona Lisa
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One of my favorite authors + one of my favorite horror movies = A FREAKING MASTERPIECE！！ Oh my lamb， I loved every second of this。 Tiffany has done it again but am I even surprised？！ An amazing retelling。 And the audiobook？！ Whata fun experience！ The writing is already fantastic but to then give the story so much life with the delivery from the narrators and music。。。 *chef’s kiss* I’m so happy I read this。 Definitely my favorite horror story of the year！！ Once again， TIFFANY YOU DID THAT！！！
Angie S H aka Feelin A Little Bookish
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Just in time for the upcoming Fall season， this beautiful， scary， Carrie inspired thriller has been released to the book world。In The Weight of Blood， Maddy Washington was homeschooled and secluded from other kids until the seventh grade。 However， upon entering school with the other kids from the small town she lived in， they didn’t treat her with any sort of respect。The other students began to call her mad mad Maddy。 From that day forward， she kept to herself until things started changing in he Just in time for the upcoming Fall season， this beautiful， scary， Carrie inspired thriller has been released to the book world。In The Weight of Blood， Maddy Washington was homeschooled and secluded from other kids until the seventh grade。 However， upon entering school with the other kids from the small town she lived in， they didn’t treat her with any sort of respect。The other students began to call her mad mad Maddy。 From that day forward， she kept to herself until things started changing in her life。 In her senior year， the prom committee decided that they would have an all together prom。 This meant that the black kids and white kids would have one singular prom and celebrate the end of high school，together。 Maddy was asked to prom by a super popular kid at school。 She accepted but this gave an opening for the mean girls to take advantage of Maddy’s vulnerability。 Prom 2014 became a tragedy that the town would never forget about。 Some of the chapters have a podcast transcript format at the beginning。 This is due to the tragedy being used as part of a true crime podcast （the first podcast episode was actually released today！ Talk about cool marketing）。 I loved this book。 It had the right amount of scare， sadness and the reality of what what BIPOC have to go through on a daily basis。 Thank you @harpercollinscanada for the eARC！ 。。。more
Demelda Penkitty
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To follow
Michaela
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Well I didn’t expect that。 So many emotions attached to this book。 Racism on this level is so hard to read about。 The entitlement of the white people living in Springville was just atrocious。 I loved the supernatural element to this story it made it hard hitting and thrilling to read。 It truly was a page turner。
Nora Nora
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This was a retelling of Carrie， but the MC is a biracial girl that was passing as a white girl。I’ve never read/ watched Carrie， but I had a good time with this book， highly recommend the audiobook。
Mrs_R_Librarian
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this title。 The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D。 Jackson is a retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie 。 It is told in 2 timelines: 1。 the events as they happen & 2。 A podcast taking place many years after Prom。 When the podcast guests are asked what happened that night， everyone says “Maddy did it” The cover caught my eye， then the description made me want to read it。 Once I started reading， I could not put it down。 You can read Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this title。 The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D。 Jackson is a retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie 。 It is told in 2 timelines: 1。 the events as they happen & 2。 A podcast taking place many years after Prom。 When the podcast guests are asked what happened that night， everyone says “Maddy did it” The cover caught my eye， then the description made me want to read it。 Once I started reading， I could not put it down。 You can read the publishers description for the story summary， and I do not want to put spoilers here， so I will just say this is a must read。 Be prepared for ALL the emotions to come up when reading Maddy's story。 I cried while reading this book。 Content warnings: Racism， bullying， child abuse。 colorism， police brutality， racial slurs， violence/gore/murder， allusions to sexI will definitely be purchasing this one for my high school students。 。。。more
Sweettea_and_a_Book
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3。5 ⭐️Update after finishing the book:🩸What you should know:Carrie retellingLots of social justice/racial issues in a small hicktown high schoolSections with podcast commentary Multiple characters to keep up with🩸What I liked:Madi’s sections and finding out more details of her historyKenny finally coming to his senses after being schooled by his sister 🙄Payback is a bitch！White/passing biracial MCThe building suspense leading up to prom night 🩸What I didn’t like:Jules。 “Whoop that trick”Unanswer 3。5 ⭐️Update after finishing the book:🩸What you should know:Carrie retellingLots of social justice/racial issues in a small hicktown high schoolSections with podcast commentary Multiple characters to keep up with🩸What I liked:Madi’s sections and finding out more details of her historyKenny finally coming to his senses after being schooled by his sister 🙄Payback is a bitch！White/passing biracial MCThe building suspense leading up to prom night 🩸What I didn’t like:Jules。 “Whoop that trick”Unanswered questions remaining。 This is the second TJ book where I’ve been left with so many questions loomingPodcast with commentary from speculators。， instead of people who were there that night“𝙔𝙤𝙪， 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙， 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙚， 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚。 𝙔𝙤𝙪， 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮， 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣。 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪？ 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤， 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚”🗣Ooh shiiiii Listen， I’m #currentlyreading #TheWeightofBlood and I’m on page 101。 It’s lit！ I’m jittery。 All I wanna know is…Maddy， are you ok？ Are you ok？ Are you ok， Maddy？Because I’m not。 My nerves is bad Tiff。 I wanna slap the piss out of Kenny， Papa， and a few others， but mostly Kenny’s phony ass right now。 And rip them f’ng pictures off the wall 🙄But now， I’ll just keep reading because this is getting good and I need to know what’s bout to go dinnnnnneeeeeeWhat I do know is that this book is releasing right in time for the perfect haunting fall read， but I can’t wait til them。Cop this book， pub date: 9-6-22 Back to these pages ✌🏾 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩？ 。。。more
Shari
，
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC ***3。5 starsPositives:Many elements of the original story can be found in this book （bullying， telekinesis， revenge）。 What sets this book apart from the original is the commentary on racism。 There were definitely a few moments in the book that made me stop and reflect。 I thought the characters were developed really well。 Each had their own personality traits that make you love them （Maddy， Kenny， Mrs。 Morgan）， or hate them （Jules， Wendy， Ka *** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC ***3。5 starsPositives:Many elements of the original story can be found in this book （bullying， telekinesis， revenge）。 What sets this book apart from the original is the commentary on racism。 There were definitely a few moments in the book that made me stop and reflect。 I thought the characters were developed really well。 Each had their own personality traits that make you love them （Maddy， Kenny， Mrs。 Morgan）， or hate them （Jules， Wendy， Kayleigh）。 Also， I did enjoy the slow build of the relationship。 I'm generally not someone that enjoys romance， so that surprised me。 Negatives:There are excerpts from a podcast and a book that was written about the events that took place throughout the book。 This isn't something that bothers me when I feel like it is adding something to the story， but I didn't feel they were necessary here。 They contributed to my feeling that the book was incredibly slow in the buildup。 That exciting ending that the story is known for was too short， in my opinion。 My only other negative was the multiple POV's。 Again， this isn't something that generally bothers me。 There were a few chapters from inconsequential characters that I felt would've been better told from a different perspective or eliminated altogether。Overall， this was a solid retelling of Carrie。 The positives definitely outweighed the negatives for me。 I enjoy retellings of classics （and Carrie is definitely a classic in my opinion）。 Most surprising thing for me was the fact that I enjoyed this more than the original book！ Can't say the same for the original movie， but I could be swayed if they made this into a movie lol。 。。。more
Jamie （TheRebelliousReader）
，
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown。4 stars。 This was so much better than Jackson’s previous horror/thriller White Smoke。 I think she really utilized and learned from all of the criticisms from that book。 This is a modern retelling of Stephen King’s classic novel from 1974 Carrie and it is damn good。 Do I think it relies a bit too much on the original source and does a lot of the same things beat for beat？ Yes， but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing。 I just wanted Jackson to branch ou Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown。4 stars。 This was so much better than Jackson’s previous horror/thriller White Smoke。 I think she really utilized and learned from all of the criticisms from that book。 This is a modern retelling of Stephen King’s classic novel from 1974 Carrie and it is damn good。 Do I think it relies a bit too much on the original source and does a lot of the same things beat for beat？ Yes， but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing。 I just wanted Jackson to branch out and do her own thing at times but overall this works。 It’s different enough to work well on its own without knowing the source material。 I loved the commentary on race， class， and identity。 Maddy is a white passing biracial teen who is bullied by her racist classmates and it only gets worse for her when they discover that she’s half Black。 She’s a very empathetic character and I loved her growth and development throughout。 I also really liked the character of Ken。 He was complex and likable and I liked that he genuinely came to like Maddy。The best part of this novel is the best part of Carrie for me which is the prom scene。 Jackson did a fantastic job with the buildup leading to up to the big moment and all of the chaos and destruction after it。 It was intense and really well written。 The ending is ambiguous and open just like the original which I appreciated。 I was worried that Jackson was going to make this an HEA or something but nope。 This was a great read with a lot to say and I found it so entertaining from beginning to end。 。。。more
Kaitlyn
，
•Small town•Spooky and Carrie vibes•Spotlight on Racism Tiffany Jackson！！ Girl this was amazing！！ I was honestly hooked from the first chapter。 Actually I was hooked from the author notes before the book started！！ I loved the format of the podcast post Prom and the telling of the story leading up to it！ I loved how to book ended and basically everything about Mandy！！ You all need to read this one！！Thank you Harper Collins for this advanced copy！
Erin
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I love everything Tiffany Jackson does。 This did not disappoint。 5 Star read for sure。 The combination of the “Carrie” storyline with the tradition of racism of the Deep South and the social justice aspects today’s society made this feel like a Jordan Peele movie！ I loved the format of mixing the podcast transcripts with the stories of Kendrick and Maddy。 I can’t wait to recommend this to teens！
REMEMBER UKRAINE NOW ReadingReindeer
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I totally admire this novel， but oh！ what a traumatic read does it present。 Certainly some （many） readers are going to be triggered by some or much of the issues presented here。 Unspeakable events occur。 shocking， startling， infuriating。 Deciding "it just couldn't happen" is just burying our respective heads in hot sand。 It can and does， maybe not in every specific instance， but enough。 Society should hang its pathetic proverbial head in shame。 I totally admire this novel， but oh！ what a traumatic read does it present。 Certainly some （many） readers are going to be triggered by some or much of the issues presented here。 Unspeakable events occur。 shocking， startling， infuriating。 Deciding "it just couldn't happen" is just burying our respective heads in hot sand。 It can and does， maybe not in every specific instance， but enough。 Society should hang its pathetic proverbial head in shame。 。。。more
Minda King
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This Carrie retell will really keep you on the edge of your seat。This story switches viewpoints so you see the story unfold many different characters。 Maddy is a little strange according to her classmates。 This senior girl is hiding some big secrets。 First she’s biracial second she’s telekinetic。 Being biracial should be a big deal unless your in Springville， GA。 This small town is stuck in the 1960’s keeping racist ideas because “it’s tradition”。 Maddy’s father makes her go to great lengths to This Carrie retell will really keep you on the edge of your seat。This story switches viewpoints so you see the story unfold many different characters。 Maddy is a little strange according to her classmates。 This senior girl is hiding some big secrets。 First she’s biracial second she’s telekinetic。 Being biracial should be a big deal unless your in Springville， GA。 This small town is stuck in the 1960’s keeping racist ideas because “it’s tradition”。 Maddy’s father makes her go to great lengths to hide her race until one day it unexpectedly rains and her first secret is out。 This story follows Carrie pretty well while adding in societal racism and a crazy old fashioned town。 Be prepared to get hooked from the first page。Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book。 。。。more
Rachelle
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My jaw hurts from how hard I’ve had it clenched for the past 200 pages。 I literally couldn’t but this down。 Even knowing the general premise and lore of Carrie， Tiffany D。 Jackson truly makes this story her own。
Jackie Kruchten
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Title: The Weight of Blood By: Tiffany D。 Jackson Stranger Things meets Carrie！ Tiffany D。 Jackson has done it again with this horror/suspense book。 Main character， Maddie， has been hidden away for a great deal of time by her mercurial father。 When she is “allowed” to attend school she cannot divulge a secret her father forces her to keep; that she is biracial。 Soon her secret is discovered that she has been passing for white as racial disparities in the school and town finally surface。 Now for Title: The Weight of Blood By: Tiffany D。 Jackson Stranger Things meets Carrie！ Tiffany D。 Jackson has done it again with this horror/suspense book。 Main character， Maddie， has been hidden away for a great deal of time by her mercurial father。 When she is “allowed” to attend school she cannot divulge a secret her father forces her to keep; that she is biracial。 Soon her secret is discovered that she has been passing for white as racial disparities in the school and town finally surface。 Now for the piece de resistance， Maddie also has telekinesis。 What will she discover about her past and how will the town survive their future？ Find out more in this fast-paced， podcast-style read， The Weight of Blood， by Tiffany D。 Jackson。 4。5 Stars Thank you NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this digital ARC of The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D。 Jackson in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Megan
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First of all， I cannot thank NetGalley and the publisher enough for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book！ Tiffany D。 Jackson has outdone herself with this reimagining of the Carrie story。 Though she is very clear that the story takes place in the 21st century， it still feels like it ought to take place in the early 1970s， which only underscores how disturbing the town is in its beliefs。 My only criticism is that （view spoiler）[ I want to know what happened to Kenny and Kali in the af First of all， I cannot thank NetGalley and the publisher enough for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book！ Tiffany D。 Jackson has outdone herself with this reimagining of the Carrie story。 Though she is very clear that the story takes place in the 21st century， it still feels like it ought to take place in the early 1970s， which only underscores how disturbing the town is in its beliefs。 My only criticism is that （view spoiler）[ I want to know what happened to Kenny and Kali in the aftermath of the incident。 I cannot wait to put this in students' hands。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Marisol M。
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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D。 Jackson is a young adult horror novel with “Carrie” vibes。 This story follows a group of seniors in Springville， GA as they prepare for Prom Night。 Told from different perspectives we follow the story of Maddy Washington a young biracial girl with a big secret。 Tiffany tackles the racism in American history and is inspired by the practice of separate proms that until this day is “tradition” in small southern towns。 This novel is a true depiction of the way socie The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D。 Jackson is a young adult horror novel with “Carrie” vibes。 This story follows a group of seniors in Springville， GA as they prepare for Prom Night。 Told from different perspectives we follow the story of Maddy Washington a young biracial girl with a big secret。 Tiffany tackles the racism in American history and is inspired by the practice of separate proms that until this day is “tradition” in small southern towns。 This novel is a true depiction of the way society treats anyone who is not white。 It addresses the roles people find themselves in and how people choose to portray themselves。 This book made me angry， uncomfortable， and sadly reminded of similar experiences I witnessed during my time in high school。 A lot of these characters felt inspired by people I knew in high school。 I felt for Maddy， Kenny， and Kali。 I was shocked to learn that towns like these exist to this day， in 2022 under the guise of “keeping tradition”。 I think this novel did an amazing job at addressing real issues but also engaging the reader in Wanting to know what will happen next。。 The outcome/consequences for a lot of characters were predictable but realistic。 This is my first novel by Tiffany D。 Jackson but certainly not my last。 I think this book should be read by all！ Definitely recommend。 4。5⭐️Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC！ 。。。more
Kat
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Grad school has been all consuming of my time， but this weekend I was able to unplug completely。 I took 3 scary-ish books with me to the lake， because reading horror books in the wilderness is the perfect combination！ At least that’s what I tell myself。 Between being too afraid to sleep， not wanting to sleep anywhere but in my comfy bed at home， and having an interesting book I’m unable to put down， it all somehow works！⠀I finished The Weight of Blood in 2 days。 I would have finished this book s Grad school has been all consuming of my time， but this weekend I was able to unplug completely。 I took 3 scary-ish books with me to the lake， because reading horror books in the wilderness is the perfect combination！ At least that’s what I tell myself。 Between being too afraid to sleep， not wanting to sleep anywhere but in my comfy bed at home， and having an interesting book I’m unable to put down， it all somehow works！⠀I finished The Weight of Blood in 2 days。 I would have finished this book sooner but the sun was melting chocolate and the water was promising cool relief。 When I finally finished the book I was nothing short of enamored。 This author， Tiffany D。 Jackson， was already an auto-buy for me and this book just solidified her status as the ish。 Each novel she drops is a stand-alone masterpiece。 That right there is a lost art and a marvel within its self。 Please don't ever change， ma’am！ No matter how much we beg， because this book BEGS for a sequel， but I also understand the mystery of leaving it alone。 But I digress。 I loved the nod （because she definitely made it her own） to the 70s horror book/film Carrie in this book but also the many nuances of the young Black people's struggle。 As if high school wasn't difficult enough， this book discovers finding your voice when faced with traditional-”this is how it's always been done”-racisim from varying perspectives。 I mean the protagonist isn't the only one dealing with issues。 The point of view for this story won me over。 It's a documentary/ podcast approach with interviews， timestamps， and third person recounts piecing together the events of an unforgettable prom。 What made this book scary or more so creepy is the blatant unchecked racism that’s not wholly fiction。 It seems fitting that this book drops during the back-to-school month of September so that perhaps we may all think twice about bullying and microaggressions， or being useless bystanders to it。⠀Yes， you should read this & tell a friend！⠀Might I add that the Carrie movie is long overdue for a remake and this book would make the perfect script。 I’m just saying！ If Ava DuVernay got ahold to this book she could make some magic！⠀💋 xoxo，Kat 。。。more
Margaret
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Both the author and genre （YA Horror） are new to me。 Social media was not quiet in terms of what type of retelling this was， so I began reading with a pre-conceived notion of what was going to happen。 Though once I started it wasn’t hard to figure out how this book would end。 Not just because of the spoilers online but because of the format。 Told from a couple different points of view and also through interview/excerpt pages from a book， told much of the story before it happened eliminating any Both the author and genre （YA Horror） are new to me。 Social media was not quiet in terms of what type of retelling this was， so I began reading with a pre-conceived notion of what was going to happen。 Though once I started it wasn’t hard to figure out how this book would end。 Not just because of the spoilers online but because of the format。 Told from a couple different points of view and also through interview/excerpt pages from a book， told much of the story before it happened eliminating any element of surprise。The Weight of Blood is a story of racial unrest， bullying and dysfunctional families。 It was hard to read at times and though it takes place in 2015 I felt like it went farther back into the 60’s with the segregation of races。 There were a lot of characters here and at times I struggled to connect with who was who。Deemed as a horror book I was looking for the fright， things that go bump in the night or just anything to invoke that feeling of scariness。 And not just with the ending， but throughout the story。 But I didn’t feel that vibe and honestly （I know I am going against the general response to this book， could be an age thing） but I didn't feel any type of emotion other than sadness for the main character and Kenny。The Weight of Blood reminds me of Mean Girls meets Firestarter meets Carrie。 It's a racial bullying story with some supernatural elements。 The way the story jumped around disrupted the flow leaving me craving just to read the main story and not the interviews and other fillers。 My thanks to HarperCollins CA for a digital arc （via Netgalley） in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more
Carli
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Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5。 Devoured。 In。 One。 Sitting。 Wow， this is basically a revamped Carrie with social commentary。 A mousy girl in a small town in Alabama is outed as being Black， something her abusive， past-obsessed， God fearing father tried to hide （and trained her to hide） her entire life。 In the wake of this news， her racist town is turned upside down， ending in one night of bloody horror bec Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5。 Devoured。 In。 One。 Sitting。 Wow， this is basically a revamped Carrie with social commentary。 A mousy girl in a small town in Alabama is outed as being Black， something her abusive， past-obsessed， God fearing father tried to hide （and trained her to hide） her entire life。 In the wake of this news， her racist town is turned upside down， ending in one night of bloody horror because she also inherited telekinetic powers from her mother。 The author leaves just enough stones unturned， and I couldn’t get enough of this story。 Definitely geared towards older readers。 It comes out this Tuesday！ Recommended for grades 9+。 。。。more
Sakina （aforestofbooks）
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Okay this book was great and is a must read！ I went into this barely knowing anything which I think was perfect。 It was gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat and I could barely put it down。You go into the book aware of the Springfield Prom Massacre， so in a way you kind of know how things end， but you don’t know the exact details。 The book follows a podcast host and his co-host as they go through the evidence behind this case—pretty much a true crime podcast。 But we also get POVs from the Okay this book was great and is a must read！ I went into this barely knowing anything which I think was perfect。 It was gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat and I could barely put it down。You go into the book aware of the Springfield Prom Massacre， so in a way you kind of know how things end， but you don’t know the exact details。 The book follows a podcast host and his co-host as they go through the evidence behind this case—pretty much a true crime podcast。 But we also get POVs from the main characters leading up to and including the actual incident。 It was really nice going back and forth between the different POVs and the podcast interviews and news articles。The author opens the book with how this story focuses more on racism than her other books have。 I had no idea segregated proms were a thing that still happen to this day。 This book focuses on Maddy who is white passing and has lied to everyone that she’s actually white （at her father’s behest） until her secret is exposed。 She’s already treated terribly by the other students for how she dresses and barely talks， but things take a turn for the worse as her fellow classmates show how racist they truly are， even if they try to deny their actions or take responsibility。This book will make you angry， but in some ways it’s also relatable。 Seeing Kendrick’s side of the story was really interesting as a Black kid who’s sort of left behind his identity in order to fit in。 I grew up hearing and seeing other Muslim students trying to act more white in order to fit in， and even I have said and done things to make myself belong in a situation。 Kendrick’s character growth was really well done throughout this book。Wendy annoyed me so much oh my gosh。 She’s very self obsessed and wants to be the martyr and have everyone think she’s selfless and good， when in reality she only does things to benefit herself first。 While she does go through some character growth， I was meh about her character as a whole and honestly most of the other white characters。 It was hard to look past their racist ideals even if they had one or two decent moments。Jules can die， I hate her with a passion。 But this story goes to show how white people love twisting the story to make themselves the victims at the end。I did love how the co-host for the podcast highlights that the title of the podcast “Maddy Did It” points the blame on Maddy entirely instead of considering everything she experienced at school and by her racist white town。 I’m not a fan of true crime myself and I think this book highlighted some of the ways people like to take a story and strip it down for the thrill and ignore the actual implications and lessons learned。This book should have major trigger warnings for parental abuse， racism， and gore。 It wasn’t scary or too disturbing for me personally， but the details of the actual massacre are quite vivid。Overall， the ending was pretty well tied up and went in a direction I wasn’t expecting。 4/5 stars， highly recommend and can’t wait for the HCCFRENZY event。 。。。more
Manon the Malicious
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I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。PHEWThat was something else。I don't know where to begin。Tiffany D。 Jackson is really a writer like none other。This was twisted， enraging and just incredible。I was invested from the first chapter to the last one。 I wanted to scream and throw things and just felt everything。The best part is that we knew how it was going to end from the very first pages， the author straight up spoiled us at the very beginning and that just made it I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。PHEWThat was something else。I don't know where to begin。Tiffany D。 Jackson is really a writer like none other。This was twisted， enraging and just incredible。I was invested from the first chapter to the last one。 I wanted to scream and throw things and just felt everything。The best part is that we knew how it was going to end from the very first pages， the author straight up spoiled us at the very beginning and that just made it even more interesting to me。 I just had to know how everything got to that point and I still somehow had hope on a lot of things。 That was just so smart。 Everything about this was smart actually and it just made me fall in love with Tiffany's writing even more。This book also talked about racism， colorism， bullying， parental abuse。。。 And I just think it should be in everyone's hands。 Everyone's。The Weight of Blood truly is this good and I just cannot wait to read whatever Tiffany D。 Jackson writes next。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Weight of Blood
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Weight of Blood&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Weight of Blood&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0