Title: The Weight of Blood
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: September 6, 2022
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Goodreads | StoryGraph
Summary
All her life, Maddy Washington has been the victim of bullying in her hometown of Springville. However, until a fateful rainstorm, it wasn’t because of her race. It was just because of her upbringing. But when rain reveals that Maddy is biracial, everything changes.
A video of Springville students bullying Maddy goes viral, forcing them to rethink their separate proms. So, they come up with a plan to host the school’s first integrated prom. After getting asked to prom by the quarterback, Maddy thinks things could be normal. But her classmates have other plans. Little do they know, Maddy has more power than meets the surface…
Review: The Weight of Blood
Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Weight of Blood to review! Tiffany D. Jackson is a favorite author of mine, and I was immediately pulled in by the cover of this book. I mean, look at it! Pulls you into the story just from that image.
This is a retelling of Carrie by Stephen King, which I actually haven’t read. But from what I know, I enjoyed the way that Jackson played with the original story. Like in most of her novels, she takes the story and puts a social justice spin on it. A large part of this book is about the ways that white people perpetuate racism. In fact, the segregated prom thing is actually something that’s happened recently in the United States (sadly). Jackson doesn’t flinch away from the difficult topics, and will leave you thinking long after you finish the book.
Throughout the book, there are also excerpts from news outles and podcasts that add to the mystery of the overall story. My only complaint about them is I wish they occured at the beginning and ends of chapters, instead of in the middle. Sometimes it took me out of the story. But these sections also helped to flesh out some of the characters, and I appreciated them for that!
All in all, if you’re looking for a new horror book to read this fall, I’d definitely recommend this one!
4/5 stars