Absolutely a 5 star read for me. This takes everything I love about Stephen King’s Carrie and makes it even more interesting. By focusing on a white-passing biracial girl and her father, we get a unique perspective into race, class, and femininity. Absolutely brilliant.

HELLO, this book.
Dark magic? Check.
Darkly familiar racism everyone pretends doesn't exist? Check.
Life-long bottled-up trauma in the main character? Check.

I have shoved this modern remake of Carrie into so many HS reader's hands already this year, and it's just so so good. A must read for horror fans.

Madison Washington (Maddy) has been bullied all of her school career, the taunting initiated by a group of mean white girls lead by Jules Marshall. Unfortunately, the bullying becomes exponentially worse when it rains and reveals Maddy has a large afro. Now everyone knows Maddy if biracial and her being targeted by racist bullying is recorded and nationally shared. This puts a spotlight on Springville and its outdated separate proms (the white prom at the country club and the Black prom at a refurbished barn). Now Wendy, with the help of her all-star football player Black boyfriend Kenny, is working on an integrated prom to save their reputations nationally. Only, Wendy believes they have to go further to prove they are still worth their acceptances into College. So she urges Kenny to ask Maddy to go to prom with him. Thus beginning the events that lead to the death of 90% of the graduating class and the destruction of Springville.

This novel had my blood boiling. It was a great book about how insidious racism truly is. How even the most subtle digs, which are often ignored, or overlooked, can create ripples that eventually explode. The adults in this story push so much aside, allow so much to go unchecked or to continue on, which only widens the divide between Black and white students. Even the most well meaning adults, like Mrs. Morgan, are wrong in how they approach the situation or allow things to slide that should be directly called out and criticized.

Madison truly had no one in her corner, because even when the other Black students found out she was biracial they were angry at her for lying and trying to pass for white. The only one who truly listened, saw her pain, and saw why she hid, or at least suspected she hid because of abuse at home by her white religious father, was Kenny. At first he tries to ignore Maddy, like he does the other Black students. He just wants to focus on his football career and not stirring anything up. But, when he begins to get to know Maddy he sees how truly similar they are. Hiding or minimizing their identities in order to fit into white society, into a community that hates them. It was so heartbreaking, but so beautiful that they found each other and could finally feel happiness and be their true selves.

I loved how this story was told. Through several different mediums you travel back and forth from now to the events of what lead up to and prom night. The podcast was especially well done, on audio it really popped. And truly, the real monster of his horror novel was not Maddy, but the racism that was allowed to grow and fester. It was at the end that the real message was finally conveyed in an honest and thought provoking way.

This book was an incredible retelling of Carrie, by Stephen King. It takes an already fraught story and adds the element of racism, both blatant and subtle. Maddy and Kenny are such sympathetic characters and you wish that those around them would have been better, would have worked harder, changed, learned and grown, but in this instance racism is too large a monster to defeat. It is very hard to like anyone else in this story, because most of the people mentioned are clearly racist and unwilling to learn or change. Jules is especially awful in her obliviousness to her very obvious racism. The worst part is that no one really seems to learn anything from the events, racism still runs rampant and those left never really face consequences for what happened, Maddy is the only one who is blamed for the events of that fateful night.

Highly recommend reading this book!

Now that the Harper Union has a contract: my review!

Probably 3.5 stars, but I'll round up to 4. The amount of time it took me to finish this book is in no way a reflection of the book itself. In typical Tiffany D. Jackson style, every time I would pick up this book I would easily read 50 pages before I would even realize it. And I would be like "wow this is so good" the whole time and then just...put it down for awhile? Not sure what that was about but ANYWAY.

A very close retelling of Carrie, with the additional swap of the controlling parent being a dad instead of a mom, and the main character being a white-passing Black girl in a small town with deeply ingrained racism. As usual, Tiffany D. Jackson's character work and her voice were amazing and there were some twists in the last 20-30 pages that really left me reorienting the way I was thinking about the story. Similar to White Smoke, I was left with a lot of questions at the end, some of which felt like they could have been expanded on.

I also wish that we had spent more time in the book with Maddy's narration. Spending so much time in Wendy and Kenny's heads throughout the story definitely served the narrative purpose of showing that white saviorism and complacency are still being complicit in racism, and that Kenny has also been complicit by ignoring all of the things his "friends" do and say. But I was personally much more interested in Maddy as a character, and didn't particularly like or care about the others.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson.
The Weight of Blood is a retelling of Stephen King's, Carrie, adding in an element of racism. As a youth librarian, this book will be easy to recommend to teen readers who are looking for horror as well as social justice.

This modern day retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie takes the well-known story and refocuses it through the lens of racial tensions. Set in a small Southern town, Tiffany D. Jackson’s The Weight of Blood story unfolds around Maddy Washington, a high school student who has been “passing” as White her whole life. When Maddie is caught in an unexpected rain shower, her hair, which has been meticulously straightened her entire life, curls and gives away her secret. The resulting reactions from her peers at school and the entire town drive Maddy to lose control of her emotions and the telekinesis that go with them. As the town lamely attempts to make reparations by doing away with the segregated proms that they still hold and the way minorities are treated, Maddie forces everyone to face the racist ideals still being carried out by most of the White inhabitants. The characters in this story are absolutely entrancing and the plot makes this a book that will keep readers turning the pages until the end. Using her customary magic, Tiffany D. Jackson weaves an intricate tale of pain and damage caused by racism to this very day. Hand this book to fans of Nic Stone and Angie Thomas.

This is a phenomenal book that I have already heavily recommended to students and teachers. Tiffany Jackson hits it out of the park each time, and this is one of her best books.

Amazing and haunting retelling/re-imagine of Carrie. Can't wait to read what this author writes next!

In 2017 I read Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson and a love affair was born. It was a book so fascinating, so compelling, so sinks-deep-into-your-soul-all-you-can-think-about. I still find myself thinking about Allegedly from time to time. This book, matched the very high expectations I had perfectly. Billed as a "retelling" of Stephen King's Carrie, most of this story follows a familiar plot. But actually seeing everything unfold is completely surprising and bone chilling. A sense of unfairness and unjustness permeates this story -- where the hidden identity of a white-passing Black teenager is front and center. The pervasive racism she experiences is believable, and completely disgusting. I was dissatisfied with the ending of this book, in the best way possible.

I also thought that the podcast format of this novel is will suited to audio enjoyment.

4.5 stars

I have now read two books by Tiffany D. Jackson—The Weight of Blood and Grown—and she’s an incredible author! I can’t wait to read more of her books. I enjoyed the intensity of Grown (I read it in one sitting) and was mentally preparing myself for that same intensity except with the added layer of horror—which I was also super excited for. Jackson did not disappoint!

The horror element of the book is expertly woven throughout the story, creating constant tension and suspense. While the story didn’t make me have to turn on all of the lights in my apartment, it definitely did create a feeling of unease that definitely gave me some goosebumps a number of times.

The Weight of Blood‘s protagonist, Maddy, really interesting to read about because you couldn’t quite get the sense on what type of character she is really—and I won’t be telling you either, because I want you to experience this for yourselves! Another thing I won’t touch on too much is the racist people in Maddy’s town. All I will say was that I felt a constant rage when reading about them and their hateful words and actions.

Overall, The Weight of Blood is a gripping page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat until the conclusion. And even after reading the last page, I’ve been thinking about this book occasionally for a number of reasons. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more of Jackson’s work, especially White Smoke and Monday’s Not Coming. I’m also eager to see what Jackson will write next!

From the very first sentence, this book had me completely hooked. While I received an arc of this book from Netgalley, I got so behind in reviews due to my move last summer that I ended up purchasing the audiobook version, which is the version I ended up devouring. A bit on that, before I get to my review, I adore the use of multiple narrators. It really brought the characters and the story to life. If you’re the type who enjoys audiobooks, this might be a good one for you to check out.

There really wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t love in some way. The characters were real and complex, the character development was spot on, and the plot felt familiar while still being fresh and new. A retelling (or reimagining) of Stephen King’s Carrie, The Weight of Blood takes us through the story of Maddy Washington and how a faulty day’s weather changed her life, and how Maddy goes from a girl with a ‘dirty secret’ to a girl who knows who she is, what she wants, and how to get it.

Even being able to follow the rough trajectory of the story, I couldn’t put this down. The writing is strong, and every character had importance to the story. Jackson’s ability to create tension even in moments of alleged calm is phenomental, and I spent much of the story figuratively on the edge of my seat.

The chemistry between Maddy and Kenny is palpable, even from the very first moment they bump into each other, and it only continues to grow as the story continues. Actually, one of my favorite parts of this story is how people did like Maddy. It’s hard to be friends with someone who never speaks to anyone, which is why people tended to avoid her. The people who torment her are a small group of other students, but other characters try desperately to make sure Maddy knows she’s not alone. Also, Kenny’s character growth in this story is amazing and added so much depth and life to the story.

There’s so much I could write about this book, but a lot of it starts plunging into spoiler territory pretty quickly. I love the way information is presented to the reader, taking bits of story along with a ‘podcast’ documenting the events of that fateful prom night. It’s one of the only times I’ve read a story with something like that where the ‘news’ portions of it haven’t felt like a type of subterfuge to avoid providing information to the reader. It made piecing things together more interesting.

This book had me wanting to start it again as soon as I was finished. I wonder if I’ll be able to pick up more the next time. There’s definitely a re-readability with this book, if that’s your thing. And even if it’s not, I don’t think you’ll regret giving this a read if you want a great horror read.

Chills!! When I started reading this book I was confused as to what year it was. I had no idea that this sort of segregation is still happening. That was wild to me but awesome how it connected to issues still happening today. Tiffany Jackson is an author where I can never keep her books on my shelves.

I love anything written by Tiffany Jackson, and this book was no exception. Think of Carrie by Stephen King and you have a basis, but this was it's own book. Sooo real and raw. I loved it and have recommended it to customers like crazy.

Wow, this book was phenomenal. I could not put this book down. This author knows how to keep you hooked from the beginning. I really enjoyed that there were different formats of storytelling. I was so mad for Maddie and the racism this town showed. I loved the way her and Kenny connected and really hope they escaped together. One thing I love about this author is that the ending is never fully closed and it allows you to make the story what you want out of it. This is a must read!

After reading White Smoke, I had to have The Weight of Blood. As a Carrie re-imagining (of sorts), I found this book to be just as engaging and well-written. Jackson has a way of drawing readers in, causing them to forget all else until the story is told, and that's one of the best kinds of reading experiences. Highly recommended for high school and public libraries

Not my favorite of Tiffany's work, but still a super entertaining horror novel that I couldn't put down! It's essentially a retelling of Carrie starring a white-passing biracial Black teen. I really liked how Tiffany used the framework of a classic horror novel to explore race, identity, colorism, and privilege. This was a total page turner and I think horror fans will really enjoy it, though I would call it a slow-burn horror.

My only criticism is that it followed Carrie very closely, which made it feel very predictable if you've read or watched Carrie. Tiffany is such a skilled writer and I feel like she could have done more to subvert Carrie or make it her own. The book was still an enjoyable read, but I left it wanting a bit more.

I'll definitely be recommending this to readers who've enjoyed Tiffany's previous books, as well as fans of supernatural horror like The Taking of Jake Livingston.

This book was amazing. Definitely buying multiple copies for my library and also buying the eBook and audiobook as well. It was fast paced, engaging, and the right mix of mystery and supernatural combined. Students love all of Tiffany Jackson's work and this one will be no different.

I'm always skeptical of a retelling, but this one was pretty darn good. The Weight of Blood is a good retelling for a new generation.

Like all of Tiffany D. Jackson's new releases, I flew through The Weight of Blood. I knew I'd be hooked when it was billed as a retelling of Stephen King's horror Carrie. I think the story went a lot deeper though, with heavier topics and complex relationships, plus the dynamic of being biracial but passing as white in a small, southern town. The story advances with multiple narrators and podcast episodes tossed in - I loved the story presented as is (not to mention the COVER) but didn't think the podcasts ADDED anything to the story. She is such a talented writer, and I'd read her grocery list if someone let me LOL

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #TheWeightofBlood - I absolutely loved it!

Tiffany D. Jackson rarely does wrong by her complicated and powerful female protagonists. There's a fair amount of unexpected supernatural twists in this one, but it was an absolutely compelling story. Best for the Young Adult who can handle gore/horror, because this gets dark quickly. Very enjoyable!