When I first discovered this was going to be a Carrie retelling, I was STOKED! And this book DID NOT disappoint! I was hooked right from the start and couldn’t stop reading!

I especially loved the mixed POVs and how the addition of news articles to help flesh out the background. This reminded me of Sadie and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so if you enjoyed the format of those books, you would like this one.

My only trigger warnings (which I don’t usually include in reviews) would be heavy racism and some bullying. Yes, the book’s synopsis tells you there will be racism. But there is a lot of hard to read moments that I think might be triggering to some.

This book is a retelling of Carrie in modern times at a high school that is stuck way in the past. It centers around a girl who has been taught by her dad to try to hide that she is biracial.

A series of racist incidents happen at the school leading up to the prom, which is normally segregated, but the kids are planning a prom for everyone to attend this year.

This book is well written and a cool take on this story. For me, it moved a little slow and I was not a huge fan of the podcast transcripts especially when it was people who were not part of the story in any other way speculating about events that I was already watching play out in real time. It felt like they kept repeating what happened at the prom so many times throughout the book and I would have liked more development leading up to it.

I was a huge fan of Kenny and the innocent romance was my absolute favorite part. I wished there was more of the two of them together in this book!

Tiffany D. Jackson’s books are auto by author reads for me. When she’s written something, I get my hands on it as fast as possible. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book. I would have to say that this book as well as White Smoke are two of my favorite Tiffany D Jackson books. This is a retelling of Stephen King’s, Carrie, which I now want to go back and read to compare. Jackson brings so many real-world problems into her books seamlessly. The nod to banning books was brilliant as well as the organization of the book…podcast, interviews, news reports, etc. This book will be one that I think of for a long time. ❤️

This was a genuinely perfect book, especially as someone who is also light-skinned and able to pass as non-Black, this was just a perfect capture of the pressure to conform to whiteness.

"The Weight of Blood" is a YA horror book that spins the old movie "Carrie" through the lens of systematic racism. Multiracial Maddy Washington has been raised as white by her fervently conservative father; one day, her small town classmates discover her identity and are not the most understanding people. This discovery happens weeks before the town's first integrated prom (in 2014). I thought I knew what was going to happen in "The Weight of Blood," but I was riveted and surprised. Very timely work that would keep readers of all ages hooked.

Wow!!! Just wow! Maddy is such a force of nature. The entire time I was literally enthralled. This book is a literal masterpiece. If you're into supernatural/sci-fi/suspense this book is you're next favorite read. Even if you are not, this book was so suspenseful it'll keep you completely hooked! I completely loved the author's writing style. I truly was thrown off my feet by the social racist injustice and assumed this book was set in the 60-70s. However, it's set in 2014 in a backwards town. I loved that Maddy took charge and raged, even though it was tragic for others. The prom scene reminded me of Carrie but with crazy powers. The ending shook me to the core. If there isn't a sequel to this book coming out eventually I'll absolutely cry. I NEED to know more about what's happening after what was covered in the book (cannot be too specific or it would be a spoiler). This is a hands down masterpiece. 5 star! This needs to be a movie! I read this in 1 sitting, it's now 2am and I need to sleep. Lol So fair warning, start it the moment you wake up so you don't lose sleep. You will NOT be able to put this one down.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinion after fully reading this book.

This book was definitely a good read. Tiffany D. Jackson uses parallel plots to unravel the story of a girl in a small town. Using the podcast to reveal a racist, small-minded town life was very eye opening. The author’s ability to weave the two storylines together is an art and very well done. The story moves quickly, allowing the reader to be drawn in and entertained.

4.5 stars really!

Tiffany D. Jackson is THE QUEEEEEEEEN of dread and creeping horror!

This is a Carrie retelling, and you think you know exactly what to expect but you don’t.

There is so much going on here - the evil banality of racism, the grossness of false nostalgia, finding your power, being yourself - it’s just so so good and you should stop reading reviews and just go read the book instead!

Again. She kills it, (and the characters obviously) a twist on Carrie with real world racist scenarios. I’m at a loss of words, but obsessed.

What worked: Chilling, horror story of racism, bullying, and what happens at a small town's first integrated prom. Jackson shows us a biracial teen who is bullied and who finds she has a secret power. Maddy's life includes a father who forces her to pray to be like the stars he idolizes from popular 50s shows. All of these stars are white. The torment and abuse she suffers from not only her father that doesn't want anyone to know she's in fact 'biracial' and the bullying she gets from schoolmates is shown in very realistic detail. One of the main bullies is the rich, popular Jule. She even goes as far as dress in blackface to ridicule Maddy.

Once Maddy finds out she has telekinesis-the ability to move objects-she decides to find out more. There are others in town that are more sympathetic to her plight like football star Kenny, who agrees to ask her to the first integrated prom. There's also the high school teacher that looks out for her as well.

Riveting, unflinching descriptions of racism continue to this day. Jackson has a Stephen King vibe going throughout this story. What happens at the prom and afterward is something right out of a horror movie.

Think Carrie in a small town set among a first integrated prom that goes horribly wrong. Add a biracial protagonist with the ability of telekinesis to have one amazing story.

Originally posted at YABC: https://www.yabookscentral.com/the-weight-of-blood/

Tiffany D. Jackson's newest book is a reimagining of Stephen King's Carrie. In this book, however, Maddie (our main character) is a biracial teen who passes for white until one day when her hair is exposed to the rain. Maddie had always stood out as different. Now in the mainly white town of Springville she is even more different. Jackson's book takes us through the events through the eyes of several of the characters as they attempt to piece together the tragedy of what happened at the first all inclusive Prom in Springville.

This was an amazing book! Probably one of Tiffany’s best. I think I appreciated every single character in this book (included Jules). I will be recommending this book to everyone once it hits the stores!

The Weight of Blood is a page turning, terrifying social and psychological thriller that teens and adults will burn through. Tiffany D. Jackson has created a town an every town USA with traditions, tolerances, and secrets ready to be revealed and demolished.

Maddy Washington's transformation from a shy and awkward high school student hiding in anonymity to a literal force of nature lashing out at whoever is threatening is thrilling. Maddy's has survived in and out of school by unknowingly passing as a strange but unremarkable girl. Once her secret is revealed to her classmates, the racist bullying and vicious cruelty against her is unleashed with tragic consequences.

The pacing and tension are pitch perfect with ominous signs of danger being marked by the podcast and testimony transcripts that are sprinkled throughout the novel. The final horrific prom night is bloody, terrifying, and literally explosive in its vengeance. The veneer of respectability and politeness is quite literally shattered to reveal the racist cruelty that has gone unacknowledged for generations.

The ending of the story is left unresolved and will spark intense speculation about the aftermath of the prom and what has happened to the characters who were never found after prom night.

Ooooh this was so good. So well executed, so absolutely vicious. I loved. I am very excited for this to be released into the wide world and for other people to get their hands on it. Tiffany Jackson does not miss.

Who in my generation didn’t love the book and the movie Carrie? A cult classic that has now been revamped through a racial and modern lens, Tiffany D. Jackson wows me once again.

Maddy is a biracial teenager being raised by her white father in the typical mainly white, conservative, small town. She has spent her life hiding that she is part black, doing all the things that biracial kids raised with internalized racism do, to fit in. Even then, she is still an 0utcast, and one with telekinesis. The story begins with her being caught in the rain, and here is where the bullying gets out of control.

While there are some similar things to Carrie, Jackson delves deeper and layers the story and the character which provides a fresh and new take. I honestly like this one better, maybe because as a POC, I can relate more to this and because it shows the nuance of how white supremacy is alive in all elements of society, especially when you are a teenager trying to find yourself.

Mandy’s journey of her understanding her racial identity and her telekinesis is thoughtful and emotional. The role of white saviors and the “nice racism” of micro aggressions and how it plays a role is an important part of the book. And then there’s what it leads up to… a blood filled horror prom night.

There’s so many things to be said about this book, but if you have loved Carrie or loved any of Tiffany’s previous books, make sure you pick up this one. It is one I will read a few more times as the layers and the symbology jump out at you with each time you read it.

High recommend to everyone, especially young adults.

Tiffany D. Jackson has done it again! The Weight of Blood is a YA horror novel that deals with systemic racism in our country. Set in 2014 in the small town of Springville, Georgia, Maddy is just trying to get through high school unnoticed. She mostly succeeds until a surprise rainstorm hits and her hair balloons in size -- and it becomes obvious to everyone that she had been passing for white for years. Classmates bully her, a video goes viral, and the town of Springville is on the news for its separate proms for Black and white students. This is a fast-paced horror story that will fly off library shelves. Highly recommended.

Tiffany D. Jackson has done it again — this story had me riveted from beginning to end. It’s like an adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie that focuses on integrated proms and racism.

It’s so good. I’ve already started recommending it to people.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

AMAZING!

Tiffany D. Jackson is always on point with her books and this is no different. Maddy does Carrie justice as the new misunderstood girl with an overbearing parent and a gift. Jules is the perfect mean girl who has never been held responsible for her actions. As you are reading and as a fan of Carrie things may seem to be predictable as it does follow the original closely, but the end, of course, has a twist that Tiffany is known for.

I can't wait to get this book and get it into the hands of students who love horror. Perfection as always.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of The Weight of Blood. I am a huge fan of Tiffany Jackson and was thrilled to see her coming out with another horror book. I wasn't the biggest fan of White Smoke and felt it was an average YA Horror, but she knocked it out the park with this one! I love Stephen King and this was a great take on his work Carrie. Highly recommend.

This is one of those books that I place in the "not for me" category, which is distinct from being "not good".

I've been a huge fan of Jackson's YA (GROWN was one of my favorites of 2020), but her recent turn towards horror/supernatural hasn't been as interesting to me. THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD presented similar issues for me with all the telekinesis, and a lot of the dialogue fell flat even with interesting characters. If you liked WHITE SMOKE, you will probably love this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.