Q U I C K S T A T S
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Setting: ⭐⭐⭐
Writing style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐. 5
T H E B O O K
// Content Warning: Addiction / Anaphylactic shock / Anxiety / Attempted murder / Blood / Bullying / Death / Delusional parasitosis / Divorce (off page) / Drug use / Fire / Fire injury / Gore / Needles / Panic attacks / Police brutality / Racism / Violence //
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Age rating: 14+
Genre(s): Horror
Pub date: 14/09/2021
[ Goodreads︱The StoryGraph ]
P R E M I S E
Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.
The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its. . . secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.
But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?
As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.
M Y R E V I E W
↬ PRE-THOUGHTS
THE COVER LOOKS GORGEOUS AND I NEED A COPY OF THIS RIGHT NOW!!
↬ PLOT
This story follows Marigold, who is a recovering drug addict with severe OCD surrounding bed bugs. Moving across the country seemed like the greatest of ideas, especially in terms of a fresh start. But moving into the most haunted house on the street? Not the best of ideas.
At first the family dismisses the whole ghost things as the youngest daughter's imagination and leaves her to her own devices. But after several hushed warnings Piper whispers, Marigold senses a presence and has had the strangest encounters. All this is buried when she meets the cutest guy in school and her mind forgets absolutely everything from her drug addition to the possible ghost.
But when everything starts piling up, she needs more weed.
↬ WRITING AND SETTING
I'm not sure if this book classifies as horror because it had a resolved ending which had nothing to do with the supernatural so it definitely leaned more toward the thriller genre. The build-up was anxiety-ridden and every second of reading it sent me into a downward spiral of fear. But, at some point, the story went flat. I couldn't find the primary focus of the story anymore; was it the recovering procedures? was it the ups and downs of the family? was it the romance? was it the haunted house? I feel like if the author had picked one of these and rolled with it, the story would've turned out so much better. However, it was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to reading the author's other works.
↬ CHARACTERS
Moving onto the characters: Marigold was an interesting individual and I haven't read anyone quite like her (maybe in the webtoon about the Malaysia riot- I forgot the name apologies- where the girl has this obsession with tapping three times). We learn about her fear of bed bugs from the very beginning and throughout the book, the author had scattered 'fun facts' about these pests. As the storyline became more intense, the whole narrative skyrocketed and was absolutely tainted with facts about bed bugs which was definitely a unique style I've never seen before.
If I had to describe the rest of the characters in one line it would be as follows:
1. Yusef- dude needs a vibe check and possibly a new shirt
2. Piper- needs therapy, ASAP
3. brother- the only chill person in the ENTIRE book
4. mum- seems nice
5. Asher- not the typical step-dad
6. dad- lost in Japan (literally)
7. Erica- arrested in like the 7th chapter
8. Ms Suga- needs to change her last name like what the fuck is Suga
↬ CONCLUSION
Pros: Perfect for spooky month!
Cons: Gets a bit confusing
Overall rating: 3.5/ 5
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
Anxiety
Black main and side characters
Delusional parasitosis
Lesbian side character
S I M I L A R B O O K S
When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
↬ Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo.
But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.
When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other—or themselves—long enough to find out before they too disappear?
A D D I T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S
F I N D M E
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