She Is a Haunting

Vibe words: eerie, relatable, captivating, creepy. Themes of classic gothic literature, generational trauma, colonization, sexuality, and gender. I was so invested in the main character, Jade, and how her relationships with other characters would develop as she learned more about herself, her family’s past, and the historic house she seems to be connected to.

Just as a lot of reviewers posted, I was intrigued by the cover. The story itself is quite predictable. The exploration of post colonial aftermath in Vietnam through paranormal storytelling is a good setting, but I wasn't hooked onto any suspense by the end of the book.

As I read this book, I kept reading faster and faster as they story unwound and got crazier. I'm not sure exactly all that happened but I liked it!

Had potential but fell short. All the action was in the last 5 chapters. More explanation was needed to what was going on. Could have gone more into the haunting all around.

Content warning for graphic descriptions, body horror, death, violence, genocide, racism/imperialism, and related topics. I keep trying horror and I haven't loved any of them so far. I liked pieces of this novel, but on the whole I was confused and/or waiting for something to happen. I think it could have been a little shorter and I would have liked it better, especially because the symbolism was so incredible. Super creepy, but I think the setting and overall mood was more of a priority than the plot.