The Weight of Blood: A biracial teen passing for white unravels a small-town Georgia secret when an integrated prom turns deadly and monstrous.
* AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * INDIE BESTSELLER * JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION * KIDS' INDIE NEXT LIST PICK * NPR BEST PICK * KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *
New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.
When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.
An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.
After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.
But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.
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Readers say *The Weight of Blood* by Tiffany D. Jackson is a gripping, emotionally intense YA horror retelling of *Carrie* that powerfully addresses r...
This one has been on my to-read list since July2023. So, when my book club chose it as its March book club read, I was excited to finally get to read it. Turns out it is also one of GR’s 2026 Tale Spinners because it’s a retelling of a classic: Stephen King's Carrie.
After I read the book summary, I remembered reading a news story, many years ago, about a school in the south that still had segregated proms and how in 2014, they had their first integrated prom. I remembered thinking how incredibly atrocious that in the 21st century, nearly 150yrs since the passage of the 13th amendment and 50yrs since the passage of the civil rights act, that a school/town had been allowed to still engage in segregated practices. That type of practice was illegal and had been for a very long time. It’s kind of obvious that Tiffany Jackson was probably inspired by that story in some way.
Anyway, the book summary introduces primary storyline. Only instead of just being an outcast with a weird religious single mother, like King’s Carrie, Jackson’s Maddie is a biracial girl passing as white, who is an outcast with a weird religious single father. What the book summary doesn’t say is that the story is presented to the reader as episodes of a podcast about a book that was written about the Springfield, GA high school massacre in 2014 at the school’s first integrated prom. So, from the get-go we know that the story has a similar ending to King’s Carrie.
There are the classic antagonists, Jules and her posse of bitches that are Maddie’s primary bullies. However, the rest of the school does nothing to stop the constant antagonism of Maddie. Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed much either. Even with all the zero tolerance policies for bullying in schools and the workplace, bullies still exist and they are still getting away with their crap – every single day.
There weren’t many surprises in this story. If you’re read Carrie or seen the movie, you know how the story goes. However, there was one part of the ending that was a surprise, and I liked it, which is reflected in my rating.
The character development for the MC’s Maddie, Kenny, Wendy and Jules was well done as well as a couple of other characters like Maddie’s dad and Kenny’s dad and sister. The pacing was steady and never dragged, at least not for me. The storyline is a retelling and stays true for most of the story, except for a part of the end. Jackson’s retelling of the classic story was a really good update, and I liked that she was probably inspired by a true story. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.9 that I will be rounding up to a 4star review.
After I read the book summary, I remembered reading a news story, many years ago, about a school in the south that still had segregated proms and how in 2014, they had their first integrated prom. I remembered thinking how incredibly atrocious that in the 21st century, nearly 150yrs since the passage of the 13th amendment and 50yrs since the passage of the civil rights act, that a school/town had been allowed to still engage in segregated practices. That type of practice was illegal and had been for a very long time. It’s kind of obvious that Tiffany Jackson was probably inspired by that story in some way.
Anyway, the book summary introduces primary storyline. Only instead of just being an outcast with a weird religious single mother, like King’s Carrie, Jackson’s Maddie is a biracial girl passing as white, who is an outcast with a weird religious single father. What the book summary doesn’t say is that the story is presented to the reader as episodes of a podcast about a book that was written about the Springfield, GA high school massacre in 2014 at the school’s first integrated prom. So, from the get-go we know that the story has a similar ending to King’s Carrie.
There are the classic antagonists, Jules and her posse of bitches that are Maddie’s primary bullies. However, the rest of the school does nothing to stop the constant antagonism of Maddie. Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed much either. Even with all the zero tolerance policies for bullying in schools and the workplace, bullies still exist and they are still getting away with their crap – every single day.
There weren’t many surprises in this story. If you’re read Carrie or seen the movie, you know how the story goes. However, there was one part of the ending that was a surprise, and I liked it, which is reflected in my rating.
The character development for the MC’s Maddie, Kenny, Wendy and Jules was well done as well as a couple of other characters like Maddie’s dad and Kenny’s dad and sister. The pacing was steady and never dragged, at least not for me. The storyline is a retelling and stays true for most of the story, except for a part of the end. Jackson’s retelling of the classic story was a really good update, and I liked that she was probably inspired by a true story. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.9 that I will be rounding up to a 4star review.
4.75
Tiffany D. Jackson is the queen of YA horror! I absolutely devoured this retelling of Carrie. Jackson’s own spin on the story, and the focus on modern societal injustices, brought the story to life in a whole new way. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing through almost the entire book. Sometimes out of suspense and sometimes out of anger. When a book brings out these kinds of emotions, you know it’s good!
Tiffany D. Jackson is the queen of YA horror! I absolutely devoured this retelling of Carrie. Jackson’s own spin on the story, and the focus on modern societal injustices, brought the story to life in a whole new way. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing through almost the entire book. Sometimes out of suspense and sometimes out of anger. When a book brings out these kinds of emotions, you know it’s good!