She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Special thanks to Raincoast Books for sending a copy for review.
Summary:
When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.
But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.
Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all (Goodreads).
Thoughts:
Diving into the pages of She is a Haunting was an enchanting experience. The novel blended horror and mystery seamlessly. The plotline is unique and quickly grabbed onto my attention. It was actually one of the best books I’ve read in a while, and I stayed up to finish it.
While the narrative was enticing, the cover could use some improvement. It isn’t aesthetically pleasing to the eye and wouldn’t be the first book I’d choose from a shelf. Incorporating a few insects onto the cover would add to the theme of the novel. Also (although I’m not 100% sure if this is the case) the cover looks AI-generated, which may dissuade many readers from choosing the book. Many individuals nowadays, namely artists, are wholeheartedly against AI art and would refrain from reading books with AI-generated covers. Someone actually came up to me and commented on how the cover was AI art, so it’s rather noticeable even at first glance.
The characters are brought to life through their distinct personalities, and I’m sure that some characters will stay with me for a while after finishing this book. The characters each respond differently in common scenarios, and this adds to the story’s depth and believability. Jade, the main character, is very well portrayed. She effortlessly fits into the role of an older, more responsible sister, and the conflicts between Jade and her younger sister, Lily, make the novel more relatable and realistic. For instance, Lily resents Jade when she’s only trying to keep her safe. When Jade realizes that the food their father is feeding them is dangerous, she takes care to prepare Lily’s food separately; however, Lily argues with Jade and does not agree with her decisions.
The world building was done well, and information was given gradually to help balance all the information provided; this made it easy to understand without overwhelming me. I quickly understood where Jade was visiting her father and how the house they lived in was arranged. All the details unfolded seamlessly, and nothing came too abruptly or seemed hard to understand.
The standout feature lies in the unique plot line. With as many novels as there are nowadays, it’s difficult to create a unique storyline, but the author excelled in this area. Tension built up with unexpected events, such as Jade experiencing sleep paralysis and interactive nightmares with ghosts that transcended into reality. I especially appreciated the final reveal of all the mysteries in the final chapter.
Similarly, the narrative unfolded in an unpredictable manner and offered one-of-a-kind plot twists that kept me hooked throughout the novel. There were several plot twists that I would have never thought of. When Jade was preparing Lily’s food, she knew something was amiss; however, no one ever thought that Jade would be the one brainwashed into adding insects into Lily’s “vegetarian” food.
I’d highly recommend She is a Haunting to any fans of mystery or horror. After re-editing the cover, I’m certain many readers would choose this novel out of many others when browsing the library.
Reviewed by Romina P.