Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Oct 27, 2019 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, owned, queer, feminist-as-fuck

"Love is love no matter what kind of soul you are or where you're from."

I love messy, helpless queers crushing hard on people they can't have. Oh the bittersweet taste of unrequited love. I also love unapologetic female characters that don't take shit from anyone. This is exactly my kind of book.

My heart was lost from the very beginning. Sarah Maria Griffin writes with a voice that is one part beautiful, the other part fiercely intelligent, both parts dangerous. You'll cut yourself if you get ...more

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Jan 21, 2019 Gabriela Pop rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Yet another mindblowing novel from one of Ireland's most promising voices. Sarah really outdoes herself in this one. I'd loved her previous work and was highly anticipating this novel, so my expectations were set high from the get-go, yet it felt like they were somehow exceeded despite that.
At the core of it all, this is a novel about power, love, fear and the marks our actions leave onto the world, all interwoven with complex threads of family and magic. The book follows the story of a set of ...more

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Jun 25, 2019 Amybibliophile rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I finished this a week or 2 ago and have been trying to get my thoughts in order to leave some sort of review.

I have to say I was expecting an all together different story when going into this without reading the synopses and from first impressions of the cover, I also don't think I have read anything that I could compare it to.

It is a coming of age story and one that contains lust, betrayal, magic & witchcraft. Not to forget Bobby Dear - the talking cat, and Sweet James the owl in the wall I finished this a week or 2 ago and have been trying to get my thoughts in order to leave some sort of review.

I have to say I was expecting an all together different story when going into this without reading the synopses and from first impressions of the cover, I also don't think I have read anything that I could compare it to.

It is a coming of age story and one that contains lust, betrayal, magic & witchcraft. Not to forget Bobby Dear - the talking cat, and Sweet James the owl in the wall that eats bones/body-parts and opens doors to other worlds. Sound far fetched right? Right. But somehow it works. I fell in love with Bobby so much it hurts.

It follows twins Mae & Rossa and the 2 summers they spend at Rita's house (a relative) with her and Bevan.
The narrative is what is most unlike anything I've read before, as Mae, Rossa & Rita follow a 3rd person narrative and Bevan 2nd person.
Bevan's interested me the most as her parts were full of intrigue, being manipulated by Sweet James and willing to sacrifice anything to please him. I found myself compelled to him also, and wanted to know more of the happenings inside the doors. I loved that having Bevans narrative in 2nd person, it had the impression of Sweet James getting into her head and influencing her thoughts.

Mae is the teenage twin that is growing up into the realms of womanhood and all the emotions it brings. She feels her brother, Rosso, is maturing at a slower rate than herself and quickly losing common interests. Mae's has teenager hormones overpowering her brain, and falls deeply in 'love' with Bevan, who isn't particularly nice to Mae, but even still Mae tends to put her on a pedestal.

Rossa in the first half of the book comes across as shy and timid, and feels very out of place in this strange new house away from all of his Mom, Dad & friends. Rossa starts to feel like everyone is hiding something when conversations stop & hes asked to run errands to keep him away from the goings on inside the house.
The 2nd summer Rossa feels like a changed character. His interest in drawing means him and Bevan have something to talk about and spend more and more time together, and their relationship becomes intimate, which makes Mae extremely jealous as the roles have reversed.

By the end of this book I felt like I cared for these characters and the paths they were choosing. The story had an element of suspense and truly captured what it is to be a teenager, as well as lure to want to know what illusions and trickery are at play, which you never fully know.

I can see how this book wouldn't be to every bodies taste. Its very weird & the narrative took me a good chunk of the book to get used to, but once I was then I couldn't put it down!
This book is ideal for anybody that likes to read about:
Witches/Witchcraft
Animal Hybrids
Coming of Age Stories
Irish Tales
Horror/Paranormal
Lesbian Love ...more

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Aug 04, 2018 Jackie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, arcs, lgbtq, 2018-reads

An interesting tale filled with magic, betrayal and the lengths people will go to get what they want.

“Other Words for Smoke” creates a twisted fairy tale like story when a set of twins are sent to live with their Aunt for the summer and upon their arrival they find that things are not quite what they seem with a game in progress between two forces with everyone who crosses the threshold becoming the unwilling participants.

This book creates a world where fantasy and reality sit side by side ...more

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Jul 02, 2019 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] marked it as finish-me-soon

Shelves: owned-tbr, owned-ebooks, 2020-tbr, review-copies

This is so cool so far! ... buuuuut it was my "finish or set aside/DNF" title for the week, and sadly, I do not have the motivation to finish it tonight, so I'll pick it back up soon. (pls don't hate me Lauren!) ...more

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May 28, 2019 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, arc, fantasy

"It won't. It'll get huge, for a while. It'll walk around your veins and your stomach. You might even feel it in your rib cage, or your heart, like the songs say. But eventually it'll get smaller and smaller and will run out of steam, until it's a tiny thing that you barely remember. It'll get replaced by other loves."

I came close to DNFing at least 40 times whilst reading this book. Don't get me wrong, Other Words for Smoke is beautifully written. Griffin has talent in making even the most
"It won't. It'll get huge, for a while. It'll walk around your veins and your stomach. You might even feel it in your rib cage, or your heart, like the songs say. But eventually it'll get smaller and smaller and will run out of steam, until it's a tiny thing that you barely remember. It'll get replaced by other loves."

I came close to DNFing at least 40 times whilst reading this book. Don't get me wrong, Other Words for Smoke is beautifully written. Griffin has talent in making even the most boring of scenarios somewhat tantalising with the way she uses the English language as art.

But I believe that is, exactly, where the book fell flat for me: it was boring. Nothing happened. There is building towards a climax that dissipates before it can even really take root. And it's ridiculous that I couldn't muster enough enjoyment to get through it without skimming because this book has everything I love: a haunted house, love stories, complicated characters that are both heroes and villains. It should have been a hit, and yet I started this on April 5th and only today managed to finish it. I even took a break to reorganise the bedroom and clean my flat halfway through reading today. That says a lot.

And it feels like an unpopular opinion, given all the glowing four- and five-star reviews littering this page. I feel terrible for being one of the unlucky few that didn't enjoy it. It felt very much like a brilliant idea and not so great execution, unfortunately.

It begins promisingly, with a house burning down, raging fire and two twins, Rossa and Mae unable to explain what happened. It doesn't take long to learn that they'd gone to visit their aunt Rita, and Rita's ward Bevan, for the summer. Friendships begin to form, a crush takes root and the magic begins to flourish. We have a terrible being that lives in the walls, demanding sacrifice; a talking cat that may or may not be exactly as he seems. Everything is there for an excellent story but it never quite happened, for me.

2 stars mostly for Griffin's impeccable writing. God, I loved the way she wove magic with her words. ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 Renee Godding added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-releases, magical-realism

It took me over a month to finish this relatively short novel, and still I don’t quite know how to feel about it. I’ve been very busy through October and the start of November, which put me in a slight slump. I was struggling to pick this novel up and retain what I had read. Therefore I won’t rate it just yet, as I feel I wouldn’t be doing it justice.
May leave it on my shelves for a while and come back to it at a later (better) time.

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May 31, 2019 Aoife rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic-spells, irish, beautiful-covers, review-books, ya, ya-paranormal, paranormal, urban-fantasy, irish-author, my-bookshelf

I received this book from Titan Press in exchange for an honest review.

Mae and Rossa are staying with their Great-Aunt Rita and her teenage ward Bevan for a whole summer, and neither of them know what to expect - until they get there and realise that Rita and Bevan are witches and a talking cat lives in the house as well as an evil entity called Sweet James who takes the form of a terrifying owl.

This is a really interesting tale with subtle magic that flashes powerful at times, and an underlying ...more

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Jul 10, 2019 Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) rated it liked it · review of another edition

* Rated 3.5/5 stars!

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Sep 15, 2018 Charlie Anders added it · review of another edition

This is a fascinating coming-of-age story with magical elements that feel both grounded and properly mystifying. Mae and Rossa are twins whose parents are slowly coming apart, and they get sent to live with their great aunt Rita and her teenage ward, Bevan, for two separate summers. They soon discover that Rita's house is no ordinary place --- it's one of those spooky houses with a mind of its own, where the rooms change shape and configuration sometimes. Plus there's a talking cat named Bobby, ...more

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Mar 23, 2019 Lauren (Northern Plunder) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, review-written, owned-books, 2019-book-challenge, books-for-review-2019

my heart is so full

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Jun 10, 2019 Chloe rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

Other Words for Smoke is a compelling, dark, magical story that makes the haunted house trope into something quite new and fresh.

This was an interesting book to read. In the end I don't think it's a book that will leave a lasting impression on me, and I'll likely forget some plot points that I couldn't follow as well, but I did enjoy reading it because the writing style was both beautiful and very fast and easy to fly through.

I enjoyed the weirdness of it. The writing was really its strength, ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

4.75/5stars

Beautifully written, wonderfully weird, gay ladies, talking cats, honestly what more do I need in a book?? Docking .25 star cause I wish we got a LITTLE more explanation about everything

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Apr 13, 2019 Museofnyxmares rated it really liked it · review of another edition

(Gifted)
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*I was provided with a copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was without a doubt one of the most unique books that I’ve ever read. There are just certain special books that manage to create an atmosphere when they are read, that surround you and submerge you deeper into the story, and this was definitely one of those books. I don’t think that I could accurately (Gifted)
Blog Post: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/...

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*I was provided with a copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was without a doubt one of the most unique books that I’ve ever read. There are just certain special books that manage to create an atmosphere when they are read, that surround you and submerge you deeper into the story, and this was definitely one of those books. I don’t think that I could accurately convey the affect that this book had on one when reading it, because it’s something so powerful and yet completely unexplainable. The best way I can think of explaining it, is that in this, there is a haunted house and whilst reading this, you feel as if the book is a haunted house, there’s something so unsettling and ominous about it, there’s something dark trapped within, yet you want to stay inside its foundations. For a haunted house, may be a haunted house, but it is also still shelter and a story, no matter how haunting, still offers that same sort of refuge, that you can’t refuse.

I want to get straight into what made this such a fantastic book for me and what blew me away the most – the writing! The writing is like a twisted lullaby, there’s something so gorgeously raw and dark about it, but at the same time, it’s also sweet and warms you in the most peculiar way, that you go limp in its grasp and allow it to sing its song. It’s like a fist around your heart, once this writing gets you, it holds you hostage. Bevan’s point of view was unquestionably where the writing excelled the most and was where I truly felt myself being ensnared by this peculiar story and this even more peculiar protagonist. Bevan’s point of view was often told through a 2nd person narrative. I can’t even think of Bevan’s story being told any other way, it was honestly perfect and just sheer genius. The direct address was so powerful in making the reader feel a part of the story every time ‘you’ was read, it made you share the weight of the protagonists actions, a certain culpability, which was frightening and thrilling at the same time. Bevan’s story by far, contained the more darker aspects of the story and naturally, her storyline was the one that gripped me the most, it just reminded me of when you see something so shocking but you find yourself unable to look away. Bevan did some pretty unpleasant things and yet, I didn’t dislike her, I found her endlessly fascinating and for this reason, she was my favourite character in this and the most memorable.

I truly didn’t know what to expect going into this book, as the premise was so original. The story that I experienced though, was just as weird and wonderful as the synopsis promises, there are so many strange goings on in this book that it made for the most dizzying and confusing experience at times. Like I’ve seen some others say, there’s a constant feeling of being one step behind in the book. Just when I’d think I’d gotten the gist of everything that was happening or had happened, I’d be knocked back. I think that this was the only issue that I had with this book, at times I was so muddled up that it took me out of the story. Like I loved the idea of this phantom in the wall, able to create worlds within worlds, doors within doors. And I fully appreciate the mystery of it all, fully embraced it even, but it would have been great to have understood what was going on more thoroughly, it’s such a fantastic concept as well, so I desperately wanted to understand everything.

Another thing that was unique about this, was that we followed 3 protagonists – Bevan, Mae and Rossa. Mae and Rossa’s story was told in 3rd person narrative, I did prefer the 2nd person in Bevan’s, but I enjoyed following each of them. Mae and Rossa’s perspectives seemed to focus more on how they were feeling in themselves and the growing pains they were experiencing, whilst also growing apart from each other. It was nice to see Mae’s sexuality documented so candidly, which is usually reserved for straight crushes. The changes in perspective wasn’t done as cleanly as in the form of distinct chapters, so I did have to adjust to it switching unexpectedly. The most unique thing about the structure and the most exciting, and what was very impressive, was that there were several footnotes scattered throughout. These footnotes were addictive and I was always so happy to see one pop up. They were also another very clever aspect to this story, as they seemed to be written by an all knowing entity, it was hilarious how the footnotes would often contradict what the character had just said, simply offer more insight on something mentioned in passing or fortune tell. I was completely taken in with this inventive addition and thought that it added to the story immensely.

This was a book full of interesting concepts and characters, who were framed with the most exquisitely emotive and profound writing and is sure to leave its scent on you long after you’ve read it, like Rita’s sacred smoke, it seeps into you. The plot was very intriguing as we were flung between past and present many a time throughout, which allowed us to see the present, see how those events played out in the future, and how events from the past had led to the present state of things. I know I keep talking about Bevan, but her progression was the superior aspect of the plot, as we got to see how this thing was gradually consuming her and it was riveting in the most horrible way. There were some surprising twists and turns in this book which made me reevaluate everything I’d assumed about a character, and they came in quite quick succession, so it was quite the shock.This story also contained one of the best ‘villains’ that I’ve ever read, I mean this thing, whatever on any earth he was, was terrifying and was so charismatic, an entity that dominated every scene he was in, but remained this otherworldly mystery to the very end. I can truly say that Other Words For Smoke is a story like I’ve never read before, but now know I’m a huge fan of, it screams magic and I can’t wait to see what the author weaves next. I’ll just leave you with some notes I wrote down while reading – Intoxicating, Seductively and addictively haunting, Deliciously dark, Makes the heart race. ...more

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Apr 23, 2019 Beverley Lee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I started this book with absolutely no idea what it was about. And that, I think, is the very best way. I'm not going to give you a brief outline because that would mean you go into it with expectations, just trust me when I say that the writing is strong and lyrical, the story rich and diverse and enchanting.

It had a very Gaiman-esque feel to me with layers of magical realism pulsing through the narrative. I loved all of the characters, which is very rare. The author has a wonderful voice and, ...more

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May 22, 2019 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: stand-alone-novels, recieved-for-review, fabulism, uk-lit

“A girl handing it all over to the beasts. Maybe she wanted freedom, too, or maybe something else, something bigger. She was a house for the monsters, herself.”

Because of the prose in this story, which is beautiful and heavily florid, this story can sometime seem like it drags. But because if the prose, it also has a sense of the liminal: it transgresses the border between reality, and magic.

This is a really beautiful story, and sometimes I loved it and sometimes I didn’t. With this style of ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Claire M. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: queer-lit

mayyyybe a 4.75 because i didn't really see why the constant switch to 2nd-person was needed for bevan's pov. this is unlike anything i've read, although elements of it remind me of twin peaks.

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Jun 26, 2019 Francesca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What an absolute stunner of a book. Impossible to pin down and describe read this book for the unbelievable use of language. Narrative poetry - is that a thing? I forget but this book is it.
A treasure of family relationships, love, fear, a wretched history and magic realism this was a joy to read. I took my time because it is so well written that rushing through it would be a disservice. I got the impression each word was carved out exactly so and the results are stunning.

Highly recommended

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Oct 05, 2019 Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Isabelle by: Lauren (Northern Plunder)

Shelves: rep-lgbtqiap-plus, recs-from-bloggers, new-adult-non-erotica, 2-review-soon

Recommended by Lauren @ Northern Plunder.

I'm so grateful Lauren put this book on my radar again and again until I finally caved and read it, because holy wow I needed this in my life. Full review to come!

content warnings: (view spoiler)
rep: (view spoiler)
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CONVERSION : 13.7 / 15 = 5 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 10 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 9 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
...more

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Aug 21, 2018 Susannah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Three and a half stars for this inventive take on practicing witches. For fans of Alice Hoffman who can handle writing that’s a little more grit and a little less whimsical, Other Words For Smoke presents a coming of age tale that makes you question everyone’s motives. While the story follows our protagonists for a few years, a lot of the character development is left to the reader’s imagination. Despite this, the creative mysterious elements kept me reading until the last page, where the ...more

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May 02, 2019 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, lgbt-characters, fantasy-paranormal

Friends. Ladies. Gals and pals. Do you like reading stories about sapphic girls? Can I interest you in some lightly-drawn but still absolutely heartrending allegories about the history of women's rights (or previous lack thereof) in Ireland? How about some WITCHCRAFT, and the most deliciously spooky vibes of any book I've read in months, if not years? THEN DO I HAVE A REC FOR YOU!!!

Other Words For Smoke begins at the end, with the prologue taking place after all the other events of the novel Friends. Ladies. Gals and pals. Do you like reading stories about sapphic girls? Can I interest you in some lightly-drawn but still absolutely heartrending allegories about the history of women's rights (or previous lack thereof) in Ireland? How about some WITCHCRAFT, and the most deliciously spooky vibes of any book I've read in months, if not years? THEN DO I HAVE A REC FOR YOU!!!

Other Words For Smoke begins at the end, with the prologue taking place after all the other events of the novel have taken place. This gives the story a sense of inevitability - as the reader turns each page, they know that most of the main characters will be doomed to somehow "disappear" by the end, leaving the twin protagonists, Mae and Rossa, traumatised and unable to speak of whatever it is that they've witnessed. However, the exact shape of the catastrophe they survived only becomes fully clear in the novel's final chapters, as the author uses a deft touch to maintain the sense of suspense and mystery throughout.

Really, that sense of suspense and mystery is the crowning jewel of the novel - I actually devoured the whole thing in the space of a single day, sitting up late to finish it even though I had a JOB INTERVIEW THE NEXT MORNING because I literally! Couldn't!! Put it down!!! Mysteries pile up one on top of the other in this novel: is the twins' great-aunt Rita really a witch? Is her ward Bevan really possessed? What is Sweet James, the fiendish owl that lives in the wallpaper and is always, always hungry? What is Bobby, the cat who is clearly so much more than a cat? What is the connection between Bobby and Sweet James? Who are Deborah and Audrey, who are mentioned only in whispers and memories, and what is their connection to Rita? And what is the world behind the wallpaper?

The answers to these questions are revealed agonisingly slowly, but that pace feels perfect - it matches the book's tone, which is one of quiet, menacing horror, both of the supernatural variety and the terribly mundane kind, the kind that once confined unmarried mothers and girls who dared to love other girls to a life of misery in the Magdalene laundries of Ireland and which continues to tear families apart at the seams even today. The magic of this book is real, within the world of the novel - there's no authorial sleight of hand that reveals the witchcraft to be naught but smoke and mirrors at the end - but it's also deeply allegorical, in a way that someone far smarter than me could probably write an entire thesis on. I couldn't tell you how many times a line in this novel sent a shiver down my spine (a lot, it was a lot of times), but while many of those frissons were caused by visceral imagery of tattooed eyes coming to life on a person's skin or of bones sinking into the maw of the eternally hungry wallpaper, the line that is still haunting me several days later rings with the echoes of all-too human despair: "What is it about this house that eats cries for help?"

Anyway, before this review gets any more ridiculously long: this was by far the best YA novel I've read in ages, and probably one of the best horror novels I've ever read (I'm quite certain most people would disagree with me on whether or not it should be categorised as horror, but anything this creepy is definitely horror, IMO). I was also really delighted by the wlw content - it's not the central focus of the novel by any means, but in many ways it's the novel's true heart. I will admit that one or two of the final twists felt a bit forced (specifically, the final reveal about Sweet James and Bobby), and I was initially going to knock a star off the rating because of that, but honestly this novel is just SO GOOD that I couldn't go through with it.

I'll leave you with a quote from the handwritten author's note at the start of the book, which was really what first convinced me that my airport impulse buy had been worthwhile: "If a whole country could be a haunted house, I can think of no more accurate site than [Ireland]. The witches & women of this nation in many ways fuelled the story that lies ahead. I am indebted to them."

IN CONCLUSION: GO BUY THIS SPOOKY WITCHY BOOK RIGHT NOW!! ...more

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Apr 03, 2019 Lauren rated it liked it · review of another edition

Thank you so much to Titan Books for sending me a free copy of this book to review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I've just this minute finished reading this book and I'm at a loss for how to review it but I'm going to give it a go. At the heart of this book is a story about love, obsession, manipulation, fear and betrayal.
This books follows Mae and her twin brother Rossa over two summers who go and stay with their Great Aunt Rita and her teenage ward, Thank you so much to Titan Books for sending me a free copy of this book to review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
 I've just this minute finished reading this book and I'm at a loss for how to review it but I'm going to give it a go. At the heart of this book is a story about love, obsession, manipulation, fear and betrayal.
 This books follows Mae and her twin brother Rossa over two summers who go and stay with their Great Aunt Rita and her teenage ward, Bevan. They first visit Rita when they are fourteen and for a while everything is normal, until they start to learn secrets about the house and the darkness within its walls - quite literally. Mae and Rossa then return for another summer with Rita when they are seventeen and although at first they thought everything was normal, it soon becomes apparent that it isn't and the darkness is stronger than ever.
 The writing in this book is so well done, it was really easy to read and hard to put down. It gripped me from the first chapter and didn't let me go. We read Mae and Rossa's chapters in third person, and Bevan's are in second person, which even though I found her chapters the most disturbing, I really liked how they read and gave us an insight into her that I think we would not of gotten if it was in third person.
 This book is quite dark at times, it has themes of love, fear, obsession, betrayal and I would say manipulation. We learn that Bevan just wants to be loved in a way no one else but Sweet James can love her and as a result he asks her to do rather disturbing things and promises her what she wants. It was definitely a toxic relationship, and as someone who has been in one, I was sometimes nervous to keep reading for fear of what Bevan would be made to do next. I did like the fact that Rita was into Tarot cards and for me that made it interesting to read.
 The only couple of issues I had with it were that for me it was all a little bit odd, if you read this book you will know what I mean and even though I liked maybe one of the characters (who isn't even what he seems), I didn't really feel any connection to any of them. There is next to no world building outside of the haunted house and so I found it quite hard to visualise. I also thought that a few things were really important to the storyline but weren't necessarily explained or needed.
 Overall this wasn't a bad book at all, I just found everything so strange that I don't even know what to feel about it. I did enjoy the mix of haunted house and witchcraft though. ...more

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Apr 06, 2019 AJ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, sci-fi-fantasy, lgbtq, f-f, 2019-release

We've been blessed with another fantastic book by Sarah Maria Griffin!

There is honestly so much to love about this book. I could rave on and on about it for a long time. It's so atmospheric and has such a strong voice. The characters are so palpably real. Even though the book is about a haunted house and magic and witches, the bits that shine the strongest are how real the characters are. You can really feel their fears, anxieties, desires, leaping off of the page.

Also, obviously, I loved that ...more

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Feb 20, 2019 Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

DNF at 50%

I wanted to love this book.

A coming of age story taking place inside a haunted house powered by living creatures in the wall and plenty of magical elements held the promise of a compelling and atmospheric read.

I found the actual story was only beginning at the half way point of the novel. Just as things began to pick up and I thought I'd have a better understanding of the sinister spirit in the home, the author set the story aside to offer up brief vignettes of events taking place all ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Kayleigh rated it liked it · review of another edition

At its core, this book is a story of love and fear, magic and betrayal.
When twins Mae and Rossa spend a summer at their great aunt Rita’s, they unknowingly become pawns in a game being played by two powerful forces.

I found Other Words For Smoke a strange yet totally compelling read. I was hooked from the beginning and barely put it down.
The haunted house aspect gave it a chilling air that kept you captivated throughout and the characters were interesting and not always what they seemed.

Other ...more

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Jun 25, 2018 Sana marked it as anti-library · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

Sarah Maria Griffin wrote Spare and Found Parts, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi about bisexual Nell with a mean streak and a mechanical heart so of course, I'm reading this book about twins and dark secrets and other interesting things mentioned in the super long blurb LOL

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Jul 03, 2019 Emer O'Toole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I gobbled up this witchy YA novel, which balances sophisticated social metaphor with captivating, fleshy (or feathery as the case may be) characters. A terrible event, which anyone familiar with Ireland’s historic treatment of unmarried mothers will recognize, tears a cut in the fabric of things, letting new powers into the world. Our twin teenage heroes, Mae and Rossa, must learn to navigate a house haunted by the energies of the past if they are to find a place for themselves in the future. A ...more

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Apr 03, 2019 Lauren ✨ (YABookers) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, paranormal, would-rate-more-than-5-if-i-could, lgbtqia-plus, highly-anticipated-2019, ff-romance, physical-arcs, fav-2019-reads

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you kindly to Titan Books for my proof.

I absolutely adore witchy books. Some of my favourites include Toil & Trouble edited by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood, Wild Beauty by the talented Anna-Marie McLemore, The Spellbook of Lost & Found (also Irish YA lit) by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, and the Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw. Other Words For Smoke has cemented itself amongst my favourites.

Other Words For Smoke follow I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you kindly to Titan Books for my proof.

I absolutely adore witchy books. Some of my favourites include Toil & Trouble edited by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood, Wild Beauty by the talented Anna-Marie McLemore, The Spellbook of Lost & Found (also Irish YA lit) by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, and the Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw. Other Words For Smoke has cemented itself amongst my favourites.

Other Words For Smoke follow a set of twins, Rossa and Mae, who spend two strange and unsettling summers with their great-Aunt Rita and her ward Bevan, in the mysterious and eerie house at the end of the lane. Nothing is as it seems in this peculiar house — a strange cat, a powerful entity named Sweet James that lurks behind the wallpaper, and Bevan: the young witch who craves the power and escape that Sweet James enthralls her with.

This kind of blew me away. I’m left with such a whirlwind of emotions. I had no idea what to expect going into this except that it had 1. witches 2. twins 3. ireland 4. queer girls.

It was so amazing. Sarah Maria Griffin is such a talented writer and has a beautiful, lyrical, and immersive writing style. Other Words For Smoke is a deliciously creepy and compelling novel about witches, fear, love, and power. It switched between third-person narrative and second-person narrative depending on the POV. At first, I thought this would be off-putting, but it actually worked really well and allowed you to really connect with Bevan, whose chapters were written in second-person.

The characters were so complex, flawed, and compelling and this made it so easy to connect with them all. I genuinely cannot pick a favourite, but I found Bevan’s narrative particularly gripping, but troubling to see how trapped she was. Sweet James was a haunting character, and to see him contrasted with Bobby Dear and watching it all play out was fantastic. The fact that two of the main characters were twins was also lovely (being a twin myself), and I adored their relationship; watching it grow, the co-dependence, loyalty, watching them grow apart but ultimately the unwillingness to part from family was a lovely addition.

And lastly, for anyone looking for queer girls in YA literature, I’m happy to confirm that Other Words For Smoke has several confirmed queer girls and it made my heart so full! If you love queer and witchy novels, this has all the makings of an atmospheric and a hauntingly good one to add to your list. If you loved The Spellbook of Lost & Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, you’ll find this one to your liking too.

All in all, this was one hell of a book, and I would recommend it to any lover of dark, magical, and atmospheric books in a heartbeat. The fact that I have seen very little people talking about this novel in the online book community is a travesty! You’re all missing out on this amazing book.
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May 27, 2019 Zaide rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magical-realism

I doubt this review will be much use to anyone, I have no idea what to write and that’s basically because I’m not even sure what I just read. This book made next to no sense to me and I’m looking at all these 4 and 5 star reviews on here and wondering if I even read the same book?? Clearly this was just very much not for me.

One of the POV’s is written in second person and honestly the weirdness pretty much started there. I really dislike second person. Also this character was such a selfish I doubt this review will be much use to anyone, I have no idea what to write and that’s basically because I’m not even sure what I just read. This book made next to no sense to me and I’m looking at all these 4 and 5 star reviews on here and wondering if I even read the same book?? Clearly this was just very much not for me.

One of the POV’s is written in second person and honestly the weirdness pretty much started there. I really dislike second person. Also this character was such a selfish brat and I loathed them.

The other characters are hardly worth a mention. There’s an eccentric aunt who, of course, does tarot and dabbles in some virtually unexplained “magic”. Twins who start the book at 14 and that really didn’t help me connect to their characters because it’s too young for my tastes. The duo seem to be in the midst of a fallout throughout the whole book that is never explained and then of course the author threw in a weird mini sibling love triangle for absolutely no reason.

Then there’s the actual storyline which I cannot sum up in the slightest without spoilers. I will say that it was incredibly weird, had very little explanation and because the book jumped around in time - both back and forth - and had bizarre footnotes that seemed to narrate a separate side story - I got utterly lost with whatever the plot was pretty quickly.

(view spoiler)

Clearly this is much loved with other readers but it was just too weird and jilted for me, sorry folks! ...more

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Jun 10, 2019 Caylynn Bleess rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The twins knelt there at the feet of witches and titans.

I honestly have absolutely no clue what to say about this book. It was SO CONFUSING. And anti-climatic. And boring. And completely unsatisfactory.

The thing that sucks is that the premise of this story was fantastic. Otherworldly entities hidden in the walls of the house? Sign me up. Witches and tarot cards? Hell yeah.

I got heavy Gravity Falls vibes (my second favorite animated TV series of all time) in the first few chapters- two twins, ...more

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