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Jackal
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white Rust Belt town. But she's not the first--and she may not be the last. . . . It's watching. Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn't exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward and passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the bride's daughter, Caroline, goes missing--and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood. It's taking. As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: a summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She's seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart missing. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can't be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town's history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls. It's your turn. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.
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Booksandtea23
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Blerdgal_Fenix
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

8 .5 out of 10. Add this thriller to your TBR. If you like lifetime crime stories, get out the movie, ace of spades the book, or suspense books - this is for you. The way story unfolded had me confused in the beginning but everything made sense at the end.
Be prepared to go on a twist wild ride. #murderinasmalltown #woc #bipoc #thriller #suspense #stargazer #missing #findus

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Blerdgal_Fenix
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Not Libby telling me what I will be reading next. Just got this sent to me from Libby. Let‘s see if I can do it 14 days. This book has gotten really good reviews, many people says this is great for spooky season reading. Wish me luck, I will be reading this in the daylight 👀 first book of the scarathon 😵‍💫

#libby #woc #bipoc #thriller #scarathlon #skeletoncrew

Emilymdxn Oooh I haven‘t heard of this one but now I‘m curious! 7mo
18 likes1 comment
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she.hearts.horror
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Mehso-so

I really wanted to like this more. Sad

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traa
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

Loved it!

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SW-T
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

Interesting book. We have a somewhat unreliable narrator, lots of horror elements, plus a lot of social commentary on class, race, memory, community, and belonging. There were some things that worked much better than others, but there was a distinct dark atmosphere throughout and the horror element was good.

#audiolisten

she.hearts.horror Ye, I think that‘s the best way to put it : some things worked better than others. I really wanted to like it more. I also wanted them to dig deeper into some of the themes presented as it relates to the friendship ( and what it wasn‘t). 9mo
26 likes1 comment
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Reggie
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

Liz, a Black woman, goes back to her hometown for her best friend‘s wedding. While at the wedding her goddaughter goes missing in the woods. Another little Black girl in a long line of missing Black girls. So this is a low pick. I liked the last 1/4 very much, and all the characterizations of the missing girls. But sometimes I like to have to guess at what is being inferred instead of being told, told, told. Coulda used more show. Still, a pick.

batsy I struggled with this one and like you said, it got a bit pontificate-y. I appreciated the author's afterword a lot more than the book; it made me think I'd enjoy her nonfiction if she ventured into that. 11mo
Reggie @batsy I wish she had incorporated the history of Johnstown more. She kept doing that repetitive thing that romance authors do and I just wanted to scream-I get it- it‘s racism!!! And maybe have it in 3rd person because I found myself getting mad at Liz, which is totally unfair to her. 11mo
batsy @Reggie Yeah! I find I keep seeing more of this in contemporary fiction—the need to keep overemphasising something is bad instead of trusting the reader to recognise it. Maybe it's the result of social media brain, where to make a point one has to kind of keep yelling about the same thing. 11mo
she.hearts.horror I agree with all of this. I just finished and I‘m like: meh. 9mo
Reggie @she.hearts.horror yeah it had a lot of potential. Just didn‘t live up to it. 9mo
78 likes1 stack add5 comments
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SomedayAlmost
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

Are you more afraid of a shadowy beast or real racial violence? Rust belt myth intertwines with America‘s refusal to see the violence perpetrated on many generations of black women in this compelling tale of kidnapped girls & facing evil in the woods. Vivid, twisty, thought-provoking & damn scary! Highly recommend. #horror #racism #strongfemalecharacters #5stars

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ShyBookOwl
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Tanisha Walker loved the stars.
#FirstLineFridays

Loving this one!
So. Effing. Sinister.

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reading.rainb0w
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Started this massive puzzle last night while listening to, Jackal. The cats and I will be reading and working on this some more today.

I'm not super into this book, but I'm currently trying to finish as someone has a hold on it and it's due in two days. #motivation ✊🏽

Trying to put into words how I feel about this book so far and honestly, it's nothing. I feel nothing about this book. This might be one I simply read and forget about.

GondorGirl How do you keep your cats from stealing pieces?! I can't imagine mine leaving a puzzle alone. 1y
reading.rainb0w @GondorGirl I keep most pieces in the box and sort a little at a time as I go. They usually stay away while I'm in the room, but there is still a chance they snuck one or two lol. I also had to hurry up and take the photo because they did get quite curious once I placed it on the floor! 😅 1y
6 likes2 comments
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batsy
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Panpan

I should have bailed; I was irritated from the beginning with the writing & characterisation. It felt mechanical & uninspired. I found the author's note at the end about Johnstown & racism more interesting than anything that went on in the novel. There's a recent trend in contemporary American (?) novels of [a serious social issue] overlaid with [genre formula from horror/speculative scifi/myth] that's easily-marketable, but fast becoming stale.

batsy If done well, it could be something special, but if not, it tends to ring hollow. My last read for 2022. 1y
squirrelbrain Great review, though! 😁 1y
Aimeesue Spot on about the social issue/genre mashup trend. It can work well at times, but it has to be carefully done, and so often misses the mark. 😕 1y
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batsy @squirrelbrain Thank you! 🙂 1y
batsy @Aimeesue Yes! For example The Trees by Percival Everett or White Tears by Hari Kunzru got that balancing act right, I think. Both left a lingering sense of unease. 1y
CarolynM Yes, there a lot of those kinds of books around at the moment. 1y
batsy @CarolynM Indeed; most come with lots of hype. 1y
reading.rainb0w I'm currently reading this, and unfortunately my only motivation is the fact someone has a hold on the book and it's due in 4 days lol. I definitely get you on the social issue/genre trope. 1y
batsy @reading.rainb0w Haha! I hope you at least find it somewhat worth your time by the time you get to the end. 1y
69 likes9 comments
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Addison_Reads
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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For #adventrecommends I'm going to focus on books I've read in 2022 that I loved. @emilyrose_x

This debut horror is a book I haven't stopped thinking about, or recommending, to others. It's a great read and I absolutely love the cover. 😍

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Branwen
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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"Danger for black girls was different. It didn't obey the boundaries of stories. For them, it was always real."

This book is absolutely incredible! A really great blend of mystery/thriller/horror with the added issues of racism and classism. I absolutely loved it!

53 likes1 stack add
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Branwen
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Chicken shawarma for lunch! Mmmm, so yummy! 😋 Happy Friday, littens! 💕📚

Kimzey 😋 1y
46 likes1 comment
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Jemgirl2014
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Okay, so I‘m reading this book right? It‘s a horror/mystery about black girls coming up missing in some little town in Pennsylvania. Well, this evening my mom told me about what‘s happening in Kansas City, Missouri. The similarities between this book and what I just read in this article are chilling. https://www.thepitchkc.com/spotlight-is-on-kansas-city-and-its-problem-of-missin...

Monica5 Wow! Hadn't heard about Kansas City missing women 1y
Jemgirl2014 @Monica5 I know! It‘s so sad it took so long to get reported. 1y
13 likes2 comments
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KT1432
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Black girls go missing in small-town Pennsylvania. I‘m really excited about this one! I‘ve heard it‘s like a mysterious thriller with elements of horror.

#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #PhotoChallenge Day 21: #Missing #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2022

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TorieStorieS
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

This debut novel makes for a compelling read. Liz Rocher returns to Johnstown, PA for the first time since she left for college. Her best friend is finally marrying her longtime boyfriend & father of their child. But hidden not so deep beneath the surface is the town‘s history of missing young women- all Black. With multiple narrators & genre bending, this is a hard one to put down- even if the search & rescue dogs could‘ve been better handled.

Jemgirl2014 My next Audible! Glad to hear it‘s good. 😀 2y
TorieStorieS @Jemgirl2014 Oh I am interested in what you think of the audio version! I hope you enjoy it!! 2y
58 likes2 comments
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HeathHof
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

" If you make a girl cry, you must be sorry. If a girl hands you an imaginary phone, you answer it. If a girl reaches for your hand, you take it. In womanhood, all those exchanges become contingent on her ability to pay a price." Part horror, part thriller, part mystery part suspense. So good!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

62 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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HeathHof
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Yippee! Came home to this surprise win from Goodreads. 🥳🎉

TheSpineView Congrats!💜📘💜 2y
AmyG Yay! 2y
60 likes1 stack add2 comments
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abookishbutterfly
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
Mehso-so

What really did the story in for me was the ending. And after an entire book of telling, rather than showing, it‘s especially odd to me that symbolism was suddenly inserted. It was all very strange and while strange isn‘t always equivalent to bad, this was certainly not a good strange.

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Addison_Reads
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

#NetGalley #ARC

Loved this one! When great horror can create a story that deals with social issues and yet also keeps me engrossed with suspense I call that a true success. 💚

I never quite figured out what was happening until the reveal, and the ending was great. Not to mention this cover is gorgeous.

Zoes_Human LOVED this one! 2y
47 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Alfoster
Jackal | Erin E. Adams
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Pickpick

I admit this creeped me out a little! Young girls disappear every Summer Solstice and when Mel‘s daughter goes missing, best friend Liz is determined to get to the bottom of it. But of course it‘s much worse than one could even imagine so read at your own risk (and not in the woods for sure)!😱
#NetGalley

59 likes1 stack add