Sarah Maria Griffin

Theres something lurking behind the wallpaper at the house on Iona Crescent. Something dark. Something hungry. When fourteen-year-old twins Mae and Rossa first go to stay with their great-aunt Rita and her gorgeous (but terrifying) ward Bevan, theyre drawn into a web of magic and heartbreak. And though they thought theyd escaped, it comes back to haunt them again three summers later, as the darkness really sinks its claws in.

Other Words for Smoke

Twins Mae and Rossa’s summer away from home becomes life altering when they discover a house full of witches, experience devastating first love, and face a dark power beyond any imagining. Sarah Maria Griffin’s haunting and literary sophomore novel explores the balance between love and fear, weakness and power, and the lengths one will go to claim one’s freedom. For fans of Libba Bray’s The Diviners and Maggie Stiefvater’s All the Crooked Saints. When the women from the house at the end of the lane went missing, none of the townspeople knew what happened. A tragedy, they called it. Only twins Mae and Rossa know the truth about that fateful summer. Only they know about the owl in the wall, the uncanny cat, the insidious creatures that devour love and fear. Only they know the trials of loving someone who longs for power, for freedom, for magic. Only they know what brought everything tumbling down around them. And they’ll never, ever breathe a word. With an unusual structure spanning five summers, intriguing characters, and a dark mystery, this uncommon novel will appeal to readers of Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch and Madeleine Roux’s House of Furies.

Ruby Armstrong 

I think it was written a little too simple for me, maybe I'm above the target audience. The storyline was very interesting but a little confusing at times. A bit unsatisfied at the ending, but I enjoyed it

Danielle Mellett

I’ll admit - this was a book I picked up based on the pretty cover and my resolution to try and support more Irish authors. I didn’t have high expectations for it, or any expectations really. I’m not sure if I even read the back cover before buying it, but I’m so glad I did!


The story is a bit weird, but beautifully written and a unique and interesting concept. I don’t want to give much away but Sarah has created incredibly complex characters within an intriguing plot that kept me hooked right until the last page.

Beth Bartholomew

I want to start this review by saying that I like weird books, I like impossibilities and bizarre characters. But I don't think I enjoyed this one, which is such a shame. I read it over a weekend and definitely fell into the world. It certainly made me feel strange and eerie, the writing was very clever. However, I felt like the plot was oddly ordered and it made me lose track of appreciating the story and characters.

To the basics, this book is about twins who go to stay with their Great Aunt for the summer and her housemate (who is a teenage girl). Some weird stuff goes down, including a creepy owl called Sweet James. If that isn't enough to creep you out, then just pick this up and you'll find your brain twisted and turned in all directions. As I said, this book is clever, it just wasn't for me.

I wanted more from the plot and the characters. I was left with so many questions and I wasn't very satisfied with the ending. It all felt so random and I was left with a Sims question mark above my head thinking whyyyyy for most of this book. That said, I did keep picking it up and I wanted to get through it. I think I mainly lost motivation within the last 100 pages or so, because I felt like the plot didn't need to keep going.

I didn't really feel connected with any of the characters either, none of them particularly stood out for me. I appreciated seeing the contrast of twins growing up and how they grew distant. I also liked seeing a queer/lesbian character deciding how she felt about another girl. But I just didn't feel very empathetic towards any of them. 

I reaalllly wanted to like this book, so I'm sad to write a not so positive review.  But I definitely appreciated certain elements. The hints horror were very well done and I'm struggling to shake them from my head even now. So I certainly merit it for those points! I'd love to know what you thought about this book though?

Other Words for Smoke

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