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Smoke
576 pages
A raw, verse-driven journey through the ashes of trauma and the desperate, breathless run toward a new life.
What it feels like
Written entirely in sharp, fractured free verse, this novel pulls you immediately into a breathless, high-stakes emotional landscape. The reading experience is intensely propulsive; the sparse words on the page make the chapters fly by even as the heavy, grief-soaked atmosphere weighs on your chest. It feels like reading a secret diary written on the run—raw, confessional, and unapologetically dark. The dual perspectives weave a tense web of religious trauma, survival, and the fierce bonds of sisterhood. It is a heavy, bruising read, yet the rhythmic momentum of the poetry keeps you anchored. This is perfect for readers who want their contemporary fiction to be emotionally unflinching, tackling the darkest corners of adolescence with urgent, visceral honesty.
- Mood
- tense
- grief-stricken
- desperate
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- raw
- confessional
- urgent
- unflinching
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- surviving religious trauma · the weight of grief · sisterly bonds · forging a new identity · escaping abuse
- The writing
- Sparse, rhythmic free verse uses spatial arrangement on the page to emphasize fractured emotions and urgent thoughts.
- The arc
- The journey moves from suffocating grief and desperate survival toward a hard-won, fragile independence.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave intense, emotionally raw contemporary YA that tackles dark subjects through accessible, fast-paced poetry.
Content notes
- domestic abuse
- religious trauma
- grief and loss
- suicidal ideation
- gun violence
About the book
Bestselling author Ellen Hopkins continues the riveting story of Pattyn Von Stratten she began in Burned to explore what it takes to rise from the ashes, put ghosts to rest, and step into a future.
Description from Open Library.
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