"They say all old houses have death in them, but what of houses that begin in death?" She is a Hanuting by Trang Thanh Tran was a beautifully written debut. The slow pace built up the tension until it was boiling over. The sense of dread that lasted throughout the story felt lifelike. The descriptive tone made it all the more creepy and horrifying at certain points. I'm not scared of much but bugs and worms creep me out and they made parts of this book terrifying for me. The horror scenes were the stuff of nightmares. This one was a Vietnamese gothic horror tale with heavy themes and social commentary woven into the mani story. The author explores, Vietnamese history, French colonialism in Vietnam, racism, abuse, sexual identity, migration to the U.S, biphobia and themes of belonging. Our main protagonist grapples with what it means to be Vietnamese, especially language proficiency. This is also a coming of age story where Jade is trying to figure out her sexuality while navigating her feelings of abandonment towards her father, who she's forced to spend time with in order to get tuition money. The house as a metaphor for the sins of colonialism was my favorite part. It was literally devouring and bleeding people dry, just as imperialist powers do to marginalized nations. The house was a reminder that no amount of whitewashing of history can get rid of the stains of the truth. The ghosts of the past will always show themselves and expose the truth. The only way to rid ourselves of oppressive systems is to burn them to the ground and start new because those in power never give it up voluntarily. The ghosts of colonized people always come back to speak truth to power. If you love gothic writing, ghosts in haunted houses, slow burn tales and queer coming of age stories, this one is for you. She is a Haunting published is out now in multiple formats. Thanks to @bloomsburypublishing and @coloredpagesblogtours for the gifted copy. #SheisaHaunting #TrangThanhTran #coloredpagestours #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookish #Vietnam #AsianAuthors #igreads #tbr #horror #horrorgram #gothic #readersofinstagram #bookphotos https://www.instagram.com/p/CpeAHUrrfva/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=