Began reading: 10.6.2017
Completed reading: 12.6.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Ebony Marshall is in her final year of high school. Five months, two weeks and four days... She can't wait to leave town where she's only known as 'Black'. Because of her name, of course. But for another reason, too.
Everyone says Black Marshall is cursed.
Three of her best friends have died in tragic accidents. After Oscar, the whispers started. Now she's used to being on her own. It's easier that way.
But when her date for the formal ends up in intensive care, something in quiet little Dainsfield starts to stir. Old secrets are revealed and terrifying new dangers emerge.
If only Black could put all the pieces together, she could work out who her real enemies are. Should she run for her life, or stay and fight?
Trigger warning: this book contains suicide.
Black by Fleur Ferris is a fictional young adult novel that contains mystery and thriller elements. I have already read Risk, so I was excited to read this book. Overall, it was a rollercoaster of suspense and action which I liked. It was a surprisingly quick read, but that was just one of the reasons why I enjoyed this novel.
Black Marshall grew up in Dainsfield and knows every ghost story about the abandoned house behind Rockland Forest. The kids at school avoid Black because they fear her – three of her close friends have died, and no one wants to become the fourth. This changes when the new guy at school asks Black to be his date to the formal. Aidan was completely unaware of the alleged curse that Black is under but that doesn’t stop him from collapsing with a brain haemorrhage. While he is in intensive care, Black faces danger at home as one of the community leaders abuses his power to ‘save’ her. Black will quickly learn who she can trust in order to fight, but when the danger is coming from someone that everyone looks up to, the line between trustworthy and untrustworthy will be blurred. Is Black cursed? More importantly, is the small town of Dainsfield as safe as people think it is?
The book was well-written, with its structure and pace being on-point. The use of literary techniques to heighten emotions and add detail to the narrative was perfect. I loved the use of imagery, metaphors and setting throughout the book and I’ll go into further detail a little later. I also found a few great quotes, including:
It’s funny how some secrets are known by everyone, yet everyone pretends not to know (p. 12).
When we left Dainsfield, cloud cover was thick and bleak and ominous. But here the sun is out, shining brightly, and the world looks calm. When you’re in the thick of it you forget that not far away the sun is shining. Maybe sometimes you need to step out of the storm to see things more clearly, more rationally, and maybe, when you look back in, you realise there was no storm other than the one in your mind (p. 131).
‘Somewhere along the way, big brothers stop trying to make their little sisters cry and start looking out for them’ (p. 258).
I’m a sucker for an interesting plot, but then again, we all are, right? I don’t particularly mind if the plot is unique, but it has to hold my interest – it’s a very important part of a narrative. Ferris effectively wrote the book in a way that had me intrigued from the very first page of the last. I’ll tell you just how immersed I was: the first night that I began reading this book, I stayed up late after everyone had gone to bed. I was so invested that I was startled when fireworks went off outside. I was so focused on the plot that I freaked out at the slightest sounds! Anyway, the plot was very interesting, especially the whole thing about a girl being isolated because of an alleged curse. Being able to read of how Black felt was sad but fascinating.
The setting of the plot is another significant aspect of a book, as it gives influences the atmosphere that the character is living. For example, Black lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone. This description alone would give you certain images, feelings and thoughts of what could happen. I’ve found that Ferris’ books are easy to relate to, as they are written by a fellow Aussie and the books are set in Australian locations. It’s also easy to understand some instances, such as school systems – I don’t have to stop and translate grades like I would if the story featured an American school system. I like that things are straight forward in Ferris’ books because I know exactly what she’s talking about.
Plot twists, as I’ve said in past reviews, are a great way for authors to keep their stories interesting for readers. There needs to be a balance of predictability and unpredictability to the twist, and it also needs to leave readers wanting more. In this book, I found the main plot twist to be predictable (even though I was hoping I’d be wrong), but which boy Black ended up with was unexpected. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about the twists. I think that maybe another twist would have made things a little more interesting, but I’m not complaining.
Now, let’s discuss love triangles. Love triangles are used to heighten tension and allow to readers to compare personalities to determine who is more suitable for the main character. I’m unsure about the triangle in this book, mainly because there wasn’t much to go on – both guys were described briefly. Aidan as a love interest was definitely rushed – it felt really strange for Black to agree to go out with him when she only met him two minutes ago. There wasn’t much competition between the two because one was in hospital for most of the book, so I found it a little dull. Speaking of, Black spent a lot of her time thinking about one guy, only to do a complete 180 and choose the other guy out of nowhere – I was confused.
I tend to enjoy a book more when it looks at a range of themes, usually done with sub-plots. In this case, the novel was pretty much focused on the one plot line which made it feel somewhat compact and constricted. I would have preferred to have maybe another little plot in there somewhere, perhaps something lighter to contrast with the darker themes. I believe that the book would have been better if the plot had branched out a little more.
My favourite character was Ed because he was sweet, protective and considerate – he seemed like the perfect boyfriend. I loved the fact that he didn’t want to pursue Black because it would make things awkward at work. Also, he didn’t pressure Black into a fling or a relationship, even when they spent the night together at the hotel. Where can I find an Ed?!
Black’s mum really confused me because she knew the danger all along. I know that there were factors that prevented her from moving away, but why did she wait so long? It really frustrates me.
My favourite part of the book was the formal, as it was cute, nostalgic and full of suspense. I can remember my formal and reading about Black’s brought back so many memories. What happened after the formal was when the suspense really kicked in, and I couldn’t put the book down until Aidan had been transported to hospital.
Recommendation time! If you like Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch, Destroying Avalon by Kate McCaffrey, The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub, and The Special Ones by Em Bailey, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes the Stranger Things tv show, Under the Shadow, The Amityville Horror, and May.
Happy reading!
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