black flowers white lies by yvonne ventresca

However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love-and his potentially lethal kisses. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Still, this realistic page-turner will keep most readers enthralled.Īfter praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic. With the scarily rapid spread of the disease and the resulting crumbling of society offering ample peril and suspense, the sexual-assault theme adds little. Even though she’s obviously conflicted, Lily’s monthslong emotional meltdown feels somewhat contrived, especially since she reacts capably as civic response to the contagion falls far short, those close to her sicken and die, and she accepts, if reluctantly, responsibility for caring for children-including an infant-orphaned by the disease. It’s challenging to give all three threads-disease, sexual assault and teen romance-full attention. Further complicating matters, previous love interest Ethan and likable neighborhood smoking pal Jay are competing for her affection.

Not only are looters roaming her neighborhood and dead bodies piling up in homes, but Mr. Now, with her father away at an infectious-diseases conference and her mother in Asia, the abrupt appearance and rapid spread of the often lethal Blue Flu has pushed her to the brink. In response, she’s taken up smoking and dressing in a sort of lazy version of goth, and even though she was an honor student, she’s begun cutting classes. B, attempted to sexually assault her, an attack that’s only gradually revealed. Lily’s had trouble coping ever since one of her teachers, Mr. In her first novel, Ventresca pulls together three unrelated themes to create a medical thriller/romance.

Black flowers white lies by yvonne ventresca