Praise for Black Flowers, White Lies
A 2017 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal Winner!
“This suspenseful psychological thriller definitely won’t disappoint.”
—Buzzfeed, “23 YA Books That, Without A Doubt, You’ll Want To Read This Fall"
“Prepare your fingernails, because tension mounts quickly as Ella’s reality is chipped away piece by piece by the strange series of events that are tied to her father. Is there a ghost, is she losing her mind, or is someone manipulating her? This one will keep you guessing.”
—Justine Magazine
“Ventresca has carefully plotted a variety of twists and turns in this engrossing mystery that doesn’t let up until the final pages. It’s tense, scary, and, at times, upsetting, everything a supernatural thriller ought to be.”
—Jeffrey Harr, ALAN, “ALAN Picks October 2016”
“I raced through Black Flowers, White Lies in a single sitting. What a twisty thrill-ride!”
—April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of Girl, Stolen
“With a compelling cast of characters and a mystery that'll have you turning pages, Black Flowers, White Lies is a book you don't want to miss!”
—Tiffany Schmidt, author of the Once Upon a Crime Family series
“Black Flowers, White Lies is not your typical YA thriller. It's beautifully written and tightly plotted, telling a story that manages to keep a tight, intimate hold on the reader by digging into some universal fears that aren't often explored in novels. An unnerving reminder that darkness—and even evil—often hides in plain sight.”
—Jessica Warman, author of Between
“A captivating story of a girl facing unexplained events that shake her to her core, open up old wounds, and make her wonder what's real. Is it madness or haunting? You'll be turning pages until the end to find out. Highly recommended!”
—Maria E. Andreu, award-winning author of The Secret Side of Empty
“A chilling tale of faith and deception. The supernatural scares kept me hooked, and the ending absolutely blew me away!”
—Joshua David Bellin, author of Survival Colony 9 and Scavenger of Souls
“Black Flowers, White Lies lures you in with charming characters and situations that seem innocuous until they become sinister. A great read from cover to cover.”
—Dr. George Simon, bestselling author of In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People
“. . . readers find themselves at the mercy of this author's spectacular ideas. [T]he elements of this tale all come together to provide the most amazing psychological thriller written in a very long time. (YA or otherwise.) This fresh tale is so well-developed, so creepy, so intelligent, and so off-the-charts that readers will be absolutely riveted to this plot until the very last spell-binding page. The author grabs everyone with both her characters and her ability to weave a mystery of quiet, yet epic proportions. Quill says: The YA genre can rejoice. A dystopian world is not needed in this psychological suspense that literally deserves time up on the ‘big screen.’”
—Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“I loved this book. It’s an incredibly fast read and I was so curious about what was going on and who was responsible (and there are, like, a ton of credible suspects). This book was an absolute delight and perfect for this time of year. (And if you’re not good with super scary things, you’ll be ok with this. It’s creepy enough to give you chills while reading it but not so much that you’ll have trouble sleeping. Win win!) Recommended.”
—Kelly Vision
Praise for Black Flowers, White Lies
A 2017 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal Winner!
“This suspenseful psychological thriller definitely won’t disappoint.”
—Buzzfeed, “23 YA Books That, Without A Doubt, You’ll Want To Read This Fall"
“Prepare your fingernails, because tension mounts quickly as Ella’s reality is chipped away piece by piece by the strange series of events that are tied to her father. Is there a ghost, is she losing her mind, or is someone manipulating her? This one will keep you guessing.”
—Justine Magazine
“Ventresca has carefully plotted a variety of twists and turns in this engrossing mystery that doesn’t let up until the final pages. It’s tense, scary, and, at times, upsetting, everything a supernatural thriller ought to be.”
—Jeffrey Harr, ALAN, “ALAN Picks October 2016”
“I raced through Black Flowers, White Lies in a single sitting. What a twisty thrill-ride!”
—April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of Girl, Stolen
“With a compelling cast of characters and a mystery that'll have you turning pages, Black Flowers, White Lies is a book you don't want to miss!”
—Tiffany Schmidt, author of the Once Upon a Crime Family series
“Black Flowers, White Lies is not your typical YA thriller. It's beautifully written and tightly plotted, telling a story that manages to keep a tight, intimate hold on the reader by digging into some universal fears that aren't often explored in novels. An unnerving reminder that darkness—and even evil—often hides in plain sight.”
—Jessica Warman, author of Between
“A captivating story of a girl facing unexplained events that shake her to her core, open up old wounds, and make her wonder what's real. Is it madness or haunting? You'll be turning pages until the end to find out. Highly recommended!”
—Maria E. Andreu, award-winning author of The Secret Side of Empty
“A chilling tale of faith and deception. The supernatural scares kept me hooked, and the ending absolutely blew me away!”
—Joshua David Bellin, author of Survival Colony 9 and Scavenger of Souls
“Black Flowers, White Lies lures you in with charming characters and situations that seem innocuous until they become sinister. A great read from cover to cover.”
—Dr. George Simon, bestselling author of In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People
“. . . readers find themselves at the mercy of this author's spectacular ideas. [T]he elements of this tale all come together to provide the most amazing psychological thriller written in a very long time. (YA or otherwise.) This fresh tale is so well-developed, so creepy, so intelligent, and so off-the-charts that readers will be absolutely riveted to this plot until the very last spell-binding page. The author grabs everyone with both her characters and her ability to weave a mystery of quiet, yet epic proportions. Quill says: The YA genre can rejoice. A dystopian world is not needed in this psychological suspense that literally deserves time up on the ‘big screen.’”
—Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“I loved this book. It’s an incredibly fast read and I was so curious about what was going on and who was responsible (and there are, like, a ton of credible suspects). This book was an absolute delight and perfect for this time of year. (And if you’re not good with super scary things, you’ll be ok with this. It’s creepy enough to give you chills while reading it but not so much that you’ll have trouble sleeping. Win win!) Recommended.”
—Kelly Vision
10/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—In times of trouble, Ella's deep, almost supernatural connection to her deceased father (he died in a car accident before she was born) has brought her great comfort. When her mother remarries and her mysterious new stepbrother divulges that her father died in a mental hospital instead of on the road after heroically saving a sick animal, like she was told, she starts to spin out. Spooky things begin happening to and around Ella, leaving her and readers to wonder whether her father's restless spirit is trying to tell her something, or if his mental illness was passed down to his daughter. There are scary moments, and even readers who figure out early on that Ella's stepbrother might not be the most reliable source of information will be curious about how all of the "haunts" came to be. The plot seems drawn out, though, and there isn't a great deal of chemistry between any of the characters. Ella's despair that her father died in a mental hospital is understandable, but it's laid on thick, and by the final reveal, her intense relief strays into mental illness-stigmatizing territory. Ella's stepfather's reaction to the truth is upsetting but adds a shot of realism to the ending. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger collections.—Beth McIntyre, Madison Public Library, WI
Aug. 30, 2016
Fifteen-year-old Ariella Benton, nicknamed Ella, finds herself in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the mercy of her own ideas regarding her long-dead father, her mom’s new husband, her love for cats, a new love interest, a belief in the supernatural, and the stigma of mental illness. All of these story elements become a psychological-thriller Mobius strip with the appearance and then encroaching insinuation of the “tall and blond” “Beautiful Boy” she meets at the mall—and who turns out to be her future stepbrother, Blake. If the incestuous undertones don’t creep readers out, Crystal Kite winner Ventresca (Pandemic, 2014) ploddingly layers on Blake’s manipulations, from his constant gaslighting of Ella—with the participation of Ella’s best friend and the aforementioned love interest)—to bloody and muddy fingerprints on mirrors and walls and other, far nastier, deeds. Does sociopathic Blake get away with his dastardliness toward his white (by inference) family? The author tries to build the suspense and empathy, but it falls flat due to the grating characterization of Ella herself—as well as the unkind characterization of sociopathy. The lesson is that, at best, Blake, with his mental illness, cannot be incorporated into family life but needs to disappear, optimally of his own accord. The stereotypical depiction of sociopathy, that hoary trope, leaves a bad taste. (further reading) (Thriller. 14-18)
