Black Flowers, White Lies

by Yvonne Ventresca

Overview

Her father died before she was born, but Ella Benton knows they have a supernatural connection. Since her mother discourages these beliefs, Ella keeps her cemetery visits secret. But she may not be the only one with secrets. Ella’s mother might be lying about how Dad died sixteen years ago. Newfound evidence points to his death in a psychiatric hospital, not as a result of a tragic car accident as her mother always claimed. After a lifetime of just the two of them, Mom suddenly feels like a stranger.

When a handprint much like the one Ella left on her father’s tombstone mysteriously appears on the bathroom mirror, at first she wonders if Dad is warning her of danger as he did once before. If it’s not a warning, could her new too-good-to-be-true boyfriend be responsible for the strange occurrences? Or maybe it’s the grieving building superintendent whose dead daughter strongly resembles Ella? As the unexplained events become more frequent and more sinister, Ella becomes terrified about who—or what—might harm her.

Soon the evidence points to someone else entirely: Ella herself. What if, like her father, she’s suffering from a breakdown? In this second novel from award-winning author Yvonne Ventresca, Ella desperately needs to find answers, no matter how disturbing the truth might be.

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510709973
Publisher:	Sky Pony Press
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	682 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Yvonne Ventresca is a young adult author who likes writing about situations that scare her. Pandemic (Sky Pony Press, 2014), her debut novel, won a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in 2015. Yvonne’s other credits include a short story in the YA dystopian anthology Prep for Doom and two un-frightening nonfiction books. Besides writing, she enjoys Isshinryu karate, which she’s studied for the last ten years. Yvonne resides with her family in Chatham, New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher

From Oscar the cat and the cute guy Blake to the little bit of romance, Black Flowers, White Lies was hard to put down. Filled with suspense, surprises, and even shock, this page turner will be a favorite for anyone who likes mystery, excitement, and cats. 5Q, 5P. Reviewer: Jessica Nelson, Teen Reviewer; Ages 11 to 18.

VOYA, December 2016 (Vol. 39, No. 5) - Jessica Nelson

Fifteen-year-old Ella Benton is convinced her father has been looking out for her all these years, even though he died in a car accident before she was born. She visits his grave regularly, leaving pebbles on his tombstone to mark her visits, despite her mother’s disapproval. Since last summer mysterious flowers, including a recent bouquet of black flowers, have been appearing on his grave from an unknown mourner. While shopping for a dress for her mother's upcoming wedding to "non-reading, self-absorbed, stubby" Stanley, Ella runs into a seriously hot guy, whom she mentally dubs "Beautiful Boy," only to learn the next morning, he is Stanley's estranged son Blake. As charming as he is good-looking, Blake befriends Ella, providing support before and during the wedding; encouraging her to give Gavin, the boy she meets at the animal shelter where she volunteers, a chance; and helping her learn the truth about her father’s death—that he committed suicide during a stay at a mental hospital. During the weeks their parents honeymoon in Paris, Ella's life begins to unravel through a series of incomprehensible events. Just as she starts to wonder if she might be mentally ill like her father, news comes that her mother is in critical condition from a car accident in Paris. While the clues are all there, readers will be guessing up to the very end of this riveting page-turner, as it shifts from the possibilities of supernatural connections to the all too possible implications of mental illness. Young adult readers will love this story, and librarians serving teens should have it in their collection. Reviewer: Kim Carter; Ages 11 to 18.

VOYA, December 2016 (Vol. 39, No. 5) - Kim Carter

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

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Review