A review by thereaderdragon
Black by Fleur Ferris

4.0

Holy shit, this book was SO. DAMN. GOOD. For such a quick read, this novel is so dark! (and I'm not just referencing the title).

Ebony 'Black' Marshall in an outcast. She's only young, but has experienced so much grief and heartache. On three separate occasions, she's lost three friends.First was Jess, her best friend since kindergarten, who was hit by a car whilst crossing the road after school. Next was Black's first boyfriend, Louis, who fell to his death from the roof where they shared their first kiss. And most recently was her boyfriend Oscar, who died in a car accident.

As a result of these events, Black is thought to be cursed, turning her once-endearing nickname into a foreboding brand of malevolence. Father Ratchet and his religious cult - The Pure Apostles - believe that Black is possessed by the devil, and that it's their duty to exorcise the demon before it grows too strong. In an effort to prevent the town from suffering another tragic loss, the anonymous group of Whisperers monitor Black's every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And that moment is coming...

When the new boy in school, Aiden Sweet, ends up in intensive care after taking a liking to Black, it's not long before the campaign of the Pure Apostles starts to become aggressive.

With danger lurking around every corner, and in a town full of potential enemies, Black turns to the only person she can trust: her colleague and only friend, Ed. And it's not long before the pair begin to uncover the truth, and secrets her parents have kept from her begin to unravel. Secrets that might hold the answer to everything.

Like holy shitballs, this novel is really disturbing. It honestly gives me goosebumps to think that there are probably actual people out there just like The Whisperers of The Pure Apostles. They could be your local grocer. They could be your neighbour. THEY COULD BE YOU. (wut?) No but seriously, the fact that there are probably people out their taking matters into their own hands to cleanse some poor victim of a possession is honestly really horrifying because they probably don't care about the welfare of the host.

I love love LOVE that you have no clue as to whether or not Black is actually cursed or possessed, or if The Whisperers were just a bunch of delusional CRAaziES. This was one of the big reasons that I absolutely ate this book up. I absolutely l o v e paranormal horror, so I just had to know if this was indeed one or not. AND GUESS WHAT??? (lol read it to find out for yourself! seriously. in the words of our lord and saviour shia labeouf: JUST DO IT)

Also, a really quick shoutout to Ebony for being an amazing character! Not only has she suffered immeasurable amounts of heartache, but she's also had to put up with the taunts and torment from her fellow peers and townsfolk, all because she's been unfortunate enough to have lost her friends in random freak accidents. Despite all of this though, she still keeps her head held high, and I greatly admire her resilience.

Aiden, on the other hand, I didn't feel much for. I understand that he was needed to kickstart the whole story, but the relationship that he shared with Black felt a little too forced and rushed. A little too insta-love, if you ask me. Like I honestly cringed a bit whilst reading the first couple of pages (you'll understand once you read it). Buuuut in saying that, you'll get past it really quick, and you'll probably forget that it ever happened.

Besides the insta-love, I do have one other complaint: it wrapped up too quickly. As the end of the book was nearing, there were these really intense scenes. Like holy crap, I couldn't bear to put the book down. But then everything was sort of resolved in about the blink of an eye. I would have loved those intense moments to have lasted just a little bit longer.

Black is a disturbing, unsettling, riveting, and most importantly AMAZING novel that will keep you up way past your bedtime and long into the night. It's the novel that every fan of Young Adult thriller needs in their life!