Violet Black (Black Spiral, #1) (2024)

UPDATE 05/10/2022 - Reread and upgrading to a 3 as I listened to the audiobook and found it more enjoyable on the second read. Am moving on to book 2 in the series now. I stand by my instalove comments from my original review though.

CW: Death of loved ones, medical experiments, torture, kidnapping

ORIGINAL REVIEW

2.5 Stars

Well.

I personally believe when author's feel like they need to list the characters and how they connect to each other at the beginning of a book, it means someone has had a head scratching moment where they have said, "so who is that again?". This can be the result of any number of aspects in the story that haven't quite worked, such as underdeveloped characters, lack of world building to establish convincing contexts that Readers tie the characters to, or pacing issues. For me this novel had a brilliant and quite relevant concept but it wasn't anchored down enough. I understand the characters were very confused about what was happening so this made for quite a choppy reading experience as we were immersed into their confusion and fear. However, the result for me was a lack of connection with the characters and their plight. Also, I am not a huge fan of instalove at the best of times but this was way too fast to even make a little bit of sense. I did love the abilities that the teens developed and it's always great to read a book set in NZ. I can still see this having some appeal in the library and am happy to have a copy for YA Readers at the beginning of their reading journey.

Thank you to Turning Pages, Penguin Random House and Eileen Merriman for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Violet Black and Ethan Wright are the survivors of a deadly outbreak of a super-charged measles virus (M-Fever) that has wrecked-havoc across the globe post Covid. Eerily familiar territory for us but this is no pandemic-platitude. This is an unsettling, breath-held “what if?”

Our protagonists find the after-effects of the virus have altered their brain chemistry. The first signs come when Violet and Ethan discover they have access to one another’s thoughts. Recovering on the Re-hab ward, the two survivors find comfort in each other’s cerebral company, exploring their capacity for telepathy, reading the thoughts of those around them, and falling for each other.

Cue evil science: The Foundation, a mysterious and sinister high-tech organisation, swipe Violet and Ethan from their lives and drop them in a sleek security compound to run tests and “observe” the scope of their abilities. Violet and Ethan discover they aren’t alone, meeting others in the facility with similar post-fever talents. The Foundation has plans to put their abilities to work, “for the sake of the greater good.”

What I love about this kind of premise is the question of who gets to decide what the “greater good” is and the ethical dilemmas that rise around “super-powers” – the application and control of them. I love the way the imbalance of power triggers that need for justice. In Violet Black, I loved hating The Foundation puppet masters and cheered at any little rebellion amongst the teens. There’s something so intensely satisfying about witnessing that push-back against power. With a light touch, Merriman invites us to examine heavy questions about right and wrong, indoctrination, the rights of the individual versus the rights of society, all without sermonizing. However, one of my favourite things about reading this book is Merriman’s scientific and medical background – you just know she knows her stuff.

Violet Black marks the beginning of a thrilling sci-fi adventure with sparks of romance and humour to light up the dark twists and turns of The Foundation. Merriman is a gifted-storyteller.

First book in a very readable action trilogy, this is set in a near future New Zealand in the middle of the M-Virus epidemic. Told from the point of view of two teenagers, a boy Ethan and a girl Violet, I think this will appeal to the Alex Rider / Cherub type readers because there is danger and intrigue with a bit of teen romance thrown in for good measure. I’m looking forward to Book 2.

Thank you to turningpagesnz and penguin random house for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story takes place in the near future in Auckland New Zealand years after Covid 19, however, there is another pandemic that they must contend with, this one affects young people only and the rate of survival is slim.

The storyline itself was well thought out and it was really different to other YA books that I've read. However, mental health is something that is very personal to me and my family and the representation of mental health in this novel is not something I could ignore or overlook. I was upset and disgusted to see the way that PTSD and depression were spoken about, lines such as: 'I need to get better at this blocking thing or I'm going to end up with post-traumatic stress or whatever it's called' and 'but I'm depressed too because today Ethan is going home'.

These lines could have and should have been scrapped during the editing process. It saddens me that in 2021 mental health is still being portrayed like that in books aimed towards young adults. It's not ok. And it's for that reason that I can't give this book a positive review or recommend it to others.

Exciting but also a thoughtful exploration of a possible (scary) future. Nota cliffhanger end, but easy to see there is more to come.

I have already put in my calendar the release date for Book 2 in this trilogy... loved Book 1 and so much potential for the rest of the series :-)

Ooo. Young adult, dystopian, post-covid/measles virus, relying on kids form Aotearoa to save the day? Yes please!!

Fast paced sci-fi thriller set in New Zealand and Australia. looking forward to recommending it to my students.

violet black is a book set in the near distant future, not long after covid 19, where anti vaxxers caused issues with previously handled diseases to come back harder than before, resulting in “m-fever”. m-fever has an extremely high death rate compared to other diseases, however those that survived have started to notice some changes.

i had some conflicting thoughts prior to starting violet black. i’ve read one of the authors previous books, and enjoyed it. but i heard some other reviewers didn’t quite like violet black as they’d anticipated. due to this, i was both excited and nervous. however, i was not disappointed. okay, maybe only slightly.

to start with the positives: the overall storyline. i didn’t quite like the beginning. it felt generic and cheap. the more i read, though, the better it became. as we got to know more about what’s happening to the characters, the more enjoyable the book became.

the pacing at the beginning was very slow, which i presume was just the initial set up. the further in we got, the better the pacing became. (which i feel is usually how it goes anyway).

unfortunately as the story got better, the characters didn’t. i kind of liked violet from the start, and started to dislike her the further in we got. her relationship with ethan didn’t sit well with me. they were far too clingy, (and way too fast for that matter). i guess that could be normal for some people, but i didn’t like it.

and i felt the same about ethan. he was okay at the beginning, but i just started to dislike him the more he spoke. i could’ve done without his chapters.

surprisingly, i didn’t like phoenix when he was first introduced. he was clearly trying to be that mysterious character that everyone loves (and some love to hate). unfortunately, i felt he was trying too hard. unlike violet and ethan, the more i read about phoenix, the more i liked him. as he opened up with his backstory, i realised he wasn’t like what i’d imagined him to be.

as for the other side characters, there’s not much to say. they weren’t really there much, and i didn’t like or connect to them.

one thing i was really excited about was the fact that the news anchor used “they/them” pronouns and dressed in typically feminine clothing. it was fresh to see something like this. side characters are important, and it’s nice to see that they can be used to support important social movements.

contrary to this, violet was found saying how “depressed” she felt, because she missed her boyfriend. personally, i feel that it defeats the purpose of trying to be gender inclusive while including harmful content about mental health. one step forward, one step backwards.

overall, the story was interesting and i’m excited to see where it’s going in the next instalment. i also really liked that it was rather short in comparison to the other books that i’ve been reading lately, it was refreshing.

thank you to Penguin NZ and Turning Pages for gifting me a copy to review.

REVIEW TO COME!

SPOILER ALERT - IT'S GOOD

This is the first in the new Black Spiral trilogy and I really enjoyed it! I am really getting back into my dystopian novels and this one did not disappoint! This was super interesting as it is the first book I’ve read set after the COVID-19 pandemic and it was cool reading about it in a dystopian New Zealand setting. I did find the start a little slow but by a third of the way in it was getting really exciting and that ending made me want the next in the series asap! I really can’t wait to see where this goes as I was left with so many questions and I’m so hoping I don’t have to wait to long to find out!

Form: physical

This book was fast paced, exciting, and dramatic enough to keep me totally hooked. The characters were fleshed out well considering how short a time frame we had to get to know them, and some of them made me want to yell 😂 all in all, another brilliant work by Eileen, and I cannot wait to read the next one!
(Also a massive thank you to Eileen for the free copy!)

4.5 stars. This sci-fi thriller has heaps of action, supernatural powers and romance set in a near-future Aotearoa New Zealand.

Teenagers who survive an epidemic have vastly improved brain responses and abilities. These few teens are kidnapped and trained for anti-terrorist missions.

Another thought-provoking and totally enjoyable story by Eileen Merriman. I'm looking forward to the second in the trilogy coming out later this year.

This is my favourite thing from Merriman yet! Maybe because her other page-turners cut so deep? Oh, don't think this won't, THIS BOOK WILL HURT YOU -- but it's an exquisite kind of pain, and I'm here for it and the whole trilogy. This will delight fans of Reboot, The Program, and Thieves. Who knew Merriman had SciFi chops? Here. for. it.

I do, to some extent enjoy this book but as you can see from my lower rating I really didn't enjoy it that much

It just felt really juvenile, to an extent that was annoying me. I don't know if I can explain why this just really annoyed me. Probably not going to continue this series

I was delighted to receive a review copy of this book from Penguin - especially as it's just come out in the bookshops (all good bookshops, anyway :-) !) and I had my eye on it.

This book is set in the not too distant future and is very timely in these COVID years. We're told in the book that in the late 2010s a fall in vaccination rates led to a measles epidemic (this is factual - see this article) and now (book now) a deadlier strain of measles is running rampage, with no effective vaccine yet available. And so we meet Violet and Ethan, two teens who are among the very few who survive the M-fever once it has developed into encephalitis.

Violet and Ethan, in different wards at the hospital, discover they can communicate with each other telepathically. I really like the way the author has done this - I've enjoyed books with telepathy as a key part of them, back since Andre Norton in the 1960s (with Catseye, and Daybreak 2250 A.D. (Star Man's Son)) and Anne McCaffrey in the Pern series and various other titles - and hate it when some author does an unimaginative take on it. Eileen Merriman uses colour as a descriptive and takes us further than merely speaking with the mind. She also takes us astral travelling. Nice!

But it's not all plain sailing - the blurb on the back of the book talks of 'the sinister Foundation', and we are minded of every story we've ever read, fictional and factual, about those who would control anyone with exceptional abilities. Again, I really like the way this is handled - the powerlessness of teens when they have no support network available, the indoctrination, the appeal of buying into it all . . .

And will there be a happily ever after for our two? There are so many complications for any budding romance, but everything's multiplied in the situation into which they're thrown!

An excellent read - I'm eager to see the next book in the trilogy.

Violet Black wakes from a coma, lucky to be alive after contracting M-Fever. Many have died from this highly contagious disease – a deadly strain of Measles that has risen after a fall in vaccination rates. There is no vaccine for M-Fever, despite millions of dollars spent on producing one.

After Violet regains consciousness, she realises she is different. She can hear people’s thoughts, and can feel with her mind that there is someone else close by who can do the same.

Another survivor in the hospital, Ethan is just as surprised at his new skill. Violet and Ethan find each other with their minds, and soon discover others too.

This art of communication is detected by specialised medical staff who put these teens through a barrage of tests. Before they know it, Violet and Ethan, and three others are ripped from their normal lives, waking up in a new world far from home.

Their new lives have been forced upon them, but they have the best food, housing, teachers and scientific experts, in order for them to become agents for an organisation simply known as the Foundation. Violet and Ethan are determined to find a way to flee – but the Foundation controls everything, and escape is impossible.

Set in a very plausible future, with climate change rife, fruit and vegetables a luxury and almost extinct, Prince William is King and a vicious measles-type virus is ravaging NZ, Australia and Germany; two teens wake to a completely different consciousness.

Told in two viewpoints, Violet, daughter of an eminent scientist, and Ethan, a budding game developer, Violet Black is gripping, and scary in the fact that the world they grew up in is so possibly our own future.

The author’s science and medical background is evident in Violet Black, setting up a strong foundation for this exciting trilogy. No.2 Black Wolf – is out September 2021, and told in another of the teen’s viewpoints (Phoenix). No.3 Black Spiral – is due 2022.

Science, espionage, betrayal, secrets, and the promise of more action, revenge, and heart ache will hold me until I can get my hands on the rest of this trilogy. Another great novel by this talented award winning author.

"Violet Black" is set in the future where people have been struck by the M-fever which makes Covid-19 seem like a common cold. Seventeen year olds Violet Black and Ethan Wright have survived the fever and the swelling of their brain that has occurred as a result of the illness has given them powers of telepathy and superior processing skills. One of the themes in the story is the difficulty of developing a safe vaccine and not everyone wants to be vaccinated. Violet is sent on a mission to Berlin to try to stop the anti- vaccine group, the Holistics who may turn to terrorism to prevent vaccination. A thought provoking story especially considering the situation in the world today.

Thank you turningpagesnz for sending me a copy of this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read that kept me hooked through each chapter. The short chapters are ideal for someone who is just tipping their toes into sci-fi. The storyline was original and different to any other YA sci-fi books i've read in the past. Although the ending was predictable, I still enjoyed every second of it. I cannot wait for the next instalment of the series :)

Trigger warnings: Pandemic

6/10, I picked this interesting New Zealand sci-fi YA book hoping that it would be better than the last book I read and I tried to enjoy this but I simply didn't mainly due to the issues I found within this and I would pick this one up again, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main characters Violet Black and Ethan Wright, hence the title, and they just woke up from stasis in some sort of lab and I was initially confused but the book would explain more things later on. It turns out that there was a virus called M-fever that affected the entire world and killed so many people but the fact that the virus was an act of terrorism was unexpected. Soon enough they and some other characters are hired to join some secret organisation to stop the virus but it didn't really go to plan. The references to the other terrorist attacks like the one that happened 90 or 100 years ago from the time this book was set weren't needed. Also, Violet was quite aggressive in the book and for no reason she just accused some random people of lying but I don't know why. The last part and the ending of the book was underwhelming but I'm excited to read the next two books in the series.

I’m not gonna say I didn’t see the ending coming bc I did (that’s why it’s only 4/5 stars) but what I can’t say is that I hated it.

Violet Black is based in a world so closely related to our own that I’ve literally had nightmares about things like this happening… but it’s also full of love, excitement and adventure which makes it wayyy less scary to think about.

It’s the perfect introduction to sci-fi for a novice reader or a great quick read to cure a reading slump for someone more advanced (I read it in an hour and a half).

I would 100% recommended it and I’m excited to read the next instalment in the trilogy!

I ATE THIS BOOK UP
Very addictive as I could not put the book down + I have read it multiple times now and have not gotten sick of it yet
Characters are very good and I very much so cried at Ethan’s death (you should have seen me grieving)
I highly recommend to all dystopian with subplot romance lovers out there
Stay slaying besties 🫶

the only reason i read, well listened to this book because i was just looking for available audiobooks and libby and then saw it was 6 hours and then searched it up sounded interesting and there i was listening to the book and i...well first thing i'm a fake new zealander lmao becaue the accent i heard i was like oh this is an aussie accent and then she mentioned auckland and i was like ayeee what this is in new zealand. it was really cool to read a book based in new zealand and well then australia and hearing about the pandemic and i was like lmao that's like us and wondered was this book written during our covid 19 one which it was and then covid 19 was mentioned it just felt to weird but i really enjoyed that aspect of it as well the story. i was immediately interested as soon and i started listen to it. later in i wanted to read it because i only tend to listen to audiobooks when i'm going to sleep but z library didn't have the copy available and the libby app had an 11 week waiting time and i was DEVASTATED so i found a way to busy myself as i listened. oml anyways i really enjoyed the beginning jnto the middle then found th love triangle and iw a slime noOoOoO but i liked phoenix anyways and then sike ethan's dies i wasn't sad or had any sort of emotion toward his death i was just like oh i felt like it wasn't quite registering into my brain and violet i mean you probably would have died if ethan didn't let go so don't be so hard in pheobix and then whOsE tHe OnE whI wAnTEd Ti Go abOVe aNd mBwyOnd for that vile thingy...also that's another thing that wasn't apart if their mission aye that was her own idea that ethan advise abasing and phoenix well um. but instead of hating phoenix she should be angry at herself for endangering herself orrrrr this vile that she stole and then phoenix secretly kept while returning to australia had something to do with how they're found to end some big thing. also now there is a 14 week waiting time for black wild the second book in the trilogy like ;- and also the auckland libraries aren't allowing book ourachse requests so fingers crossed that the third book black spiral??? im able to read r when it comes out in march or im gonna down $8 for the ebook 🥴🥴🥴🥴 but overall i did enjoy its fast paced lie it says in the book description i was genuinely entertained and canr watched tk read the next book and see where it takes off. am i rotting for her and phoenix??? lmao im like he deserves better but i can't help but always tend to ship protagonist and most f her love interest also Rauri? if that's how you spell it i hope he isn't dead i felt bad when his name was called i was like nawww but i wonder if we are gonna get a pov from phoenix int he next book well especially since it's named after him but yeah reallllly cool about how it mentioned the stuff we are currently dealing with in new zealand and yah enjiyed the book also really enjoyed her and ethan in the beginning when why're discovering there think talk i thought that was cool ok i'm done now not sure what i'm gonna read now...maybe graceling??? we'll see. also i'm wondering if i should give it a 3 but no nvm 4 is good because i did really enjoy edit: like 4 hours later um lol i didn't realise how king this was but i just wanted to add that this was just a fun quick read :)

Greatest thanks to @turningpagesnz and Penguin Randon House NZ for a review copy of this book! And apologies for a super late review, the good news, however, is that this book is OUT NOW!

Violet Black is the first book in the YA Black Spiral Trilogy, the first fantasy novel by NZ author Eileen Merriman. I have really enjoyed Merriman's previous novels aimed at young adults, so I was interested to see her take on the popular fantasy genre. In this story we follow two perspectives, those of Violet and Ethan, two teenagers who have survived M-fever and developed unusual abilities...

What I liked about this novel:
-Merriman's take on the world's current pandemic. In this novel the world is suffering from M-fever, a deadly strain of measles. As a consequence the characters in this novel have been hospitalised, they have lost loved ones, there is a discussion on vaccines, and ultimately, the world has drastically changed. Thanks to COVID-19 pandemics are now very real, and I think addressing these topics in literature for young adults is a great way to help kids understand and cope well.
-The constant references to New Zealand and its landscape. There is something so heart-warming reading about characters who have walked in the same spots you have, it brings the story to life in the best way.
-I liked the parent dynamics; Violet's father created the current vaccine, Ethan's mother view's are drastically different. This is all too real.
-Who doesn't love a good "children taken and trained to be spies" trope?? See Alex Rider, CHERUB series etc

What I didn't love about this novel:
-This book felt like it was intended for teenagers yet read like it should be for pre-teens. I think this book would be fantastic for young teenagers entering the world of fantasy, new to the world of popular fantasy tropes. Otherwise if you have read The Hunger Games, Divergent series etc this doesn't bring anything new to the table.
-The insta-love. Not a big fan of this, I need more...everything.
-The cliff-hanger at the end didn't leave me speechless - just kinda annoyed!

My ultimate thoughts: this book would be fantastic for a pre-teen getting into reading YA fantasy. There's some great world-building in relation to M-fever, discussion about anti-vaxxers, interesting dynamics between the "goodies" and the "badies", and the start of a great core group of characters which will no doubt build throughout the rest of the trilogy. If you have already doused yourself in the world of trilogies I still recommend it, however, I probably won't be shouting about it from the rooftops.

This first book in the 'Black Spiral' trilogy sets us up in a world eerily similar to ours. Where driverless cars are the main form of transport. Where bananas are $15 each and blueberries are unaffordable, and shop displays are intelligent and tailor themselves to their audience. An outbreak of M-Fever - caused by poor vaccination take up of the measles vaccine - has led to a more severe form which affects children and young adults. Violet and Ethan are two survivors of this severe disease who have developed telepathic abilities.

The two of them are quickly detected by 'The Foundation' and the book explores their relationship with each other and with this mysterious organisation.

I enjoyed the premise and our two main leads and I thought Merriman explored the possibilities and potentials of telepathy in a realistic way. We also have an intriguing set up with the Foundation - is it a force for good? The protagonists, Violet and Ethan, each have an intriguing side story - Ethan's game - how can you communicate through it? And Violet's healing ability. The protagonists are quickly captured by the Foundation and are then in a weird situation where they end up developing a form of Stockholm Syndrome where they start believing that they can, and should support anti-terrorist initiatives as a result of their training. It's not until the end of the book when we find that (as we suspected) the Foundation are not as pure of heart as they make out.

Overall I thought the characters were well developed, and the plot is reasonably strong, and the teenage angst not too overwhelming for a young adult book. Although I was disappointed in Ethan's story arc. I thought he was captured far too early and then had nothing to do in the story. I was hoping for a cat and mouse sequence.

A good read, worth looking for the sequels.

Thank you to turning pages by penguin nz for my copy in exchange for a honest review.

The synopsis for this book ihad me curious. It doesnt say alot really and so often I find myself really enjoying books I go into not knowing much about. It does however state that its a near future fast paces trilogy and I love me some fast paced, near future, thriller type vibes.

This book follows Violet Black and Ethan Wright, two teens who contract the lethal m-fever. They can communicate with each other even though they have never met. Weird and suspicious things happen and the wild ride begins.

I say the ride begins but it is a super slow somewhat dragged ride, well to start off with anyway. Honestly I wasn't feeling this book at all till the last 1/3 of the book where the character development happens and book starts to flow.

The first 2/3 I didn't like the characters, the story dragged, the relationship between Violet and Ethan happened way too fast and was too intense for the 5 minutes they knew each other and I just feel like it wasn't very enticing. I also felt the mental health representation to not be the greatest and made to look like a joke, I thought we were at a place in the world and society where it is taken more seriously.

I really liked the vibe of the last 3rd of the book and the final location/setting was really well written and the character growth in Phoenix was great and he became my favourite. Even though it wasn't a top read for me I will carry on in the series because the ending had me very intrigued and set the series up for some good possible storylines. Also based off the title I am hoping it will be more based around Phoenix.

Three and a half stars from me.
Violet Black and Ethan Wright are survivors of the M-fever; a new strain of measles that is deadly. They did not know each other until they "connected" mentally at the hospital they were recovering in. The M-fever has left them with changed brain function and they can communicate telepathically (amongst other new abilities). Instead of finding themselves living a relatively normal life back with their families, they are abducted then recruited to work for the Foundation with 4 other M-fever teenage survivors. There is a strong connection between Violet and Ethan right from the start and it quickly developes into romance.
I think the target audience will ignore the shortcomings of the novel (the characters too easily "forget" about their families and too easily accept their situation) because there is plenty of intrigue to keep them engaged and the parallels with the Covid Pandemic will resonate. Girls, inparticular, will love the romance. The fact that it is a relatively short novel will also make it attractive to those who aren't big readers.

Violet Black by Eileen Merriman (Aotearoa author) is a YA sci fi novel set in the near future where Violet and Ethan are recovering from a lethal M-Fever which has changed them forever. This novel packs a lot in. There is travel from NZ to Aussie to Berlin, teens with superpowers, and a fight against antivaxers (I’m so here for that!).

The story line was relatable given the current climate with covid and I really liked getting to know Ethan and Vi - and their friends as the story progressed. A “must read next book” ending with lots of unanswered questions so I’m glad I have the second novel stowed on my nightstand tk devour soon.

A great NZ version of Muchamore's The Recruit with sci-fi/virus elements thrown in. I knew the plot early on, and skipped some of the first section for speed, however I loved the last half of the book and found myself slowing down and reading every word. This trilogy will sit well on the school shelf and it's great to support local writers using places that our teens will recognise.

Recommended to Y9 and onward (ages 13+) who like action books (could also be suitable for good readers from Y7/8, just a bit of fumbling under the covers and birth control issues).

This book was so good with a plot and characters I haven't really seen in my short reading history. The book is paced relatively well, with things moving a little faster towards the end of it. The plot twists were good but at some points a little predictable; despite this, they were executed very well. A solid 4/5 and I am interested to check the other two books out soon.