In this riveting, heartfelt debut, a young woman assumes a new name to escape her dark past and find the redemption she desperately seeks.“It’s impossible not to root for this strong, willful girl as she finds her place in the world and for her brother as he tries to make sense of it.”—Kirkus Reviews“Charming, touching, and a host of other adjectives not often associated with a murderous … often associated with a murderous thirteen-year-old.”—Booklist
Venus Black is a straitlaced A student fascinated by the study of astronomy—until the night she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart and ignites a media firestorm. Venus refuses to talk about what happened or why, except to blame her mother. Adding to the mystery, Venus’s developmentally challenged younger brother, Leo, goes missing.
More than five years later, Venus is released from prison with a suitcase of used clothes, a fake identity, and a determination to escape her painful past. Estranged from her mother, and with her beloved brother still missing, she sets out to make a fresh start in Seattle, skittish and alone. But as new people enter her orbit—including a romantic interest and a young girl who seems like a mirror image of her former lost self—old wounds resurface, and Venus realizes that she can’t find a future while she’s running from her past.
In this gripping story, debut novelist Heather Lloyd brilliantly captures ordinary lives thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Told through a constellation of captivating voices, My Name Is Venus Black explores the fluidity of right and wrong, the pain of betrayal, and the meaning of love and family.
Praise for My Name Is Venus Black
“Fans of realistic coming-of-age fiction will enjoy Lloyd’s fast-paced first novel for the freshly drawn original characters, compelling story line, and beautiful tribute to the healing power of love. It’s bound to have crossover appeal to older YA readers.”—Library Journal
“A dark but ultimately uplifting story about family, love, and forgiveness, and how to find your place in the world, My Name Is Venus Black is a powerful debut novel from a fresh voice in fiction.”—New York Times bestselling author Sarah Jio
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A page-turning exploration of the darker, coming-of-age realities of childhood — but told gently, honestly, and with a generous amount of hope.
A teen age girl is sent to juvenile prison for a crime that isn’t revealed until the end. In the mean time we watch as the heroine tries to build a new life that takes twists and turns, teaching the heroine how to face the truth and find happiness
A pleasant but predictable tale.
I really enjoyed this book. Venus had a bad home life. Her only bright spot was her brother Leo. This book follows both their lives after a life-changing event. Both characters are sympathetic. I would highly recommend this book.
This was an easy read. That is not to say it was anything less than well done. Some sadness, but life isn’t always happy.
Venus is the star of this story, but I also fell in love with all the other characters, many of whom do all the wrong things for all the right reasons. Book groups will want to dive into the novel’s complex moral dilemmas.
A timely, must-read novel that you won’t be able to put down! Heather Lloyd’s debut will make us rethink what we think we know about family, community, and our responsibilities to each other. It’s a book we’ll pass along to friends and family, impatient for the discussion and discoveries that will follow as we recognize ourselves among the pages.
Heather Lloyd has created a raw, rich character who won me over completely. Her search for peace and belonging is utterly riveting.
A dark but ultimately uplifting story about family, love, and forgiveness, and how to find your place in the world, My Name Is Venus Black is a powerful debut novel from a fresh voice in fiction.
Over my lifetime, I’ve read hundreds of books that had a profound effect on me. They’ve made me think. They’ve made me feel. They’ve made me reflect. This thought provoking novel made me feel a gamut of emotions and reflect upon the evils of the world existing around every corner.
Venus is the all American pre-teen. She loved to gossip with her friends, had a lust for learning, and loved her little brother to the moon and back. Her life is shattered by an act she commits turning the thirteen-year-old into a criminal. The specifics of Venus’ crime are not disclosed in full until later in the novel. Through her first person point of view and the third person point of view of several other characters, the story of the tragedy unfolds.
One aspect of the novel that almost over shadows the crime is the disappearance of Venus’ mentally impaired younger brother, Leo. The main story is told over a period of six years as we learn the fate of Venus, Leo, and several other characters. While there is so much pain experienced by Venus and her family, what ultimately holds the bonds of this story together is the love they share for each other despite the horrific agony they’ve fought through.
I cannot fully express my love for Lloyd’s storytelling ability. As an adult and having gone through the trials of adolescence, I could understand the fear and anger that coursed through Venus. She was betrayed by someone who was entrusted with her safety and in her young mindset didn’t foresee the ramifications of her actions. The ripples created from one second changed the lives of Venus and her family forever.
As a debut, Lloyd excels above and beyond any first time author. While this poignant story has come to a beautiful conclusion, I would love to read more from this author. Her ability to place you in the mind of the character is the tell of a magnificent author. Lloyd has struck gold with the story of Venus Black and I look forward to her doing it again.
I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Name is Venus Black was a quick and easy read but a book with a lot of thought provoking themes. Venus is a smart student with a bright future who wants to be an astronaut, when she kills her stepfather at the age of 13 and is sent to juvenile detention. The how and the why of the circumstances surrounding the crime do not come to light until very late in the story. Her autistic brother Leo is also kidnapped and reported missing around the same time that Venus goes to detention. A lot of the story revolves around Leo, when he was first kidnapped and then the family that takes him in when he is abandoned.
There are questions regarding mothers and mothering, as Tessa, a motherless girl, mothers Leo, Venus mothers her landlords niece, Piper and is Inez a role model of a mother for anyone? There is the theme of adjusting, as Leo adjusts to new surroundings that don’t include the routines that make him feel safe, Venus adjusts to juvenile detention then has to re-adjust to the outside would as a young adult, finding a job and somewhere to live and Inez has to adjust to a life without her husband or her children. And what about when people do the wrong things but for the right reasons? Venus certainly did when she killed her stepfather and what about Tessa and Tony, taking in Leo and caring for him like a son, instead of reporting the abandoned child to the police. Good questions that could be explored in a classroom or book club setting.
This is the story of a young teen who feels she is forced to take matters into her own hands, setting off a chain of events that alter multiple lives. There was something so compelling about this novel. The point of view shifts between several characters, and each character had a clear and distinct voice, leaving no confusion about who was “speaking”. It succeeds in giving the reader empathy, especially for Venus and her brother.
This a great coming of age story. It was heartfelt and emotional. I really enjoyed Venus’s story. I would definitely recommend.
I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
After serving 5 years in a Juvenile Detention Center, teen girl (Venus) finds herself while searching for missing, mentally disabled, younger brother (Eli).
Set in the mid 1980s, I was very interested to discover why Venus was sentenced to 5 years in a Juvenile Detention Center. What horrible crime did the straight A student commit, and what drove her to the edge?
Adding to the family’s heartbreaks, soon after Venus was arrested, her 5 year old, mentally handicapped—a specific diagnosis was never mentioned, but it seemed obvious he was autistic—brother, Eli, went missing from a neighbor’s home. Did he run away because of the extreme chaos at his home days before, or was he the victim of kidnapping?
A fabulous debut, My Name Is Venus Black, was fast-paced and held my interest throughout. In addition, I really liked the characters, especially Eli and Tessa. Venus herself took a little while to grow on me, but I think the story was written that way on purpose to allow the reader to grow, mature, and forgive alongside Venus.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.