My Name is Venus Black

By Heather Lloyd

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Venus Black. While technically the book has seven parts, there’s two time periods. The first is February 1980, when 14-year-old Venus gets arrested. Then in part three we jump to February 1986, when Venus is released.

Ms. Lloyd jumps right into the story: Venus has been arrested. She’s 14, and doesn’t deny that she did it. But as she thinks of the years that lead up to that night, she wonders, “What if I never had a choice?”

While learning about Venus’ life (both pre- and post-custody) was interesting, I really enjoyed when the book made the time jump and Venus was released. Could she start her life over now that she had paid her debt to society? Would she ever learn the truth of what happened to her little brother Leo? I also loved that the story was set in the 1980’s.

Ms. Lloyd did a wonderful job bringing Venus Black to life from the page and telling her story. It was powerful and a page turner. I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into, and I really enjoyed it.