Black Spiral Trilogy, book 3

September 28, 2022

After reading books one and two of the Black Spiral trilogy by Eileen Merriman, I thought that, surely, Violet would finally be free, and maybe a mother too. I had a lot of questions. I began reading hoping for a good, satisfying ending. Without giving any spoilers, I finished the book with only a few questions remaining, and I couldn’t have predicted how Merriman revealed information. The book used background exposition in ways I have never seen before; it was detailed and had its own section dedicated to it. Overall, you should expect this book to extinguish your burning desire to find out who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Black Spiral is the third book in Merriman’s young-adult dystopian novel trilogy. In the first book, we come to know Violet — the head-strong teenage protagonist who is infected by the M-fever, a virus that kills many but gives her and a few others special powers. She fights against the Spiral Foundation, which seeks to control her powers. In the second book, we see what Violet is capable of as she hones her powers.

In Black Spiral, not only does Violet navigate pregnancy, but she continues to fight against the Spiral Foundation, and we finally get to see the evil truth behind the devastating virus. The novel is filled with action, new powers, and relationships. This book succeeds in answering most of the questions related to the Spiral Foundation. We never get to understand the extent of Violet’s powers. She is pregnant for the majority of the novel, so she can’t use her full powers as that will harm the baby. For some, the mystery behind Violet’s powers, how she got them, and how they work may be compelling. The trilogy uses scientific terminology, which I found added to the realism of the dystopian world, but therefore I wish the powers could be more explainable.

A key element of these books is the setting. Naturally, as an astral projector, Violet takes the reader to a range of different locations, and we get to see the fantasy elements of Merriman's writing through her world-building. Her Earth in the near future: is this a world I believe in? I think Merriman wants to show us what will happen if some of our environmental problems present today are left unresolved, such as global warming, nonrenewable fuel sources, and a lack of forests. She incorporates many aspects of our reality, such as COVID-19, and references to our government and politics.

After finishing this book I came away thinking hard about my own reality. While this is fiction, the elements of the real world make you question those closest to you, and those running the country. I think this world is unsettling, which is vital to the success of a dystopian novel. The only thing that takes away from this is the fantastical nature of Violet’s powers.

Violet realises that she is never going to be left alone, so she must take care of the Foundation herself. I think Violet is supposed to model resilience because she goes through imprisonment, loss, and violations of human rights. Most notably Violet’s boyfriend tells her mum: “They drugged us… Strapped us to chairs and gave electric shocks every time they showed us images of people close to us. For Violet, that meant you, her dad, and her friends.” Violet is amazing because normal people would have crumbled under these circumstances. I like how impressive Violet is, and even though her experience is not necessarily relatable to a wide range of people, I certainly enjoyed her successes.

Black Spiral indicates that we should not trust people blindly. It inspires us to fix our current environmental issues and to always be resilient in any difficult situation. Overall the book is very good with an intricately woven plot and kept me engaged through most of the story. Like in all good stories, Violet gets her happy ending with the one she loves and the villains get the ending they deserve. I would recommend it to anyone who has read the previous two books and likes action.

Trillion Lau lives in Auckland.