Into a world of wild secrets and deadly pleasures comes a girl whose innocence may  be her greatest strength.

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?

Despite it being a YA debut by from an Australian author, I had honestly never heard of this dark fantasy/dystopian novel before it was sent to me, completely by surprise. But what a treat it turned out to be!

Characters: Our protagonist is the sheltered and naïve Retra, who shows immense bravery, determination and resilience from the very beginning, making her a heroine more than worthy of our attention. Though she spends much of the novel driven by a single-minded focus to rescue her brother, Retra is nonetheless quick to question the nature of the strange world she has entered into, leading her along more dangerous and convoluted paths. And of course along the way, new elements of her personality are revealed and she slowly begins to shake off the constraints of her past, at the same time encountering a host of compelling supporting characters. She finds unexpected friendship is the varying forms of Suki, Rollo and Charlonge, the possibility of romance in the soulful Markes, a tentative allegiance with the imposing Dark Eve and a wealth of danger in the terrifying figures of Brand and co. But for me, the most captivating character in this novel remained the allusive and passionate leader, Lenoir, whose bizarre relationship with Retra and his undeniable resemblance to Melissa Marr’s Irial made an instant fan our of this reader!

Originality: I may never want to enter the island of Ixion for as long as I live, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fascinating to discover, despite my feeling as cautious and curious about this strange place as poor Retra! This universe is fully realised, from its geography to its laws to its admittedly questionable history – even if we are still left very much in the dark (apt, given that this is place of perpetual night) regarding the specifics and the truth behind everything we encounter. In fact, all of the unanswered questions that still linger at the book’s close just serve to amplify the mysterious aura of the island, and serve to draw us further in as we seek explanation. Just as Ixion offers ignorant bliss to many who venture to it’s shores, so too may the loose ends and unchartered territories help to craft a fictional location that is entirely fresh and unprecedented in YA fantasy.

Plot: Tension and suspense are maintained expertly throughout this novel; while Retra essentially remains focused on her goal of locating her brother, the encounters and interactions she has along the way all make for pretty gripping reading. The threat of violence, both sexual and physical, is never far away in Ixion, and within a world of constant darkness the possibility of straying into the deeper shadows is very likely, and we continually fear for the safety of Retra and her friends. Although there are several new sub-plots introduced to Retra as she explores the island, they all provide for further intrigue as to the workings of this world, and the people who inhabit it, so the central narrative is simply expanded upon as opposed to being ignored. It is important to note that some readers will no doubt be disappointed in there being no love story, for although Retra certainly begins to develop feelings of that nature, she never has the chance to act upon them. For me, the absence of romance was oddly refreshing and certainly felt right, given the ultimate life/death parameters of Retra’s journey – and of course there is always the promise of something more in future installments!

Writing: Having never encountered Marianne de Pierres’ writing before, I was more than pleasantly surprised at her very fluid style; the novel was swift read for me, primarily because everything flowed so effortlessly. Descriptions were lush, sensual and evocative, but never bogged down in superfluous detail; often the exact nature of things was merely suggested and left to the reader’s imagination, which needless to say made the horrific occurrences that much more grotesque! What truly impressed me was the way that de Pierres was able to craft emotion and empathy into the simplest of phrases; whenever Retra described her own physical pain in particular, you couldn’t help but feel a swell of sympathy for her, and I would often find myself wincing and physically recoiling from what was being detailed.

Renee’s Rating: I can’t help but describe this novel a mash-up of Isobelle Carmody and Melissa Marr – and trust me, there is no higher compliment!!! I was hooked from page one, emotionally invested and as curious as Retra about discovering this strange and terrifying island. I am certainly determined to continue following her troublesome journey in the next two novels; I can only hope things start to look up for the poor girl!! What a fantastic read; yay for Aussie fantasy works!