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Saturday 16 April 2016

LONG DARK DUSK by JP Smythe

Life was simple on the Australia: you fight or you die. On Earth, however, things are a lot more complicated. 

The moment she learned the horrible truth about her life on Australia, the derelict ship overrun with violent gangs, Chan Aitch made it her mission to save everyone she could from their fate worse than death. But her efforts were in vain. Now, everyone she cares about is dead or in prison, and Chan is more alone than ever before. 

 As the only person to have escaped Australia's terrible crash-landing back to Earth, Chan is now living in poverty on the fringes of a huge city. She believes Mae, the little girl she once rescued on the Australia, is still alive - but she has no idea where Mae is, or how to find her. Everything on Earth is strange and new, and Chan has never felt more lost. 

But she'll do whatever it takes to find Mae, even if it means going to prison herself. She's broken out of prison before. How hard could it be to do it again?


Last year I read the first book in The Australia trilogy, and loved it. After the shocking events that led to the conclusion, I was very excited to read the next installment.

Chan is now living inside the secure walls of Washington. She lives on the fringes, in the shanty towns where the poor survive and try to stay out of trouble. She's an outlaw and knows that if she's found, she'll be captured. So she stays in the shadows and has a few allies.

Alala buys what she steals, and has helped her survive in this dangerous world. She's become a less-than-perfect substitute for Agatha. Ziegler is a writer who reports what others deny. He helps and educates Chan however he can while she tells him her story about the prisoner spaceship she lived in most of her life. Everything else about this alien world, and it's disturbing history, she's learned from museums.

Chan is resourceful and strong. She knows how to take care of herself, but she's very much alone. She lost her mother. Lost her guardian, Agatha. She thinks Jonah is dead. There's only one person left: Mae. She's obsessed with finding the little girl she promised she would take care of. But Mae is impossible to find, so when Alala strikes a deal to help her, she takes the chance. And it leads to a whole lot of trouble. The kind of trouble that could lead to fighting, murder, and getting captured.

This new world she lives in might seem protected, modern and comfortable but it's also capable of hiding as many secrets as Australia...

Okay.

*takes a deep breath*

This book is as amazing as the first one. It's written in three parts, and each one throws Chan into a multitude of problems and situations that'll get your heart pumping. It never lets up. Even the narrative keeps the pace going.

Chan is as awesome here as she was in Way Down Dark. She's as totally motivated, dedicated and still wants to save everyone. One of the best things about this book was just how different it was to the first one. It's full of twists and turns. And when you reach a certain part, you can't help but think: OMG. What just happened? Did that really happen? And of course it did, because this story is that brilliant!

Long Dark Dusk is an incredible, unpredictable, fast-paced adventure featuring a tough and very likeable heroine. This story pushes you onto the edge of your seat and keeps you there the whole time. It's like an adrenaline shot. An emotional roller-coaster ride. An awesome book that keeps the reader guessing every step of the way and constantly shocks you.

I absolutely LOVED everything about this story, and cannot wait until the third/final book.


Long Dark Dusk, April 2016, ISBN 9781444796377, Hodder & Stoughton

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