Into Darkness
by Hayley Barrett
Release Date: 08/17/15
Double Dragon Publishing
Source: Copy for review
Purchase: Amazon | Kobo | iBooks
Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Alexandra Spencer’s life was not supposed to turn out this way. She was not supposed to go on trial for a crime she did not commit. She was not supposed to be found guilty. And she was not supposed to be sent to Elder Grey Detention Centre, a place of horrors many don’t survive.
She is however, supposed to be the daughter of the wealthiest, most influential man in the post-apocalyptic New Zealand city of New Phoenix.
But apparently, she isn’t.
Shell-shocked and struggling to understand why she is no longer a member of the city’s ruling family, Alexandra is torn from her privileged life by the churlish young guard, Will Metcalfe, and forced to trek for three weeks through deadly wilderness to her place of imprisonment. Her journey with Will is a constant battle for survival, where she is never sure who is the real enemy. It is also journey into the truth about the safe and lavish world from which she has been cast.
Through Will, she learns of a mutant race called Drifters living in the wilderness who are being preyed upon by New Phoenix’s guards—Drifter’s blood being a life saving cure-all elixir for the city’s inhabitants.
As Alex struggles to cope with her new life in Elder Grey, an act of friendship ends in tragedy. When someone she thought was an enemy pulls her from her despair, Alex discovers that old friends cannot be trusted, prejudice is another word for fear, and trust, not blood ties, make a family.
As Alex struggles to cope with her new life in Elder Grey, an act of friendship ends in tragedy. When someone she thought was an enemy pulls her from her despair, Alex discovers that old friends cannot be trusted, prejudice is another word for fear, and trust, not blood ties, make a family.
INTO DARKNESS, just by its title, had me itching to read it. Plus, I liked that the book is a dystopian novel that takes place in New Zealand. INTO DARKNESS also sounded like it would give the genre a new twist.
I liked the main characters Alexandra (Alex) and Will. Though Alex is naive and snobby, I felt that was a result of her upbringing and hoped her experiences trekking through the wilderness and being at Elder Grey would open her eyes to the way the world really is. I could see this was a perfect opportunity for her to really do some growing up, and I wasn't wrong. I also kept in mind she's only fifteen. That's super young to be sent to what basically amounts to be a prison.
At first I thought Will was going to be an angry character for the entirety of the book, but that wasn't the case. Whew! He's a realistic guy in my opinion, and there are a lot of things I liked about him. He's brave and honorable, and he's genuinely charming. All charm with no smarm. Ha!
INTO DARKNESS would have earned another star from me if there had been more background given. There are snippets of Alex's past, but it seemed like there was more of a focus on Will's past. Don't get me wrong, I was interested in him, too, but I wanted to find out more about Alex. What I did find out explained some things, but I wanted more, which is a good thing.
I also wanted to know more about New Phoenix, and the Drifters were a bit confusing. Parts of INTO DARKNESS were slow, but then a new character was introduced, and my interest picked up again.
If there's going to be a sequel to INTO DARKNESS, then I'm definitely going to read it. I think this story has a lot of potential, and I'd love to see where the author takes it.
About the Author
Hayley Barrett began writing in the aftermath of the devastating Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 as a way of escaping from the ongoing terror of the natural disaster. Not totally happy with her efforts, in 2012 she commenced a novel writing course. Into Darkness, her first novel, is the result of the course and two years hard work.
Hayley lives in Rolleston, ten minutes south of Christchurch, New Zealand, with her husband and three children. When she isn’t driving her kids to their sports practices, games and other after school activities, she enjoys playing squash, relaxing in the sun and reading. Most days she wishes there were more hours available to spend writing.
Hayley lives in Rolleston, ten minutes south of Christchurch, New Zealand, with her husband and three children. When she isn’t driving her kids to their sports practices, games and other after school activities, she enjoys playing squash, relaxing in the sun and reading. Most days she wishes there were more hours available to spend writing.
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