Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2020/09/foodfic-please-welcome-marianne-de.html

Shine Light is very short – I knocked it over in a couple of hours – but packs a mighty punch that I’m reeling from! It’s a poignant and fitting conclusion to The Night Creatures series and admirably brings the adventure to a close.

The characters continue their growth and development throughout the book, and one of the most striking things that Naif’s recognition that despite her awakening in Ixion, there are limits to what she can and will do. She fights in her own way and although she admires Suki and Clash for being able to take life, realises she will never be able to do that herself. I think it’s a wonderful thing for Naif, because she retains aspects of Retra inside her, which is realistically how it should be. I was disappointed that Jarrold and Marcus didn’t appear throughout the story as much as I would have liked, but having spent all of Angel Arias with them, I was glad to have Suki and Rollo around a lot more throughout Shine Light.

The secrets of Ixion do indeed come to light in the book, with the science fiction elements hinted at in Burn Bright returning to the forefront. I loved it, it was original and different enough to be entertaining, and I enjoyed that at no point did Marianne de Pierres try to instil the Ripers and Night Creatures with too much humanity. They simply are, and we will never fully understand them.

I have enjoyed The Night Creatures series immensely and have loved the adventures I have shared with Naif. Disheartened as I am to let the gang go, I think Shine Light is the perfect conclusion to the story. I highly recommend the series to all fans of the weird and wonderful, and especially to young adult readers who are looking for something original and touching and brilliant.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. ( )

In the stunning conclusion to Marianne de Pierres Night Creatures trilogy, Shine Light reveals the secrets of Ixion when Naif returns to the pleasure island to lead a revolution. Having learned the horrific fate of those withdrawn from Ixion and discovered the conspiracy between Grave and the Ripers, Naif now must solve the mystery of Ixion's eternal night to save her friends before their time runs out.

Fast paced and action packed, Shine Light races towards the shocking climax that sees the teens in a pitched battle against the night creatures. de Pierres brings together the characters we have met over the preceding installments of the series, Rollo, Suki, Markes, Ruzalia, Dark Eve and Lenoir to name just a few and all play a part in this finale. With the Ripers split and the night creatures restless, danger is ever present for Naif and the rebels as they search for the answers they need. What they discover is the origins of the island chains that are trapped in darkness, and a way to shine a light on the truth.

Naif is almost unrecognizable from the timid baby bat that came to Ixion in search of her brother in Burn Bright. In Shine Light she comes into her own, loyal, determined and fearless she refuses to give up even if the cost is her own life. Naif also has to deal with her relationship with Lenoir, the Riper to whom she is bonded, and the way in which her actions will affect him.
Several of the other characters readers are familiar with also have to make sacrifices in the story. Liam is forever changed, Kero has to confront his grief and the rebel gangs have to put aside their rivalries to create a united front.

While Shine Light deftly concludes the trilogy, tying up loose ends and revealing Ixion's secrets, it seems to me that the author has left a thread that could be picked up again in the future. The Night Creatures has proved to be an exciting and creative series blending fantasy and science fiction. I am sure fans of the series will be satisfied with the climax and will no doubt hope de Pierres shines on. ( )

Shine Light is the conclusion to Marianne de Pierres' Night Creatures trilogy. I have previously reviewed Angel Arias and discussed Burn Bright (which I read before starting my review blog). If you are unfamiliar with this series, I strongly recommend you have a look at that review first and read the earlier books before reading the rest of this post. This review contains spoilers for the earlier books in the series. A copy of Shine Light was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes.

The Night Creatures trilogy is very much a story in three acts. Burn Bright introduced the world and highlighted some obvious problems, Angel Arias was mainly about a fact finding mission to uncover what was really going on in the world and Shine Light ties the facts in with the world building and has the main character fix some of the problems. Although I read each book as it came out, I strongly feel that this series would be most optimally enjoyed when read together in a single block. The sequels rely heavily on what's gone before and so I definitely wouldn't recommend starting reading anywhere other than book 1, which is also where important world building happens.

Armed with some of the secrets of her world, Naif returns to the teenage dystopia/utopia of Ixion to help those left behind and doomed to die. Along the way she finds a way to save them from their semi-inevitable deaths and how to fix some of the strange things that were wrong with the world (beyond the societal problems, I mean).

What I liked about Shine Light was the return to softly science fictional world building hinted at in Burn Bright. Angel Arias was more about the society than the world and made me thing that the SF-y hints would be ignored. Happily, Shine Light delivers on the premise hinted at in book 1 and the reveals and resolution were satisfactory. Also, unlike many superficially similar YA books, Naif doesn't set out to overturn their society, but rather to eliminate a more external issue. The end result might equate to saving the world, but it struck me as a more plausible kind of world-saving for a group of teenagers to be doing.

Overall, I recommend this series to fans of speculative YA who might be looking for something a bit different. There are otherworldly creatures around, but they aren't traditional vampires or werewolves and so forth. The setting-vibe is uncommon and added to the enjoyment of the read. I do, however, strongly suggest reading all three books in a row. In the end, I think I would have preferred it to be released as one longer book, rather than three short ones.

4 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. ( )