Island of Exiles (The Ryogan Chronicles, #1)

(The Ryogan Chronicles, #1)

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Pub Date 14 Feb 2017 | Archive Date 31 Oct 2018

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Description

In Khya’s world, every breath is a battle.

On the isolated desert island of Shiara, dying young is inevitable. The clan comes before self, and protecting her home means Khya is a warrior above all else.

But when following the clan and obeying their leaders could cost her brother his life, Khya's home becomes a deadly trap. The only person who can help is Tessen, her lifelong rival and the boy who challenges her at every turn. The council she hoped to join has betrayed her, and their secrets, hundreds of years deep, reach around a world she's never seen.

To save her brother’s life and her island home, her only choice is to trust Tessen, turn against her clan, and go on the run—a betrayal and a death sentence.

In Khya’s world, every breath is a battle.

On the isolated desert island of Shiara, dying young is inevitable. The clan comes before self, and protecting her home means Khya is a warrior above all...


Advance Praise

Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews!

Junior Library Guild Pick!

Erica Cameron's Island of Exiles is a remarkable achievement: a fantasy world so richly imagined, so finely detailed, and so strikingly original, even the most incredible elements feel totally real. The energy of the desosa will tingle along your skin as you race through this amazing book, and at journey's end, you'll long for the sequel so you can immerse yourself once more in the mysteries of Itagami! –Joshua David Bellin, author of the Survival Colony series

"Island of Exiles is imaginative, bold, and as electrifying as a Shiara storm." –Lori Lee, author of Gates of Thread and Stone and The Infinite

"Island of Exiles has everything I've been looking for in a fantasy--powerful characters, magical powers that make me itch with envy, and a spoken language as intrinsic to the story as it is beautiful." –Amber Lough, author of The Fire Wish and The Blind Wish

"A beautifully wrought fantasy filled with magic, rebellion, and romance, plus a strong, butt-kicking heroine to root for!" –Lea Nolan, USA Today bestselling author of Conjure, Allure, and Illusion

"I was consumed by the savage mysteries of Cameron's harsh and haunting fantasy world. A story of love and loss as searing as the desert heat." –Diana Peterfreund, author of For Darkness Shows the Stars

"Harrowing and heartfelt. The intricately-realized world of Island of Exiles crackles with harsh magic and gripping suspense." –A.R. Kahler, author of The Immortal Circus series

Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews!

Junior Library Guild Pick!

Erica Cameron's Island of Exiles is a remarkable achievement: a fantasy world so richly imagined, so finely detailed, and so strikingly...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781633755963
PRICE $9.99 (USD)
PAGES 400

Average rating from 66 members


Featured Reviews

It's a perfect blend of Snow like Ashes and Rebel of the Sands. It's a great fantasy with a compelling plot and really fantastic characters. I really enjoyed it!

This book is about a girl called Khya, who is a female warrior in her clan. She discovers a conspiracy surrounding her brother, Yorri, and must ally with and trust her long-time rival Tessen to save him. The story is set on a magical island, and the world building is spectacular.

Although, there is one thing I should point out though. There's a LOT of terms. Thankfully, there is a helpful glossary at the back to tell what gensu was and what other stuff is, there were enough new words to give me a headache. It's not necessarily a bad thing though, and for me it made the story that much more engrossing.

It was surprisingly easy to get into this book, despite it being the first book in a fantasy series. I felt like the author didn't overwhelm me the details so I could get to know the characters first, whom are arguably more important. I mean, the setting is just an extension of the story; the heart of a story is in its characters.

I really enjoyed reading from Khya's perspective. She's a pretty brave character and I really liked her super powers. Tessen is also a really fun character to read as well as Yorri. I really enjoyed Yorri's backstory and the relationship between him and Khya.

The side characters were amazing and well-written and impossibly diverse. I say impossibly because this is the first time I've really appreciated and read a book with so much diversity. I also really liked how the characters all felt real and had a significant role in the book; it didn't feel like the author wrote them in to check off a diversity checklist.

I thoroughly recommend this book! Great read!

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Plot:

This book... is just... incredible. It begins so simply, not quite a “Oh, look, another magic-ridden high fantasy” feel, because it does have a very epic, even almost chilling start, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be as mind-blowingly phenomenal as it actually is. That comes on slowly—yet the story was never boring. It begins with a simple but strong story stake, then builds and builds and builds on that, one shocker plot twist at a time, until the end result is something completely other than what the beginning suggested. Everything is different; nothing is at it seemed. And each step further into the complexity of this story, the tension draws tauter and tauter, pulling you deeper and deeper, until you’re riveted, glued to the page, body tense, stomach swirling, heart stopped... waiting to see what’ll happen next (I know because I spent a solid hour in that position as the climax hit). The intricacy to the layers in this story is absolutely stunning; I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a book quite like it. Something similar? Sure. In the same vein for one characteristic or another? Definitely. But something exactly like this?

Never.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Plot: 5 stars out of 5.

Characters:

Like the plot, I wasn’t super into the characters at first. While I didn’t dislike them, I knew I lacked some connection to them, yet I could objectively see what good characters they were. So I figured it was just one of those times, you know. Some characters you inexplicably love and some you inexplicably don’t.

But as the story went on and the plot peeled back more layers, revealing surprises and secrets in their world, those situations forced the characters—Khya especially—to peel back more layers about themselves. And as painful as that was for them, it was also amazing to read. I don’t want to give spoilers for what exactly they discovered, but these characters are... they’re complicated and desperate and difficult and flawed and angry and ambitious and raw and real. They are so real. And even when I didn’t completely agree with their choices, I got them, and there was something in me that more than felt for them but related to them. That deeply understood that part of the human experience. Something in me that reached out and said, “Yeah. That’s true. That’s honest. That’s real.” Journeying with these characters was an immersive experience like no other. And sidenote: I do love them now, truly and deeply—yet without most of the fangirl-y feels I think I was looking for. The story just doesn’t lend itself to that, but that’s just another thing I love about it. I do enjoy fangirling (as I'm sure anyone who follows my reviews has noticed), but I also enjoy pragmatism and logic, both of which are major components of the plot and the characters themselves. They don’t lack feeling, but the feeling is always tempered with practicality, making it far more subtle, but no less powerful.

Not by a long shot.

'Nother quick sidenote before we move on, this one about the romance: Watching Khya slowly fall for her boy was incredible. Like, it’s not a surprise anymore who YA characters are going to end up with. I mean, many of the falls are still cute, but they’re also... well, predictable. You read a romance, you know how it’s gonna go for pretty much every step of the way, but you hang out anyway because the charries are cute and it’s kinda your fix. But this one... it was truly different. Like, I knew it had to happen—it had to be them two—but I couldn’t have predicted how and getting to watch it unfold felt like a privilege to witness.

Characters: 5 stars out of 5

Writing Style/Setting:

This section is the one thing that did grab me from the first page, lol. Because, from the very beginning, the setting was very full and very thorough. It feels like a whole other world, literally, it’s nothing like mine. Now admittedly, there were times when that complete otherness caused me some confusion, but mostly, I enjoyed how the writing would immediately set the scene, while slowly dropping info, breadcrumb by breadcrumb, about the plot and the storyworld. Simultaneously, it sounded like someone who lived in that world, so there was no infodump and not even the smallest of slip-ups in the worldbuilding, not even one mention of something from our world that they couldn’t know about. Everything is filtered through the eyes of Khya, her worldview, her world, what she sees, understands, and knows to be true. And like a real world, we’ve only scratched the surface and I’m excited to see how the future parts of it unfold.

Speaking of her worldview, Khya’s voice though. It’s not the flowing, poetic, sunset-scene-painting that I often like in high fantasies and dystopians, and it’s not the sassy, sarcastic-punch teenager from many contemporaries—both of which can be awesome when called for. But her voice—like herself—was straightforward and clear, yet strangely tasteful, almost elegant in its own right. The narration is utterly her, and that also jumps out from page one: the kind of person she is, her philosophies, perceptions, problems, pains, self-told-lies, everything, is shown as much through the narrative and the way she chooses to see the world as it’s shown through her interaction with other characters. As much as I'm told about her, I'm shown ten times more through that VIP pass into her mind and the opportunity to truly see things the way that she does.

Writing Style/Setting: 5 stars out of 5.

And so we come in at a solid, resounding 5 stars out of 5. This... book... is... phenomenal. I am so glad I got to be a part of this blog tour and got the chance to read it early.

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Erica Cameron proves herself to be a master storyteller in this fantastic new series. Island of Exiles is the first of The Ryogan Chronicles and it blew me away. From the detail of the world building to the courageous heroine, I found this story to be original and utterly fantastic!

Khya is a powerful fykina with the ability to shield against magic. She wants nothing more than for her brother to become a warrior just like her. When he makes it through the herynshi, and is placed on a top ranking team, she believes they'll finally have more time together. Then Tessen, another Nyshin warrior, tells Khya that Yorri is gone and the very reason she breathes is lost. The story picks up here as Khya joins forces with a yonin who believes that Yorri is alive and being held for a secret purpose. She's pitted against the Miriseh, the clan leaders, and discovers their dark history.

Understanding Shiara and the layered world that Cameron created is part of the experience. Her attention to detail and style is remarkable. She paints a vivid picture of a girl who would do anything to save her brother, yet still cares about the welfare of the people who rally around her. I appreciate the depth of this story, because sometimes authors write as though they associate YA with a level of comprehension. Island of Exiles is written with an open mind; anyone can enjoy it. Cameron took a story we've heard before and weaved it into a fantasy world with twists and turns. The story isn't too simple, or so complex that reading is a chore, but it's balanced. Island of Exiles was so much more than I was expecting and I can't wait until the next installment. It only gets better from here!
*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

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It is rare for me to know I am going to love a book just from the first page. This was one of those books. Erica Cameron's writing is breathtaking and I couldn't put Island of Exiles down.

I'll admit there were times I got hung up by unfamiliar words, and because the setting is in a tribal-like village, there were a lot of them. Also, from what I could tell, there were three genders in the tribe, instead of two. This wasn't explained and since Erica was using a third set of unfamiliar pronouns, it took me a bit to realize it wasn't a type-o. And then I still stumbled over them.

To be fair, Erica provides a comprehensive glossary of all of the terms used. But it is in the back of the book and I didn't discover this until after finishing the novel.

All that being said though, I LOVED this book. I read it before going to bed, and then as soon as I woke up. If you are worried that it is another 'government conspiracy, the people have to fight back' kind of book, then let me ease your mind. It is different than anything I've read and you'd be crazy not to pick it up. Erica's world-building is perfect, and she has a way of making you care about every one of the characters from the beginning.

I definitely have to give Island of Exiles 5 out of 5 Stars.

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At first I want to thank the team of Entangled Teen - a special thanks goes to Melissa - to give me the chance of reading 'Island Of Exiles' by providing an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion from my side!

The first impression, when I see a book is always the cover. Am I tending to read books with amazing covers? Yes, most definitely! And that's exactly how I feel about this cover. It's amazing and I love it!

Erica Cameron's writing style is addictive. The wording isn't always the easiest, as it's not the typical standard language but I absolutely enjoyed it. In my opinion it's refreshing to read something what challenges my mind every here and there and that's the way it was while I've been reading this book.

I couldn't find any boring scenes at all. This thrilling story is full of action and kept my mind occupied all the time. Thanks to the author's amazing writing style it came so naturally to imagine every scene, place, character and even the smells in this story that I literally inhaled this book.

You will also meet some really great characters in 'Island Of Exiles'.

There is Khya, the protagonist of this book. She is absolutely loyal, caring, well respected, strong, has courage and some badass fighting skills, as well as some very impressive magical skills. But most important? She has a big, loving heart and fights until the end for the ones she loves.

Then you will meet Yorri. He is Khya's little brother. Yorri too has an amazing personality. He is caring and loving, thinks outside the box and loves to discover new things but there is way more to him than you could imagine in the first place.

After a little while you will stumble across Tessen. In the beginning I couldn't quite tell, if I do like him or not but soon he started to earn a place in my heart. He seemed like an arrogant guy, who doesn't need to do anything to have success in his life. After a few chapters though? He has shown his true, amazing self bit by bit. Tessen showed, that he doesn't care if he gets in trouble for helping the people he cares for. Even, if that would mean to die trying.

But you won't just find good, loving characters. No. You will find many enemies in this fast-paced story, whose actions will let the hair on the back of your neck rise.

'Island Of Exiles' is most definitely already one of my reading highlights in 2017! I can recommend this book to everyone, who enjoys a thrilling story with heaps of action, great characters and a touch of a teasing love story between the lines. I can't wait to join Khya and all the other characters on the next part of their journey in book #2 in the 'The Ryogan Chronicles'.

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Island of Exiles was so so good!!!!!! and look at that cover !!

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This review and many others, both german and english, can also be found on my blog.
<i> Diese und viele weitere Rezensionen, auf deutsch und englisch, findet ihr auch auf meinem Blog. </i>
<a href="http://ravenclawthreadsister.blogspot.com">Ravenclaw Threadsister</a>

Wow. I honestly don’t know what to say. I finished this book yesterday and suffered the worst book hangover! I only started the book this week and I couldn’t get through it fast enough. I thought my favorites for the year were already set in stone, but I have to add this one to the list, I’m just blown away.

I absolutely loved the world-building. This world is something I’ve never seen, or read about, before and it’s simply amazing. I love the fact that she invented a third gender and while I had trouble keeping the pronouns straight, I think it was not only a fantastic idea but also the writing was very well done. There were some problems I had with the societal structure Cameron built, but throughout the book the characters became aware of those problems and dealt with them in their own way, which only added to the layers of the story.
The way sex, intimacy and relationships are dealt with here is quite different from our own society but I really like the way it is done. This goes hand in hand with the way everyone has to get permission before touching someone else, while this seems unpractical to me, as you can’t just touch someone else when their back is turned, for example, but it is rule that can be very useful.
What I’m not so sure about is the way children are raised communally, as I have trouble distancing myself from the idea of an actual family.

I immediately connected with Khya and and Tessen and I ship them so hard! They are perfect for each other, even if it takes Khya a long time to figure it out.
Her relationship with Yorri on the other hand was somewhat worrisome to me. I get that they are incredibly important to each other and she takes her role as older sister very seriously, but I think she does what she thinks is best for him, and doesn’t give him the chance to show her certain parts of himself. But this is another thing she realizes later on, we can only hope it is not too late.

The plot is fast paced and adventurous, as befits a warrior people . There is a lot of fighting, both in training and for real, there are storms and floods and a great conspiracy thrown in as well. For some people there might be a little too much happening a little too fast, but I loved it!

There are a lot of words and ranks that need to be remembered, and even with the glossary in the back of the book this can be quite confusing, but I didn’t feel like it hinders the story in any way, and I can’t wait for the second book to be released.

This book was provided for me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way.

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I honestly couldn't put it down because I was so engrossed in it, especially around the midway point. At the beginning, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the story, because there were so many terms that I was trying to get used to, so it was hard to follow. But that's what happens when you're thrown into another culture, which this book definitely does. But I eventually got used to it all, and fell in love with it. It's an intriguing world; magic, culture, immortals, and a BA main character named Khya. All of these helped shape the reasons behind my love for this book. And I can't wait for the next one to come out!!!!

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I loved this book. I cannot wait for the sequel. The world building was amazing and it thought of things that other YAs leave out. I was SO impressed!

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I have NO idea why this book hasn't had more hype! I really, really enjoyed it and it's like nothing I have ever read - which is saying something, especially in the YA world!

<b>The world building is complex, thorough and absolutely fascinating: [author:Erica Cameron|6539315] has done an <i>AMAZING</i> job of creating a distinctive and diverse fantasy world.</b>

The writing is descriptive and yet easy to read and the world is full of gritty and shocking detail. There's a glossary provided at the back of the book to help orient the reader (if necessary) and it's clear that every last detail has been so well thought out in advance; from the social structure to the politics to the culture. There's a whole lexicon of rankings and unique terms and while this may be confusing or intimidating to some readers, <i>THIS</i> particular reader was entirely grateful and appreciative of the intricacies and involvement of this world and the sheer depth of world-building involved.

The island of Shiara is dystopian-esque in quality and the intensity of the plot is breathtaking from the very first chapter.

I absolutely LOVED how effortlessly diverse this book is. It wasn't diverse for the sake of being diverse; it just was. There were multiple sexual orientations (including asexual), an absolute plethora of varying skin colours, even a third gender with its own specific pronouns!! Yet none of this was unusual in this fantasy world and sex positive society.

The main character, Khya was just a breath of fresh air. She's a Desosa Mage which means she can manipulate energy and in her particular case she is a fykina ward mage -able to shield herself and others from both magic and the physical world. She's a warrior in every sense of the word and her fierceness, stubborn nature and dedication both to the clan and to her brother completely endeared her to me and seeing this world through her POV and watching her character development throughout the book completely invested me in the world and the plot.

All of the characters in fact were just fantastically written - multilayered, complex and so REAL with their own personality quirks and flaws.

The romance!!! Wow, the romance. It was a complete SLOW BURN and somehow it featured all of my most favourite tropes and I just SHIPPED IT SO HARD!!! It was a total asset to the story and yet also managed never to be the center of attention and didn't take away from the main plot arc at all. I wouldn't mind seeing A LOT more of the romance in the next book - just saying!!

The magical system in this world is also really well thought out and systematic. There wasn't any one point where it was too unbelievable and the use of magic always took it's toll - I appreciate that in a fantasy.

<b>This completely unique book is full of mind-blowing creativity, unpredictable twists and turns, one of the most enticing romances I have read in a while and a riveting plot that draws you in further and further until the desperation is palpable</b>. I definitely cannot wait to read more of this series and I can't wait to see where Cameron takes us next.

<blockquote><b><i>Since the day one of the yonin nursemaids smiled at me and said, “You take very good care of your brother.”
</i>Your<i> brother.
Yorri had been </i>mine<i>—the first and only thing that had ever belonged to me more than the clan—and I promised to protect him; I swore it on blood before I knew how tightly those vows bind.</i></b></blockquote>

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