Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:
Synopsis for A Touch of Death (from Goodreads):
A thousand years in the future, the last of humanity live inside the walls of the totalitarian Kingdom of Cutta. The rich live in Anais, the capital city of Cutta, sheltered from the famine and disease which ravage the rest of the Kingdom. Yet riches and power only go so far, and even Anaitians can be executed. It is only by the will of the King that Nate Anteros, son of the King’s favourite, is spared from the gallows after openly dissenting. But when he’s released from prison, Nate disappears.
A stark contrast, Catherine Taenia has spent her entire life comfortable and content. The daughter of the King’s Hangman and in love with Thom, Nate’s younger brother, her life has always been easy, ordered and comfortable. That is, where it doesn’t concern Nate. His actions sullied not only his future, but theirs. And unlike Thom, Catherine has never forgiven him.
Two years pass without a word, and then one night Nate returns. But things with Nate are never simple, and when one wrong move turns their lives upside down, the only thing left to do is run where the King’s guards cannot find them – the Outlands. Those wild, untamed lands which stretch around the great walls of the Kingdom, filled with mutants and rabids.
Series: Outlands Pentalogy
Author: Rebecca Crunden
# of Books: 5 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: February 2017 – July 2019
Source & Format: Author–eARC
Disclaimer: I stopped reading A Touch of Death (#1) at 21%. Find out why below…
Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:
When Rebecca reached out and asked if I would be interested in reviewing her series, I was definitely interested. I love a good dystopian novel and after reading the synopsis, I was intrigued by the many layers it promised.
What I Liked:
–The Action Starts Immediately–
We literally hit the ground running with two characters and are thrust into the crux of issue: the need to escape to the Outlands.
And I think some readers with find it suspenseful that we get into the thick of things quickly without much preamble, but for me…
What I Didn’t Like:
–I Felt Like I Started 5 Chapters In–
The problem I had with the fast start is that I felt like I was immediately behind. In the prologue, we see Nate in jail and then at the start of the first “chapter” (there aren’t really chapters), he’s running with Catherine through the fields.
What? Why? Who are these people?!
It was almost like the synopsis served as the exposition for this series and that in order to understand the background, you need to read it first. And I don’t like that in my books. I want a little more foreplay before we get into the crux of the issues.
In some ways, it felt like the worldbuilding wasn’t there at all and then other times, I felt like I was getting dumped on with info. It was just overwhelming for me.
Will I Finish It?
Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me so I will be finishing my time with this series here.
My Rating: DNF
As a reader who needs that foundation and worldbuilding early on, this just didn’t work for me. But others who like long worded prose and the suspense of slowly putting the pieces together might enjoy this.
Read if You Like: dystopian, fast-paced plots
Avoid if You: need strong worldbuilding from the start
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