Outside: An absolutely gripping YA dystopian fiction novel

This was a good solid book. Normally I would rate it a 4.5 or 5 but then I realized I have really better start being realistic in my ratings since I now review so many books here.This is an interesting take on what happens after the world ends. The main story follows a young lady named Riley and Luc, her neighbor/love interest, as they venture outside thier secure protected compound to search for a man they think killed her younger sister.The characters are well written. The character of Luc was the most lacking depth wise. I really get no feeling about him. Does he like Riley back? Well, obviously, he does because he risks his life in the dangerous outside world to go on a wild goose chase. That is the only evidence the author gives us into his feelings prior to his actual declaration. She never has him give Riley a second look until then.Riley does a bit too much whinning for my taste. She shows some promise in the begining but just utterly wimps out in the middle of the book. In the end she shows us that brave tough side again.The best part of the book is the author's description of the outside. It is utterly realistic. She describes my worst nightmare of modern society at its end. Well maybe not worst there are no Zombies. Riley and Luc encounter some pretty scary bandits. They also meet a seeming "nice" couple who lost their children to an alternative religion (aka cult). They escape said cult only to stumble into an even worse situation with remanants of the army.I was pretty amazed that a 17 yr old boy and 16 yr old girl could outwit so many adult do badders. The author then casually mentions that all children in the compound are trained in self defense and the use of weapons. Ok I get that it makes sense. It just would have been nice if we had seen that in earlier chapters.Throughout the novel the author throws in random chapters about a young woman named Elenor. These are flashbacks to the terrorist bombings that ended the world and the days that led up to them. At first these flashbacks are a bit jarring and confusing. Mid way they start to make sense and started to flow with the other timeline. I actually started looking forward to these little chapters. The author threw little clues in them that help the reader figure out Riley's families past and what her sisters suspected murderer really means to her.Overall this book was a fairly good read that could use a little more character development. Look forward to seeing more work from Ms. Boland as she matures as a writer.

This was a decent book, I'd rate it 3 1/2 stars. It's one of those books that you blow through in one sitting and enjoy the ride while you're on it, but it doesn't necessarily stick with you afterwards.Although I liked the characters, they didn't feel fully realized or fleshed out to me. Riley seemed inconsistent in her mannerisms. First she's strong and wants to go pursue her sister's killer, she manages to keep her wits about her and save herself and Luc from certain danger, and then she's breaking down and crying and feeling too overwhelmed.Luc was a guy of few words, so it was hard to get a good read on him. He loves Riley enough to leave the perimeter with her, but then seems to get easily irritated with her and chooses to be cold and distant. Not only that, but it was very convenient that both of them were highly trained in weaponry and combat. While it makes sense that all kids would have that type of training, it doesn't get mentioned until they actually need the skills. Plus, it goes directly against the image that these kids have grown up in a pampered, privileged existence up until this point. If the author had found a way to incorporate that into the story before it was needed, it would have felt more authentic.I did like how there were two storylines running from chapter to chapter, although at first I didn't catch on that it was two different perspectives because the tones were so similar. Yet, even with the backstory of Eleanor, I found that I couldn't have a lot of sympathty for what she'd done in the end. After all those years of being loved and building a life, I would have thought her choices would have been different. Or, at the very least, harder to make. She seemed to throw herself into her misdeeds so completely as to not feel any compunction about the pain she would be causing. It made me not like her very much, and I don't think that's entirely the reaction the author was trying to make.The other thing I liked about this book was the world construction. I think things would probably happen very similarly to how the author envisioned them, especially at the beginning, during the transition period.Overall, it's not a bad book and worthy of keeping you company on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I'll probably end up reading the sequels, but I don't have that eager, grinding anticipation in my gut waiting for the release date like so many other trilogies I've picked up recently.

This was a well crafted post apocalyptic tale. The world building was good and I generally enjoyed the story. I will track down the sequels and read those too. However I personally found the characterisation a bit loose and flimsy. I would have liked some more definite shape to Riley and the other's characters. I also found the dialogue unconvincing, it was clear and avoided being exposition in disguise but I felt it could have had more snap and sizzle. Of course those are entirely subjective opinions.The book's greatest strength is the way is conveys cause and effect, how one life affects another without any intention, and can cause cataclysmic events years later. That was very strongly done. As another reviewer has said, it avoids tired tropes of the genre for the most part too.This is a good read and if dystopean/ post apocalyptic is your thing, you'll probably love this. I enjoyed it but it just didn't grip me as much as other offerings in the genre did and I think that was due to my perception of the characterization. Definitely worth a read though.

I enjoyed this book. It felt a little rushed in the first few chapters like the writer was trying to fill us in quick so she could get on with the story and I did think, oh, I hope this gets better and it did. It drew me in and kept me reading. About half way through I wondered where the second story strand was going but it all came to a good satisfactory conclusion and I didn't guess the ending, well not until I was almost at the end, which surprised me as often these things are predictable.It is YA and the main characters are teenagers, but I picked it up knowing that so I didn't expect otherwise. It's not for you if you want horror and gore aplenty. Nice to see a British setting, definitely a plus for me. When I finished it I came on Amazon to see if there was another, always a good sign. A nice read.

This is a futuristic story with 2 young people as the main characters. At first I thought it was for the young adult but I'm 59 and thoroughly enjoyed the bravery and intelligence of these two young people. It was racy and edgy and I found myself holding my breath on one than more occasion. The book was a free download and has 2 sequels. I'm tempted to order both of them. This is a new author for me and I'm in awe of her imagination! Definitely download this today!

I thought PA novels were all about Zombies and Im so glad I stumbled across a free download for this book and gave it a chance! I loved the style of the book and the 2 stories had me a little confused but it all came together in the end, very very good and I didnt expect the twist at all!It probably helps that I live/have lived in the areas talked about in the book so could really picture everything in my head (which was actually quite scary!)it was so realistic and well detailed.This is well worth a read, as is the second book in the series.

The new society that exists after the collaspe of Democarsay is on shakey ground. The people living outside The Compounds are dangerous & could launch attacks if they wish.