Author: Shalini Boland
Book: OUTSIDE (plus THE CLEARING & THE PERIMETER)
Publication Day: August 22nd 2023
Book Description For Outside:
A quest for the truth. A fight for survival. A love like no other.
I’ve lived all my life in the high-security compound built by my father. He’s made sure my sister and I are protected. I’ve never set foot past the perimeter wall and my only knowledge of what exists beyond are rumours of wild landscapes and violent people.
When someone from the outside finds a way in, my little sister is killed. I’m shocked and devastated. Skye was just fourteen, and she had her whole life ahead of her. I’m only a teenager myself, but I am my father’s child – headstrong and determined. I vow to find the person responsible.
My best friend, daring and smart Luc, promises to help me and together we set off into the pitch-black night. As we follow the dirt track road into the wilderness, we realise surviving in the harsh outside world is going to be a lot harder than we thought.
With only each other to rely on, sparks begin to fly between us. As we navigate our way through dense forests and twisting hills, my feelings for Luc grow stronger. But then we’re captured.
I can’t bear the thought of losing Luc and I’m desperate to get home to my family. But will this new danger finally lead me to my sister’s killer? Or will the answers change everything I thought I knew about my world?
From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes a completely unputdownable, irresistible dystopian fiction novel of love and survival that will keep you flipping the pages until the end. Perfect for fans of Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games and Kiera Cass.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Outside' by Shalini Boland.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shalini Boland, Second Sky publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 22nd August 2023.
This is the tenth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Other Daughter', 'The Wife', 'The Couple Upstairs', 'One Of Us Is Lying', 'A Perfect Stranger', 'The Family Holiday', 'My Little Girl' , 'The Daughter In Law' and 'Hidden' all of which I highly recommend. It is also the first book in the 'Outside' series.
This novel consists a prologue, 47 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
WOW!! Where to even start?!? Firstly I must say yet again I was NOT disappointed by the very talented Shalini Boland!!! I started reading this book this morning and finished it in a few hours. Yet again being completely blind sighted by THAT ending!!
It is extremely well written as is every book I have read by Shalini with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline. The blurb and cover work perfectly with the storyline. Every single time I told myself I'd finish the chapter and then put it down and every single time I was left with a sort of cliff hanger refusing to allow me to put it down.
If your planning on reading this I would recommend clearing your schedule!!!
Shalini you are an absolute writing legend!! You are one of those very rare and extremely talented authors who can put their hand to anything!! To go from psychological thrillers to fantasy to dystopia and STILL manage to blow it out of the water just WOW!! A MASSIVE WELL DONE!!! If I had a quarter of your talent I would be absolutely landed!!!
This storyline is fantastically written with multiple perspectives as well as multiple timelines giving you a huge insight into everything that is going on. This book is extremely gripping and intriguing and is ram packed with suspense, terror, deceipt, dystopia , red herrings, romance, mistrust, revenge, accusations, history, deceit, humour, escapism, adventure, fantasy, love, suspense and so much more! It really sets up the scene for the second two books in this trilogy while also having its own amazing storyline. Shalini merges the timelines and the characters together perfectly with each part being placed just where they need to be to give the reader a perfect picture of what is going on. As always her evocative story writing skills sucks the reader deep into the book where they become lost within the storyline along with the characters and surrounded with everything going on until they hit the end of the road and come up for air wondering where they are! As always, Shalini also manages to throw in several twists and shocks that I did not see coming. How do you manage to do this to me every time Shalini?? Seriously?? Congratulations for being one of the very few authors who manage to blow my mind every single time!!! There's nothing worse than when you have worked everything out and your not even half way through a book so a massive well done for that!! I would have never in a million years suspected that ending!!! Absolutely mind blown!!! I absolutely love the fact that I know Shalini will never fail and that every time I read one of her books I can guarantee it is going to be an absolute page turner. If you have never read any books by this extremely talented author then you are definitely missing out!! Anyone who loves dystopian books will be glued to pages especially fans of The Selection, The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Legend, Matched and I could go on!!! This is one of these books that had me hooked throughout and there wasn't a chance in he11 I was going to put it down!!! I ended up devouring it in a several hour sitting and I cannot wait to get stuck in and captivated by 'The Clearing' which, judging by Shalini's teasing prologue and first chapter at the end of this book is guaranteed to be just as explosive if not more!!! This is the third book I have read from Second Sky and I decided on this one as Shalini is one of my favourite authors and it has definitely got me wanting to sink my teeth into more of Second Sky's fantasy books!!! The first book I read was also by Shalini and was another fantasy book and a first in a series called 'Hidden' which I would also highly recommend!! Shalini always manages to create such unique atmospheres and surrounding and this one has got to be one of the best!!
Clear your schedules and get ready to lose several hours of your day getting hooked on this absolutely explosive start to an epic series!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.
The characters were all well rounded and strong with their own personality traits, strengths and weaknesses. It was very interesting watching how the bonds strengthened and weakened between characters throughout the storyline. I loved getting to know each and every one of them and loved all the different personalities!!! The main protagonists are Riley who's protagonist is speaking from the 'present' and Eleanor who tells us about 'Before'. Shalini weaves their chapters perfectly together to build up the storyline perfectly and in a way that ensures the reader doesn't get confused. They are both strong female protagonists which is always a bonus for me being female myself. They are both brave and are going through heartache, love, loss, fear, hope and so much more for different reasons and I was rooting for them both throughout. The other characters are all just as important and not one of them is dumped into the book for no reason which I find it many books, unnecessary characters that just seem to be added to build up the pages. I adored Luc and Connor who were large male characters and were also romantic, sweet and strong men. Other characters that jumped out at me for different reasons included Aubrey Rowbotham who made me laugh, Liam, Abigail, Samuel and Denzil (who I definitely hope to meet again!). Each of these characters and more all came to life in front of my eyes thanks to Shalini's evocative writing skills and I cannot wait to meet them all again and see what they get up to next!!!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Shalini Boland for YET another absolutely fantastic success!! I cannot wait to read more of your amazing work!! I really would love to see your books on the big screen one day, I can guarantee they will all be a massive success if they are even half as good as the books you write!!! THIS is why you are one of my favourite authors!! Here is to your next huge "blockbuster"!!! 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Shalini's ''The Clearing' which is the second book in this gripping series and which promises to be just as addictive as this book!! I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself and am actually off to start reading it now so watch this space for my review!!
Overall a page turning, gripping, epic and explosive start to a promising new dystopia series!
338 pages
This book £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Book Description For The Clearing:
The clearing has begun. Children across the country are disappearing. And I’m the only one who can stop it…
There was a time when our world was open and free. Those days seem like something out of a dream. Now, I live in a walled community, protected by guards from the wilderness beyond. Everything felt safe, until the last few years. That’s when the rumours started. And then I saw with my own eyes they were true…
Children are being taken all over the country. Snatched from their homes, never to be seen again. As I look up at the stormy sky beyond the Perimeter wall, I realise I have to do something. I may only be seventeen, but I know where all those children are.
James Grey and his terrifying followers are hiding the missing ones in an old fortress. They’ve been training them to fight, creating an army that’s growing stronger day by day. My best friend Luc is by my side. Everything seems strange between us, since the night we kissed, but he’s pledged to help me in my quest to stop this madness.
Although fighting to end the clearing means returning to the last place on earth I ever want to go. It means allowing the chilling hooded figures to take us too. Luc and I are willing to sacrifice our own freedom in order to save so many others… but will we succeed?
From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes a totally addictive dystopian fiction novel of the fight between good and evil that will have you glued to the pages until the very end. Perfect for fans of Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games and Kiera Cass.
Book Description for The Perimeter:
The old world is gone forever. And this is our last chance to create a new one…
Sixteen years ago, the old world collapsed, and I was born into a time of chaos. I’ve been one of the lucky ones, living safely behind the thick walls of the Perimeter. But now an evil force is threatening to tear down everything we’ve built here. Our existence is hanging in the balance.
Cold, calculating James Gray and his army are trying to destroy the peaceful community we’ve worked so hard to create. We can’t run from it. We must confront it. This will be the final battle, the final chance to save our world – and ourselves.
Standing on top of one of the lookout posts, I take a deep breath and brace myself for what is to come. I wish I’d told Luc how much I love him, because now it might be too late.
Will we both make it out of this alive? And will our world be changed for the better, or fractured forever?
From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes a page-turning dystopian adventure of danger, love and courage that will have you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games and Kiera Class.
Author Bio:
Shalini Boland is the USA-Today bestselling author of seventeen psychological thrillers. With over two million copies sold, her titles are published by Amazon Publishing, Audible, Bookouture, Second Sky and Grand Central Publishing.
Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two teens and their increasingly demanding dog, Queen Jess. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing (in between re-stocking the fridge and dealing with endless baskets of laundry).
She is also the author of two bestselling Sci Fi and Fantasy series as well as a WWII evacuee novel with a time-travel twist.
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShaliniBoland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaboland/
Second Sky Email Sign Up: www.secondskybooks.com/shalini-boland
Purchase Links
Outside Book 1: https://geni.us/B0C9DQ82BWsocial
The Clearing Book 2: https://geni.us/B0C9DW3SC4social
The Perimeter Book 3: https://geni.us/B0C9DTWY72social
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