The Outlands Pentalogy (2 books) by Rebecca Crunden

A stellar dystopian series that fans of the genre can pick without thinking twice…

With the second and third installments in The Outlands Pentalogy, Crunden proves her mettle as a solid dystopian author as she brings each of the book’s narrative threads together for a highly absorbing, intriguing next installment. In A History of Madness, Nate Anteros is once again sent to a work-camp, this time in Argon Basin for five years of hard labor, after the king cancels his execution. But it’s hard for Nate to wait that long while his friends’ fate is unknown to him. In A Promise of Return, Crunden takes the reader back to the harrowing journey of Thom Anteros as he escapes death by execution at the king’s orders but is sold in the slave markets of Muntenia to fight a gruesome battle of survival. Despite abundant violence with graphic scenes of gruesome killings including a disturbing scene of feticide, the readers will eagerly immerse themselves in Crunen’s vividly constructed world which is both deeply intriguing and vastly imaginative. Crunden does a great job of balancing the romance element of the storyline with a hard-core dystopian theme. Her characters are well-developed and multifaceted, her prose elegant, and characters’ emotions run deep in the story. Series fans will welcome the addition of new faces in the second and the third book. Beautifully written, filled with poignant emotions and intrigue, and featuring damaged but endearing characters, each book in the series tops its predecessor and makes the reader fervently wait for the next installment.

The Outlands Pentalogy (Book #2 & #3)

by Rebecca Crunden

A History of Madness