The Outlands, Tyler Edwards

“Hope is a powerful thing. But be mindful. It’s only as good as the object you place in it.”

I’m a big fan of dystopian, and I feel the author set up this world well. You live in a world where your standing is everything, and sometimes you have no standing. Either you blend in, or you’re ousted. It’s a daily fight to survive for those who don’t have a proper place in society. They are getting by on mere scraps when others have more than enough.

All the characters and their personalities come to life. Jett is a bit of a whiner. While he is our main character, I found I didn’t like him all that much, and gravitated more towards Victor, a natural leader. If I have any criticism, it’s that when I agreed to review this, I didn’t realize it was a book one because I am not a fan of cliffhangers. But the thing is, Edwards has written such a super fun read that I’ll stalk his author profile waiting for book 2. Because there are more books to come, there is room for Jett’s character to grow. It will be interesting to watch his character develop in future books.

Reading The Outlands, there is never a dull moment, and the reader is always engaged with the story. There is a lot of action because people are fighting daily to survive. With so many moving cogs at play, the book gets deliciously twisty. The world is incredibly imaginative, and it makes for a super fun read.

A final note. I was reading other reviews before writing this and saw one by the author himself. He took constructive feedback from reviewers and reworked his story. While sometimes reviewers can be nitpicky, myself included, I appreciate Edwards looked at his work and said, yes, I can improve these things.

Read and like this review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.

The Outlands is available on Amazon for $4.99. it’s enrolled in KU.

About the Book:
In the ruins of the world that was lies the city of Dios, a haven protected from the hostile environment known as The Outlands. Ruled by an oppressive Patriarch, the people of Dios are conditioned in fear. The smallest infraction could result in banishment to the Outlands, a fate worse than death.

With his make-shift family of “Undesirables”, Jett Lasting struggles to find his place in a world where drawing attention to yourself can get you killed. His very existence is considered a crime. To survive, he must avoid guards, beggar gangs, and an ever-growing tension that could drag the whole city into chaos.

Jett unwittingly becomes entwined in a plot to overthrow the government where his choices could lead to freedom or the death of everyone he’s ever known or cared about.