Genre: Dystopia | Pages: 306
Star rating:
Book Intro by Rebecca Crunden:
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.
Review:
Dystopia books are one of my favorite genre and has rarely failed to impress me. I'm not a sadist, but the imagination of such a world from each and every one varies and is creative in it their own ways.
This Dystopia novel is mostly centered around the character Nate Anteros who lives in a kingdom, 1000 years from now ruled by a cruel king and is someone who also happens to be the son of the kings favorite. Nate challenges the system, gets in and out of trouble and is eventually on the run with his brother's fiance.
A Touch of Death has been truly engaging and has several elements of entertainment to it that has its readers hooked. It makes several nods and better understands its villains and their behavior. I didn't foresee a lot of the events, but in hindsight, it they were bound to happen. The concept in this book depicts the subjugation of the weak by the ones holding the reins in the most consumable way and it has been weirdly perceptive.
The writing was quite slick, and the action sequences were clear-cut, crisp and very well-explained. The speed and the narrative is well paced, making this book difficult to put down. I loved the plot construction, as little as it holds up to scrutiny.
The only thing that didn't work for me is that the book starts pretty abruptly and took me a while to catch up. I felt that the book was less exploratative of characters and locations and required clarity for the same in several sections.
All in all, I'd still look forward to read more of The Outlands Pentalogy series and discovery this world that Nate lives in.
About the Author and the Novel:
Know more about Rebbecca Cruden by clicking her website here. Her books are available on most offline and all online stores.