Book Tour Reviews; Outside & The Clearing by Shalini Boland

Howdy!
So today I am the first stop on The Clearing by Shalini Boland blog tour hosted by Fiction Addiction Book Tours. I am bringing you a review of both the first book in the series and the second!
To follow the rest of the tour, just click here

Author: Shalini Boland
Publisher: Adrenalin Books
Published: 21st July 2011
Pages: Unknown
Format: Ebook
Source: Complimentary Copy from Author
Add It: Goodreads, Amazon UK, TBD

When It’s

Reading post-apocalyptic fiction has been less popular recently with the rise of dystopian fiction, especially with the crossover of the two genres in the first place. So when I heard about The Outside I knew that is was a book that I really wanted to read because I hadn’t read any post-apocalyptic fiction in a long time. Fortunately, I was glad to have taken a chance on this book as it was a very entertaining and enjoyable book that I would easily recommend to other people to read.

All Taken Away

Imagine you’re living in a world that has only just survived the world’s largest terrorist attacks. Imagine you’re living in a Perimeter your dad made for your neighbourhood to keep you safe from the terrorists, rioters, and other dangers. Now imagine that someone ruins the security of that perimeter and is on the run about to get away with it. What would you do? Would you bow down and just continue your life or would you go after the person, no matter the cost? This is the set-up to The Outside and it is the beginning of an elaborate plot that is gripping, tense, and wholly action-packed. With so much going on throughout the novel, it is impossible not to really enjoy this story as it leaves you aching for more.

You Must Stand

Riley is the type of protagonist that I like seeing in books, she isn’t fearless and she doesn’t have an ample amount of arrogance, but she is incredibly brave and able to think on her feet in difficult situations. Riley may get scared often, but she bites down on her gut instinct and goes into it anyway, because it’s either fight or die and she certainly has the fight instinct in her bones. I found her to be an enjoyable character to read about and really liked getting to know her better. Luc was another character that I found myself appreciating. He was protective, powerful, smart, and also a bit of a charmer too. He may seem like your all-around guy but he is stubborn, has a bit of a temper at times and likes to be in charge but these flaws just help to make him seem that much more humane. He was definitely a character that stole my heart, that was for sure.

And Fight Or

One of the most difficult things to writing a post-apocalyptic novel is getting the world building right as it is the backbone of the entire novel. Therefore I am happy to report that I was impressed with it in this novel. Boland has a unique style that gives you just enough of what you need to know about the world until the next part of the plot unfolds. It was possible to see the world as it is described, and it is certainly a terrifying world to live in; one that may just occur one day. This novel showed not only the world after the attacks, but also the world before and this intermittent story telling helped to build the intensity of the novel and helped to keep the reader hooked to the page – but I’m wary as I’m sure this style may not be loved by everyone.

Lose It All

While, for me, there wasn’t that final spark to this book that made me love it more than words, this was a book that I well and truly loved reading and am incredibly glad that I took a chance on. It is a novel that had an interesting back story, a thrilling crime with a touch of mystery surrounding it, and an action-packed thriller story that keeps you interested throughout the entire novel. It is also one that really gets you emotionally invested in the characters as they’re relatable and strong characters, so it’s difficult not to feel emotional for them as you read the journey’s they partake. Personally I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good YA post-apocalyptic book, anyone who likes compelling plots, and gripping moments that keep you turning that page over and over again.

Author: Shalini Boland
Publisher: Adrenalin Books
Published: January 15th 2013
Pages: Unknown
Format: Ebook
Source: Complimentary Copy from Author
Add It: Goodreads, Amazon UK, TBD

There Is

After finishing The Outside, despite it not ending on a major cliffhanger, I was definitely reading to jump into reading The Clearing, and boy was I glad that I read this book. It was truly a great adventure that kept me needing to turn the page. The only thing I can really recommend is that anyone who reads this book has read The Outside first. While it is possible to pick it up fairly easy from the story, there is essential background information in the first book of this series that is not in the second one. Aside from that, I would highly recommend this book as it is one that I really liked and just couldn’t get enough of.

A Threat

Unlike the previous book, this novel starts straight in with the action as the slower background work has already happened for the series. This helped to make the book more compelling and action-packed then the book that came before it. The Clearing was fast-paced from the get go and really keeps the reader interested as it flips between different stories and character POVs; henceforth broadening the story. It is also full of different twists and turns that keep the action and tensions high, making it shocking and compelling all at the same time. This author really knows how to write a book that grips you from the start until the very end.

That Will Change

The characters from the first book that appear in this one are just as great to read about in this story but we are also introduced to some new characters who took my breath away. First and foremost is Liss. I found her to be a really sweet, protective, strong, protective character that I couldn’t help but find myself adoring. She was scared but brave, worried and afraid but able to put on a brave face for Annabelle and that really struck a chord with me. She went through so much and still turned out to be such a great person and I really liked that about her. FJ, on the other hand, was a character that you were meant to dislike and I certainly felt hatred towards him. But I also felt compassion for him to. I understood so much about him, could see where it all must have gone wrong for him and am actually really intrigued to see more of him in the next book.

Everything Dramatically

It is clear from this second book in the series that Shalini Boland is a brilliant writer who has a lot of talent within her with the ability to progress in her writing skills. I loved the way she keeps the story tense and gripping. She has a way of twisting the plot in many different ways while also making it still easy to follow. I didn’t expect a lot of the things to occur to did and I found that to be a large part of her charm as I hate it when I can guess what will happen next or how books will end but even as this book only had a few pages left, I wasn’t sure if all our characters would be safe or not. It is clear that a lot of care and time was taken with this book which just helps to make it even more enjoyable.

Until It’s Over

Overall, The Clearing is a book that really shouldn’t be missed. It is full of action, is fast-paced and interesting, and is one of those books that is just a real treasure to be able to read. It is a brilliant and powerful novel that I really enjoyed reading, would be happy to read again and simply couldn’t recommened it anymore. It is also just as emotional, if not more, than the first one in the series, and has a very intriguing and cliff-hanger-y ending that will have you on the edge of your seat gripping the sides of your e-reader as your mind devours the words on the page. I would easily recommend this book to lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction, and especially to those that have read the first book in the series. While the first was good, it is easy to state that the second book is better, and therefore I am now itching to get my hands on the third book as I am making a grand assumption that it will be even better than the second. So what are you waiting for? Get started on this series now!