Outcast

Defiance #0.5

by C.J. Redwine

A thrilling, dangerous adventure, this prequel novella to C.J. Redwine’s Defiance and Deception features Quinn, a popular character from the series.

Quinn Runningbrook knows a hundred ways to kill a man and make it hurt. He can track, ambush, and torture his prey with terrifying skill—just like his father taught him. But every kill consumes another piece of him, and Quinn longs to stop, to save himself and his sister Willow from becoming like his father—a man who kills for entertainment.

But when Quinn refuses to torture a group of trespassers caught too close to the Tree Village where his family lives, and instead kills them quickly, he disobeys a direct order from his father . . . and Willow is forced to do it instead. Suddenly, Quinn isn’t the favored apprentice to the family business of “protecting” the Tree Village anymore. Willow is.

When Jared Adams—a courier from the nearby city-state of Baalboden—is caught traveling too close to their borders, Willow is ordered to torture him for information. But Quinn knows that Jared doesn’t deserve torture or death. And he realizes he has to take action…or the fate chosen for Willow and himself by their father will remain carved in stone.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia, Novella, Fiction, Short Stories, Romance

ebook

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

**Please read my FAQ before sending any requests: http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/p/faq.html **

C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and going to the movies. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quinn is hands down one of the most intriguing characters in this series. Him and sister, Willow, seemed to have come out of nowhere with a questionable past but also with a fierce loyalty to Rachel because of her father. When I saw that there was a novella centered around Quinn, I knew I had to read it.

Hints of his father's brutality are scattered throughout the first two books, but we really get to see it here. Charged with the protection of their tree village, Quinn and Willow were raised on how to kill intruders. But as Quinn got older, he started to see the darkness in his father and now instead of waiting for intruders, he's happy to go looking for them. And a quick killing isn't sufficient, their father relishes the kill and drags it out for his enjoyment. Quinn sees all this and knows that he doesn't want this life for himself or his sister but he also sees no way out.

Then a lone straggler appears and Quinn thinks he's found the solution to his problems. Bring this man back as prisoner and force his father into action so the Elders can see how bad he is. And his plan works...sort of.

I enjoyed this novella. I liked seeing things from Quinn's POV because he's always been such a mystery. It's no secret he loves his sister but you really get to see their bond first hand here. And we also get to meet the infamous Jared.

My one complaint is that this novella seems to be cut short. It just ends. I really wished it would have covered up until Jared's death but it was still enjoyable and a good addition to the series.

[Pili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outcast is the very much awaited novella featuring our dear Quinn and his sister Willow's story before they meet Rachel and Logan and become allies. This is the story of why Quinn understands how broken Rachel can be and how both he and his sister got exiled from their tribe and came to meet Rachel's dad.

Quinn has always been a very interesting character and we knew there was a lot more to his past than what he himself or his sister had revealed before, both about what caused their exile and why Quinn refused to kill when fighting and in this novella, we find out exactly how horrible their childhood was being trained to be killers with the excuse of being defenders, and how abusive their relationship with their father was.

We see Quinn from feeling like what they're doing is wrong, to finding the strenght to face his father and try to put a stop to his madness when he thinks of protecting his sister and finds an unexpected ally on Rachel's father when Jared stumbles onto the village's perimeter trying to hide from Rowansmark agents.

For a short novella this one packs a really emotional punch and we find ourselves loving and understanding much better both Quinn and Willow and even get a lil better understanding of what a good man Rachel's dad was. One of those novellas that are a joy to read, even with the tough themes in it which earns it 5 stars.

[Toshita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been so much better. Like soooooooo much better. I barely learned anything about Quinn that was different from what he had told Rachel in Deception. This book is such a missed opportunity to show us Quinn's process of healing. The book ended at the same point that Quinn's story ended at when it could have covered this story, all the way until he met Rachel. Then we could have had more Jared and Runningbrook siblings. Especially because the Quinn at the end of this book is not the Quinn that Rachel met in Defiance. He is much more measured and collected and I am sure one of the reasons for it is Jared. Jared is literally the catalyst for this whole story and yet we don't even get crumbs of the man.

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH! WHAT A TRAGEDY! AN ABOSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING READ…

1. I don’t know who is foolish enough to approach our village, but I’m sure of one thing: None of them are going to survive the night.I’m also sure that Eliah was wrong. I’m not brave at all. I’m trapped, Willow is trapped, and every time I give in to my father I come a little bit closer to losing what little I have left of myself.

2. Then I turn a page and read a poem whose last lines stop me cold. Drawing in a breath of chilly air, I speak the words aloud while my heart picks up speed.
"Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
And grow for ever and for ever."
My throat closes as the memory of slashing the unarmed highwayman’s throat fills me. What are my echoes? What mark am I leaving on this world to roll soul to soul, growing forever?

3. I can’t tell her she’s right. I can’t put into words the fear that haunts me when I see how easily she obeys Dad. How quickly she shakes off the things she’s done in the name of protection. Instead, I say, “We have to stop this. We have to stop him.”

Hell there’s no doubt. No doubt that if I was Quinn Runningbrook (the prime male character) and my sister was Willow I would do everything from my behalf to protect her from becoming a beast like Quinn’s father. Believe me in some point I wish I could hold her or say to hug her and tell her that nothing to fear my little bird I will protect no matter what; no matter what it might cost. Even if it’s my life I would never care…

Now who was thinking the fact that Willow too on herself trying to protect her brother (Quinn) to become a monster like their father. It’s like they both feared that the two of them in some point would lose their sane mind and become a worthless, cold blooded killer. I would definitely without any question love to kill this kind of sick minded beast. I could feel the helplessness of Quinn when he was forced to kill an unarmed man when the man still begging for his life. It is too much to bear, too much to bear the agony and the desperate stare of that victim man. He of course didn’t deserve to die…

The father of Quinn and Willow or say the cold hearted monster was the leader of their village. Who only means to harm and kill innocent people, who in one hand in rule tried to established his supremacy above all. But of course everything has it’s end in a final day. And in the end thus what exactly happened…

In a long time of my reading journey I haven’t read a book (prequel actually) quite like this & I am happy that I finally found it and read it…

Thanks to the Author – C.J. Redwine…

[Natália Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting insight into Quinn & Willow's character, especially Quinn's. We know from the first novel that they were cast out of their village because of something they did and that it was this dark secret, but here we get to see who, why, how and what the consequences were for them as characters. We also get to see a bit of Jared and how they came to meet. I felt for them, and I was glad for them to escape the horrible condition they were in, but it's sad that they were punished for it. I'm curious to see what will become of them in the next installments and what their plot will be.

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Short story from Quinn P.O.V. This happen before Defiance. Willow & him still live with the Tree people, their father is still alive and is a total asshole. I mention in my review of the books series that the villains are all the same, well this happen again here.
We get to learn how the two met Jared Adams and why Quinn doesn’t want to carry a weapon.
I found this little novella pretty useless since this is all things we learn in the book series.

[katie_katb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm SO glad the author wrote this novella because the moment these characters are introduced in the first book (Defiance) you are wanting to know their story!!! I love Willow, Quinn & Jared and I'm so glad this book was written to fill in some blanks! I really enjoyed this quick read. :) Now this series is officially over for me, which sucks because I really love this whole world!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outcast is the story of how Quinn and Willow were cast from their village. It is a short prequel story to the Defiance series. Since I liked Quinn in the story I wanted to read a story from his point of view. It is very short, just ten chapters that comes out to about eighty pages. It was fun to see an earlier story about the world and I am glad I took the time to read Outcast.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little novella was much better than the full-length books in the series. Perhaps it's because Quinn and Willow are much more interesting characters than Rachel and Logan. Or perhaps it's because a novella requires a tight word count rather than nearly 500 pages, so the author didn't have the opportunity to make it boring.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great background story. Wish ir had been longer.

[Kaka_shi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing. Caught enough of my interest to read on.

[Belladonna💙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a novella for the reason that looks like this series is promising.

[Melitajr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two words:
Quinn
Runningbrook

[Jen Bury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously this is a teaser for the trilogy, but it is well written and engaging! I am totally interested in reading the trilogy now! I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters!

[Astraea Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly this novella is written much better than the first and second book in my opinion.

[donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting. Makes me want to read the series.

[Joti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willow & Quinn Runningbrook have family honour to uphold in their Tree Village & their father is a fucking monster. And all the Village people are bloody scared of them so they’re outcasts in their own home, without friends and everyone looking at them in fear. They teach the children in the schools during the day but after, they’ve gotta do their real job; hunting the intruders that’ve been spotted too close to their village. So they kill the group of highwaymen & their dad is bloodthirsty; he likes torturing people and making them scream & Quinn can’t deal with it. They have a survivor from the attack & Quinn tries getting his dad to take the man as a prisoner for information but he won’t so they’ve gotta kill him; Willow would gladly do it too & Quinn sees too much of their father in her & so he takes the kill & makes it quick, which pisses off their father & they fight & Quinn imagines killing him but doesn’t. Their father’s asking more & more of Willow & they both want to stop him, but the only way is to kill him - the village Elders won’t help because they’re scared their father will kill them too. So they decide that if a threat makes it past their borders, their father will freak & the elders may see him for what he really is; a bloodthirsty monster & then they can stand against him together. Quinn’s gonna make sure a threat gets past their borders - Willow & her father also already ran into the trackers looking for the courier; Jared Adams, who stole something from Rowansmark (IT’S BEEN SET IN MOTION ALREADY!!) Quinn finds a threat; Jared Adams - & if he’s the courier everyone’s looking for, he’s perfect b/c their father will want to kill him; Quinn wants him to come & be questioned by the elders & he promises he’ll protect Jared & get him out alive - upon returning to the village, Quinn & Jared encounter Quinn’s father & Quinn knocks him out OMG :O He takes Jared to the elders they decide to question Jared & Quinn’s father shows up wanting to kill him but he’ll have to wait now - Quinn & his father fight again but they don’t come to blows b/c his father leaves & sends Willow to kill Jared or else he’ll kill Quinn - Jared comes out of the prison & their father shoots an arrow; Quinn jumps in front of Jared but Willow jumps in front of Quinn & she’s hit instead OMG & then Jared’s trying to help Willow & their father still wants to kill him & QUINN LETS LOOSE; THE RAGE BREAKS FREE & HE BEATS THE FUCKING CRAP OUT OF HIS FATHER; ALL THE YEARS OF ABUSE AND ANGER FINALLY COMNIG OUT & HE KILLS HIM.
QUINN KILLS HIS FATHER.
OMG :O
& THE ELDERS, THE STUPID FUCKING ELDERS, HOLD THEIR FATHER, SAMUEL, RESPONSIBLE, BUT THEY SAY QUINN’S CAPABLE OF THE SAME VIOLENCE & CAST HIM OUT OF THE FREAKING VILLAGE & WILLOW DECIDES TO LEAVE WITH QUINN TOO - THERE’S NO DECISION TO MAKE; THEIR FATHER WAS THE ONLY THING ENSLAVING THEM TO A LIFE OF MURDER & BLOODSHED & NOW THAT HE’S DEAD SHE’S FREE TOO - & THEY WANT JARED ADAMS GONE SINCE THEY DON’T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN ROWANSMARK’S AFFAIRS.
WELL THIS IS GOOD. BECAUSE THIS IS HOW QUINN & WILLOW MEET RACHEL & LOGAN & WILLOW FINDS ADAM & QUINN EVENTUALLY FINDS NOLA :P
Anyway, they leave & Quinn promises himself he’ll redeem himself & become the man he wants to be. AW DON’T WORRY MY BABY U TOTALLY WILL. GODS I LOVE WILLOW & QUINN - SUCH A GREAT PAIR <3
LOVE LOVE LOVE THEIR STORY! <3

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn Runningbrook knows a hundred ways to kill a man and make it hurt. He can track, ambush, and torture his prey with terrifying skill—just like his father taught him. But every kill consumes another piece of him, and Quinn longs to stop, to save himself and his sister Willow from becoming like his father—a man who kills for entertainment.

But when Quinn refuses to torture a group of trespassers caught too close to the Tree Village where his family lives, and instead kills them quickly, he disobeys a direct order from his father . . . and Willow is forced to do it instead. Suddenly, Quinn isn’t the favored apprentice to the family business of “protecting” the Tree Village anymore. Willow is.

When Jared Adams—a courier from the nearby city-state of Baalboden—is caught traveling too close to their borders, Willow is ordered to torture him for information. But Quinn knows that Jared doesn’t deserve torture or death. And he realizes he has to take action…or the fate chosen for Willow and himself by their father will remain carved in stone.

I almost forgot about reading this book and took it up while reading Deliverance. Though it is a companion and only gives the story of the events mentioned in Deception, I felt it prudent to read it before the end of the series *sob* and so I did.

Outcast's story is of Quinn and Willow - when they lived in their Tree Village, apprentices of their sadistic abusive killer father, who only wanted to create another version of himself in his kids. Since Quinn, a boy of honor refuses to conform but too scared to say so, his father manipulates him by making Willow do the work. Basically, both siblings are being manipulated by their father to protect each other.

You see Quinn struggling hard against being a killer, Willow being fiercely protective of her brother and generally, the loving relationship between the two. Jared Adams is also an addition to the story, a fact I liked because we see him from an outsider's view, not just from Rachel or Logan's.

Highly recommended for fans of Defiance series - you will enjoy the writing and the characters.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY. A book about my favorite, favorite, favorite character of the Defiance series: Quinn Runningbrook! I was more than thrilled when I found out that there was a prequel about Quinn. He was easily my favorite character in the series. I just loved everything about him!

Before Rachel and Logan's world got turned upside-down, Quinn's world was equally as painful. From the Deliverance series, we already know that Quinn was raised to be an assassin with his sister, Willow. His father was a cruel man, and killed without a conscious. Outcast takes a look at what that life was like for Quinn, working with his father, killing any who "trespassed" through their village. It explored the internal conflicts Quinn had when dealing with the bloodthirsty man known as his father.

In the original series, readers already get a sense that Quinn has already gone through quite a lot of internal pain, growth, and forgiveness. How else is he able to be the wonderful friend to Rachel he is today? In Outcast, we really get a sense of the constant fear and reluctance Quinn has of obeying his father. His father is corrupt to the extent where he sees killing as a sport. Quinn tolerates it and kills as per his father's orders, but he isn't happy about it. He is reluctance to kill, and it's when the issue of mercy comes up does Quinn launch into a full-on defiance of his father. It shows that Quinn has a strong moral sense, but seeing as this moral clashes with his father's, the result doesn't end up that well.

Quinn questions his identity a lot here. He's always asking why he's killing people. He kills people because that's his family's job, to protect their village. But is that who he really is? Is he to ultimately become the same monster his father is? Why can't he stand up to his father? What will it take to stop him? He can physically stop his father, but can he? How can he save himself and Willow?

Full review

[Kat Mandu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Mandu says…

The novella follows Quinn and brings up the backstory of his former tree-life hell. Quinn and Willow’s father is a bloodthirsty hunter who knows Quinn doesn’t really have the heart to kill an innocent. However, once his vicious dad sets his sights on bringing his young daughter up to speed, completing things her older brother won’t do, Quinn decides to step up and it puts him in a world of hurt.

Quinn crosses paths with Jared Adams, Rachel’s father, and his trouble gets worse. He knows he’s supposed to kill Jared, but can’t make himself do it, so instead brings him to the tree village for questioning. His father isn’t pleased and forces Willow to kill Jared – an act that Quinn stops. In a rush of fury, Quinn kills his father in a fight to the death, and the siblings are exiled for his crimes.

The story is briefly mentioned throughout the Courier’s Daughter trilogy as Rachel tries to figure out the enigmatic history of her most trusted friend and guardian. Quinn, though a potent killer, is marred by his scars but a better man for it. I love this story because it shows how Jared and the Runningbrook siblings meet – and the perilous journey that begins with a choice. CJ Redwine shows off her skills as she runs through each and every emotion, action, and decision that keeps making the storyline better and better. A five, naturally and recommended to short story fans.

[Kat Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't process my feels. This is beyond one of my favorite series to read. Incredible world building, fierce and loyal characters, the fight for love and freedom... Excuse me while I do my fangirl dance.

And Quinn, you are violently adorable. This is the kind of story that lets you know you'd better not screw around with siblings. Because with a very abusive father and a practically absent mother, brothers and sisters will take care of each other, regardless of the consequences. Quinn and Willow's relationship is just that and they'll both do anything to protect each other.

I like visiting the tree villages. I always picture an Avatar-esque scene, minus all the pretty flowers (especially since this was set in winter) and blue people running around.

I'm so excited to reread the first two, Defiance and Deception, and finally sink my teeth into Deliverance now that I own it. Squee!

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting prequel to the series. I didn’t like how long it was before I knew the name of the main character, Quinn, but I think I understand why it was written that way. I also felt like I appreciated it more after I read the first book. With it being a novella, I felt like I didn’t really know the characters or what was going on until the end. But if I had read the first novel first (although this is a prequel and that wouldn’t fit the timeline) I would have had a better understanding about who the characters were. I have to say though, it gave me a ton of background information and more understanding of Quinn and Willow when I did come across them in Defiance.

[Coralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this novella!!! I enjoyed it more than the first two novels (I haven't read the third yet), and I liked them a lot. I loved everything about this story. I loved the Tree Village, getting to see inside of Quinn and his family. I loved the backstory, and BOY did I LOVE Jared! Gosh, I wish we could see more of him alive. He completely melted my heart. There was a very good man. I would love to see how he met Rachel's mother. That would be a story to fawn over I just know it! Ahh, very content with this addition to the series. Can't wait to read the third one!

[Morgan F · Rating 4 out of 5]

“‘Put your arms out to help you keep your balance,’ Willow says, lifting her own arms to demonstrate.”
That was good. A nice short story about Quinn and his sister Willow, and it was exactly what I was looking for. It’s the story about how they got cast out by their tree village and also shows what they went through when they lived there. I liked that Quinn and Willow would do whatever it took to protect each other, even if it meant they would be pretty bad, despicable people. Also, I really disliked their parents, they were quite annoying.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been about 2 years since I read Defiance and I'll be starting Deception soon, so I decided to read this little novella. It is about Quinn and Willow's life in their tree village before they met Rachael. I liked these 2 characters, so I figured I'd enjoy reading more about their past. The novella wasn't anything special, it was predictable and didn't tell me anything I didn't already know or had assumed.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Quinn is one of my favorite characters in the series, I absolutely loved this short story! It tells the story of Quinn and Willow, and how they came to be with Jared, and why they were cast out. This was an awesome look at how Quinn thinks and who he is. It also explains in much more detail why he refuses to use a weapon. If you're a fan of the Defiance series, I highly recommend reading this!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very sad. I mean Quinn is a very strong charecter in the whole series so hearing about his life with his family was very heart breaking. I mean his dad was an A**hole. He was a horrible person to his whole family making them do things that they didn't want to was not awesome or good. I hope the ending of the series will be a good one!

[Tiana411 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Quinn and I'm happy to read more about him and his sister. It was nice to learn more about their background and what happened to them.
I really enjoyed it even though it was so short. It made me like and respect him even more.
I'm a fan of this series and I'm really looking forward to the next book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story from the Defiance world. The story focuses on Quinn and Willow before Defiance begins. Up til now we only knew the basics of how and why Quinn and Willow had to leave their village, but this story gives all the details. Quinn is one of my favorite characters from this series, so I loved getting a story about his background and from his POV.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the series, but provides background for some secondary characters. We get to understand the WHY he never fights with weapons, but he is just as deadly.

Also we got a preview of the first four chapters of Deliverance!!! Yes!