Into Darkness - The Outcast Warrior Chronicles, Book 2 (Preorder)

Into Darkness by Em Penn. Book 2 of The Outcast Warrior Chronicles YA Dark Fantasy Series.

PREORDER NOW. Into Darkness publishes this Summer. Order today and be first to read Book 2.

A Young Adult Dark Supernatural Fantasy

THE WALLS ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP THE DEMONS OUT. THEY DON'T.

Across every region of Seco, demon hordes are breaching the defenses, and the Elite Squad cannot hold the wall alone.

For the first time since the nation's founding, all four founding family heirs stand in the same room. The Elite Squad has weeks to build new regional squads and Rain Oren must train alongside the heir whose bloodline rose to replace his family.

But the demon horde is the least of their problems.

Civilian unrest is spreading, and Centrum is beginning to question whether warrior-born strength is enough to hold the line. Something buried beneath the Centrum building is pulling at Rain in ways he cannot explain. And as General Targe lies in a coma, alive, Rain knows it is only a matter of time before his secret walks out with him.

What Rain discovers about the source of his power makes him question whether being warrior-born is an honor or a curse.

A dark supernatural fantasy of demon hordes, buried secrets, and a world where the truth is more dangerous than the enemy. Book 2 of The Outcast Warrior Chronicles by Em Penn

Read Book 1 first: Out of the Mist is available now in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.

Is this book for me? Readers also ask:

Do I need to read Book 1 first? Yes. Into Darkness picks up directly where Out of the Mist ends. Reading Book 1 first is essential. Characters, powers, and the central conspiracy carry over completely. Start with Out of the Mist and you will not want to stop.

What is the vibe and atmosphere? Darker and higher stakes than Book 1. The demon threat has escalated from regional skirmishes to coordinated breaches across every outer wall simultaneously. The conspiracy Rain uncovered at the end of Book 1 is no longer a rumor. It is sitting in a coma in a Centrum facility, and Rain is the only one who knows the full weight of what that means. The tone is tense, emotionally grounded, and relentless.

What tropes does this book include? Found family under serious threat, forced alliance between rivals, heirs with conflicting loyalties, training arc with new recruits, conspiracy that runs deeper than the protagonist imagined, slow burn connection without a romance subplot, morally complex authority figures, secrets that rewrite everything the protagonist thought he knew, and a protagonist learning to trust people who have every reason to betray him.

Is there romance? Into Darkness is a YA dark fantasy with no romance subplot. The slow building connection from Book 1 develops further here, but this is still a story about survival, loyalty, and uncovering what Centrum has buried. The emotional weight is on the found family dynamic and the cost of keeping secrets inside it.

What books and series is this similar to? Readers who love Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros for the military fantasy structure and found family under fire will feel right at home. If Attack on Titan's escalating conspiracy and wall breach tension is your thing, Into Darkness will deliver.

How dark is it? Darker than Book 1. There is graphic combat, character death on the page, institutional betrayal, and a protagonist carrying serious psychological weight. A content advisory note: Into Darkness includes a portrayal of a character using deliberate self-injury to regulate uncontrolled supernatural power. It is handled with complexity and without glamorization, but it is a recurring thread. Additional content advisories: violence, body horror, psychological distress, coercive authority, and grief.

Is this a series and is it complete? Into Darkness is Book 2 of The Outcast Warrior Chronicles, a four book YA dark fantasy series by Em Penn. Books 3 and 4 are in progress.

How long is this book? Into Darkness is a full length novel with 26 chapters, slightly shorter than Book 1 and paced to move fast.

What age is this appropriate for? Written for readers 14 and up. Published as YA dark fantasy but crosses over strongly into the adult fantasy market, particularly for readers who enjoy dark, gritty worlds with younger protagonists. The content advisory notes above should be considered for younger readers.