Author: Patton, Alexis General fiction (Children's/YA)Published on 5 May 2026 by Sourcebooks, Inc (Bloom Books) in the United States as part of 'the Us Dark Few' series.Paperback | 384 pages197 x 129 x 26 | 266g A thrilling debut from exciting talent Alexis Patton, Us Dark Few heralds the beginning of a gritty survival thriller series that fans of dystopian fiction cannot miss.***Khalani is a Prisoner.Takeshi is a Guard.Both are bound to the Underground.Khalani Kanes has never stood on the surface of the Earth. Humans have lived underground for hundreds of years, and she’s never left the dark city of Apollo. She longed to visit Genesis, the final place where humanity lives beneath the sun. But when Khalani is thrown into prison for a crime she didn’t commit, all the fragile hopes she once had are destroyed.In Braderhelm Prison, every second is a battle to survive. Her neighbours are murderers, and the cold-blooded guards punish without mercy. She thought violent inmates posed the greatest threat, but then she meets Takeshi Steele, the infamous Captain who runs her cell block. As cold as he is ruthless, he’ll break Khalani before letting her escape to the surface—a feat no prisoner has ever achieved.But darker traps and secrets await within the prison’s shadows, and more than one person wants her dead. In order to survive, she must fight criminals and uncover the truth of why she was locked away. If not, the prison will become her grave.Enter Braderhelm, where only the Wicked remain.Sharp, visceral, emotionally raw and unflinchingly real, Book 1 in the Us Dark Few series is a must-read YA adventure with characters who will stay with you long after the final thrilling chapter.TropesYoung AdultSurvival ThrillerDystopian SettingSlow-Burn RomanceScience FictionEnemies to Lovers
