Thursday, December 6, 2012

Review: Renegade

RENEGADE
The Elysium Chronicles #1
J.A. Souders
Young Adult/Dystopian
364 pages
Tor Teen
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.


MY THOUGHTS
Renegade begins calmly and serenely, introducing us to the quiet underwater utopia that is the much beloved home of our young protagonist, a girl who spends her days in her private gardens awaiting direction from her mother before continuing on her uncomplicated day. We’re lulled into a false sense of peace and security along with Evie in the first few chapters before the blinders we had no idea we’d donned are brutally ripped from our faces and the curtain of perfection around Elysium drops, exposing the darkness and the horror behind it. A villain emerges in all her horrifying glory, the mask of benevolence previously worn no longer adequate to hide her insidious nature, and we immediately align ourselves with Evie, determined to catalog the atrocities done unto her and others so they won’t be forgotten with the depression of a syringe’s plunger.

Evie is a challenging young woman to get to know, her initial simplistic appearance causing us to wonder how long we can realistically support someone who’s content to flit from one less-than taxing activity to the next. It doesn’t take long for us to fully understand why Evie is the way she is however, and once that moment comes, our opinion of her is instantly altered and our protective instincts flare even as our own helplessness causes us no shortage of stress. Though we come to support Evie, we never truly get a handle on who she is as a person, her mind a playground a single grotesque bully denies anyone else access to by continuously asserting her dominance and control, ensuring Evie is nothing more than a continuous blank slate, wiped clean again and again and again.

Gavin is another character we don’t ever truly learn all that much about, but his hesitant affection for Evie and his genuine concern for her well-being is touching, and we can’t help but root for the pair of them as they attempt to battle their way out of the belly of the beast. Though a declaration of love is fairly quick in coming in terms of the length of time they actually know one another, the relationship itself doesn’t feel as though it develops too fast, with enough small steps taken between them to please the romantic in us who loves the tension-filled moments that precipitate the more intimate verbal and physical gestures.

Overall, Renegade is an exceedingly dark story thanks to a monster who is all the more terrifying given she’s fallen prey to her own lies, seeing goodness and light in the mirror when what’s actually reflected back is nothing more than depraved cruelty. Despite the darkness, we’re treated to a sliver of hope at the end, a solid conclusion to this first installment that certainly leaves room for more without leaving us teetering on the edge of expectation. Hopefully the blank canvas that is Evie will be painted in riotous color in the next book, allowing us to finally see what’s been buried, twisted, and manipulated for so very long.

Rating: 4/5

38 comments:

  1. I really had no idea what this one was going to be about. Was it Atlantis? Was it something more sinister? Was the girl's mother some kind of goddess that was using her daughter to break out of her underwater prison. I just didn't know. Now, I'm sorry I didn't read it. But glad to know it has potential for even more greatness! Love your review. I could almost feel the tension rising in it.

    Heather

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    1. I would say it's most similar to Atlantis - no mermaids, no gods or goddesses, just humans and human monsters:) The leader moved everyone underwater due to all the wars taking place on the surface.

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  2. So is this a mermaid book? I don't mind character who start out seeming very shallow as long as they grow through the book. Or you understand why they are the way they are. As this book seems to do.

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    1. No. Not a mermaid book, they just live in an underwater compound like Atlantis. They're mostly human, but they have a few genetically engineered "gifts".

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  3. I know I've said this before, but it bears repeatings from time to time: I am always so blown away by your talent in writing, Jenny. And jealous. But ANYWAYS, for whatever reason, this one really hasn't been on my radar, though I can see now that there are a few things I am missing out on by not reading it. I have to wonder now how I would end up feeling about Evie's character...

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    1. Oh my gosh THANK YOU AYLEE! You have no idea how much your comment means to me:) Evie's a bit of a tricky character just because you never really know who she is - she's been made and remade mentally so many times that it's hard to say which girl is the real her. I thought it worked in the context of this first installment, but I'm hoping we get to see that girl in the next book:)

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  4. I dont think I've ever read anything with an underwater theme so this sounds quite interesting. I love a good 'rescue' story and the realtionship between Gavin and Evie sounds like it suits that perfectly. Great review as always x

    RobynLeanne @ Fairytales and Folklore

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    1. I really wasn't sure what type of world to expect with this one, but I was pleasantly surprised by it's darkness - it was far grittier than I imagined it would be and I loved that about it!

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  5. Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! I was pleasantly surprised by it, although I do wish Gavin and the entire romantic plot line in general would have been better written. Still, incredible review, dear! =)

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    1. Oh good! I'm so glad you liked it too:) I would have loved a little more from the romance too, but what was there I really enjoyed. I'm interested to see where things will go from the conclusion of this one:)

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  6. It's hard to be more than a blank canvas when nothing's happened in your life, like with Evie and her "perfect" world. But it sounds like she's got plenty to color her world now that her utopia is shattered. Wasn't sure about this book but it sounds like I might have to check it out!

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    1. At first I was all "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU EVIE?!" but then a few key things happened and I suddenly supported her 100% and her behavior made complete sense:)

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  7. The funny thing is that the cover (which lots of peeps loof, but I just dislike it so much), doesn't hint on a dark story. That's pretty interesting since the coveer usually gives us the tone of the book. Hmhh.. And I didn't realize it was a series O.O Yay that you liked it :)

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    1. The cover definitely suggests something a bit lighter, but after reading it, I kind of think that's the point. This cover suggests how Evie's world is in the opening pages - all pretty and perfect, but then when you look closer you see the blood dripping from the flower and you just know something is off:) It's not my favorite cover, but I love how much it actually relates to the story, which is often not the case with YA books!

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  8. You know, I had seen this cover around a few times, but I honestly never paid the story much attention. However, your review has me rethinking that. It sounds like a dark, haunting tale with the possibility of some romance (yay!). Definitely something I will be checking out. Thanks, Jenny!

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    1. I'm always drawn to the dark stories, and I wasn't expecting this one to be dark, so it just reached out and grabbed me when things quickly took a bad turn for Evie! Hope you give it a try Hannah!

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  9. This sounds positively delicious and dark despite the misleading cover. I am adding this one to my list after reading your thoughts!

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  10. Ooohh this one sounds interesting! But I have a feeling I probably won't completely enjoy the romance :/ Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this Jenny!<3

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    1. I wish a declaration of love had been withheld a bit longer, but the romance itself I really liked. After all they go through together the "I love you" is understandable, I just would have liked it to come maybe in the second book since their time together in this book is spent with Evie kind of a mess mentally.

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  11. Nice review Jenny! Unfornately I turned this book since I had so much to read already, but I do love the sounds of it. I like hesitant characters cause you know there is so much more beneath and your just waiting for the dam to break.

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    1. I hope you find the time to pick this one up at some point Savy, I thoroughly enjoyed it:)

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  12. Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! I read this earlier this week and I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I agree about Evie. It was initially not very easy to like her very much but I loved how much she grew throughout the story. Plus, I didn't feel like the romance was too much like instant-love although it technically was!
    Great review as always, Jenny! ;)

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    1. WOO HOO! I loved how Evie grew too, I was ready to write her off as a girl I couldn't connect with in the opening chapters, but it was hard not to root for her when you learn what's been done. And I agree on the romance, despite the "I love you" coming after only a few days, the romance didn't feel instant given the situations they repeatedly found themselves in.

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  13. I see this one going ton Melissa's bookshelf! With her love of all things mer/water related :)

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    1. I liked that this one was underwater without being a merpeople story - it made it a fascinating read:)

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  14. I'm really on the fence with this one, Jenny. I've read some not so great reviews for it. The blurb doesn't seem to catch my attention. I'm going to take a pass on it for now. Thanks for sharing your opinion with us!

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  15. I have to admit that I find myself more intrigued by the villain in this book than the heroine and hero. She sounds creepy and vile and evil.

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  16. You had me at underwater and exceedingly dark. This sounds good and I haven't heard of it before.

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  17. still on the fence . gr8 review

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  18. As always I love your way with words, write a book!

    " is an exceedingly dark story thanks to a monster who is all the more terrifying given she’s fallen prey to her own lies, seeing goodness and light in the mirror when what’s actually reflected back is nothing more than depraved cruelty."

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  19. Oh boy *rubbing hands together* a really good bad guy... you know what I mean. I am beginning to appreciate you well written villains more and more and this one sounds like it has a stellar bad guy. I have this up for review in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to it!

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  20. I'm really excited to see how Evie will be developed in the next book, especially after that ending. I'm glad you enjoyed this, Jenny! I enjoyed it too, though I did find the romance a little unbelievable. Maybe the next instalment will sort that out for me. :)

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  21. I had a hard time really understanding what this was about until I read your review and then the comments. I'm definitely more interested now. It sounds a bit different from anything else.
    I love the color theme of the cover!
    One thing I must say, I think Evie has got to be the name of the year. I think every other book I read has an Evie in it!

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  22. Thanks for the review, dear! :) I'm actually looking forward to this one...despite the fact that EVERY review I've read says the same thing about Evie: she's flat. But hey, that can change in book 2, right? Great review!

    Sierra @ Yearning to Read

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  23. I love characters like Evie who constantly change in your eyes even though they don't really change at all. And Mother sort of reminds me of that female ship captain in Glow and Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan - seemingly good, but viscious under the surface.
    Great review, Jenny! I am convinced.

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  24. Frankly, I don't think the premise can better than "underwater dystopia". And first Keertana, then Sam, and now you? The praise, convincing reviews, brilliant premise and lovely cover just about compelled me to have this as my next upcoming read. :) Beautiful review, Jenny! I can hardly wait to dive into this book soon. :)

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  25. I've been hearing glowing review for this, but still I don't this this is a read for me. I'll wait until the next one comes out before I decide to read this or not. So glad to see you enjoyed this as well Jenny. Excellent review as always! :)

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