Book Review: Renegade

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. Quoted from Goodreads

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Well, this is a delightfully creepy book on so many different levels. First we have the memory altering. When you can't even trust yourself, how are you supposed to know who or what is real?  Then, well, let's just say when everyone else can also be altered, how do you know how far you can trust anyone.  And that's the whole book, really.  It's a delightfully creepy adventure set in a unique dystopia setting.

First, we have a delightful villain--and by delightful, I mean creepy, evil, vindictive, ruthless, and manipulative.  She goes by Mother, which is creep right there.  She's one of those villains who starts out as a slight threat and escalates with each chapter as you uncover more and more about her, until she emerges as someone utterly depraved and deeply disturbing.

Evelyn is an interesting protagonist. Her memory is being constantly manipulated, as is her very behavior, so while we trust her, at the same time, you sort of can't.  It makes her whole journey to escape and self discovery intriguing  because it isn't just outside forces she's fighting, but what's been done to her mind as well.   

The romance is quick, not insta-love so much as mutual bonding over a horrible situation.  Gavin is a good character whose newness to Evelyn's world gives perspective to how horrible everything is.  He's ordinary but smart, cute, but not that heart-stoppingly gorgeous that makes you question if the main character actually loves him or just his pretty face. 

This is one of those books that starts of with a twist, and then just keeps building and building, upping the danger and lengths the villain will go until you almost have to put the book down just to give yourself a break, while at the same time, you have to keep reading to see if they actually escape.  It's an action packed,  twisting, psychological thriller, you need to check out.  It's a strong 4 stars for me, and I can't wait to read the next book.