Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has 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 believed that everything is perfect. Her world. Her people. The Law.
But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into Elysium’s secluded little world, Evelyn comes 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.
Review:
Any book that has the phrase "underwater utopia" in its summary has my attention from the get-go. Therefore, when Renegade by J.A. Souders showed up in my mailbox, I was beyond excited to read it. It sounded amazing, and I just adore the cover of it...the colors, the detail...it's absolutely gorgeous in person! Thankfully, Renegade turned out to be an A+ read! It was beautifully written, contained amazing scenery, and better yet, it had a story line that kicked arse.
Renegade begins the story of Evelyn Winters, the Daughter of the People. Evelyn has always lived a secluded life, but she's happy with it nonetheless. She loves her gardening, her training to take over for her Mother aka Mother of the People, and her occasional meetings with potential suitors. J.A. Souders truly did a great job with Evelyn's character. I loved the way she transformed Evelyn from a girl who always listened and did what was expected to someone who broke the rules and fought for what she thought was right. Better yet, I just loved the emotions that poured out because of it. As more was told about Evelyn's brainwashing and what it meant for her as a person, I really felt for her, so to see her succeed and become happy was a great experience as a reader. I also enjoyed the addition of Gavin, Evelyn's love interest. He was dauntless and strong, and while they did have the usual insta-love scenario, it worked quite well with the story to tell the truth. It was surprisingly believable.
One of my favorite aspects of the book though was the writing. J.A. did a great job of bringing the underground water world to life. Her descriptions and detail pained such vivid and detailed pictures and better yet, I enjoyed all the info about the creation of the world as well as how it worked. Not everything was reveled, but it was plenty enough to keep me satisfied yet craving for more detail.
Going along with that, the story line was equally amazing. I enjoyed the numerous twists and turns as well as seeing how Evelyn and Gavin planned to rise against her mother. It kept the book moving in a quick and fun speed, one that led to me finishing this book in one sitting.
In all, Renegade by J.A. Souders is a great addition to the world of YA. I'm now eagerly awaiting the sequel, because I have an inkling it will be even better!
Grade: A+
Renegade (Amazon, BN, Goodreads) is now out!
Source: Publisher for blog tour
Any book that has the phrase "underwater utopia" in its summary has my attention from the get-go. Therefore, when Renegade by J.A. Souders showed up in my mailbox, I was beyond excited to read it. It sounded amazing, and I just adore the cover of it...the colors, the detail...it's absolutely gorgeous in person! Thankfully, Renegade turned out to be an A+ read! It was beautifully written, contained amazing scenery, and better yet, it had a story line that kicked arse.
Renegade begins the story of Evelyn Winters, the Daughter of the People. Evelyn has always lived a secluded life, but she's happy with it nonetheless. She loves her gardening, her training to take over for her Mother aka Mother of the People, and her occasional meetings with potential suitors. J.A. Souders truly did a great job with Evelyn's character. I loved the way she transformed Evelyn from a girl who always listened and did what was expected to someone who broke the rules and fought for what she thought was right. Better yet, I just loved the emotions that poured out because of it. As more was told about Evelyn's brainwashing and what it meant for her as a person, I really felt for her, so to see her succeed and become happy was a great experience as a reader. I also enjoyed the addition of Gavin, Evelyn's love interest. He was dauntless and strong, and while they did have the usual insta-love scenario, it worked quite well with the story to tell the truth. It was surprisingly believable.
One of my favorite aspects of the book though was the writing. J.A. did a great job of bringing the underground water world to life. Her descriptions and detail pained such vivid and detailed pictures and better yet, I enjoyed all the info about the creation of the world as well as how it worked. Not everything was reveled, but it was plenty enough to keep me satisfied yet craving for more detail.
Going along with that, the story line was equally amazing. I enjoyed the numerous twists and turns as well as seeing how Evelyn and Gavin planned to rise against her mother. It kept the book moving in a quick and fun speed, one that led to me finishing this book in one sitting.
In all, Renegade by J.A. Souders is a great addition to the world of YA. I'm now eagerly awaiting the sequel, because I have an inkling it will be even better!
Grade: A+
Renegade (Amazon, BN, Goodreads) is now out!
Source: Publisher for blog tour
This sounds fantastic! I haven't heard too much about it, but the idea of an "underwater utopia" sounds fascinating. Thanks for the review!
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