lizpatanders

I don’t know of any other upper YA books that are about superheroes and villains like The Rise of Renegade X is. To be honest, I wish initially wary of this novel. I was concerned that it might be, “Action! Action! Fancy James Bond spy gear! Boyish emotion to which Liz cannot relate! MORE ACTION!” (Yes, I do periodically forget that boys have thoughts and emotions that I can relate to, although typically I wonder what they even think at all.) Campbell pleasantly surprised me with a lovable cast of characters and a well-paced story.I found the whole premise of this story, a kid whose the child of a super hero and villain, pretty amusing. I was constantly wanting to knowing what happened, but there was plenty of character building, so the action didn’t overwhelm the novel as I had feared. There was also a love story that played a part, and I was quickly drawn in by it.If you like snark, then Damien Locke is about to become one of your new favorite characters. His narration had me cracking up throughout the entire novel. Yet I also felt a connection with him, because he over thought things and sometimes felt conflicting emotions. I ultimately felt that she used his character to send some great messages about what one inherits versus the choices one makes, but that Damien’s character was realistic enough that I didn’t feel like I was being hit over the head with it. I also have to say that the Crimson Flash kept me chuckling, because at times he was too much of an idealist.I was pleasantly surprised by The Rise of Renegade X. I thought the ending was a tiny bit rushed, but also incredibly feasible. However, I’d love to see how Damien comes with future obstacles that come his way, so if Campbell decides to provide a sequel, I’ll be eager to pick it up.