Phoenix77's Reviews > Renegade

Renegade turned out to be a tough book for me to review, but not for the reasons you’re probably thinking. There were many scenes and characters within Renegade that I enjoyed and highlighting those parts would make this a fairly upbeat review. However there were just as many ideas in the book that were confusing or weren’t as well executed against the whole, leaving me with a rather subdued opinion of the overall story.

Renegade takes place in a United States where magic users, or mages, hide in plain sight in the cities and towns throughout the country. With their own regional separations known as shires, these shires have their own governments, laws, and law enforcement officers to protect the people against the outside threat of ghouls or demon kind. I have always preferred this kind of set-up within a paranormal book, with one of the main character’s having their secrets against the greater society and part of the book’s conflict is keeping that secret safe above all. Yet, within this story both of the main characters are already a part of the smaller group, with both of them having a very good understanding of how everything works. Author Nancy Northcott made a rather interesting storytelling choice to place the reader right into the middle of the action without much back story or exposition to create the world we’re experiencing. It would be like reading the first Harry Potter book and JK Rowling assumed you knew what Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic was and never bothered explaining just because her characters know it. I was confused about the idea of the campus where many of the mages live. Was it a commune or more a city onto itself? In regards to the shire’s police force, what kind of jurisdiction could they really have in the outside world if they investigate a supernatural crime without tipping off the local police? I don’t feel it’s out of place to want a bit more explanation about these ideas, especially when they play an important role in the hero’s motivations.

Putting the paranormal aspects aside for a moment, one of the things I liked most about the book was the heroine, Valeria Banning. Val has lived through her fair share of personal tragedies, but she takes those memories and fears and turns them around to find strength in them that drives her to succeed. At the age of twenty-seven Val has attained the rank of shire reeve, or sheriff, for the entire Southeastern region. I liked how fair and level-headed Val remains even when she is confronted with rather amazing or unbelievable truths about her own government and the ghoul threat. Val is always a part of solving the problems that develop within the story rather than making stupid mistakes and waiting for the hero to save her.

On the other side of the coin, I wasn’t as taken with the hero Griffin Dare. As the previous shire reeve, Griffin was just as dedicated to his duty as Val is in hers, but when he is given information about a traitor in the government he acts in a way completely contrary to his training. He makes accusations without evidence and becomes judge, jury and executioner without the support of his superiors. His actions make him an outcast in the mage society, yet he seems to surround himself with a pretty talented group of friends who just believe him and trust him. It is amazing the resources he can gather while being a renegade where Val is stymied by the politics of the community. Where I did sympathize with the character was in his battle against the evil that was poisoning his blood from too many battles against the ghouls. For a man who only had his personal honor and his good intentions left to him, to be slowly turned from the inside out would be a horrifying reality.

It took quite a few pages for me to really get into the rhythm of the story and to have concerns about Val and Griff as they discover sinister plots against their shire. I did like the redemption arc for Griff, part of which was finding a kindred soul in Val and having her trust him even when their relationship causes her own outcast status among her friends and family. I could empathize with Val when she discovers those who she thought were closest to her may not have had her best interests at heart. The love that forms between Val and Griff at times seems forced; however I liked how the author brought another level to their intimacy that becomes important in the final resolution.

There were enough good things about this story that I would feel comfortable recommending it to readers who enjoy more of an Urban Fantasy type of book, with an ever expanding cast of characters and world building as each story unfolds. I do intend on reading the next book of the series in 2013 as I liked the character of Stefan in this story and I’ve got a better understanding of the magic and world Ms. Northcott created.