Renegade by J A. Souders

Series: The Elysium Chronicles (bk. 1)

Genera: Sci-fi Dystopian

Subjects: Undersea colonies, memory, genetics, technology, resistance to government

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 364 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: Tor Teen

Summary/ product description: “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 Rating: êêêêê

My Review: This book was so unexpectedly amazing. So many surprises. It started off as a cross between Matched by Ally Condie and Across the Universe by Beth Revis, or even Glitch by Heather Anastasiu. And then became a bit like Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, and then like False Memory by Dan Krokos, and even then Divergent by Veronica Roth. So yeah, you have Coupling and a secluded under water society of “perfect” blond, blue eyed people. Then Surface Dwellers who are supposedly savage. I’m not saying this book was bi-polar. I’m saying that there were tons of twists and turns. I love reading dystopians with mysteries in them. I really enjoy secluded colony dystopian. The world building was pretty amazing. I love the map in the front of the book. I kept of referring to it while reading. And the Enforcers….how can little girls kill people. That’s scary.

Then there’s Evelyn and her memory issues. And later on she goes from naïve “My life is just about perfect” to a really kick-ass heroine with a dark secret in her past. Her narration was great. First person present tense (like Divergent!). I think the whole repetitiveness at the beginning was pretty funny, like a Ground Hog day thing: “My life is just about perfect. Every morning Mother has the maids wake me a precisely ten….”

And Gavin, the surface dweller who has a southern accent. He’s really smart and a fast leaner. His memory seemed pretty good too. The only thing I was confused about in this book was what is it like on the surface at the time. Did they still have electricity and cars. If Gavin’s a hunter, is there a food shortage? Since this is a series, I’m sure we’ll find out when book 2 comes out next year. I’m sure I’ll be waiting on the sequel. I loved this book.

Cover Art Review: This cover is beautiful. That painting is so realistic that I thought it was a photo until I looked closer and saw that is was actually painted. Not sure if it’s digital or oil paints. It could be a combination of multiple medium. It’s just very impressive. It’s Evie in her garden.

 

~Haley G