Title: The Rise of Renegade X
Author: Chelsea Campbell
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub. Date: 5/11/10
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Heroes, Villains, Family, Love, Growing Up
Pages: 288
Plot (from back of arc):
Damien Locke knows his destiny – attending the university for supervillains and becoming Golden City’s next professional evil genius. But when Damien discovers he’s the product of his supervillian mother’s one-night stand with – of all the people – a superhero, his best-laid plans are ruined as he’s forced to live with her superhero family.
Going to extreme lengths (and heights), The Rise of Renegade X chronicles one boy’s struggles with the villainous and heroic pitfalls of growing up.
I did not know what to expect when I picked up Chelsea Campbell’s debut novel. I’d heard a lot of talk about it – and the talk was good. But still, I doubted. Superheroes and villains are cool, but I asked myself, are they my kind of cool? It didn’t take me long to realize how silly that question was: THE RISE OF RENEGADE X is an amazing book, filled with sarcastic humor, youthful insecurity, and awesome costumes.
Damien was such a fun character! Half the time he’s a super sarcastic little jerk and the rest of the time he was… well he was still a sarcastic punk, but he was a loveable one. He was absolutely hilarious and had me laughing aloud more than once. To me, he was a mix of V. Mars’ Logan Echolls and the funny guys you know in school – which is a pretty amazing combination. Damien was definitely my favorite part of the book!
I loved the craziness of RENEGADE. The entire novel, plot, characters, and all, are so creative and fun. It was unlike any other novel I’ve read and it doesn’t surprise me that it is already being considered as a possible film. RENEGADE definitely has a cinematic quality.
There is also a bit of romance in RENEGADE, but it is not a main focus of the novel. Damien was such a guy about the relationship though. I’m not sure there is a better way to describe his behavior, but I found it refreshing, honest, and hilarious.
THE RISE OF RENEGADE X is a must-read debut novel! I applaud Chelsea Campbell for writing a novel that can easily appeal to both guys and girls.
Grade: A+
Cover Comments:
I love the cover of RENEGADE... There isn't much to say except that it fits the novel wonderfully.
