This was a fantastic book that I read as part of judging the Realm Makers contest in 2017 (maybe 2018) and apparently forgot to review at the time.

I could not get into this story and generally felt lost as I progressed though the book. This could be attributed that I didn't realize this was the second book and the series and I was missing alot of context. If you're going to read this I definetly recommend reading the first book.

My apologies for not reviewing this book. I was unable to download it before the archive date. I would in the future really like to read it

I haven't read the first in the series, Recruits, and feel I missed a little. Yes, there are some excellent sci-fi effects in this future world Locke creates but the emphasis really is on the two twin brothers: Sean and Dillon who are very well developed. They've both some pretty cool 'super' abilities as well.

I enjoyed it but probably not enough to want to read the next instalment in the series.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book about 20% in. I think this was a case of “it's not you, it's me.” The premise was interesting, but the pacing was too slow for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

Renegades is the second book in the series written by Thomas Locke ( a.k.a. Davis Bunn). I loved, loved, loved the first book, Recruits. Having said that, I found that with a year in between books, it took me a while to get back into it where I could reacquaint myself with the characters once again, but once I had refreshed my sketchy memory, it as full steam ahead. (Full disclosure: I never read the synopsis of a book beforehand, I want to be surprised. Yes, I know, weird huh?) Give yourself a refresher, otherwise, better still read them both in one sitting.

Sean and Dillon are young adults finding their way in a world they never expected existed. Their purpose becomes clearer through this book, it is a case of "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up" ---which many of us can relate to.

With their different strengths they once again bring them to a worthy cause, and in addition to Sean and Dillon, we are introduced to a secondary cast of characters in Logan and his particular band of soldiers. Needless to say, this is a fast-paced book appealing to young and old alike, full of adventure, mystery, struggles and I found the addition of Logan and his crew really enriched the story for me, especially once we get to know them more. I am curious to know more about the other characters, and I hope they get some limelight in the next book. Twists and turns in the plot kept me on my toes and all in all a satisfying read.

Can we just take a sec to give kudos to this book cover! How marvelous! It was what originally attracted my attention to this story!

In the follow up to the massive hit, Recruits, the twin brothers Sean & Dillion are on their own the seemly blissful relationships with Elenya and Carey were not meant to last but they are fretting. Now that they have prevented an all-out alien invasion they have to return to their menial lives and focus on mastering their own powers.
The book is packed with new characters, villains, oh and might I add dragons! How can I not enjoy with futuristic dragons! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Young Adult, Science Fiction, and Fiction novels that are packed full of adventure on our planet and beyond!

Another fantasy novel that is just out of this world!

Sean and Dillon Kirrel are twin brothers with special abilities. They can transmit their bodies between different worlds and also move their spirits without their bodies to talk to one another. They have helped prevent an alien invasion, but now that the fun is over, they have to return to their own blend of monotony. Sean must return to school to learn civic lessons for his future political career within the realm. Dillon goes back to military training, but also finds this a little boring now without real action. Top that off that both boys have recently broken up with their girlfriends and you’ve got some serious issues. But when Dillion’s ex, Carey, contacts them after her cousin has been abducted to another realm, they realize this is just the thing they need. That is until they both get arrested for an unsanctioned transit. Will they be able to get themselves out of this one and save Carey’s cousin?

Back to the shape shifting worlds from the mind of Thomas Locke with some of our favorite characters introduced earlier this year. Just when you think things couldn’t get more different, Locke throws a wrench into the works and you find yourself amazed with the newness of the places you’ve already been. Sean and Dillon are back and their typical teenage boy selves with some advances in powers. I hated to see the relationships end, but what can you do? And doesn’t Professor Kaviti just rub you the wrong way throughout the book?

I highly recommend reading the first book Recruits before jumping into this one so that you can get the full back story. But for a fun sci-fi series, give this one a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Renegades by Thomas Locke is an enjoyable sci-fi novel. It focuses on three main characters; the twins Sean and Dillon Kirrel, and Logan. The point of view switches often between the three, giving the reader a complete picture of the story.
Renegades is part of a series, and I often found myself wishing that I had read the first book Recruits to understand a bit more about the past events that are mentioned. Despite that, I found the plot of Renegades to be interesting, and the plot engaging. The technology and terms used are easy enough to grasp.
I quite liked the characters. They felt real to me, especially Sean as he debates with himself the correct courses of action. Both twins would do anything to help each other, and Logan had the loyalty of his friends.
Renegades ends off with threads promising another book in the series, and the conclusion itself is satisfying.
I would recommend Renegades to those who like sci-fi and adventure, and as the title hints at; there is also a bit of shadowy groups trying to gain power. Some romance is mentioned, but it does not overshadow the story.
This novel made me want to read the first book in the series, and continue with any future books when they are published.

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Renegades, by Thomas Locke, continues the story of twin brothers, Dillon and Sean, as they navigate another adventure to save their world from domination by enemy forces. Although second in the Recruits series, Renegades can be read as a stand-alone story as the author fills in enough of the back story to not leave the reader with a lot of questions. Renegades is full of fast-action scenes, characters that will make you admire them or hate them and a story that keeps the pages turning with twists and turns to the plot. As the brothers encounter imprisonment, traitors within and enemies without, the tension in the story just keeps rising. Great suspense, with descriptive scenes that tickle the imagination, this is a book sci-fi/fantasy fans will not want to miss. I am hoping for another in the series!

In the book Renegades, author Thomas Locke continues the story of twin brothers Sean and Dillion as they find their way through this new unknown universe of intrigue and danger. This is a great fast paced sci-fi story with earth not even being the center of the alliance or the story. Another plant that has been ripped from its orbit is an outlying planet that holds the key to the future. Can the brothers with the help of new characters forge alliances to save the universe?
I look forward to the continuing adventures of the brothers and their friends. I would recommend this book! I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kicking this review off with a question. Where are the women? That’s not to say that there were no female characters, there was a lawyer character and some of the fighters were women and let’s not forget the ex girlfriends who got mentioned a lot but never had any appearance in the book. All the same, this book was pretty man-centred. I can understand the difficulty because it’s a second book and you’ve already set up these two brothers as the main characters but there were so many other side characters who just didn’t need to be men. Maybe that’s me being whiny but if you want to make your book appeal to people who can’t relate to ‘being bros’ you need to write some good female characters, not just allude to their fighting prowess but not give them any real plot.

Second flaw in this book? Maybe it’s something to do with the idea of ‘transit’ and moving instantaneously from place to place but there are barely any transitions in this book. It’s a bit like watching an old film, or an awkwardly edited Youtube video but in book form. You move between settings, between characters and even between different times with barely any warning and no real setting of the scene. This is partly due to the fact that this is two stories gradually tying themselves together. But for some reason, where this really worked in something like Autonomous, in this instance there wasn’t enough world building on either side of the story for it to feel safe to move between the two without getting utterly confused.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom, there are some creative elements to this world, there’s an attempt at the idea of intrigue and ‘who do I trust?’ that almost lands and there are also some creative ideas at work in the various planets, I particularly liked the idea of how life might function on a planet with no atmosphere. There was clearly an idea beneath the surface of this all, Locke had thought about the histories of various places in some detail but the ideas aren’t given enough time to develop so the reader is left missing something.

Perhaps this book just isn’t for me, I will admit that this genre is something I didn’t explore in any great detail before this year, but I think I’ve read enough YA science fiction in that time to get a feel for what I enjoy and this book just didn’t engage me. If you loved Recruits maybe it’ll do it for you, but personally this wasn’t my thing.

My rating: 2/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sean and Dillion are back! In the second installment in what I hope will be an on-going series, Thomas Locke weaves together multiple story lines and introduces us to new worlds and new characters in his thrilling new work.
The action is fast paced. The only problem you face when reading this book is how can you stop and wait until the next day to continue reading. Locke’s description of new worlds and new technology is amazing. You can see what a fictional world looks like after reading this novel. As one of the characters in the book says about another gift, the ability to create images with words is a gift that cannot be taught and can only be honed. He has honed his gift well.
The story will draw you in. If you like to try to guess the outcome, good luck. The author manages again to point the story in one direction and then suddenly shift the flow to an unseen conclusion. The characters that we met in the first Recruits Novel appear in the second but mostly through only the memories and musing of the Twins. This one is about refining the skills that make the twins unique. That uniqueness is what is called for in the current crisis facing our reluctant heroes.
I may be stretching it here, but I can see a possible connection at some point in the future between this series and the Legends of the Realm Series. Those who are familiar with both may or may not agree with me. If true it would be a stroke of genius for Locke to tie them all together with the Fault Lines series in a way that would connect the ancient past, the present or near future, and the distant future. I’ll just leave that with the fans to mull over for a while!
I enjoyed the story immensely. I believe if you are a fan of good fiction you will as well. Now I can’t wait until the next installment in this compelling series!
I received a promotional copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

AN EXCELLENT COMING-OF-AGE BOOK, EVEN FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE ALREADY SOMEWHAT AGED.
Don’t be put off by the ‘coming-of age story’, young-adults description – it is an excellent read for any age and with a lot more depth to it than most. Although the first book in the series (Recruits) did not end in a cliff-hanger, it helps to have read it first in order to fully understand the current circumstances and abilities of the twins, Sean and Dillon, at the start of this second book, Renegades. The story picks up a year or so after the ending of book one. Having said this, reading book two as a stand-alone is perfectly possible – like making new friends – you don’t always know everything about their back-story when you first meet them. I found the main characters – twins, with different but complimentary gifts, very realistic and engaging. They experience things that most of us can easily identify with (even those of us who are no longer young) – relationship challenges, self-doubt, fear of failure, growing into their abilities, and sometimes being more aware and able than other (older) people give them credit for. I was completely drawn into their lives and universe, and, as usual with Thomas Locke’s writing, nothing jarred me out of it until the last full-stop. The new challenges they faced this time around were also realistic, dangerous and intriguing. I enjoyed the new characters introduced in this book – Logan, Nicolette, Vance and Cylian. Renegades was a pleasure to read. There is no cliff-hanger at the end of this book either, but plenty of possibilities for further adventures. I am looking forward to returning again to the twins and their universe.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.