I reviewed the first book, the sequel of this one, of this series. It turns out I did not like the first book so much but I was curious and maybe kind enough to give the series another try.

Similar thoughts on the first book though. It's still a good read but narration is meh.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clean Reads Publishing, and Mallory McCartney for the opportunity to read Renegade in exhcange for an honest review.

Renegade is considered book #0 (a prequel) in the Black Dawn series. This book is also called Black Dawn or Heir of Lies, depending on where you live and the publication dates and years. This made the timeline a little bit confusing, as this version is being pitched as a prequel and not a Book 1, but it feels like a Book 1.

This novel takes place six years before an event called the Black Dawn Rebellion. It features some of the leading characters and their time at The Academy, a home for those who are gifted (think powers like X-men or MHA quirks). 

Adair has kingly expectations, but his gift is a daunting one that may prevent him from reigning. He might be able to get through his endeavors with the help of his friends Emory, Brokk, and Memphis. When a king from across the sea comes to make trouble, Adair and friends put it to themselves to resolve the issue. Adair must take up the mantle and make tough descisions as such as some point, so why not now?

This novel is certainly a great one for fantasy lovers. The various titles for the novel make the series order a bit convoluted, but it's much more clear after a quick visit to Goodreads. I enjoyed the different "gift" displays from the characters, though I never felt truly invested in the characters themselves. I feel like this one deserves as second chance from me and that there is a lot of greatness going on that I just didn't pick up on in my initial read.

This was a great prequel to Black Dawn. It was great to revisit the characters again and learn more about them. I loved the magic system in this and felt it was action packed and fleshed out the characters more.

I didn't know this was a part of a series when I requested it, but it is actually a prequel to the first and it was informed that I would be able to read it before actually starting the series.

Unfortunately I have to disagree with that. I found the book very confusing and there were clear allusions to things that happened further on in the series. I also think it takes a quite overdone concept (magical schools, which I tend to love) but doesn't really do anything original with it.

Renegade offers readers an exciting premise but fails to capture the readers’ attention with poor pacing, lackluster characters, and poor storytelling.

Needs Work
The opening prologue sets up the stage for a union between two peoples who seek to change their world and bring out peace. Many details are glossed over, much history that is thrown in with little to no context. Nevertheless, it holds the reader’s attention as it follows these two characters set on changing their world.

However, the story jumps ahead to see their world created, following a new set of characters,

The pacing of the story needed more structure. The world-building lacks detail and structure, making it difficult to follow the politics of the novel. The politics are a part of the novel, and I struggled to get invested with them, especially after the opening. It needed more world-building to set everything and to make it easy to follow.

Given that there is magic at play in the novel, it would have been richer to see the importance of magic and how it played into politics more clearly.

Poor Characterization
Honestly, I could not find myself caring about these characters. They were all very abrasive, with Emory Fae being the exception. However, Emory is not given much focus, lingering on the edges as a girl who is friends to all these powerful men. That was a turnoff, but again to the male characters. Adair, Brokk, and Memphis are all unlikable.

McCartney made it easy to see the struggle Adair has with his inner darkness. That was one the few moments when the story was exciting and when the reader can connect to his characterization. Other than that, his dynamics with his fellow male characters were lackluster. Brokk’s attitude and distrust of the world he grew up in is not understandable; there needed to be more depth to build upon his anger and resentment.

Final Thoughts
Renege simply needed more structure and depth. As a prequel novel, it is easier to understand if the reader has read the rest of the series first, but that is not how it should be. McCartney wrote this book for fans of her Black Dawn series and not new readers because it lacks cohesive world-building, making this a somewhat enjoyable read.

Haven't read the series yet but I'm definitely going to give it ago now! Really liked this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Story didn’t really pull me in. The characters were interesting. I tried to keep my mind into the story, but I found myself unable to quite a few times.

I just noticed the author republished and rebranded this series and this prequel no longer exists. I think that's a good idea since this could very well have been a standalone novel.
Anyway, I got these through Netgalley a while back and still had to review these.
Overall not a bad book, loved the premise and it gave way more background information on the characters. I still didn't particularly like any of them though.
The pacing was way off in my opinion.

I unfortunately didn't like the writing style at all, and therefore stopped caring about the story. Not for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Clean Reads Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a book! A fantastic read, with a narrative plot to boot! An engaging and imaginative story, which super protagonists! A must have!

OKAY SO FIRST OF ALL, this cover is aaaamazing. The crown, the artwork, perfection. Next, the story. Damn, original, magical and just very fun to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Renegade by Mallory McCartney. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Renegade is the prequel to Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney. I have not read Black Dawn prior to reading Regenade but there are two good things to note about that. 1. Renegade can be read without first reading Black Dawn. And 2. Reading Renegade has made me very excited to continue this series.

Renegade is an interesting fantasy read with in-dept characters. The magic system is very intriguing, but also mysterious. Being a prequel, Renegade provides the reader with a well-rounded background and great stakes for all the characters. Plus it lays the groundwork for the journeys of the characters for future installments.

I loved the idea of this, but it felt like it was a must to read the original book to understand this. Which was sad because I haven’t read the original.

So this was a prequel I believe to the Black Dawn books.

The book follows Emory Memphis, Adair and Brokk growing up in the acadamy and provides some backgroud as to why they become who they are later on.

I feel that if I had read the Black Dawn books first I would have enjoyed this more.

I didn't hate it but I felt like it was slow to begin with but then slightly rushed towards the end.

Do I now want to read Black Dawn? Probably so can't be all that bad!

***Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For me, it is always a good test if an author publishes a prequel or 0,5 story if you can understand it without reading the first book in the series. It should be understood, but sometimes it misses the mark.
I did not read Black Dawn, it was in my to-read pile for a very long time, and I thought this might be a good place where to start. However, I found myself grasping and confused by the story and the world. I felt like I would need to read the Black Dawn to fully understood the story which was disappointing. I can also say that I was surprised that this prequel was rather lengthy!

From what I understood it seems like the original story of the villain from the series which is a fun thing, I love the idea. Now I wonder whether my opinion of the villain would be influenced by reading the prequel.

Where the writing is enchanting and the villain becoming a villain is definitely fun to read I need to include where the book fell flat for me.

The whole school setting with magic/fae/vampire/whatever is getting a bit overplayed and here it did not seem particularly original.

I cannot say that I have a favourite character and that is a problem, not one character caught my eye enough that I would care for them.

Sometimes, especially during fight scenes, it seemed jumpy? Like they suddenly did something, and it did not seem continuous, I felt like I missed a part of the action which would explain it. I found myself re-reading quite often.

And lastly, my favourite part of Renegade was the prologue, and I was very disappointed that there was the time jump, I wanted to follow the early days after the prologue, and the disappointment never disappeared. The prologue is the high point of the book, and I do not think that that's what you want in a book.

The real rating of this book is 2,5/5⭐.

This was an awesome prequel! it lets you understand how the villian became a villian. I really enjoyed the writing and the world building. I typically do not enjoy books with Fae in them but found this one riveting and it was really a page turner! My overall rating is a 3.5!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. It has been awhile since I have read a prequel to a series before I actually read the actually series, but think this will give me a little background to reading the series to come. This is a novel about uneasy friendship and the tension that can be put on individuals when trying to live up to the legacy of one's own family regardless of their destined path. This is the tale of Emory and his time at the Academy for those that are gifted. He is there with friends, but it seems the world are him and at the Academy seems to be forever changing. There were times this book made my heart pound. I really want to read the rest of the series. From what I have read so far the characters are amazing and the world is delightful detailed. For a prequel it was long then I expected, but that did not take away from my enjoyment.

I think the story is unique. However I was not aware it was part of a series. So I can’t give an overall review.

This being a prequel I thought I could read this before diving into the actual story, which was good, but confused me as fuck. It ended up being a great sort of origin story which got me psyched for the rest of the books!

Renegade was entertaining, well written, and I enjoyed the characters. It was a bit slow in some places otherwise it was full stars.