idk why this took so long to read.

Renegade is a prequel to Black Dawn, telling the story of Emory's time at the Academy, training with friends and family. Nothing good can last, though, and things at the Academy and Kieros in general, are becoming frayed.

This all leads up to Emory's situation at the beginning of Black Dawn, and let's you see up close and personal how Adair became the person he is in that book.

It felt more like a book 1 then a prequel tbh, it was kinda longer than book 1 lol

i liked it though. looking forward to reading more from this world

I had issues with the first book and I hoped that I'd like this one better. But I guess it didn't help that I'd already forgotten most of what happened in book 1. I couldn't connect to the characters in this one either, but I also found the worldbuilding a bit lacking. Certain things just weren't explained enough. I didn't hate it, though. There were parts that I really liked. I'm intrigued by what's going on between Adair and Marquis. I hope to see more of that in the second book.

Upon researching more on goodreads; I realized this book is part of a series I have not read, therefore I must regretfully relent I am unable to review this book accurately at this particular time. Deepest apologies.

I managed to miss that this was part of a series but since it was a back story it didn't impact the story for me. I really liked how it told the story of how certain characters developed into (what I assume) they are in later stories. I certainly now want to go on the read the stories that this was the prequel to so I can see what happened!

This book is a prequel to Black Dawn that came out earlier this year, which I hadn't read prior to reading to reading Renegade and so the characters were all new to me. Regardless, I loved this book and it could definitely be read before Black Dawn I think without much issue. This novel has convinced me to read Black Dawn now!

Why I loved this book:

1) The world was rich and full of magic, which left me wanting to know how it worked and how everything was linked. I liked the idea of the teens searching for answers on their own, it had this Harry Potter like charm. And I especially liked Emory’s cunning, which also showed it was something they all did often.

2) There was mystery to this magic filled world that the characters were unaware. I liked the fact we got to discover it (and its evil sides) with the characters.

3) It had a cute magic school vibe, but teamed with the fact the characters were so in tune with their surroundings so it was also a little ‘break out of their surroundings’, which I loved.

4) If you have heard anything about Black Dawn then you’ll probably know Renegade is about how a villain becomes one, I kinda found this out after researching hesitantly. I didn’t let myself know who would be the villain and this made it an even more interesting read as I spent a while guessing. The three guys; Memphis, Adair and Brokk all could have swung that way at different times and really hammered in the idea their choices defined them. I loved this.


The doom and gloom - Negative Points:

1) I think there were maybe two scenes that had Emory's point of view and I fell in love with her voice instantly. So this makes me really want to read Black Dawn but also made me wish I would hear more from her in the prequel.

2) I didn't like Brokk, in the beginning I really dreaded hitting his point of view. He struck me as a bit too whiny, but I found I grew to stand him later as he matured and had to face things.

3) Lastly, I struggled to keep up with a few of the fight scenes. I re-read certain parts to see if I missed something but I still couldn't seem to work out how some characters or their magic moved from one place to another. I get it that battle is hectic and all that but it took me out of the story as I struggled to work this out.

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Overall it definitely makes me want to pick up Black Dawn! The characters voices are enchanting and I want to see how everything comes together after the events in Renegade. ( I even care what happens to Brokk).

Renegade by Mallory McCartney is a prequel to Black Dawn, telling the story of Emory's time at the Academy, training with friends and family. Nothing good can last, though, and things at the Academy and Kieros in general, are becoming frayed. Fighting and strife still exist in the world, and it comes to Roque's safe haven as well. With the death of Queen Nei's father, the uneasy alliance between Roque and the Shattered Isles is broken. The arrival of the new King of the Shattered Isles sets in play events from which there is no returning.

Cesan, advisor to, and best friend of, Roque breaks away. Filled with a lust for power, and disillusioned by Roque's vision for Kieros, he decides to become King himself. Cesan isn't the only one disillusioned. There are misgivings among some of the students as well, and several take matters in their own hands, some with better success than others. War blossoms in Kieros, and everyone must decide what side they truly belong to.

I've read Black Dawn, and enjoyed it, but I enjoyed this story far more! The action comes swifter, thanks to battle and intrigue. The story is told from several points of view, each providing unique perspective. Things shift between Emory's closest friends- Memphis, Adair, and Brokk. Each has different magical abilities, too. I really enjoyed watching them learn to work with these abilities. I do wish Brokk's alter was something other than a wolf, though. Wolf shifters are kinda cliche to me now. I like other animals being used.

This all leads up to Emory's situation at the beginning of Black Dawn, and let's you see up close and personal how Adair became the person he is in that book. I felt sooo bad for him. After learning what happened to him, it's no wonder he ended up as he did. Betrayal is a huge theme in the book, and the betrayal towards Adair was one of the worst. Loyalty is my greatest strength and deepest flaw, and betrayals like that really hit me.

Recommended for any who love fantasy! It's said that reading Black Dawn first is not necessary, but I would recommend doing so.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Clean Reads Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for Chapter By Chapter Tours.

Such an amazing insite to Black Dawn. I loved reading this so much. I was drawn to the book cover its so very beautiful. I loved it. Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book. It was great.

Renegade follows the stories of Brokk, Memphis, Adair, and Emory as they navigate growing up in the Academy, the safe place that Roque and Nei Fae had created, in the hopes of creating a better future. Roque and Nei were married at an earlier stage, and decided they wanted to change the way that Roque's father had been ruling the kingdom, so they stole away and created the Academy, along with their close friends Bresslin and Cesan. Emory is the daughter of Roque and Nei, and Adiar is the son of Bresslin and Cesan. Their world is thrown into turmoil as they all realise that their lives are changing, with the looming danger of a war, and dissent in the ranks of the Academy itself. Once the darkness makes itself known, everything changes, ending with Emory being transported to Earth, in order to keep her safe.

I haven't read the other books in this series, so I figured this would be a great place to start, and I believe it was. From what I understand, Black Dawn has Brokk and Memphis finding Emory in the human world, and I think it was cool to see how she got there in the first place.

I loved the world that McCartney has created, as well as the characters. I found myself so torn with Adair as we see him as a young man who just wants to be accepted, but in the end chooses to alienate himself like people expected. It was great to see where the "dark king" came from and I feel that it will add more depth to the story knowing this. I'm interested to see where Brokk and Memphis's story goes, as Brokk has no idea at the relationship that his father had with Roque and Nei, he knows nothing about them, and I'm hoping that he finds this out. Emory's story is interesting because she's lost her parents, her whole world has been turned upside down, and she doesn't know about any of it since landing on Earth.

I found sometimes I was a little bit confused about who was speaking to who, even though the chapters are headed with the narrator's voice. As well as not being a hundred percent sure at what was going on at times, because there was SO much happening, I got confused a couple of times, thinking characters were somewhere, when it turned out they were somewhere totally different.

The switch to Earth came at the right time for me, I found that I was getting a little bit ancy reading about the world because I found that once Emory landed on Earth, I wanted to know what SHE was going through, I didn't really care about the other characters at that point.

All in all, a great story, with definite potential. I will continue with series, I'm hoping to pick up Black Dawn soon, so I can see what happened after the war started, because by the time Renegade finishes, it has been at least six years since then, and I feel that the characters will have grown and changed so much.

Choosing to tell a book from multiple points of view can prove to be troublesome -- in that it can often make for an unpleasant reading experience if the voices are not truly defined. This was my issue with this book.

I was admittedly pulled in by the cover, and then when I read the description? I was sold.
Unfortunately, I failed to connect to the book because the voices were all so similar.

It's been such a long time since I read Black Dawn, the first book in the Black Dawn series, so I completely forgot about this world and couldn't remember all the characters.

I didn't finish this book because I couldn't get into the story, I was always distracted and it just didn't find it that interesting.

A very interesting and fun novella read. I absolutely love the cover! Can't wait to read the series. A great book!

What drew me to this book was the cover, I think its absolutely gorgeous. I checked it out on goodreads before requesting it, and saw that someone had asked if this could be read before book 1, and the author answered in the affirmative. I requested and was approved.

I don't recommend it for new readers. I was so lost, I carried on and kept going but I had no idea what was going on, who was who, what we were talking about half the time. There was zero world building and explanation really before jumping into it. I'm definitely going to read book 1 then retry this book, but for now I didn't enjoy it at all. I think it showed a lot of promise and I'm interested in continuing with the series, I just think that either there needs to be some world building, or people need to be told not to read this before reading book 1.

This was an okay read. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It was hard to keep reading in some chapters, but I pulled through. But the cover is stunning.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I haven’t actually read Black Dawn but based on this I may need to! I really enjoyed this unusual fantasy story of fairies and kingdoms. It was a quick read although probably on the longer side for a novella. Good fun.

Honestly, this is the lowest rating i've ever given a story, but i just couldn't get into this book.
I thought the premise was intriguing. I liked the idea of royalty and their kids, but the writing and the characters weren't the right fit.
It was like i was reading something that was thrown together in the span of a couple hours. There was no plot, no hook, to make me keep reading. The characters were stick figures, they didn't seem like two dimensional, full fleshed out characters with potential.
I just didn't get the premise of the whole book.

I want to like it more, but the story just felt disjointed. The world building seemed on the edge of fabulous, but came across confusing. I will follow up with the next book because the series has potential.

*Disclaimer: This Book was sent to me by NetGalley and in no way reflects the review of the book*

“Hope was a dangerous thing. It could consume every dream and make them take flight, if you allowed. Those wild daydreams that became a tangible reality in one’s heart and mind.”

Renegades:A fantasy world. Fae nobility. Dark magic. An elite training academy.

Four friends: A shapeshifter, a time turner, a mind reader and a controller of darkness-torn apart by the conflictions of good vs evil; loyalty vs. ambition.

Renegades was an excellent, thrilling prequel to the Black Dawn series by Mallory McCartney.

The story of the Fae Queen who’s marriage saved her land by an arranged marriage: “Now the world was divided...she was a pawn in this a promise to her people that even though their abilities were different...they wouldn’t be made to bow...a queen she would break the preconceived idea that they were lesser in any way.”


The origin tale of a darkness so old, yet so consuming: ...he always imagined it like smoke spilling from him and searching for what his heart thought. What his soul thought. His strength wasn’t one made from pureness, it wasn’t a gift. It was one of darkness,of control,of desire.”


In conclusion, this book was an excellent-although lengthy-novella and should be recognized for its seemingly well written prologue to the epic Black Dawn series by author Mallory McCartney.