Chelsea M. Campbell

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 show more 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. show less

I'm still charmed by this series.

Bigfoot and Nessie go to Scotland in a direct continuation of the last book (this series is episodic but remembers what happened before). Nessie takes the spotlight with an overbearing but well-meaning manager mother.

It was funny and rewarding to watch Nessie finally find her voice.

What a blast! It's a YA superhero book, and I love the main character. He is the teenage son of a single-mom supervillainess, and he discovers that his father is actually The Crimson Flash, a beloved superhero. That creates all sorts of problems in his life. As I said, I love Damien (a.k.a. Renegade X). He is rebellious, sarcastic in a very funny way and always getting in some sort of trouble, but beneath it all he is loyal, sensitive and a surprisingly good guy. The books are a lot of fun, show more mixing humor, teenage angst, adventure, teenage snark, silliness and heartwarming stuff. show less

If you are new to this YA series better start with book 1 ([b:The Rise of Renegade X|6780702|The Rise of Renegade X (Renegade X, #1)|Chelsea M. Campbell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320520546s/6780702.jpg|6982231]). This story can stand alone, but knowing the character's history is better.

This book, the third in the Renegade X series, keeps up the excellent level. Although the premise, with the division between heroes and villains who have their own societies is a bit goofy, the author show more runs with it and makes it worth. As in previous books, Damien's voice is very entertaining and compelling. He is snarky, sarcastic and difficult to deal with, but when it counts he is a good guy and a good friend.

Here he is growing up and getting more concerned about what he is going to do with his life after graduation (assuming he survives till then!). Is there a future for him as a superhero when he does not like the League, does not intend to join it, and is generally disliked by most heroes because of his half-villain origin?

The book is still funny because, let's face it, Damien's narrative is always funny, but the tone is darker than in the previous two books. There are themes of discrimination, prejudices, abuse of power... and Damien is caught right in the middle of it, facing pressure in opposite directions from both sides of his family.

The climax of the story seemed to me too similar to that of book 2, but that's a minor complaint in a very enjoyable read. Strongly recommended. show less