The Girl in a Cafe

If it's one novel that wins the gong for keeping me on my toes this year, it's this book. From page one, I felt as if I was on a long rollercoaster ride, Renegade was part sci-fi dystopia and part psychological thriller that had me enraptured the whole entire time.From the beginning, you realize that something's wrong in the perfect society of Elysium. As a reader, it's like you are looking in through the glass at the events that take place, unable to stop anything. And that's my favourite kind of read. The story doesn't really pick up until Gavin enters into Elysium, but you are given a glimpse of the world that Eve finds herself in. And how disturbed that world is. One thing I liked is how Eve, though she's being brainwashed, clicks that there is something wrong with her memories, that things feel off. Though she doesn't necessarily act on them, because whatever drugs are been given to her compel her not to, she acknowledges that something is wrong, and thus when presented with the idea that not is all as it seems is more willing to believe so. One of my pet hates, especially in dystopian novels, is when the MC changes her view on her world in a split second, without really weighing up the choices that have been set before her. For Eve, those choices were already in motion, and a flick of a 'switch' as such sets them off.I also love evil characters. Call me weird, but if the villain isn't villainous enough, then it's a fail. Not in this case. Mother is probably the epitome of villainy. She's calculating, cold and isn't afraid to lose a few to get what she wants. While you don't really get a lot of information about how Elysium was created or why, you do get an overwhelming sense that Mother is clutching at something bigger than she is. That she has obvious problems.I really enjoyed Eve and Gavin as well. I'm not a fan of the insta-love in the book, and I have to admit it was pretty bad, but I saw it more of a fascination more than 'love.' They were two people from two different worlds, and especially from Eve's point of view, something of a marvel. And I can deal with that. It certainly will be interesting to see their relationship grow in the next book of the series. The best element, of course, was the majority of the book. The escape. J.A. Souders has a great nack at writing scenes that are explosive and thrilling. The escape scenes were what held my interest the most, and not once did they lag. At times, maybe, a bit repetitive, as there are only so many places you can hide, but there's nothing I like more than a good old fashioned James Bond style escape. And that's where Renegade held it.A lot of questions were left unanswered at the end of the book, especially the small twist, but it has left me wanting more, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!