Renegade is the latest chapter in Amy’s Ripper series. She changed up her writing style when she created Renegade. Abbie doesn’t have many visions this time around; instead we have POV changes every so often, with a new character. The only time I got confused with the POV change was at the beginning when I’m expecting Abbie and get this new character. For the most part we always have chapter change or and ending of a scene before the POV changes. When Abbie does have visions they happen the same way they had in Ripper. It’s as if Abbie is the person doing the action in her vision.
As for the story its self, Renegade starts a few months after Ripper ends, roughly spring time in London. Abbie is still trying to come to grips with the fact she killed four members of the conclave. However, Max is still alive and well, which makes Abbie nervous and she’s keeps watching behind her and wondering when he’s going to strike. For the most part everyone goes on with their lives as if Max never existed. Even when it comes to the major members of the conclave, their not really missed. Abbie, William Siddal, and Simon St. John created a good cover story for why Dr. Julian Bartlett, Robert Buck, Marcus Perkins and John Brown had left the city the day their house burned down. This works because William and Simon run the hospital in White Chapel with the help of Abbie and the nurses.
Abbie of course is still trying to go to medical school and Lady Westfield still isn’t happy about it. Though that’s not the only thing Grandmother isn’t excited about. 🙂 You’ll have to read the story to find out the others.
As you’ve gathered Max, William, Simon and Lady Westfield make appearances in this book as do Inspector Abberline, Christina Rossetti and Richard, grandmother’s butler. I mention Richard because we get to learn a little bit more about him in this book. Inspector Abberline if you remember was the lead inspector in the ripper murders. He has a new set of crimes to solve and he finds Abbie at one of the crimes scenes. She’s not involved but by the end of the novel she might have an idea on who’s behind them.
Abbie’s aunt Christina is able to make some arrangements for Abbie to meet Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Dr. Anderson was the doctor, Dr. Bartlett wanted Abbie to learn from at the college that women could go to learn medicine. Interesting things happen during this meeting and everything that comes after.
Overall I liked and enjoyed reading this chapter in the series. We get to learn a little more about Abbie and we see her grow. In fact we see some of her memories become clearer as she revisits the past, the days leading up to her mother, Caroline’s death. The realization that she comes to are profound and they leave her a little shaky. I really liked this part because afterward I think the information she’s gathered rounds out he character and shows her growth.
On the flip side of that however is the turmoil between her and William. While I don’t mind love triangles I thought the one with Abbie, William and Simon ended in the last book. It popped it’s head up in this book and at first I was a little confused by it but I understood by the end. There are a few reasons why I get that it had to pop up. For one thing I had to remember that Abbie is still a teenager. At sixteen, even though it is the 1800’s, it’s not out of place to date or marry a older man at that age.
What did bother me, or probably confused is the better term, was that in Ripper Abbie seemed to be more mature about her relationships and didn’t really care what her Grandmother thought. In this book that’s not the case, she actually starts listening to her grandmother’s prejudice which then pushes the love triangle into the picture. Abbie however isn’t the only one to act a little out of sorts, both Simon and William in my opinion do considering their ages, and they only act different when it comes to Abbie. The one thing this confusion/ triangle does that I really liked was that we got to see the different sides of William and Simon. While William’s wasn’t surprising because we saw some of it in Ripper Simon’s was definitely insightful. We learn so much more about Simon and why he is the way he is.
With all that said I do highly recommend everyone read this installment and if you haven’t read Ripper you really should. I do love reading Abbie and right now this is the only YA I’m reading and from the way Renegade ended there will be a third book to this series. It’s going to be interesting to see where Amy takes Abbie from here and I can’t wait to read about it.
