Rogue By: Rachel Vincent
Rogue is Rachel Vincent’s second book, a continuation of her werecat series. I know that there have been a couple of negative reviews for this book on other blogs and its not that I disagree with everything that they have said, but I feel that some of the negative points will be worked out in future books.
The book picks up right where Stray left off; Faythe has promised to stay with her family and work for her father (the alpha of their Pride) for two years. During that time, she is to undergo training to better prepare her for the position that her father hopes she will one day take – that of leader of their Pride. This position would normally be passed on to her husband, but her father feels that she is strong enough to lead their people; hopefully with Marc at her side.
Part of Faythe’s training is acting as an Enforcer, partnering with her on again / off again boyfriend, Marc. While attempting to have a couple of days alone together during one of their on-again periods, Marc and Faythe get called in to take care of the dead body of a stray (werecats that are not part of a pride) that has been reported. This death is the first of several that lead them on a chase to discover who is killing strays in their territory.
Faythe is young and struggling with her place in life. A large part of her wants to runaway back to college and complete her master’s degree, while another part enjoys the progress that she is making in her training. She has not completely come to terms with the reality of what she is – a werecat and is fighting that realization. Admitting this would cause her to lose her dream of being ‘normal’, of not having to fight off attackers, worry about protecting her family and one day leading them. As all young people do, she makes mistakes along the way, that I admit can be highly frustrating at times (moments that make you want to yell “what the hell are you doing?”), but over all there is growth in her; which is something that I like to see in my characters.
I think that some annoyance from people might also come from the fact that she is not following the path of a romance book character (though to be fair, these are not meant to be romance books). Faythe, though in love with Marc, is not jumping at the chance to live happily ever after with him. (or perhaps this is simply one of the annoyances that I felt while reading this book) Yet, her actions are based on a young woman attempt to live with her family – and all that entails – and holding on to a piece of herself at the same time. She is only 23 and deserves the time to grow up a little more. Luckily, Vincent has been granted that time with (I believe) a six-book contract for this series. The world that has been created in these books by Vincent is enticing and I am enjoying the journey of her characters. For this being only the second book that Rachel Vincent has written, I think its pretty darn good.
Grade: B
3 Comments
March 31, 2008 at 8:57 am
I can’t speak to Rogue as I haven’t read it. My frustration with Stray had nothing to do with romance expectations; I knew it wasn’t a romance when I picked it up. The problem (for me) was Faythe — I found her to be a very unsympathetic character and an unreliable narrator.
April 1, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it, and I hope Faythe’s growth in future volumes strikes a chord.
April 2, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Great review. This book certainly is sparking a lot of diverse opinions. I suppose that’s a good sign.