Renegade - The Feral Court Book 1, Myra Danvers

A gritty omegaverse fantasy romance with mature content for adults 18+. De-hehe-lightful!

TLDR: I love this book because it floods the entire world with the genre premise, weaving the principles of the omegaverse trope into an elegantly, albeit disgustingly, crafted civilization. Furthermore, her character development is authentic, logical, and maintained from beginning to end. I would highly recommend others take a deep-dive into this cleverly thought-out world with sexy, dark, and detestable characters.

Check out Myra's website for the books description and places to purchase this book.

Renegade soothes an ache I didn't realize I had from reading other omegaverse novels. Don't know what that is? Don't worry, I'll fill you in and tell you why I highly recommend this book and what I've learned and appreciate from Myra Danvers expertly crafted world. Whether you're a voracious reader of all things romance, an aspiring author, or just passing through, I'll share my take on Renegade.

What is the Omegaverse?

I stumbled upon the omegaverse early last year and was very confused by what I was reading, how it worked, and why. Questions like, "WTF? What does MPreg mean?" quickly were followed up with "How can a guy get pregnant?" Well, that's all part of the fun in omegaverse.

I think this Reddit post sums it up the best for me.

Basically, there are Alphas which are the top of society, dominate, and physically larger creatures. Alpha males have knots at the base of their delightful bits (trying to keep this semi-professional). Female alphas vary based on the lore. Some can knot with an enlarged gland that produces semen to impregnate others, and some just seem to be powerhouse females that breed with other alphas. I've never found a female alpha omegaverse story, so if you've got a good example, pass it along and I'll check it out.

Betas are the majority of society with physiology that again, varies on the lore. Some can be just like you and me, others have a less spectacular variant of whatever the alphas are (see below for flavors too).

Then there are omegas. These little beauties are just that. Little and beautiful. They are submissive (even if they are feisty), go into heat like cats and dogs, produce slick, and desperately desire the knot.

I know of three flavors (And yes, there are more, but I've only read these three):

• Shifter;

• Non-shifter;

• Something else entirely.

And this is where my review comes in.

What sets Renegade apart and scratches my itch?

I'm an aspiring author, even if my grammar leaves much to be desired. I have an editor for a reason, but I'd rather Jenn work on my books instead of my blog. Regardless, I'm always looking for ways to improve my craft, and Renegade solved a problem for me that has thus far kept me from dipping my toes into the omegaverse pool.

In my reading experience, I've read shifter versions like Lexi C. Foss's Andorra Sector and non-shifter versions like Lola Rock's Pack Darling. I loved both of these for very different reasons and will probably do a digest on both of those in the near future.

Then there is L.V. Lane's Prey, which was quite honestly the first introduction I had to the genre. I loved every page of it, but was so dang confused by what three of the four brothers were because only one of them was a shifter, but all four were alphas, and that just didn't compute to my uneducated brain.

But Renegade is just...different. Myra starts off by explaining that a thousand years of selective breeding have created the characters of "today." And she does it naturally. Logically. Using basic genetic theories. Strong warriors pillaged their way into a new land, found a weaker species, and dominated and raped their conquests. When they discovered their species were genetically compatible and that the offspring were sterile and strong, they integrated their conquests into society to build armies. That's... the first chapter.

And wow, what a chapter. Not only did Myra gently introduce new readers to the genre, but she laid out her promises right from the beginning and she does not disappoint. A civilization birthed from conquest and rape is going to be dark, gritty, and disgusting. She basically gives the reader a chance to "nope the f*ck out" if that's not their thing.

But why is this so satisfying to me? Because she took the time to give a logical explanation for her entire setting based on the simple premise defined by the genre. Andorra Sector uses werewolves at the conduit for this trope. Pack Darling doesn't even give a primer (which was very confusing for me when I first started down this path). And Prey gave a mix of the two without giving an explanation for the difference or how this difference even came about.

Myra's simple, yet elegant, worldbuilding primer tells the reader everything they needed to know about what the book is going to be. Now, the difference between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas is clear, logical, and expected. But more than that, Myra molded that difference into the very fabric of the narrative. The main female character doesn't even have a name for over half the book. Why? Because she's an omega birthed from a long line of slaves subjugated by alphas since they were conquered. And the Alpha was disgraced, cast out of society, so naturally, he gave up his name. Honor and standing are so ingrained in their society based on the simple principals of dominance that names themselves are withheld for those at the very bottom. That's powerful.

And then there is the ending, which I will not spoil, because wow. What I will say is it is so damn satisfying to see an omega that stays true to her spirit and character from beginning, middle, and end. Hers is a spirit forged in the fires of horrifying adversity with a defiance born out of survival itself. And that only gets stronger as the book continues. I wish I could give the ending the praise it truly deserves, but anything more would spoil the experience. You'll just have to read it yourself to fully enjoy.

Questions I still have for Myra

The idea of a single alpha breeding hundreds of beta children to fill his armies sounds good, but raises more questions for me. How long do Alphas live? How quickly do Betas mature? And how did they figure out Betas were sterile? That would have taken time, multiple betas to test and a variety of circumstances. Granted, a thousand years of selective breeding implies Anhur (the alpha species) have the patience to figure this out, but these are the questions that plague my brain (And yes, I'm very much looking forward to finding out more about the Trax virus Myra introduces in Renegade).

Another point of curiosity for me is physiological similarities between the Anhur and the Hathorian (the omega species). Both have tails, but Hathorian have ears and fangs and Anhur have manes down the top third of their spine, claws, "normal ears" and blunted teeth. They both have fur-based physiology, but I'm curious why and whether they have a common ancestor. The Anhur were forged in the horrifying landscapes of their homeland where everything is lethal (even pretty purple flowers), which explains the claws, but, I wonder what benefit the mane and tail provide.

Granted, it's fantasy, and I'm totally fine with a suspension of belief. I'm merely curious if her further books in this series will answer some of these questions. And honestly, the fact that I have questions is what drives me to turn the pages in the first place. I want to know. I want to explore and think and ponder this fantastical landscape and people Myra created.

The Final Score and What I've Learned

Seriously, Renegade is a masterpieceThe character consistency, the natural evolution of each in their motivations and intentions, it all stems from the same source. It's authentic. Myra did an amazing job of fulfilling a wish I didn't even know I had.

She presented me with the solution to my problem with omegaverse by giving a reason for the differences that tint the entire civilization. Lexi C. Foss did this by using werewolves and the associated wolf hierarchy. It's implied and easy for the reader to transition into a dominant/submissive relationship without raising too many eyebrows.

But Myra's solution is one that defines every aspect of society such that mutilation as punishment is an intuitive step. The idea that a disgraced someone would be physically altered to denote their new permanent standing as "less than" is so effortlessly accepted because she took the time to explain the civilization foundations. Honestly, I could go on and on about what I love about Myra's worldbuilding, but I refuse to give up too many spoilers.

Myra gave me some ideas for approaching the omegaverse, or frankly any trope, with a different perspective. In my opinion, she started with the genre premise and asked herself, "How can I make this make sense?" then wrote down the resulting story. It sounds simple, but I've found that to be a challenge. I get so entrenched in what I've read already that I forget I'm the crafter of my own worlds. I can do what I want, and still obey the predefined rules of engagement. I will definitely be taking this to the next level.

Renegade is a fantastic novel. I highly recommend you check it out. And don't forget to leave a review, which helps authors gain exposure. Perhaps Giaus and Sickle will take your fancy as well. I can't wait to read them myself.