The Rivalry of Renegade X

Renegade X #5

by Chelsea M. Campbell

A tale of two Damiens.

After ruining the annual Tines family barbecue by retaliating against one of his stuck-up superhero cousins—who totally deserved it, no matter what anyone says—Damien just wants an easy summer. One that involves him and his friends hanging out and going on the occasional superhero mission. He doesn’t need his “good twin” from another dimension where he was raised by Gordon showing up and making a mess of everything, and he sure as hell doesn’t need him living at his house, doing chores without being asked, and generally being the perfect superhero son his family’s always wanted.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, his good twin refuses to lie low. He’s obsessed with doing good deeds and even volunteers to be his dad’s sidekick on his lame kids show. Damien soon has his hands full just trying to stop this guy from making him look like one of the stereotypical douchey heroes he’s always hated. And when his good twin starts to win over all his friends, it’s the last straw. Damien knows there’s only room for one of him in Golden City, and he’s more than ready to get rid of this guy.

But when Damien’s attempts to send him back home backfire and an “evil” version of his half brother Xavier shows up—as if Xavier could get any worse—the two Damiens will have to find a way to work together despite their differences. That is, if they want to thwart Xavier’s evil plans and stop him from erasing everyone they care about from existence.

Genres: Superheroes, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2020

About the author

Chelsea M. Campbell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then she's written many more novels, earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes. Besides writing, studying ancient languages, and collecting useless objects, Chelsea is a pop-culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Parks and Recreation, or dying a lot in Dark Souls.

Reviews

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating – 4.5 stars

Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this installment in the Renegade X series. It was so much fun, and I highly enjoyed being in this world again among these cool characters, Damien especially.

The alternate dimension plotline was very engaging and seemed on brand with recent TV and movie franchises (CW superhero shows, MCU), which was a plus imo. Especially since this book did it a bit better than the previous franchises I mentioned 😊

I loved seeing the two Damiens interact and the differences between the two worlds were very interesting to explore. Also, the misunderstandings stemming from the alternate worlds colliding were hilarious.

The story was well thought out to provide both funny moments, as we usually expect from Damien’s adventures, and some serious moments that touched the heartstrings.

The only negative I have about this book was related to Damien’s relationship with his family. I just want them all to get along and for them all to fully accept him ☹ My poor baby needs more love in his life! Also, I really, really want to see him enjoy flying!

If you’re a fan of this series this is an instalment you don’t want to miss!

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books a lot. They are always a lot of fun with plenty of superhero craziness. They are definitely YA with a bit more teenager problems then I would normally like, but there's lots of other things to love.

The characters are great, and it's been interesting to see the slow growth of the main character over the course of the series. I find the voice the books are written in to be perfect for a snarky teenager.

I also really like the unique world building and the way society works with Heroes and Villains and their specific powers.

These books always have a strong plot and at least some action, but they aren't action packed like some superhero novels are. I enjoy it for a change of pace. There's definitely some adventure, but we also get to see a good bit of the normal life of teenagers with super powers.

I don't know if any more books in the series are planned, but if the author keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them. This one ended solidly, but there's still plenty that's left open for future books.

[Angela Nuñez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo necesito en mi vida pero a la de yaaaaaaaa

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so much more than its summaries even begin to give it credit for, and I'm positive I won't do it justice in a single review. I'm so sad to have finished the series (as it is now, there's certainly room in the storyline for more books), but I'm going to attempt to explain what it is that makes these books SO FRIGGIN AMAZING (behind spoiler tags, just to be safe):


The thing about this series that absolutely floors me is how complex the characters and relationships are, in spite of this being a YA series set in a universe not unlike one you'd expect out of Disney/Pixar. People get hurt and they don't just bounce back after an apology. Trust is built slowly over multiple books. Situations are complicated, and there's no clear right or wrong answer.

The series starts out with some pretty life-altering events for the protagonist, Damien. He finds out his dad is a hero, his mom kicks him out of the house, and he goes to live with the hero side of the family. That's all fine, but the really cool thing about these events is Damien is still dealing with the changes in his life 5 books later. Because that's real. You don't endure that sort of disruption without some fallout, some anger, some new insecurities.

One of my favorite relationships in this series is the one between Damien and his father Gordon. Even as they get to know each other and begin to build trust between them, Damien continues to feel nervous that he's one bad move or unfortunate misunderstanding away from being kicked out of his hero family too. Despite his bravado, he wants someone to want to keep him.

And Gordon tries SO HARD. He's a hero with a golden reputation and now a random snarky teen villain love child who's just come out of the woodwork. He and Damien spend a lot of time adjusting their expectations of each other, and sometimes Gordon really fouls things up on accident. But he never stops trying to have a relationship with Damien, and IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL. Y'all, my squishy heart cannot take it.

Another favorite relationship is the one between Riley and Damien. Y'all, I would not have called this one when I first met Riley. I thought he was a tropey douche sent from the author to annoy me. But he turns out to be the best kind of friend, one who sticks up for Damien and supports him even while he's calling Damien out (with extreme accuracy) on all his bullsh*t. He's smart, he cares deeply about his friends, and he always shows up, even when it's dangerous.

I can't write a review this long without also mentioning Damien's glorious character flaws and development, which I love as much as the relationships. For one, Damien has a genuine phobia of heights, which is unfortunate, as one of his powers is flying. Damien's attitude about his phobia is absolutely hilarious, but I also like that the phobia persists throughout the entire series, because phobias don't just go away. Yes, he tries to confront his fear more and more, especially to save his friends, but it's still there. It would've been so easy for the author to cure him with one plot twist, but she didn't, and I could not be happier about it. Sorry for my schadenfreude.

Damien also has almost no sense of delicacy or tact. Damien's moral compass often runs in a slightly different direction than that of the general hero population, introducing all sorts of conflict as he, part villain, attempts to do what he thinks is right. In a somewhat Harry Potter-esque manner he often barrels into situations headlong, only thinking of saving people, and possibly not considering a larger picture or making a plan, then gets confrontational and all put-out when things go wrong. But bless his heart, he's got a moral compass, even if he's part villain, and it's insanely endearing. The way he dotes on his younger siblings and subtly protects them... so sweet. I die.

So Jo, you might be thinking, you've written an embarrassingly long review, and it sounds like maybe you want to marry the series. Why did you give this one 4 stars and not 5?

Unfortunately, I liked but did not love book 5. Other Damien drove me nuts, and it tried my patience having to read all those evil-twin-wreaks-havoc situations. Also, the author has a tendency to quickly cut away from intense action scenes to the day after, which... I don't know, maybe I'm weird, but after all the action, I kind of want to see my favorite characters get back to their feet, clean each other up, hug it out? The relationships are built, I'm positive the material is there. Indulge a fangirl.

But as a whole, this is one of the best YA series I've ever read, and I'll be buying the physical copies and reading the whole thing again to catch all the subtle details I missed the first time.

[Farseer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of this one was a lot of fun. A version of Damien from a parallel dimension gets into Damien's dimension and start wreaking havoc. We could say he's an evil twin, except that in this case he's more of a "good twin". Kind of good, anyway, because he has his issues. In Other-Damien's world, he was raised by his father, the Crimson Flash, and he makes every effort to hide his half-villain status. Having parallel characters from both dimensions running around of course results in a lot of misunderstandings, comical situations and angst.

Perhaps it was a bit heavy-handed with the sentimental speeches at the end, but what the heck, it was a lot of fun, and a good exploration of the meaning of friendship and love, and of how to accept people as they are and not as we would have liked them to be.

I still enjoy Damien's narration a lot. He's funny, snarky and annoying, but his half-hero, half-villain heart is in the right place.

[Markus Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as always!

I find when a series gets to five books and beyond, they run into the danger of becoming stale and repetitive. Thankfully, the Rivalry of Renegade X doesn’t have this issue. The author does a wonderful job of breathing new life into the series with this book.

I loved the concept of a ‘what if’ Damien had been raised by superheroes right from birth vs. by his evil mother which is answered by Other Damien. I’ll give massive kudos to the author for writing Other Damien and Other Xavier in such a way that it was easy to keep them straight with their original counterparts.

The humor, action and pacing to the story were first rate. My only issue I have with the book is that I’m finished reading it, and now have to wait for the next one.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually good

I was a little worried about the plot of this book when I heard the summery of the plot in an earlier newsletter the author put out. Damian's evil twin from another dimension sounded pretty stupid. However the final product was actually really good. Instead of being an evil twin the twin was actually a good person kinda stuck-up and a goody two shoes but actually a likable character with all the strengths that Damian of this world lacks. Even the side stories of his girlfriend and best friends insecurities really add more to the story. Also Gordan and Helen have some pretty great parts of this story which it is nice to see how much they grew throughout the series. So if you were wondering if you should skip this novel don't

[Deanna Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. Keep them coming!

Haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you did something different with your life? Well in this book Damien and Crew got to see a different side of themselves when another Damien from a parallel universe shows up. It causes the crew to have a lot of questions about whether they're living their best life or not. In addition to all the drama we do get a super bad guy from the alternate universe. In the end everyone appreciates what they have just a little bit more. And I know I enjoyed it. Chelsea doesn't amazing job at capturing the teenage voice and making interesting stories. Keep it up

[Mark Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fun to return to Golden city

I have been a fan since bumping into this series on audible way back when. I was going through the websites of my fav authors when I saw RX:5 was out and immediately downloaded and devoured it. Multiverse stories are always fun and I'm glad I got more Damien. I will patiently await book 6 because I will read every single thing Chelsea puts out multiple times until the audiobook bigwigs realize their incompetence and make more RX audiobooks.

[Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from Chelsea M. Campbell.

I really enjoy the Renegade X books, but I was worried about this one because of the interdimensional worlds and traveling. I'm just not a fan of books or any other media that has those elements in it, but even though this book had those elements it was still a great read. I really enjoyed the book and hope it comes out in hardcover and I also hope the author continues the series.

[Sean Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding this book was basically the bestthing that's happened in years

When i first read "The rise of renegade X" I was very sad, because I couldn't find the rest of the series. Then, I found the trials and the betrayal, and have read them multiple times in the last few years. I found the Phobia and the Rivalry yesterday and read them both in a single setting. these books are hands-down my favourite series ever.

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Another action packed entertaining read about the Adventures of Renegade X and his inter dimensional twin. Damien is probably one of the most entertaining characters out there his personality and voice is hilarious.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Entertaining

I was excited to see a new Renegade X book! It was just as fun and entertaining as the other books in the series, I love Damien's point of view and can't wait to see what happens next!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun read!

Renegade X is awesome! Perfect combination of arrogant awesome and likable. These are the kind of books you read in a single day on accident.

[Taegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Renegade X is one of my favorite series of all time - hard to find another series that has such memorable and original characters

[Eric Agyemang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

I laughed so much throughout the story and I felt so invested to the characters. Great read as always and would definitely recommend.

[Sahir Sheikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed improvement form whatever the last book was. Enjoyed it a lot, loved the storyline and the absence of whiny and self-loathing Damien.

[Arisha Kabir · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHEN.WILL.THE.NEXT.BOOK.COME.OUT.
i freaking love this book, i could reread it several times and still laugh like its my first time.
Damien is truely one of a kind.

[Sha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: Budding superhero(...ish) gets a visit from his alternate dimension counterpart. Shenanigans ensue.

1. I have complicated feelings about the Renegade X books. I adore the protagonist, who is an unapologetic little bitch with shit-stirring ambitions. I like the hero/villain angle and how it affects Damien's family life. I'm utterly disinterested in pretty much everything else.

2. I find superhero narratives super hard (hehehe) to get into. Comics are short form narratives that just focus on the supes and can ignore the worldbuilding mechanics. A book is a lot harder. You need to come up with rules. You need to have consistent power levels. You need to have reasons for villainy. You need to know how the normies live in a world populated by people who can mentally blow them up. It's hard, and if you go "oh I'm only doing this because I like the ~aesthetic~ and I want to do some really lazy commentary on villainy without examining anyone's motives" I'm going to judge you. I'm looking at you, Renegades.

3. The Renegade X books are- well, they are not the best at this, but they do fairly well. The supes are underpowered enough to make them coexisting with muggles plausible. The hero/villain dichotomy is occasionally treated as meaningless tongue in cheek nonsense (not often enough and sometimes way too subtly for it to make a point, but it's there). Damien's position as a child of a hero and a villain makes it easier for the text to examine "heroism" and "villainy." Pretty solid, overall.

4. And this book in particular really leans into it- I actually think it might have been a really good in media res first book? As it is, it's very much a continuation of the rest of the books, featuring a bunch of characters I'd forgotten pretty much everything about which uh- made stuff confusing. So very confusing.

What? I said the books were solid, not that they were memorable.

5. Alt-Damien is going through an identity crisis and is very stressed about that and I kinda feel like his story might be an interesting spinoff? There's more to examine there than here, since OG! Damien's story is more or less wrapped up. (No I don't care if his X ever changes into H or V he's at peace with himself there is no internal conflict left. The best we can do is villain-centric family drama.)

[Sarah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5 stars
I loved this book! It was so much fun going back to Damien’s world and seeing all the crazy shenanigans he gets up to. In this addition, Damien’s alternate twin comes to his universe and starts acting all pure-hero, wooing friends and family alike, and ultimately unknowingly (well, slightly knowingly, he’s still a Damien) messing up real-Damien’s life. Real-Damien and his friends decide to send alternate-Damien back, except something goes wrong and alternate-Xavier pops out instead, causing the team to have to band together to fix things. There’s also a dash of interdimensional travel thrown in, but you’ll just have to read the book to find out about it!! XD
Okay, so I absolutely loved this story. Seeing Damien and co interact with his alternate-universe self was great. Twice the Damien means twice the fun. I was hooked from the very first moment! The plot was well-paced and the perfect blend of humor/emotion. I especially loved reading the Damien and alternate-Damien interactions. The character interactions are really what got me into this series in the first place, and I loved seeing how far Damien and everyone have come (as well as seeing how far they have to grow). As always, this book had me laughing out loud, gasping with shock, and smiling by the end. The only thing I wished for was more Damien and Gordon interactions, but that’s purely my love for family bonding (and also why book 2 will always be my absolute favorite in the series).
Basically, I highly recommend this book, especially for fans of the series. If this is your first Renegade X book, welcome, and go read the first one!!!! Everything will make a lot more sense, and I promise you will absolutely love all of them!!
Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to read future books!

[Cam Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book series back in Christmas 2020 and fell in love during The Rise of Renegade X. My all time favorite is either The Betrayal of Renegade X or The Persistence of Renegade X. With this installment in the series, Damien is put against an alternate version of himself where he was raised with heroes instead of villains. The contrast to see how he is if he was all-hero, in a way, is interesting. He isn't all that different form the heroes of Damien's regular universe. Snotty, Above it all. Eager to help. I feel as it expands the lore of the series while leaving the door for interesting characters to pop up in the future. I love this book series so much that I feel like adapting it into a live action series. Wish me luck!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, what a blast! As if the usual group of dysfunctional characters isn't enough, we get a double dose of mayhem when a second Damien gets yanked through a portal from another dimension. The 'Other' Damien is a goody two shoes with some and sets about 'upgrading' Damien's status, not only in public but also with his family. All his "it wasn't me" protests fall on deaf ears and he decides that he has to get rid of this mixed-up double as quickly as possible.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interdimensional comedy of errors that follows, especially the differences between the main characters in both dimensions.

I really, really hope that this is not the end of the series because is really, really need more!!!

[Алексей Пятаев · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Since the first book I was captivated by Damien character. It was so much fun to read about him and his friends adventures. And in “The Rivalry of Renegade X” readers are gifted with TWO Damien! I believe we all sometimes thinking “what our life will be if…” – and here readers can take a glimpse of what will be with “Renegade X” characters with different life. It was real joy to spend time with that book!

Thank you Chelsea M. Campbell for the opportunity to read this book!

PS. were can't be enough Damiens!

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I enjoy super power books, and they are usually classed as YA, I tend to read a number of them. Usually, they are regular stories but with clean language and no adult situations. This was very sophomoric and quite juvenile and I frequently wanted to slap certain characters for the way they acted and spoke.

[Tejas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I revived a copy in exchange for honest review

I have always loved this series, and this book just reaffirmed that. It dove deeper into the world and offered a different side to Damien.