She committed an unspeakable act. Her quest for redemption will pit her against a rising evil… spread their infection and implicate Terese in the crime.
Torn from her daughter and plagued by guilt, she journeys across desolate lands where the undead run and foul magic hangs heavy in the air. But as she closes in on her prey, Terese discovers something far more sinister at work. And the secrets she unearths throw her devotion to the Order into doubt.
Will Terese betray her vows to bring a brutal conspiracy to light before more innocent victims die?
The Renegade Within is the first book in the sweeping FireWall epic fantasy series. If you like strong women, immersive worlds, and suspenseful twists and turns, then you’ll love Mark Johnson’s enthralling adventure.
Buy The Renegade Within to start a journey for atonement today!
Praise for Mark Johnson’s FireWall series:
“Imbued with ancient secrets and unspeakable evil, Mark Johnson’s FireWall is a world-building tour de force from an exciting new voice in epic fantasy.” – SJV winner Lee Murray, ‘Into the Mist’.
“Dark intrigue with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.” — Award-winning author Eileen Mueller, Riders of Fire.
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If you are looking for non-stop action thoughtlessly rolling along, this is not the book for you. This is more cerebral than most epic-style fantasy so it starts off slowly. What makes this book particularly interesting for me is the way Terese evaluates herself, her motives and her actions to re-discover her vocation, despite the disapproval and obstructions from her superiors. This paladin re-connects with her gods and her purpose to act as she believes right, regardless of the cost. Terese has a lot in common with Paksenarrion (of Elizabeth Moon’s Deed of Paksenarrion) and Ayleth (of Sylvia Mercedes’ The Venatrix Chronicles). I wonder what trials Terese will face and how she will deal with them.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this work – the concept was original and interesting and the characters were well-written. There were a lot of new concepts and words introduced quickly in the first few chapters, which was a little overwhelming at first, but it became easy to keep track of things as you got more into the book. I wish there had been a little more context for the world and its parameters early on (e.g. fantasy? post-apocalyptic? etc.) just to make it easier to sink into the story. There were some typos/errors throughout the work, but nothing major.
Overall a solid read with an awesome ending – I look forward to reading the next book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book and the series it started. It mixed fantasy, mystery, military, and ancient history/gods together to deliver a story that was interesting and unique. The story starts out slow yet also with a bang as a mystery or two slowly builds and I tried to figure out what was really going on and how it all fit together. Characters are both good and bad but very human and flawed and relatable. Enjoyed trying to figure it all out and who really was the good and bad guys sometimes.
This book is the first in a series. While this book has some great action it seems mostly concerned with creating a suitable stage to enact the plot upon. The characters are slowly built by their actions and beliefs. It’s like a jigsaw being put together without the picture on the box. This is a good thing as it feels very natural and personal to the reader. The action when it comes is designed for a reason,it drives the plot forward. All this subtlety creates a book that pulls you in to it’s world and almost makes you a part of it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I recommend it to all readers willing to put in a bit of effort to be repaid by a great tale.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I picked this book up as an ARC and I read it in less than a day! All appears to be going well for Terese, as she performs her duties as Head Seeker. All she ever wanted was to be the best Seeker, following in her famous father’s footsteps. She already is the youngest Head Seeker, and together with her team, identifies and neutalises dark energy or chaos. But she quickly learns that events transpire that don’t make sense and she sets out to discover the truth. However, the truth she does uncover is far worse than anything she could possibly have imagined! She realises that everything she has been told is a lie and puts her very belief in the Seekers into dispute. Those who were supposed to uphold the highest standards are the very one with nefarious agendas and she is horrified at her discovery. What started as her duty to fight and control chaos, for the good of all, until she could return to her daughter, has Terese going out of her way to try end the evil she encounters. With unexpected help, she manages to achieve what she set out to do, but in doing so, she has now become a Renegade. An imaginative plot, awesome characters and world building! Looking forward to book 2. Great read!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
The Renegade Within is a military-esque fantasy. The main character, Therese, is a part of the government/military/religious hierarchy, which is part of the complication of her identity. She pursued this line of work out of a passion for truth and good, like the knights of old, but over time succumbed to the temptation of working for the next promotion and to make her father proud. Still, when she discovered that her organization was participating in a greater evil than anything she had imagined, she decided that she would have to take them down from the inside.
The book is a bit slow at the beginning and a bit confusing as the character descriptions and ranks were all new. This has been noted by other reviewers. I think it would help to have the glossary at the beginning of the book or perhaps identify unknown terms and places in the text, but once you get used to the new data, it’s an intriguing story of power structures. It asks questions such as can one person make a difference? Are the gods listening and do they care or have they left humans on their own? And who can be trusted? It’s a fantastic beginning to what promises to be an original, epic tale.
I received a free copy from the author and have reviewed it willingly.
I started off reading this story and it quite a few chapters before I really understood what some of the terms meant. It made for the beginning of the story a bit confusing. But as things progressed some of the terms started to become clearer. This also had the really picking up. There was also a lot more action. It is a very intriguing story with interesting characters that have great personalities. When I reached the end I see there is a glossary of terms. This made the rest of the terms I didn’t have a clear picture of much clearer. I recommend using the glossary while reading the story as it will make it so much easier on certain levels. The writing was well written and did draw you in. It does end in a fantastic cliffhanger that makes you so want to read the book in the series. It is definitely a very interesting story that needs to be read.
Wow! Very happy I grabbed a copy of this book! This author did a very impressive job bringing these characters to life and setting them onto this unique for me storyline. Very visually satisfying prose. My impatience had me wanting to tell a character or two to quit contemplating and get moving! I have next book marked on calendar! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.