Novelisations of film and comic book characters and storylines can be very hit and miss so I was a little sceptical. However, I love Rogue so I went for it and I’m so glad I did. This was such a good X-men novel. It deal with several backstories and as big X-men fan, I loved those extra details. Overall a highly entertaining novel.

Rogue's mutant ability frightens her, so she lives alone and works a terrible job to limit human contact. Two strangers show up and could change her life: millionaire is scouting for new recruits, and there's a red-eyed card shark. but others are watching over her, so Rogue will have to trust in herself and her growing power to determine her own fate.

This is an origin story for Rogue, and like all major comics characters, her origins have been revamped several times over. Here, Marie dropped out of high school after her football player boyfriend was put into a coma after their kiss, and she works as a waitress. She's a waitress and generally avoids touching people as much as possible. Marie is kinder than she thinks she is, so when two of the former football players start beating up on a charming stranger behind the diner, she intervenes and lets him stay with her. This unwittingly draws her into Remy's world of danger from the thieves' guild and the assassins guild, as well as reveals that she has a mutant ability of her own. Without any time to truly learn her limits or how to use her power, she hides her ability when she's kidnapped along with Remy, waiting for the right time to break out and save the other mutants that were abducted.



I like this iteration of Rogue. She's sassy and quick thinking, and still capable of showing kindness to strangers. While she has her moments where she feels sorry for herself, she's able to push past that and try to make the best out of horrible situations. Some details, like being born with the streak of white hair, are a little different from what I know of her from comics, cartoons, and movies. It's very minor and sets this version of Rogue apart and into its own universe. Her ability to absorb skills, memories, and life energy is the same, and that's the important part of the novel. She has to really know who she is in order to take control of what she absorbs, which is hard for a young woman so used to hiding herself away. Her strength of character really shines through in Alisa Kwitney's tale, and I raced through it from start to finish to find out what happened next. This is a fun novel to read, and I'm so proud of Rogue.



About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

I read this novel in English and in the original language, Malicia is not called Malicia at all but Rogue. So when I saw this novel on Netgalley who had classified it as a comic book, I thought it would be a good opportunity to read a small comic book. Big disappointment when I saw that it was a novel, but I was still tempted. And then, as the names are not the same, I thought I was dealing with a superhero novel, but not at all, it took me a while to understand that the origins of the X-Men are found here and I must say that I didn’t expect it. Well, now I understand better the cover of the novel which represents the Malicia we all know in France.

In spite of a start that I didn’t expect, I had a good time. We discover Anna Marie, a waitress whose life will change completely when she meets a strange man in the bar where she works. Yes, because after rescuing him from a fight, she takes him home to recuperate. But this meeting will make her realize that she also has powers and that people will do anything to use them!

It was a very nice novel and I enjoyed discovering all the characters. Malicia will have to learn how to manage her powers by herself to survive, which will be far from easy. She will have to decide who she can trust and her choices will determine her future.

So yes, this book wasn’t what I expected, but in the end, I had a great time!

LISTEN, I AM NOT OKAY AFTER THIS BOOK.

When my request got approved I screamed and cried in joy and I couldn't wait to read it because Rogue has always been my favourite superhero, ever since I first saw her in the X-Men animated series and that love only grew over the years.

I was also a little afraid what it would be like, if it could capture the real Rogue. And it definitely did. Rogue's very essence is seeping through the pages and made me cry more times than I can count. Even after finishing the book, I had to take a long crying break before sitting down to write this.

I can't coherently explain what Rogue means to me, just know that she's very special. I'm extremely happy that she has her own book now. My girl deserves it.

Rogue: Untouched combines several backstories into one. That's apparent from the beginning, but I didn't mind one bit. It's tied together masterfully.

It's split into three parts and I can't choose a favourite because all three are amazing. But if I really really had to choose, I'd say part three. Rogue comes into her own and it warms my now nostalgic heart. Also teamwork, teamwork makes the dream work.

The writing is especially beautiful and I don't think anyone other than Alisa Kwitney could've done the story justice. I was so immersed while reading that my time flew by fast. I even forgot to eat, whoops.

I was not expecting so many other characters I love to be in it so that was the cherry on top. It's not just Rogue that's brought to life, it's all the others too.

The romance gets an A+. My favourite couple. THEY'RE SO CUTE.

Rogue grows so much and it makes the book feel a little longer than it is, but not in a bad way. More like I can't believe it's only 350 pages when so many things happened. It's action packed and I'm all for it.

I know this book is one I'd want (and need) on my shelf and would recommend for others to have too, even if they're not huge fans of the comics/series/movies. I think it would be a fun read regardless.

Fingers crossed we get a sequel! WE NEED IT!

Honourable funny mention: Gorgonzola.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

*Huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This ARC was provided in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:
•
4,5*
Pros: As a huge Marvel and X-Men fan, it was a pleasure to follow Rogue's origins and adventures here, along with several fave mutants, now in novel form. Fantastic narrative and world-building. Interesting and compelling heroes and villains. PoC, LGBT+ and disability representation. Talks about finding your worth and self-discovery. A complete page-turner.
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Cons: Lacking a bit of steam on the romance. Some Ts left to be crossed.
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Trigger warning: Abuse, kidnapping, prejudice, sexual assault.

I received an ARC of Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb thanks to Goodreads:

“Rogue’s frightening new mutant powers keep her at arms-length from the world, but two strangers offer a chance to change her life forever, in this exhilarating Marvel Super Hero adventure

Young Rogue’s life sucks: she lives alone in an abandoned cabin, works a terrible diner job and hides from everyone. The powers she has started to develop are terrifying her. When your first kiss almost kills the guy, it’s hard to trust anyone – even yourself. Then two people arrive in town who could change her life, and she finally gets a choice: follow a mysterious billionaire who says she’s scouting for gifted interns, or the handsome card shark with eerie red eyes. Except they’re not the only ones watching her… Rogue will have to trust in herself and accept the powers she’s trying to suppress to decide her own fate – before someone else does.”

Review:

Since watch X-Men (movie 1), I have loved Rouge. I don’t even remember why honestly but it’s stuck with me for…. 20 years? So when I saw Rouge got her own novel I was so excited and immediately requested it. Thanks to the publisher (through NetGalley)!

Anne Marie… Marie… Rouge was such a wonderful character. I loved her personality and how she discovers everything. I also really enjoyed her early interactions with the other characters.

However, about 40% in I began to lose my connection to her. Maybe I was just coming off of my book hangover and this wasn’t resonating the same way? Whatever it was it vanished in the last 40% because I was all in again although some descriptions were a bit strange around that point. To be fair, mutant powers are not always easy to describe. Especially when it’s body change related.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wish there was more or maybe just a bit of a fast pace, but it’s hard to be gogogo when you have no idea what is happening (poor Rouge).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rogue: Untouched follows a different origin story for our heroine than the ones we know. In this version, she crosses paths with some fan favorites as well as some lesser known X-Men characters. When she finds herself and others in danger will she be able to call upon her powers within in order to escape, or does a worse fate await Rogue?

This was a great and quick read. It was easy to follow, even with the constant introduction of new characters and changing of scenery. Rogue was developed as an independent heroine who's badassery is simply enhanced by the powers she absorbs. I'm not a huge X-Men fan, but this story made me curious to look up other stories in this series as well as be on the lookout for a sequel to this one.

Overall, I recommend this book for any Marvel fan or someone looking for a quick adventure 12+. There is slight violence, but nothing graphic so 12+ should be just fine. Four out if five stars as I enjoyed it, but didn't really love it. Fans, however, will probably be over the moon.

I was approved by NetGalley to do an advanced reader copy review of Rogue Untouched by Alisa Kwitney. I have to say I was very excited to review this title because I have been a huge fan of X-Men comics since I was twelve. Not to mention that Rogue and Gambit are some of my favorite X-Men characters. Rogue Untouched tells the story of Rogue before she was an X-Men when she has first discovered she is an mutant and when she first meets Gambit.

I can tell Marvel/X-Men fans that the story does venture away from the original origin story of Rogue. There are some changes but it does not remove me from enjoying the book. Even if I wasn't an original fan of the X-Men comic books I would have enjoyed the book. It was a quick and enjoyable read that kept my attention. I was happy to read familiar characters and to read about some not so familiar mutants. Needless to say this was an extra treat and left me wanting to know more about these other mutants I was as familiar with. I enjoyed the fact that some of the Brotherhood of Mutants members were acknowledged that typically are not given attention and recognition.

The story begins with Anna Marie aka Rogue as she is living her every day life as an outcast and a waitress in a diner. Due to her prior incident with Cody most of the town has turned their back on her leaving her with few friends and a big dream to be anywhere else but where she is. Her life is abruptly turned upside down when two strangers come into her life , one being a woman providing her with an irresistible opportunity and the other being the cajun gambler, Remy Lebeau.

Her interaction with the woman and Remy sets off a chain of events that will forever change Anna Marie's life and bring her into the Rogue we know today. Without destroying the plot I can tell you there are plenty of guest appearances of X-Men and X-Men Villians, along with liberties taken with Rogue's origin story that make her all that more appreciated and likable as an up and coming mutant.

While I have always loved Rogue as an X-men, as a character I felt her hard to connect to. Rogue Untouched helped make Rogue seem more 'human' and helped the reader connect to her as a character and not just a Rogue.

If you are a fan of X-Men I would certainly recommend Rogue: Untouched. Until Next time!

im so happy that aconyte books and netgalley did gift me a ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have been meaning to start reading more marvel and i love Roque as a character.

In Roque untouched we follow Anne Marie ( roque) before she is Roque, This novel is about her backstory, We get to see Anne Marie discovering she has powers, coming to terms with that and learning to use her abilities.

I loved how we get to meet a lot of different mutants and there powers, some you already know from the movies, some that are not that famous. I also really liked the growth of roque and another character wich name i would not name just incase of spoilers. It was fun to see them becoming there selfs.

I also really enjoyed the writing style/ tone of this book. It was funny and action packed like marvel does best.

This book did feel as a first of a series to me, i felt like there was a lot going on and dropped in the book. And alot could not get te attention it deserved or wrapped up nice at the end. So it feels like i need more books to get everything explained. And i would totally read them! Aswell as the rest of the herione series.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

Mandatory note: This book was given to me for an honest review.

I am an unabashed Rogue fangirl. Put her together with Gambit, and there's a 100% chance that I will love whatever you put in front of me. Please don't interpret that as me saying that this isn't a phenomenal book because it most definitely is a phenomenal book with a kick-a heroine and some great action that is sure to tug at your emotions.
The story of how Anna Marie, aka Rogue, discovers her mutant powers and meets not only Remy LeBeau, aka Gamit, but the people who will help her find her true power and her true self is full of action and some pretty solid character development.
It's also a great introduction to the character for someone who might not know much about her background. In fact, it can absolutely be read as a total stand-alone story in a world that just happens to have people who have evolved to have special powers. There just happens to be many little nuggets of fun callbacks and details that tie it to the X-Men without making it something that a new reader or someone not interested in comics can't read. It's a great story that can stand up on its own. Definitely one I would recommend to readers looking for some good superpowered action.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley, Aconyte Books, and Marvel Entertainment for the early read!


#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

Imagine that at 20 years old you get a letter in the mail telling you you are a wizard despite never showing any signs of magic and the well known fact that people find out they're witches/wizards at 11. That is what the main character here experiences when she finds out she's actually a mutant with abilities despite the fact that mutants are supposed to come into their powers during puberty. Rogue: Untouched tells the story of Anna Marie as she discovers that she has mutant abilities and tries to learn more about them and her new place in the world. The summary here is really vague so I don't want to say too much and give anything away but needless to say hijinks ensue after Rogue finds out she has powers and the whole book is a wild ride.

I personally haven't read many of the X-Men comics so the majority of what I know about these characters comes from the movies and the animated series but one thing I know is that like many comic characters Rogue has a complicated (and sometimes confusing) history. From what I can tell based on my limited knowledge this book doesn't follow her established backstory 100% but it does seem to stay faithful to the major points which I thought was great. I honestly don't think you need to have tons of knowledge about these characters to understand and enjoy the story but having at least a passing familiarity would definitely help.

This is a difficult book for me to rate because for the majority of the book I was really enjoying the read but I really did not like the last 25% or so of the book and that definitely impacted my overall experience.

To start with what I liked! When I started reading this I thought it was more than anything just incredibly fun. I really enjoyed the side of Rogue we were seeing and felt that the writing style/tone were really well suited for a comic novelization. The book wasn't taking itself too seriously and still had that special something that I think is really unique to superhero comics. It was also incredibly fast paced which I loved! It felt like something was always happening and the story was constantly moving forward. Again, I think this works especially well for a comic novelization because many comic/superhero fans (myself included) do expect a certain level of excitement from these stories so I was zooming through the book.

I also enjoyed that we were getting to see some of the lesser known mutants/characters that didn't make it into the movies. I could see where the author was laying down the groundwork to really expand this novelization universe and set up for either future books about Rogue specifically or about the other characters in the world and I was about it!

But then things started to go off the rails in the last third or so of the book. You expect a certain level of weird or strange in a book about mutants with super powers; I was prepared for that. The problem was that instead of resolving any of the issues or plot points things just kept being added that were more and more outlandish than the last plot point. This book is not very long and there were enough plot points here to fuel two or maybe even three separate books. I started to find myself getting lost and confused with where the story was going because it felt like things were being dropped into the book with no real explanation.

The end result was that the book had so much that needed to be resolved in a very short time and it just didn't work. The story lost the tight, exciting pace of the beginning and just became convoluted and hard to follow. I really think the story would have been better served by a simplified conflict/villain that allowed things to be explored/resolved more fully.

Overall, I did like this book but not as much as I initially thought I would. While this didn't work for me entirely I did still have fun for the majority of the book so I'd give it a 3/3.5 overall

A big thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL #Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

Rogue gets an origin story in this fleshed-out novel about her early years when she comes into and begins to harness her unique mutant powers. Anna Marie is a nineteen-year-old waitress in her hometown of Peck, Mississippi, struggling with bills and the local gossip that she hurt her star-quarterback boyfriend two years ago. One night Remy, a sexy Cajan, walks into her diner and she helps him later escape from a fight with some local thugs. He of course is Gambit, and together they figure out that she has had latent powers for years, which explains why her powers sucked the life forces of her boyfriend during an intimate moment. During this time of revelation, Anna Marie is accepted as an intern to rich businesswoman Lucretia who has secrets of her own, and many adventures ensue.

The world-building is strong, with authentic characterizations. While some of the story veers from what we consider canon (but with decades worth of stories, who is to say what is absolute canon anymore for superheroes?) the Marvel framework is there. Anna Marie becomes Rogue alongside Gambit, and Lucretia proved to be masquerading as who I thought she might be, so this was a great backstory for one of my favorite (future) X-Men!

Wonderful reimagining of Rogue's story and her journey after discovering her abilities. One of my new favorite books now, can't wait to buy the paper back.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc in exchange for an honest review. This is an awesome book! I absolutely adore Rogue! She has always been one of my favorites and it was fun to get her background story. The writing style is really smooth and the pacing is on point.

The action was really great and I really love some of the powers the mutants have. Is it canon? No. Is it a well witten novel? YES! I'm still salty about Gambit (Remy) not being in the X-Men movies so I really enjoyed reading about him. ROMY anyone?

The ending felt a bit rushed but left things open. I was satisfied overall. Such an enjoyable read!

Let's be honest, the X-Men have some strange and often conflicting stories, and have been through so many tweaks, retcons, and re-tellings that trying to keep a cohesive understanding of the characters and the universe can be a bit of a challenge at times. As such, getting the chance to forget everything I've seen before and just taking some of the characters I know and love as they come in a brand new setting was a wonderful treat; and it also means that readers can come to Rogue: Untouched without any prior knowledge of the X-Men and still have a hell of a good time.

The book follows young Anna Marie, though she prefers just Marie, a nineteen-year-old living in a tiny apartment in an old plantation house, trying to work enough shifts at the small town's diner until she can get enough cash to head to New Orleans and try to make a fresh start. Marie dropped out of school when her boyfriend, the star footballer, fell into a coma after she kissed him, and she became the focus of local gossip and scorn. Having fallen out with her overly religious aunt, Marie feels like her life isn't going anywhere and just wants out.

Her life takes a dramatic turn, however, when a smooth talking Cajun named Remy show up in her diner one day. After upsetting a couple of the local bullies Remy is on the receiving end of a beat-down until Marie steps in and saves him. Unsure what to do, she takes the handsome stranger back to her place and fixes him up the best she can. Marie quickly finds herself attracted to the handsome gentleman, but won't let herself get too close. Determined to get him out of her apartment and out off her life she's shocked to discover that not only is he a mutant, but that he claims she is too.

Now Marie begins to explore her potentially dangerous new powers, whilst also balancing her life and the possibility of getting a scholarship from the impressive Borgia School, the owner of which has been coming into her diner lately. If this wasn't hard enough, Remy's on the run from some very dangerous people; and they may have tracked him back to Marie.

Rogue: Untouched definitely introduces readers to the world of mutants in a slow way, having them being something on the fringes of the story. Rather than dropping readers into a world filled with brightly costumed heroes they're shown a world much like our own. The mutants are something that 'regular' folk talk about in the abstract, 'how would you react to one', and 'should they be given rights' and it very clearly mirrors real world issues like racial equality, and queer rights. It's mostly background flavour at first, allowing us to get to know Marie before it introduces explosive powers and people who don't look human.

I think this was not only a very clever choice from Alisa Kwitney, but one that made the most sense. Whilst there are a lot of X-Men in the Marvel Universe mutants are still pretty rare, and most people would probably not be aware of knowing any. It's something that would be talked about, but that most people wouldn't have much first hand experience in. The book realises that, and very much crafts a world that feels like ours rather than one with brightly coloured heroes flying around.

It also means that for a good portion of the book we get to put our focus on Marie, and we get to know her really well. Even in comics where she's a focus I feel like I've not really gotten to know Rogue very well. She's often portrayed as an outgoing and confident woman, though one who uses that to hide her true feelings. There are occasional moments of insight into her, normally focused on her being unable to touch people and how that causes her pain, but that't about it. Here we get to know her as a real person. We get to learn about her past, her hopes and dreams for the future. We get to see what makes her tick, and it might be one of the best depictions of Rogue because of that.

But, she's not the only character to fill the pages, and readers get some other well known mutants showing up too. There are a handful that make smaller appearances towards the latter half of the book, and one who has a big connection to Rogue, but I'm not really going to talk about them too much so as not to spoil anything. What I will say is that these characters were a lot of fun, and whilst I suspected who one of them was the first time we saw them it was still a lot of fun waiting for that reveal, and seeing how they formed a relationship with Marie.

The one I will talk about, however, is Remy. Gambit is a character I've never really liked a whole lot if I'm being honest. There's a lot about him to like, his outfit looks cool, he's got awesome eyes, his power is neat, and he's got a lot of charm. But I think a lot of writers push a little too hard to make Gambit the 'cool' character, and this only makes me struggle to enjoy him. He becomes a caricature rather than a real person. Kwitney, however, removes a lot these expectations for the character. He's no longer being made into the 'cool' person on the team, as there is no team. Instead he's allowed a chance to breathe and be his own person.

The Gambit presented in this book has a lot of charm, sure, but he's not just spending all of his time flirting with Rogue and trying to get in her pants. He actually seems to care about her as a person, and treats her as more than just his latest conquest; a trap that some writers seem to fall into. Watching him and Marie get close, and form a very real friendship was such a fresh take on the two of them. I got to see him as someone gently introducing someone to their newly discovered powers, acting as a mentor. It's a dynamic I can't remember the two of them ever really having before, but it works so well here.

Alisa Kwitney has experience writing young adult books, and it really shows here. This isn't a story about a super heroine going off on an adventure and using her powers to take down a villain, it's the story of a young woman learning about herself, of discovering new things and learning to embrace who she is. The story works so well not because of the powers or the action, but because it's a story about people. Not only is this approach something that feels fresh and new to these characters, but it's one that I hope to see again with other comic book heroes.

Like most people my age, my first exposure to the X Men was in Fox's cartoon in 1992. I was never a massive fan of the comics...I tried a couple of time, but there's too much backstory now for a beginner, or at least for this beginner. I watched the cartoon, read some fanfic, saw the movies when they came out. So I was really excited to read this new version of Rogue and Gambit's story.

The blurb is a little inaccurate in a couple of places, but it's basically right. I did think that some of Gambit's backstory wasn't very well explained, but it was necessary to keep some surprises in the storyline. I had great fun picking out the characters I knew and the ones I didn't; the new ones fit in perfectly smoothly alongside the old faithfuls, which was great. I'd love to read more from this set of characters, and find out if certain characters' altered behaviour is real or not...

(I did think it was a bit strange that the narration told us only Rogue's aunt and neighbour ever called her Anna Marie, and then every other character used that name.)
I very much enjoyed this. Fans of the X Men, or of action packed adventure stories, will enjoy it too.



Rogue: Untouched publishes on the 4th May, 2021. The publisher has asked me to make clear I received this copy free in exchange for an honest review, and to add the following information;


About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

Thanks to Netgalley and Aconuyte Books, I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review
***
Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney takes us back to a more modern, updated origin of Rogue/Anna Marie.
Anna Marie is a bit of a town pariah after she kissed her boyfriend, football star Cody, and put him into a coma. She does her best to keep her head down, and works hard as a waitress putting aside as much money as possible because she wants to put this place behind her and go to school and become more than the girl who kissed her boyfriend into a coma.
Unfortunately all her plans go awry when two very different people show up at her diner. First is Remy running from something (and this boy does not know how to keep his shirt on, he is constantly taking it off and batting those red eyes of his at Anna Marie) and the second is Lucretia and her slight companion Mrs. Adler who are looking for recruits for their special school (some X-men fans are not going to be surprised who these two women are).
Before she knows what hits her Anna Marie learns she is a mutant and how her powers work, gets swept up in a mutant slave ring, and finds herself a part of a bigger world than she has ever been in her small town.
Rogue is both brave and scared. Confidant and timid. She is a whirlwind of emotions. All the while she has charming Remy at her side (who needs to keep his shirt on) helping her along. She is though learning exactly who she is and what she wants and I can see a very different future for her than the one she originally came from if she keeps this up.
Fun fast paced novel. Easy to get swept up in and it was fun seeing some characters I have not seen in a long time and others I had not heard of before now.
***
About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

The third volume in Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Heroines series, Alisa Kwitney’s Rogue: Untouched offers a modern origin story for one of Marvel’s most famous X-Men. In Peck, Mississippi, population 1,063, Anna Marie (or Marie, as she prefers) works diner shifts to try and earn enough to get out and make a better life for herself. Life is tough for a young woman on her own, not least when she has a history of strange things happening around her, but little does Marie suspect that latent mutant powers are to blame for many of her difficulties. Things start to change, however, when she meets charismatic Cajun thief Remy and rich businesswoman Lucretia, both of whom seem to understand what she’s been through, and learns for the first time about her mutant nature. An unexpected new opportunity quickly turns into more trouble than ever before, but if only she can find a way to survive she might at last be able to choose who she wants to be.

The established character of Rogue may be well-known to Marvel fans but here we get to see her at a particularly interesting point in her pre X-Men life, taking her first tentative steps into a world of mutant powers and deadly enemies. Sure, it’s an introduction to Rogue, but really it’s Marie’s story, touching lightly upon her life up to this point (an absent mother and strictly religious aunt, an unpleasant incident with a boyfriend ending up in a coma) but dealing much more with who she is as a person and the struggles she faces just to be herself. While the usual mutant prejudice angle is only lightly touched upon, Marie feels a similar sense of estrangement just from being a regular outsider, in a place which doesn’t know she’s a mutant but has pigeon-holed her as strange and ‘other’ regardless. Meeting Remy and Lucretia, and learning that she herself is a mutant, is like the tantalising sight of a better future she could never imagine, one that’s then torn away (for reasons too spoilerific to mention) as she’s thrown into a situation in which she’s out of her depth and doesn’t know who to trust.

Set entirely in small-town Mississippi and very much in the here and now, there’s an endearing sense that this is its own, self-contained story despite being part of the wider X-Men universe. There are plenty of other interesting characters introduced along the way (mostly mutants, including names like Toad and Pyro that will be familiar to X-Men fans) but the main focus is on Marie and Remy (Gambit), and to a lesser extent Lucretia, and Kwitney spends more time exploring their fundamental characters than their mutant powers. Of course, there’s lots of fun to be had when the flashy powers do come out, and Marie’s particular powers work brilliantly for this sort of ‘what the hell is going on’ story as she tries to figure out what she’s capable of and how to control it. As powerful as we the readers know she will become in future, here she’s just starting off, and she relies as much on the observation skills instilled by her waitressing experience as anything else.

It’s all told with a breezy, natural momentum that feels easy to read and hard to put down, and the character-first approach helps to ensure it’s as accessible as possible irrespective of the reader’s existing knowledge of the Marvel universe. It’s paced in such a way that there’s a lot of gradual, characterful build up before an action-packed finale, and some might prefer a bit more lead-in for the climactic showdown, but the lack of preparation is reflected in-universe too, so it does actually (just about) make sense. All told it’s a fun, entertaining read that doesn’t quite have a YA feel, but hits that crossover sweet spot of appealing to both younger readers looking for a story featuring slightly older characters, and older readers happy to concentrate on if not quite a coming of age story then certainly one focusing on identity (as well as cool mutant powers). Anyone after a great comic book adaptation which shifts an intriguing origin story into the present era is likely to find a lot to enjoy here.

I received an advance copy of Rogue: Untouched from Aconyte Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rogue: Untouched follows Anna Marie, AKA Rogue, as she realizes she's a mutant and becomes entangled in the troubles of a handsome stranger. As her involvement in the mutant world deepens, Rogue is forced to come into her own power or risk losing everything.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved a lot of the X-Men movies and TV shows, and Rogue has always been a favourite character. Exploring her origin story in a novel seemed like a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, I ultimately found the novel unsatisfying in a lot of ways. Instead of sticking to a few core story elements and allowing them to shine, Rogue: Untouched introduced so many different plots and characters that they all became choked for oxygen. I would have loved more of an exploration of Rogue's past before the book started, or her burgeoning relationship with Remy, or a deeper exploration of the side characters. Instead, each of those plot points was given a few pages of attention before being shoved aside to introduce something new and exciting, until that new element was displaced by yet another new element. Ultimately I felt that no individual plot got the attention it deserved because there just wasn't enough space in a 350 page novel to properly execute all the stories introduced.

What I did really appreciate about Rogue: Untouched was its new take on characters with whom I was already familiar. Having only ever watched the X-Men movies and not read the comics, I had only ever seen the cinematic characteriation of Rogue, Mystique, and Gambit. Getting to see different elements of their characters explored was intriguing, even if I do quibble the execution, and wish more time had been spent exploring them as individuals.

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I think a lot of my enjoyment of this book comes from a place of deep nostalgia. I kept envisioning Rogue and Gambit ala the 90's X-Men: the Animated Series and the comics from that era, which I love. Would I have liked this book as much if I couldn't hear Rogue's throaty southern sass or Gambit's lazy bayou drawl in my head while I read their dialogue? I'm not sure, but I don't think I would have.

Since I can't go back in time and unlive my forever love of the X-Men, I'll just review this book the best I can! I should also note that I am a die-hard Rogue+Gambit 4ever stan. They just might be my OTP. SO. When I started reading this book and a smooth talkin' Cajun man wearing a brown leather trench coat and shuffling a deck of cards showed up in Anna Marie's diner - hoo boy! You'd better believe I squealed with glee.

This felt pretty YA in the writing style, though Rogue is supposed to be about 20 in this book I think. The pacing is pretty good, though sometimes it felt like things happened a bit out of the blue. I feel like maybe there were some gaps in the storytelling that I was able to fill in with my own previous knowledge that someone who doesn't have a history with X-Men/Rogue might not be able to (mostly around character descriptions - like Gambit's eyes at first are described as having a red iris but not that the whites of his eyes are black, so later when it's mentioned it's a bit of a "wait, what?" moment). All in all, a fun and quick read about some of my favorite mutants!