I *really* enjoyed this read!

I admit upfront that I do not have a lot of prior Marvel knowledge. I'm not a huge fangirl. I vaguely remember watching and enjoying X-Men movies many years ago but that's the extent of my experience.

I do know that Rogue was always my favourite (although how much of that is due to her being played by fellow Kiwi Anna Paquin, I'm not sure). So when I saw this gorgeous depiction of her on the cover on Netgalley, I had to give this a try.

This is essentially an origin story for Rogue. The first part has some Sookie Stackhouse vibes (funnily enough, also Anna Paquin lol) - we meet Rogue when she is diner waitress Marie with no idea she has any mutant powers. A charming man and an enigmatic woman enter her diner and her life, and things get pretty topsy turvy for her from there!

I found this book an absolute blast to read and it got me out of a book hangover. The writing was snappy and easy to read. The world and characters were a lot of fun, with lots of strange looking mutants and outlandish magical powers. There's bad guys and escape attempts and fight scenes and shapeshifting and a nice little bit of romantic tension that never takes over the story. Rogue is a wonderful fallible heroine - strong and brave but human and imperfect and relateable too.

How much of this story is "cannon", I don't know and frankly I don't really care. As an "outsider" to the fandom, I simply found this a fun, easy read that I really enjoyed. I will be looking up this author's other books.

4.5/5

A huge thank you to Aconyte Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Rogue has always been one of my favourite characters from X-Men (ever since I saw the X-Men: Evolution cartoon as a child), so when this popped up I was unbelievably excited to get into. I mean, a Rogue origin story? Sign me up!

Rogue: Untouched was a pretty interesting dive into Rogue's character, and had a super intriguing start - starting with a Rogue after she had developed her abilities (but before she was aware of them) and introducing a cast of characters both familiar and unfamiliar from the X-men universe. I particularly loved the introduction of Remy as the one to help her understand who (and what) she is, and loved the dynamic they had from the get-go.

In terms of the plot though, whilst I felt it had a super strong start with the introduction of mutants, and this thing called "mutant growth hormone", I have to admit that once the primary plot got going... I felt pretty lost. It definitely seemed to me as though the author was headed in one direction only to do a complete one-eighty and head the other way entirely, introducing this whole other concept that I was completely unprepared for and just kinda... doing this mass introduction of different mutants (known and unknown) and different powers and organisations and it just... it got rather overwhelming! It somehow felt both as though I knew too much of the characters, and not near enough. The battles and climax just felt too rushed and confusing and for a lot of it I didn't really have a clue as to what was going on.

I feel that for what the author tried to include here, it would have been better for the novel to be longer to properly introduce all of these people and dynamics, or even to have this be a duology or series, to give time for the reader to understand who everyone is and what's going on before throwing everyone in the deep end.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this. Whilst I adored the characterisation of the characters I know and love (particularly our wonderful Southern Belle, Rogue), and thought the style of writing was engaging and well done, I just wish there had been more to the novel (particularly in regards to the world building) to enable me to truly engross myself within the world and Rogue's story.

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#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

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!
Rogue is one of my favourite X-Men characters and I was excited when I saw that Marvel would be launching these prose novels and I was even more excited when they announced that Rogue would be getting a novel. While this does not necessarily follow her backstory, it is still a refreshing take on her as a character and it provides a good starting point for people who want to get to know her character. One of my favourite changes was her and Remy Lebeau—Gambit—getting to know each other before they had all of their baggage. They're one of my favourite X-Men couples and I thought this take on their meeting and backstory was really sweet. A fast-paced plot with a new take on Rogue, this was an excellent read.

Thank you to Aconyte and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Marvel, especially X-Men. Rogue is one of my all time favourite characters so when I saw that there were doing her origin story as part of the new line of books I knew I just had to read it.

Rogue has an amazing, yet heartbreaking origin story and while this is book does change things slightly, it still stuck to a lot of the cannon and I was impressed with how researched this book was with all the side characters! This story was so easy to get into and I could visualise all the scenes with ease! I love Remy so much that this book just made me so happy having him in it!

For me, it was hard to let go of what I already know about the character and to go in with a fresh, clean point of view. However this book is perfect for those who don't know much about the character or X-Men to help them get a better understanding about Rogue and Gambit's story and how their powers work.

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

By far Rogue has always been my favorite member of the X-Men. Southern, sassy and tormented by her powers, I think she is one of the most compelling characters in the comics. Author Alisa Kwitney tackles Rogue as a young woman in Untouched, a new young adult novel in the Marvel Heroines series. When Untouched opens, Anna Marie is a waitress trying to scrape enough money together to apply to Tulane University. In the Louisiana backwoods, Anna Marie is known as the untouchable girl who sent high school football star Cody to the hospital after one kiss. One busy night Anna comes to the rescue of a handsome man named Remy. Anna allows Remy to stay at her apartment and slowly the two learn more about each other including discovering Anna has the power to absorb other mutants power and take on for a short time as her own.

Anna and Remy are kidnapped by a mutant hunter whose mission is to sell them to the highest bidder. In the mansion of a villain dubbed The Pig, Anna and Remy along with a few other mutants plot to escape but not before people from Remy’s past come to collect what he owes them. In her fight to escape, Anna ‘becomes’ Rogue as she collects other power mutant’s powers and uses them against their original owners.

Highly entertaining, Untouched fills that need for Rogue fans who want more than the short portions of a story that comics provide. Untouched pulls from classic Rogue canon (the infamous Cody kiss) and the chemistry between Rogue and Gambit. What it feels like is a new modern spin on the character with references to Instagram plus Rogue’s desire to go to college and to get away from her small town and the bad memories it holds. This story works because of Kwitney’s ability to clearly describe the characters, including the brand new mutants so much that I was able to easily visualize all the action taking place. This retelling of Rogue’s origin story allows the reader along with Rogue to peel back the layers of her unknown abilities. Kwitney deftly combines a thrilling action adventure story mixed with a journey of self discovery.

Diehard Rogue/Gambit fans may be a bit disappointed at the ending but I think it’s entirely necessary for Rogue’s storyline to continue without her tied to Remy. The novel leaves their future wide open and even Rogue seems to acknowledge it’s not yet their time as she has opened a new world with her mutant abilities. Untouched is a must read for Rogue and X-Men fans and I’m crossing my fingers for more Rogue books in this 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.

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

Being scared to touch people, let alone form intimate relationships can make life a tad challenging. But when it is all you know, you do what you must to get by. What is a girl to do when she is offered an opportunity to move past a life that is barely a life at all? Go for it? Or start asking questions?

I really enjoyed this as a Rogue (and Gambit) origin story. As a teenager, I always wanted to pick up X-Men comics that featured Rogue and Storm and have never lost my love for these characters. This book is worth picking up if you are open to reworked origin stories!

Rogue is one of my favorite X-Men characters, and I was very excited to read this novel. I enjoyed the book, but didn't fall in love with this rendition of Rogue. This is a look at her as a young person, unsure of who she is, and trying to get out of her hometown and move on with her life. It's essentially a coming of age story. It could simply be that at my age I don't enjoy that type of story as much as I used to, because I can't pinpoint any one thing that caused me to not love it. The book is well written, and a fast paced, easy read. It even has some of the other well known mutant characters, such as Gambit, Mystique, and Pyro. There are also little elements of known storylines from the comics included, in this brand new imagining. I feel it's important to note that the character representation was diverse, and real every day struggles like issues with food, and depression were mentioned, if only briefly. This book sets up the ability to dive into some deeper issues if a sequel is ever written. Ultimately I think this book would be perfectly suited for a teen comics fan.


**I received a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

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**

Free copy from netgalley.
I love marvel, I love Rouge, and I enjoyed this book a lot. Fun, fast paced, and easy to read. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, it’s a new origin story with Rouge and some special guests.

Reading Marvel in novel form is still a bit strange for me, and I’m not sure how much I like that compared to the graphic novels, but all in all I had a blast reading this

As a huge Marvel fan, this was a fantastic read. It was so interesting to see a different take on Rogue's original story, I even found myself liking Kwitney's rendition of her more. The characterisation of both Rogue and Gambit was excellent and I'm sure that even someone that had no context of their original characters would have found them both very believable and complex. Having never read a Marvel novel before, I loved consuming the story in this format as it really allowed a very in depth exploration of the characters powers. The overall story line was fast-paced, action packed and very engaging. Highly recommend to both Marvel fans and newbies alike!

Rogue will always be my favorite mutant in the universe, that's for sure!

And I really liked this interpretation of her origins (all very modern) eternally in love with Gambit.

Only that I felt too much dialogue in the scenes, I would have liked a little more action!

This is a totally 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, which made for a quick read.

The action was really great and I really love some of the powers the mutants have. They are seriously awesome!! Even when they’re using them to do bad things, I was still enthralled. I knew there would be changes to the story from what I know, which is mainly the movies that I have seen. But, I was missing some of my usual favorites. While I really liked reading about the mutants that aren’t in the movies, it would have been fun to bring in more of the familiar ones. But that’s not why I went with four stars.

I kept thinking, how is this all going to end?!?! There was a lot going on and not a ton of pages left. Then things sped up and within a few short pages it was over. So, while I really love this, I took a star off because the ending felt rushed. I just think there could have been more in the ending. This might be just me though.

So overall I really love this!! I cannot wait to get my hands on some other Marvel Heroines novel!!! I’m sure they’re all going to be great!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for giving me the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!

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

Will be posted on Amazon shortly.

This was tons of fun. Rogue has always been one of my favourite X-Men characters and I loved getting an origin story for her. This novel was full of action and angst and so many stakes it was ridiculous. The writing was super smooth, which made for a quick and easy read. *3.5 stars

I have been an X-Men fan for most of my life - I read the original comics and have seen most of the shows and all the movies. One of my favourite characters has always been Rogue, so I was incredibly excited when I received the opportunity to read about her origin story again. Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity.

I'll quickly mention the one negative thing I noticed about this novel. There were a couple of inconsistencies in the descriptions of some scenes. The example I noted was in Chapter 14, Rita is described as wearing one outfit at the beginning of the scene and then later in the same scene, she is described as wearing completely different clothes. It never impeded my reading experience, but it struck me as odd when I read it.

I give the rest of this novel high praise, as it captured Rogue's character very well as she struggled to realize and come to terms with her powers. I found it to be accurate to her backstory in the comics as well, which is something I can't help but watch out for. I highly recommend this novel to comic book lovers, those who want some superheroes in their lives, and anyone looking for a wonderful adventure with some great characters.

When I say I will read just about anything X-Men, Marvel or DCEU I hope yall believe me.

Seriously, I've read a lot ... and this book wasn't a dissapointment.

I love Rogue, have done since I watched her and wolverine on the screen as a little kid. She is the character that could have her story told over and over and never get boring.

Suffice to say, I liked this book.

It was short, perhaps the only let-down, but a nice addition to my ever-growing need to consume everything comic but non-comicbook related.

Rogue: Untouched is written by Alisa Kwitney and published by Aconyte Books, an imprint of Asmodee Entertainment. Rogue: Untouched joins previously published Domino: Strays, and Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest, releasing on the same day as Rogue: Untouched, as part of the Marvel Heroines line. Anna Marie (who goes by Marie), has been on her own since her mom disappeared. Barely scraping by on what she earns at her waitressing job, Marie wants to save up enough money to attend university and leave her small Mississippi town behind for good. But when a stranger shows up at the diner and she breaks up a fight between him and two small-town bullies, her life turns upside down.

Marie invites the stranger to stay with her, learning that his name is Remy LeBeau, former heir to the Thieves Guild. And he’s a mutant. It’s a lot to take in. Through interacting with Remy, Marie learns that she also has mutant powers; the power to temporarily take on other mutant’s powers. However, Remy isn’t the only new addition to Marie’s once-routine life. A mysterious, glamorous woman named Lucretia Borger offers Marie the chance to join her organization. If she joins she’ll receive room, board, and training for her mutant powers.

Before Marie can even consider Lucretia’s offer, her involvement with Remy gets her kidnapped by a group of evil mutants. Lead by the villainous Góngora, the group plans to sell Remy and other mutants as slaves. Now it’s up to Marie to learn how to use her powers and save her newfound friends.

When Remy enters the narrative, Rogue: Untouched really begins to hit its stride with character interactions. Remy and Marie play off each other well, and their flirtation is a lot of fun to read. Kwitney balances the feeling of carefree young love with the overwhelming stress both Marie and Remy are under.



Kwitney’s characterization of Marie is one of the best parts of Rogue: Untouched. Marie’s voice sounds familiar to her voice in the comics, complete with her well-known catchphrase “sugar.” Marie is fiercely independent, She’s used to relying solely on herself, and staying distant from other humans. Especially after her disastrous kiss with her ex-boyfriend Cody put him in a temporary coma. But Marie grows closer to Remy, and later the other mutants she’s trapped with, and begins to open up more. She starts to trust that she can be around people without hurting them. Marie is friendly and funny, and she’ll be ride-or-die for her friends.

One thing that meant the world to me as a disabled reader was Kwitney’s inclusion of Tessa, a mutant who uses a wheelchair. Kwitney doesn’t sideline Tessa because she’s in a wheelchair. Tessa actively takes part in the heroics. Tessa is an accomplished fighter with excellent control over her mutant abilities. And thankfully, Kwitney doesn’t have Tessa’s disability magically cured at the end of the book.

While Kwitney does many things right in Rogue: Untouched, there are a few technical issues. The pacing of the novel feels off in places. The exposition that sets up the characters and the basic plot is fine. But the middle of the story drags a bit, especially when compared to how quickly the final conflict in the book seems to fly by. Despite being a noticeable issue, Rogue: Untouched is still enjoyable.

Kwitney also struggles with repetitive word usage and sentence variation. At times, Kwitney’s sentences feel too similar to each other and not varied enough. And this becomes more noticeable as the story goes along. Kwitney tends to reuse similar words. For example, Kwitney repeatedly uses ‘porcine’ to describe Góngora. By the end of Rogue: Untouched I was ready to never read that word again.

While Rogue: Untouched has its issues, it’s still a lot of fun to read. With well-rounded and likable characters, the reader is sure to become attached to Rogue and her found family of mutants.

I have been a huge X-Men fan since I was in elementary school. I remember watching all of the movies and watching the animated series before school every morning. Rogue was one of my favorite characters, so as soon as I saw this book on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. Being a book about one of my favorite fictional characters, I had high hopes for this one and I was not let down at all.

Rogue: Untouched follows a different origin story to Rogue than the movies but it is equally as fascinating as the movies if not even a bit more exciting. Rogue goes on a big journey of self discovery and a dangerous adventure as she learns about her powers while also getting involved with familiar faces from the X-Men universe. I won't spoil all of the characters in this story as the joy of realizing that another familiar mutant was in the story is a joy that I don't want to spoil for other fans, but just know that comic fans, movie fans, and animated fans alike will all really enjoy this book.

When it came to plot, characters, and setting, everything was perfectly blended together to create an amazing story. The story was action packed yet all the characters were also developed really well. The setting was in there just enough to paint a picture of what was going on but not so much that it distracted from the story. I was very impressed with it all.

My only complaint was the iconic yet frustrating quote regarding letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding... why, just why. Everything else was so perfect. Why include that line??

Anyways, I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially X-Men fans. I really hope this book gets a sequel and I can see the potential for this book to be turned into either a stellar movie or a spectacular TV series. This book made my Rogue loving heart happy and I will never stop gushing about how much I love it.

Anna Marie (who goes by Marie), has been on her own since her mom disappeared. Barely scraping by on what she earns at her waitressing job, Marie wants to save up enough money to attend university and leave her small Mississippi town behind for good. But when a stranger shows up at the diner and she breaks up a fight between him and two small-town bullies, her life turns upside down.

Marie invites the stranger to stay with her, learning that his name is Remy LeBeau, former heir to the Thieves Guild. And he’s a mutant. It’s a lot to take in. Through interacting with Remy, Marie learns that she also has mutant powers; the power to temporarily take on other mutant’s powers. However, Remy isn’t the only new addition to Marie’s once-routine life. A mysterious, glamorous woman named Lucretia Borger offers Marie the chance to join her organization. If she joins she’ll receive room, board, and training for her mutant powers...


...Kwitney’s characterization of Marie is one of the best parts of Rogue: Untouched. Marie’s voice sounds familiar to her voice in the comics, complete with her well-known catchphrase “sugar.” Marie is fiercely independent, She’s used to relying solely on herself, and staying distant from other humans. Especially after her disastrous kiss with her ex-boyfriend Cody put him in a temporary coma. But Marie grows closer to Remy, and later the other mutants she’s trapped with, and begins to open up more. She starts to trust that she can be around people without hurting them. Marie is friendly and funny, and she’ll be ride-or-die for her friends.

One thing that meant the world to me as a disabled reader was Kwitney’s inclusion of Tessa, a mutant who uses a wheelchair. Kwitney doesn’t sideline Tessa because she’s in a wheelchair. Tessa actively takes part in the heroics. Tessa is an accomplished fighter with excellent control over her mutant abilities. And thankfully, Kwitney doesn’t have Tessa’s disability magically cured at the end of the book.

While Kwitney does many things right in Rogue: Untouched, there are a few technical issues. The pacing of the novel feels off in places. The exposition that sets up the characters and the basic plot is fine. But the middle of the story drags a bit, especially when compared to how quickly the final conflict in the book seems to fly by. Despite being a noticeable issue, Rogue: Untouched is still enjoyable.

...Kwitney also struggles with repetitive word usage and sentence variation. At times, Kwitney’s sentences feel too similar to each other and not varied enough. And this becomes more noticeable as the story goes along...

While Rogue: Untouched has its issues, it’s still a lot of fun to read. With well-rounded and likable characters, the reader is sure to become attached to Rogue and her found family of mutants.


My full review can be found at https://butwhythopodcast.com/2021/03/21/advanced-review-rogue-untouched-touches-the-heart/

I really enjoyed this. As someone who is a fan of Marvel superheroes and Rogue specifically, when I saw this title coming out I was hoping I would get early access to it. And this satisfied my hunger.

This gives us insight into the life of Rogue, a character in the MCU/Marvel narrative that I do not think has had adequate justice and representation. We get to see Rogue make choices that will affect her for the rest of her life, and we get to see more into the psyche of a mutant coming to terms with her new and untapped powers.

If you're a fan of Marvel characters and are looking for a story to tide you over before the next MCU movie, pick this up.

"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 is a mess: she’s on her own, working a terrible diner job and hiding from everyone. The powers she has started to develop are terrifying: 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: try her luck with the big-haired billionaire who claims to be scouting for gifted interns, or trust the rakish Cajun gambler with the eerie red eyes. But these two aren’t the only ones interested in a mutant just coming into her powers. Rogue will have to master her abilities and decide her own fate - before someone else does."

I will always have a soft spot for Rogue.

I’m so glad I found this gem of a novel. I grew up with X-men and I’m a big fan of all things Marvel and Rogue has always been intriguing and the most heartbreaking to me. I loved the spotlight and different take on her story that this novel took as well as the familiar characters that showed up.

This book is great for hardcore Marvel fans as well as the casual viewer. I am excited to see more from this Heroines series from Acolyte!