Rogue: Untouched

A Marvel Heroines Novel

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Pub Date May 04 2021 | Archive Date Apr 25 2021

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Description

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.
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...

A Note From the Publisher

This is a prose novel, not a graphic novel or comic book.
ALISA KWITNEY was an editor at DC Comics/Vertigo and is the Eisner-nominated author of a variety of graphic novels, romantic women’s fiction and urban fantasy for adults and teens. She was one of the authors of A Flight of Angels, which made YALSA’s Top Ten List for Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and the YA graphic novel Token, named a highlight of the Minx imprint by PW. Alisa has an MFA from Columbia University, and lives in upstate New York.

This is a prose novel, not a graphic novel or comic book.
ALISA KWITNEY was an editor at DC Comics/Vertigo and is the Eisner-nominated author of a variety of graphic novels, romantic women’s fiction...


Advance Praise

“Alisa Kwitney has an understanding of human foibles and follies and a light, intelligent touch that marks her as an author to watch and enjoy.”

– Neil Gaiman

“Alisa Kwitney has an understanding of human foibles and follies and a light, intelligent touch that marks her as an author to watch and enjoy.”

– Neil Gaiman


Marketing Plan

Full tour of articles, interviews, Q&As, and giveaways

Digital POS packs for stores to access

Media and online promotion with SFF/gaming magazines and websites

Co-op with Marvel Marketing team and Marvel.com

Online coverage with fandom podcasters, vloggers and sites

Asmodee promotion in-store and on Twitch, YouTube, social media channels

Aconyte Books social media spaces, including Facebook Live events and cover reveals

Fortnightly Marketing Newsletter

Digital ARCs issued worldwide NetGalley

Full tour of articles, interviews, Q&As, and giveaways

Digital POS packs for stores to access

Media and online promotion with SFF/gaming magazines and websites

Co-op with Marvel Marketing team...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781839080562
PRICE $16.95 (USD)
PAGES 336

Available on NetGalley

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Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 108 members


Featured Reviews

As stated in another review for a Marvel title, I'll read and review anything that is associated with Marvel Comics. This title is no exception. I absolutely loved it! I believe Rogue is a character that is untapped. I wish there was more stuff with her. This novel's characterization was well written. Action. Stakes. LOVED IT! You won't regret it!!!!

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This Rogue novel was a lot of fun! This doesn't follow the official X-men canon, but I personally thought that allowed Kiwtney to be more imaginative, and for Rogue to be more of a three-dimensional character. Rogue is a waitress at a diner, and dreaming of a collegiate future at Tulane. Then her paths cross with Remy (who will eventually become Gambit), and Rogue realizes that she isn't just a boring old human, after all!

I was expecting this to be a graphic novel, but honestly, it worked quite well as a novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

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Rogue: Untouched is novelization of the origin story of my favorite X-Men. It does take some artistic license and it’s not exactly true to Cannon, but I definitely enjoyed this version of the story. This is when Rogue first discovers her powers and so she is not the bada** that we have come to know and love. She’s a bit down on their luck and just trying to get by when she crosses paths with one of my other favorite X-Men, Gambit. This is before he has joined and he’s running with a rough crowd. Soon she is discovering the truth of her powers and embroiled in quite a mutant mess.

This version of Rogue reminded me a lot of Sookie Stackhouse early in that series. I was actively envisioning the comic panels as I read along.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to an ARC of this novel. All opinions above are my own.

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I’ve always liked Rogue as a character after seeing her in some of the X-Men films and I think it’s awesome that she gets her own extra chance to shine in her very own book! I love that this is a book based on her and her story, as it brings something different aside from the comics and movies. I do love reading novels about the comic book characters, especially when they’re done well!

This was brilliant and I loved the story. The plot was great and it was so easy to get into from the get go. I quickly warmed to Rogues character and became invested into the progression and story and couldn’t put it down.

It’s one of those addicting reads that you can just keep reading and reading and then you’ve finished before you know it. It’s effortlessly easy to read through and has everything in it that makes for a great entertaining story.

Great characters, great plot, love interest and a plight to overcome. It’s also Rogues journey to self discovery, from working out where she fits in the world and figuring out about herself along the way, as she’s tested, finds out about her powers and what being apart of the Mutant world really entails. I also thought it was great reading about how she got her name and overcame battles she was facing. She didn’t half get herself into some scrapes!

I thought this book was really well done, although having not read any of the comics I can’t compare novel and comic Rogues but I loved my encounter with her in this story. It’s filled with action, drama and many a twist and turn that I didn’t forsee and I loved it from start to finish!

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Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Rogue is my favourite mutant, she has been since I was four years old. Remy has been a close favourite as well which is really good considering he has such a prominent role in this! This book is full of x-men cameos which is great and was when I realised who they were, I was grinning from ear to ear. While I would say there are a few creative liberties (which is to be expected with a book rather than a comic/graphic novel), it was a fun read and I read it within a day of getting the book. I wonder if there are any more books that have some of the characters in this.

A warning, I guess: I would definitely say this is an AU as I believe it rewrites some of her backstory.

Rating: 5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes, Yes, Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

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Without realising I thought this to be a graphic comic book when I clicked to review. In a way Im glad that it was a traditional book. I personally am not an X-men fan however this made reading this book so much easier. I had no clue on the back stories of the characters and this made this story more enjoyable. I personally think this could become a graphic novel pretty easily.
The story itself was engaging enough that I read 90% in 1 day and proceeded to read the next morning when I woke up. I felt connected to Rogue and understood what she was going through 'finding herself'. The story had action, excitement and a little romance, however Rogue found what she needed in the end and that was a family (all be in mutant). A very enjoyable relaxing read.

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*Thank you to Alisa Kwitney, Aconyte Books, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

‘Rogue:Untouched’ by Alisa Kwitney is an original story set before the events of Avengers Annual #10, Rouge’s first comic book appearance. It is part of the Marvel Heroines series of novels from Aconyte Books which includes Domino:Strays by Tristen Palmgren.
The story revolves around Anna-Marie (Rogue) a 19 year old woman in Mississippi who is working hard to make ends meet. After a night of waiting tables at a local diner, she meets Remy, a mysterious, yet charming Cajun man. She also meets a woman who offers Anna-Marie the chance to make her life everything she wanted it to be. What she she finds is more than anything she ever expected.
Anne-Marie learns she is a mutant with the power to absorb the life force, memories, and in the case of mutants, their powers, through skin-to-skin contact.
Throughout the story, Anna-Marie learns more and more about her powers, grows closer to Remy, and finds a home amongst other mutants
The book is split into three parts.
Part One of the book is as incredible a Rogue & Gambit story as you can find. Alisa Kwitney handles the chemistry between Rogue/Gambit perfectly. In the “Acknowledgements” section of the book Alisa states she “started reading X-Men in college” and it shows that she knows the characters of Rogue and Gambit very well. There are also appearances by a group of guest mutants (especially a certain Texan and Australian who are two of my all time favorites)that made this X-Men fan very happy.
Part two took a sudden and completely different turn,and at times felt like I was reading a different book entirely. While it was fun to spend more time with Rogue learning her powers, the setting and plot of Part Two did not interest me, nor did the main antagonist. I spent most of the time reading Part Two longing to revisit Part One. The appearances of some other characters more than made up for it though. There is one particular mutant who is another favorite of mine that made an appearance in Part Two and I am glad Alisa used her.
Part three wrapped things up very well and and brought me back to what I enjoyed most about the book.
The only other gripe I have about the book is the lack of the use of Rogue’s trademark “sugah”. It does get used at times but “Sugar” was used too much not to notice. Other than that this book is exactly what I wanted a Rogue-centric book to be. A book about my favorite Marvel character,
with three other favorite mutants making appearances made this reader happy.
Every Rogue fan who reads this will love it as well.
If Marvel ever reads this review, please let Alisa have a chance at Rogue in comic book form. She deserves her name to be attached to the character.

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Me: Wouldn’t it be great if there was a new Marvel book series?
Marvel: *Releases Marvel Heroines series*
Me: THANK YOU!

I loved Alisa Kwitney’s take on Rogue’s personality. Anne Marie (aka Rogue) is one of those characters you’re desperate to learn more about. Her power - absorbing powers, energy and memories - and her fear of the consequences of using it (draining people/making them vulnerable) creates a brilliant conflict which makes her story perfect for the novel medium. I love that this was an origins story where it wasn’t just ‘yay, I have powers now’ but emphasised her need to understand how to use her abilities and trust herself. This dovetailed perfectly with her growing relationships; learning what instincts to listen to, who to trust and open up to but also to rely on herself first. Actually, every character was well defined and nuanced, the group dynamics were great and I especially enjoyed the wariness and warmth she feels towards both Remy (aka Gambit) and Lucretia.

I actually preferred how she readily embraced her mutant identity and the idea that she had powers. The simplicity and humour behind this scene was really refreshing. I was expecting it to be a bit darker and focus more heavily on the trauma (in places it maybe could have gone deeper) but I think placing the nearly-killing-the-boyfriend-with-a-kiss before the events of the novel made Rogue a tougher, more empowered character. The plotting and pacing worked perfectly for me. I was so ready for her to really test herself but also anxious because of her lack of control! I loved the big battle scene and where the book ended.

I would happily read a sequel following these characters and I’m really excited to read the rest of the Marvel Heroines series. Please, please, please recruit more amazing writers for lots of books, then connect up the characters and storylines to build to something epic (like the films but in book medium)! I am so ready for Marvel Phase Novels!

Thank you netgalley and Aconyte books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Confession: I don’t get the appeal of Rogue and Gambit. Like it’s not that they’re bad characters but they have the least dramatic story of any superhero couple. Their only obstacle is Rogue not being able to touch Gambit and they’ve figured out a way around that half the time. The recent decision to have them get married was a brilliant one and let them just be a happy couple. Good.

But that’s not going to stop me from reviewing a novel all about them. I am bound and determined to cover every forthcoming comic book novel and next up is indeed Rogue: Untouched from writer Alisa Kwitney, author of the fascinating Hawkeye/Black Widow romance novel New Avengers: Breakout, which suffice it to say isn’t an accurate adaptation of the comic but is pretty good. I’ve got biases. I’ve got a chance to put them aside. So how did this shake out for me?

Anna Marie is a waitress in the south afraid of her ability to drain the life from people. Into her world comes trouble in the form of Remy LeBeau, a redeyed swaggering Cajun hunk. They hit it off at once as Remy helps her realize her powers can be a benefit. But then a mysterious order led by a shapeshifter gets its eyes on her. And then an organization captures her and Remy, referring to her as a “rogue specimen.” Can the newly dubbed Rogue fight her way out and find her place? Will she revert to a normal life or use her powers to help? And what about Remy and the blonde in his past? What’s to come?

OK so even though this book covered very familiar territory I largely enjoyed it. I’ll get my issues out of the way first. This is hardly anything new. You know exactly where it’s going from the word go. There’s a bit of Rogue’s comic origin here and a bit of the movie prequel comic. Nothing here is fresh or shocking. It’s not bad but if you’re looking for something startling, this ain’t it.

That said this is a page turner. It’s a fun brisk read that moves fast. The villain is interesting if a bit of a cliche with his plot to sell mutants as weapons. Everybody is written very well actually. Rogue is a nicely strong heroine and her speech thankfully not written with an accent. I can’t complain that Gambit is from the Christian Grey/Edward Cullen cloth since he always has been.

What this really does is deliver the premise. This is a Rogue/Gambit story and it feels like the purest dose of that. Thus far the Aconyte line has stayed away from familiar characters but this was a stellar way to get classic. If you’re a fan of these two, you’ll be thrilled. The addition of characters like Toad in the background and Mimic also helps this feel like a line drive from 90s X-fans. It genuinely captures the comic vibe perfectly.

So yeah, I’m not the biggest Rogue/Gambit fan. But I can recommend this one. It arrives on May 4. Give it a read.

NOTE: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an 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

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A exciting and fun take on Anne-Marie, aka Rogue’s, origin story! The story follows a young Rogue as she still doesn’t realize she has powers and her encounter with our other favorite mutant, Gambit and the mess they find themselves in, not only their feelings, but the literal mutant hunting kind. Rogue takes in Remy after a fight she saves him from and he crashes at her place and soon they find themselves bonding. Too bad Remy has a long list of people after him and he might have failed to mention how bad his situation was. Soon Remy and Anne-Marie find themselves in a particularly dangerous situation and meeting various other mutants, and now they have to take a gamble on what paths they’re going to take and how they’ll make it out alive.

This was a really fun take on Rogue’s origin story and I loved the addition of Remy to it, plus a few familiar mutant faces. It was a fun story to read and Rogue was a great character! I seriously hope there’s more books because this was a great read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Aconyte Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

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Just so you know, all my X-men knowledge comes from First Class/Days of Future Past, a few episodes of the Saturday morning cartoon, and one random trip down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, but I thought this was really fun.

I loved Rogue and the rest of the characters. I know a lot of them are already established from the comics, but I thought Kwitney did a good job making them come to life. I thought Rogue was a really interesting protagonist. The first person POV worked because her voice was so distinct, and the supporting cast really made the story that much more compelling. I'm really hoping this is part of a series because I want to spend more time with the sisterhood of misfits and outcasts. I just feel like there's a lot more to explore with Rogue and the other mutants and would love to see them developed more.

The story itself was entertaining and had a little bit of everything: action, romance, self-discovery, and superpowers. The plot moved at a good pace and kept me engaged the whole time. I thought part 3 was a little rushed, but overall, it was an enjoyable way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Aconyte Books gave me an eARC in exchange for an honest review, and now for the mandatory legalese 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

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I was SO PUMPED to see Rogue: Untouched as a book. I am a nerdy comic book fan who can't get enough, so obviously I was going to jump on the bandwagon and pick up a few Marvel superhero books when I get the chance.

Rogue: Untouched was a mysteriously epic novel that re-introduces Rogue - a very famous X-Men member who is also incredibly dangerous. She drains people she touches, so she's one to watch out for. I would argue she's one of the more underrated X-Men (at least in popular culture). I'm glad she got her own book to explore her more! She was always one of my personal faves.

This felt like a New Adult novel, but it still worked wonderfully. It had it's dark and gritty moments and it had it's goofy, smiling moments. I really enjoyed Alisa Kwitney's writing as well - it fit the narrative incredibly.

If you don't know much about Marvel or the X-Men then you may not totally enjoy it as a reader. It's still easy to jump into and you don't need the background knowledge, but I can easily see fans of Marvel and the X-Men getting more giddy over it.

Overall, this is a great fantasy/superhero read.

Four out of five stars.

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

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I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Marvel Heroines book Rogue Untouched by Alisa Kwitney, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

Also I won’t lie, I have looked at other reviews to see what others think, so there may be some influences from them in this book review. If I am going to quote them, I will attribute them. But if I forget to, or something is highly influenced by them, and you think I ought to attribute someone, let me know so that I can.

What is Marvel
Look at this point I would bore you with a bit of background to the game/universe, but lets not, you all know the Marvel Universe, if you don’t have you been living under a rock!

The Marvel Heroines series focuses on the female hero’s of the Marvel universe, the first book in the series was Domino Strays, which I really enjoyed, so I was looking forward to this book.

The Story
This is an origin story for our favourite power absorbing mutant Anne Marie also known as Rogue, and this is firmly set in the Aconyte-618 Earth, so its been able to abandon many of the fine details about Rogues 616 backstory and reimagine it in a slightly more modern and interesting way.

The character of Rogue has been depicted very differently in the many media forms in which she has appeared outside the comics, with only the 90s Cartoon being close to it. In the movies, she was basically Kitty Pryde, but fit into that story they were making.

Here in this novel she is probably a mixture of the comics, cartoon and movies, to form a well developed character, who when we meet her, has no idea that she is even a mutant, and is subsisting as a waitress in a diner. That is until she encounters a handsome Cajun gambler, who brings her into a whole new world.

In this book, Rogue is a character who is unsure of herself, having put her high school boyfriend into a coma, she is just trying to get out of her small town so that she can go to university and study psychology. We get to see her interactions with her friend, neighbours, boss and overly religious aunt, which really does give us a great background for the character.

The story is told in a first person persepective and we really do get to know Rogue, better than I think we ever have before, especially in this early part of her life. We do see the internal trauma she has from the earliest manifestations of her powers, but I do feel like this is kinda put aside in place of more focus on the self-doubt, but another reviewer (Katie Clark) pointed out that having the trauma happen before the events of the novel, allowed us to see her become a more empowered woman, which I agree with.

Conclusion
This book is a very enjoyable read, although parts of the conclusion felt a little bit rushed, and I did like that as well as well known mutants like Pyro and Toad being featured, we also had lesser known ones like Zeitgeist and Nature Girl, and even some mutants who I am not at all familiar with, one of who I think was created for this story.

The Characters are super three-dimensional, there is no wasted characters here, and even those with bit parts feel a lot more fleshed out than I would have expected them to be.

Also the little reference to The 10th Kingdom, made me smile as I thought that was an awesome mini-series.

I think this book deserves a solid 4.5 stars out of 5, and I only knock it down a touch because the ending felt a little rushed and I think another chapter or two would have been appreciated.

There is also nice room in there for sequels, and I really hope that there are some.

The eBook is released on the 4th May and the paperback hits the shelves on 10th June.

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Amazing!!! I am a massive marvel fan so I was excited to receive this arc! For those who love marvel this will not disappoint

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This book was received as an ARC from Aconyte Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Being a fan of X-Men I knew Rogue and her powers but within the book it took me a while to discover it was really her. However, I appreciated Rogue's back story on how she was a normal struggling teenage girl and then discovers the strength of her powers almost preventing her from living the teenage lifestyle. Once I read on the story, everything started to come to light and I appreciated a back story on Rouge and whom she could trust before she became part of X-Men. Marvel and X-Men are huge in our YA collection and I know our community (myself) included will appreciate a super heroine story and Rogue: Untouched will be the perfect addition.

We will consider adding this title to our YGraphic Novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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Anna Marie is a waitress at a diner in rural Mississippi with a bad reputation. Everyone blames her for causing the high school's star quarterback to fall into a coma. Even though he recovered, Marie is still the black sheep of the town, was never able to finish high school, and is estranged from her family. Things start to change when a stranger Cajun named Remy shows up at the diner. Marie rescues him from some bullies and takes him to her apartment to recover. Along the way, she discovers that he and she are mutants. A few days later, she and Remy are kidnapped by mutant slavers. They must find a way to free themselves and save the other kidnapped mutants, but will Marie be able to help with her new powers or will she fail spectacularly?

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Though most of my X-men knowledge stems from the movies and some deep dives into the Marvel Wiki, I always really loved the idea of Rogue's character, so I was pumped to see she got her own novel!

Rogue: Untouched follows Anne Marie (Rogue) as she, after a disastrous prom night where her boyfriend ended up in a coma, works as a waitress while dreaming about going off to college and leave her town behind.
Everything changes when the gambler Remy walks into her diner, and she learns about her mutant identity.

First of all, I really want to give a shout-out to Alisa Kwitney's writing. She did a marvellous job giving Rogue her own, distinct voice. I really felt like I got to know Rogue better and I loved reading how she learned to use her abilities while simultaneously growing her confidence.
There was a lot of emphasis on her relationships with secondary characters too and I really enjoyed how well-defined these fellow outcasts and misfits were. The group dynamics and the tension throughout the novel really made the comic vibe palpable.

I think overall this is book works well as both a Rogue-centric introductory novel to the bigger X-men universe for movie-only watchers, but also for people more familiar with the comics, as there seem to be quite a few of X-men cameos. That said, I can't really say how loyal this adaptation is to the comics as I'm not very familiar with them, haha.

All in all, Rogue: Untouched is a fun read with an interesting villain with enough action and stakes that I'm certain many readers will devour this within a day. There are also themes of self-discovery, found family and, well, superpowers. A very enjoyable superhero/fantasy read!

Aconyte Books gave me an eARC in exchange for an 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

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Rogue has long been one of my favourite X-Men and it was great to see her origin story in this novel. The supporting cast was great, filled with old favourites and some new mutants that I wasn't as familiar with, and of course, Gambit. I'm hoping there will be a sequel to this because I'd love to continue with Rogue's story.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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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!

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I’ve always found Rogue to be an interesting X-men character, that is… ever since I first watched the 90’s X-men cartoon. Let’s just say that Rogue: Untouched didn’t disappoint and managed to stay fresh, without rehashing too much of past stories.

The novel is written in simple prose from a first-person perspective, with a good sense of humor. Kwitney’s writing made Rogue more than likable, bringing the character to life more than the recent films did, I would say. Speaking of which- Maybe due to Anna Pacquin having played Rogue in the films and also playing Sookie in True Blood, I couldn’t stop reading Rogue’s dialogue in her voice. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I love Anna Pacquin, but the fact that Rogue works at a diner in this book also calls True Blood to mind. Alas, I digress…

This one was easy to get into and at no point did I feel I had to take a break. It did drag a bit in the middle and the tale is not what I would call epic in scope, but this gives the reader more time to become acquainted with the character of Rogue as she comes to know her powers. I loved the addition of other characters like Gambit & Spiral and there were even quite a few characters I’d never heard of before. Overall a good mix of popular characters and those that are lesser-known.

While the story was captivating and the dialogue was fun, I did find the action to be a bit confusing in the latter part of the novel. A few plot developments were also a little convenient, but certainly something that can be overlooked for a superhero novel.

All in all, I would certainly recommend this to any major X-men fan. I also would love to read a sequel to this, as it definitely has potential for that! Here’s hoping…

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*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an 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

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What would you do if you discovered you couldn't touch somebody without draining them of their strength and their memories? And how much worse would it be if you just met a person that made you want to touch them all the time? As a long-time comic book fan, I've always thought the X-Men character Rogue was very interesting and kind of tragic.

This is probably one of the better novel versions of a comic book I ever read. It started out a little "teen-angst-y", and I almost gave up on it. But I stuck with it, and I'm very glad I did. The characters that it ended up pulling into it from the Marvel Universe made the book worth reading. (NO SPOILERS)

The timing of this book seems to take place around the early development of the X-Men and its followers. The author captures the anti-mutant feelings of the general populace fairly easily, while at the same time viewing the emerging powers of some of the younger mutant generation in a positive, or at least non-derogatory fashion.

With pure comic book action, a little bit of Comedy and a little bit of tragedy, this book starts out a bit slow but gains momentum very quickly. This is worth reading and worth owning in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aconyte Books for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

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I’m so happy that this novel series is a thing. Admittedly, this book is the only one I’ve read in it… But I love Rogue and have done since I was a kid. So this was obviously the way it was going to be. I was lucky enough to receive my e-book copy of this through Netgalley for an honest review. So thanks very kindly to the folks at Aconyte Books for that.

Rogue: Untouched is an origin story. It follows a young Anna Marie as she works to try to earn money to get out of the town she nearly killed her boyfriend in as a teenager. One day two mysterious people walk into her cafe, and she doesn’t realise that, together, they’ll change her life forever.

I knew I was going to love this book. What I didn’t realise was how quickly I was going to get through it. If I hadn’t kept getting distracted, I probably could have read it in one sitting. Straight from the off, you’re feeling for Marie. You want her to be able to get out there and when Gambit arrives. Well, you know you want them to help each other. Marie was someone who was struggling. But she was doing her best to do the right thing, and that made her likeable. Even if I’m a bit eeek knowing what group she’s actually been asked to join. But she was with them in the comics at first, apparently, so it makes sense.

I mentioned Gambit. And boy, do I love Remy. Childhood crush reignited in this book. A questionable charmer with a Louisiana accent. Why is that so attractive? I was definitely rooting for him and Marie but honestly? I’d have liked more build up there. It did kind of feel a little fast. I’d just have liked more interaction and fun, I guess.

The action in this book was good, and it kept it pretty fast-paced. The action did feel like something in a comic, and that was pretty well done. There was a variety of different mutations and seeing how they all worked really added something to the story. Other than Rogue and Gambit though, I only really knew two of the other mutants. I won’t say who as one is a spoiler. I know the bug girl was made up for this book because of the acknowledgements, but I don’t know if the other Mutants were. I liked them though.

Overall, I really liked this, and I might have to check out the other Heroines novels!

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

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As a young one, I was a huge fan of the X-Men cartoon; my brother and I would not miss a new episode. So when I saw an ARC for a novel specifically about one of my favorite characters, Rogue, how could I not jump on the chance to read it? And bonus, my all time favorite, was also a part of the story! If you know anything about Rogue's backstory, you know who I'm talking about, Gambit.

This wonderful story of two young mutants, meeting for the first time, and helping each other through some tough times, is a great read. You get insights into Rogue's mind and get more of the story that has shaped her life to this point, something you don't get to see often. Even if the book ends a little too abruptly for me, I feel there are loose ends that needed to be tied up, I would highly recommend it to fans of stories with strong, sassy protagonists, and fans of X-Men, Marvel, and comics in general. Hopefully, there will be a sequel to this story, and more Marvel Heroines stories to come.

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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*

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