Harland's depiction of Nell as uncompromising when it comes to her freedom and the security of her family is unmatched, exploring how going against the gain with a bull-headed kind of stubborn grit is both an admirable quality and a problematic one in varied circumstances. It's the kind of realness that is often left out of tales meant for 'female empowerment'.​

What truly sets Renegade Nell apart is its masterful blend of action, humor, and heart. Each episode is a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline-pumping stunts, clever plot twists, and laugh-out-loud moments, all woven together seamlessly against the backdrop of a richly imagined historical setting. The costuming details are glorious, both in highlighting the practicality of outfit choices and also addressing the often cavernous gulf between the options available to the upper and lower classes, as well as to men and women.

The show directly addresses the concepts of gender presentation identity politics, presenting thoughtful, and discussion-inspiring commentary without making it the focus of the show. There is a wide spectrum of masculinity and femininity showcased within the show, and the only comments of dressing 'properly' for one's socially ascribed gender-adjacent social role are made by old men, literally laughed at, and swiftly (if not always easily) dismissed. Likewise, the issues of race-relations, lingering issues of slavery, and the issues of immigration in direct and unflinching ways, but without derailing the narrative. Furthermore, the concepts of 'right' and 'fair' in terms of social governance and the socio-political contract of the governed being the ones with real power all get directly addressed and discussed as things that require proactive and attentive maintenance to ever have a chance at being implemented without falling into corruption.

From the breathtaking cinematography to the stunning production design to the incisive call-to-action social commentary, every aspect of Renegade Nell is executed with precision and passion, immersing viewers in a world that feels both exhilaratingly fantastical and authentically grounded.

In conclusion, Renegade Nell is a tour de force of storytelling brilliance that deserves to be celebrated far and wide. It's a must-watch for anyone craving adventure, humor, and heart, and a shining example of the magic that happens when visionary storytellers dare to defy convention and chart their own course. Disney+ has truly struck gold with this captivating series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

               This story also goes into spycraft with excellent accuracy in regards to how it affects the psychologies of everyone involved, as well as looking at how effective / ineffective it can be (and how a lot of how things pan out, whether for better or worse, is usually less to do with intentional action and more to do with relentless effort to keep the story spinning). It really got into the nitty gritty of it with exceptional clarity being given to the moral quandaries that come hand in hand with doing bad things for a good cause.
                The one thing that DID bother me a little is almost negligible: it was simply how they kept referring to Nikolai as 'Highness'. It's a thing I had noticed in King of Scars, but he was such a new king I felt it was ignorable, but by this point he should be solidly established as a 'Majesty'... Though I have seen it translated as such in some Russian lit, so maybe it's a Russian thing I'm not familiar with (I has simply assumed that the address translated strangely). Idk.
                 Anyway, plot-wise, the story developed with some EXCELLENT twists and turns that I was not expecting and yet fit within the narrative as part of a perfectly natural evolution. This one improved upon King of Scars by validating some of the boring bits in that novel without laboriously lingering over the rationales, it simply employed the results of what happened then into a present moment (with just enough recap to keep a reader up to speed, but not so much that the time it took to read the pervious installment felt wasted).
               The character development was also top notch. The admissions that anger comes from fear, that guilt is just a need for control, and that love and friendship are not things that can be affected by rationality or attempted decision-making are all wonderful and expose themselves within each and every character individually. Every character has a distinct arc of development that carries them through the motions of the main plot as a slap-dash combination of their individual stories. Zoya's development, in particular, was fantastic. I never really liked her until this one. I stopped disliking her in King of Scars but WOW did she blossom into someone awesome here (I think she's now in my top 3 of character faves for the whole series).
               Honestly, Zoya's development in this is just so far beyond exceptional that it truly makes this book a marvel. I know that it's a bit unfair to judge books on a comparative basis, but I just have to point out that Zoya's handling in this book is about 50 billion times more elegant and well-crafted than Nesta's handling in A Court of Silver Flames (which is a review I'll have up in full next week). Zoya and Nesta are both extremely angry characters with razor sharp edges and anger issues that bubble up to cover feelings of inadequacy and a soul-deep fear of pain and loss. They're both grieving lives they used to know, and suffering through a crude and unpleasant adjustment to living with trauma. From their similiar circumstances, they require similar methods to help them heal. Nesta's story follows a perfect guideline of How NOT to Handle a Person with PTSD, and is frankly 700 pages of dangerously irresponsible drivel (that doesn't work) and it wraps up in a last 200 pages with a shorthand version of what happened to help Zoya start to heal scrunched up awkwardly at the end like Maas got yelled at by a psychologist. Meanwhile Zoya's journey takes place at an even-keeled pace across the entire (much more succinct novel) and it starts right from the beginning with addressing what is healthy vs unhealthy in terms of coping mechanisms -- all while dealing with protagonists who are younger (and therefore more entitled to handle things poorly). Bargudo does an EXCELLENT job and that fact has certainly catapulted this book into my top 25 of all time!
              Over all, it was extremely well done. I will say that it was not quite life-changing, which several of Bardugo's books have been, but it was definitely one for the top 25 I've read ever, and top 10 for having read in the last decade (or rather it's the one to kick off the new list for this new decade). I am VERY excited about where this is going to lead the Grisha Verse as the series continues to develop!

                  ​Still, I do absolutely LOVE this one and highly recommend it to all audiences!