Marissa Meyer is a writer who sticks with you. Her words have a way of working their way into your mind and truly not letting you go until you've finished that last page. And even then, you're left craving more. This is her first superhero novel, but I sure hope it isn't her last! There are heroes and villains. We get the perspectives of both Nova and Adrian giving us one on each of the sides. It's rather enlightening and quite a fun journey to be on. Highly recommended to readers of exciting YA fiction.

I couldn't have been more excited about this book - what could be better than one of my favourite authors writing about superheroes?

I was a bit slow to get into Renegades at first, partially because it took me a while to get to grips with who all of the characters were. When I did, I really liked the large cast! It was great to get an insight into the 'heroes' and 'villains', and to decide for myself who really fell into those categories. As usual, Marissa Meyer has created really interesting, likeable characters, and I enjoyed both Nova and Adrians' viewpoints.

The plot had a good balance of action and character development, and the witty dialogue kept me entertained. Renegades did a really good job of exploring different aspects of the superhero genre and I thought the range of powers was really inventive. Adrian's ability was my favourite, although I'd quite like to be invincible too!

By the time I got to the end of this, I was completely hooked, and I don't know how I'm going to wait for the next book in the series!

I'm still internally screaming about this book and it's been a few days since I properly finished it. Wow. This is the first book of Marissa Meyer's that I've read, though the Lunar Chronicles has been on my radar for a while. I'm definitely going to binge-read her other works if they're anything like this.

There's so much I want to talk about, so I'm just going to break this down into the things I really loved about Renegades:
1. The worldbuilding. I love how having a team of superheroes doesn't just fix everything and society is still fairly broken. This would make an amazing movie, as there's just so many powerful visuals (wow, that funfair was creepy).

2. Characters. Nova is a fantastic protagonist and I loved her and Adrian's relationship. Plus I never thought I'd come to love a team of villains so much but the Anarchists really delivered. Please keep them alive and happy? *crosses fingers* I kept feeling torn between whether I agreed with the Renegades or the Anarchists because both sides had some really good points.

3. The Plot. With that ending, I'm already counting down the days until the next Renegades book. Some amazing twists and I love how there's a bunch of mysteries still to be solved. I've already got a bunch of theories that I just need to discuss with people.

Basically, read this book because it's the best thing ever. 10/10 would recommend having your heart broken by it.

This book was full of interesting characters with so many diverse aspects. From the powers in which the prodigies have to their individual characteristics and development, I was never left needing more. However towards the start I felt that there was a lot of information dumping and that severely impacted my enjoyment of the book overall as it really took a lot of time for me to become interested in what was happening.

The book follows Nova, and Adrian two people on supposed opposite sides. Nova also known as Nightmare is a part of the Anarchists one of the villainous gangs and Adrian known as Sketch is a part of the supposed 'heroes' the Renegades. Nova decides to infiltrate the renegades in hopes to spy and find out information that will help the anarchists get revenge on the renegades. Nova does this as she has a personal agenda to avenge her parents and sister whom were killed by another villain gang when she was a child and were not saved by the renegades who were supposed to be protecting them. When Nova meets Adrian she begins to realise that everything isn't as one dimensional as she first thought.

“It's a terrible shame he's a Renegade, isn't it? Otherwise, you could have asked him to stay for dinner.”

Although, the way the author put together such an intricate world and developed such unique ideas was incredible, so eventually when I adjusted to the very different writing style I was then able to fully enjoy and appreciate how truly wonderful this book was. I realise that this is just the beginning of a series so this book had to introduce a lot of things and we had to be made aware of a lot of things in order to fully understand the concept. However I also think that it was pretty hard to grasp and could have been done in a much more subtle way. I did find the humour to be very quirky and enjoyable though, as I found myself giggling at quite a few things.

The plot overall was very action packed however the parts where it did slow off seemed to feel really unbelievably slow. So much so that I found myself losing interest quite often. But I feel like this was just because of the writing and how I just somehow didn’t click with it. I think I’ll have to give another one of Marissa Meyer’s books a go to see whether it was just the style or whether it was the story. I also found the plot twists to be kind of anticlimactic as I continued throughout the book, to be able to predict what was going to happen. There were a lot of hints that I think were meant to be subtle but they were really obvious and off putting. But I do intend to pick up more of the author’s books if only just to have a chance to be emerged once again in her very imaginative creations, as the idea behind this was amazing and if her other books are just as good then they are still worth the read in my opinion.

“We both know the world would be better off without heroes. Without villains. Without any of us, getting in the way of normal, happy people and their normal, happy lives.”

As a whole I did find it rather enjoyable and do intend to continue with the series and would recommend picking it up. However if you’re not a fan of superhero related things then I would steer clear, because those aspects of the book are also very important to the plot and characters. I’m going to rate it 3.5 stars for now but I’m still not a hundred percent sure of the rating.

I would like to say thank you to the publisher, author and to netgalley for providing an arc to read and review.

RATING: 3.5 Stars

To be honest I very worried about going into this book. I cannot for the not the want of trying to read the authors previous novels the Lunar Chronicles (odd considering I love retellings). But this book blew mind away. I loved the whole superhero setting. Nova is a great character and I enjoyed her story. That ending was made, I need book 2 now.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow. Where to start with Renegades? This was one title I was really excited to get a copy of, since I loved the Lunar Chronicles so much. I was curious to see what Meyer would do with the plot and the world-building, but I didn't know too much about the premise before I started reading. The world is a sort of Gotham-esque city where a council of superheroes called Renegades police the streets, carrying out justice according to the laws they have created. Nova, the main character, is the niece of the 'villainous' Ace Anarchist, the leader of the Anarchists who wanted to take down the council. Before the council, the streets were rife with villain gangs and crime, but some people [including Ace and his gang of super-'villains' want to create a world free of both the council and the gangs. Unfortunately, his demise has led to the council becoming even more powerful, and Nova plotting to take them all down in revenge.

It's a really quick plot, and I love how the world is set up. The super-powers the prodigies, Renegades and Anarchists have are all so creative, and there are a bunch that would never have crossed my mind. It's so refreshing to see ones which aren't just rip-offs of Iron Man or Wonder Woman or Thor, but they're all so brilliantly thought up. The characters and the plot were also strokes of genius, although if I do have a single gripe about this book it was that there were some moments where it didn't feel quite believable. [Spoiler:] Nova's Anarchist name is Nightmare, but once her identity is in danger she tries to fabricate a new one for herself, and there are a bunch of things which really should have been flagged up as suspicious coincidences between Nova and Nightmare but were never actually explored. I'm sure they will at some point, but there were lots of near misses that just seemed a little too heavy-handed or brushed under the carpet.

Even so, I couldn't recommend this enough. The characters are great, and the world-building is brilliant, and I really can't wait for book two to come out.

IN SUMMARY: RENEGADES has potential of heroic proportions, but doesn’t quite live up to it. Though it flies with a fun, varied cast and great superhero action, it’s punched down by pacing issues, an unfulfilling climax and baseless plot twists.

MY THOUGHTS:

RENEGADES was wholly… whelming – not over, not under. Just whelming.

The beginning and middle section of the book slogged. It just involved a lot of heavy character introduction, a lot of exploring the Renegades’ tower, a lot of scouting out and planning next moves without actually making them.

So many characters are introduced and described all at once, with real names and aliases just to make it more confusing. For half the book, I had no idea who was who and had trouble ascribing a character to an alias.

Characters didn't make decisions that would've made logical sense. Winston and Narcissa, for example, had opportunities to snitch on characters, but didn't take them.

The climax was a disappointment for numerous reasons. For both Nova and Adrian, maintaining their secrets was pinnacle to their conflict, but this isn’t challenged by anyone in the end. Now they’re back to square one, and I’m left deflated and unfulfilled because of it.

Nova’s plan for the climax scene went off nearly without a hitch. How much more exciting would it have been if things went terribly wrong? It would've ended on a stronger cliffhanger than the novel actually did, and hyped #2.

The thinly-veiled attempt to introduce a new plot point relevant to the sequel. Somene conviniently drops confidential knowledge whilst the protagonists are near.

Finally, the last plot twist was… really cheap. It came out of nowhere with absolutely no foreshadowing, and also served to make Nova an unreliable narrator. She kept this secret from the reader for the entire book, just for this shock reveal at the end? It left me more frustrated with Nova and how she managed to navigate around it.

Having said all that, I liked the cast. Honey was a great character, yet woefully underutilised. There was a good variety, too. Nova is half-Filipina (and, unlike for Cinder, it’s concretely stated in text). Adrian is black, and his dads, two of the most powerful men on the Council, are mlm. Oscar has a disability. (If you’re looking for nuance in the rep, though, you won’t find it here.)

I liked Nova and Adrian as individuals, but their romance was… eh. Nova is angry, bitter, resentful against the Renegades, and it’s a real driving force for her actions. Meanwhile, Adrian is loveable, a little awkward, but still serious when necessary, and also very hungry to find answers to his own questions.But to me they didn’t have enough romantic build-up. They were teammates, and— oh, okay, Adrian has a crush on her. And Nova thinks he’s attractive. They just snapped together. There was chemistry, but not enough to warrant them suddenly pining for one another.

Overall, a very all right novel.

WILL I READ ON?

Yes. RENEGADES wasn’t bad – not brilliant, either, but I like the characters enough and, despite my hatred of that last plot twist, I want to see how it affects the events in RENEGADES #2.

A brilliant beginning to a new series from Marissa Meyer. It’s packed full of all the best super hero cliches making it a really fun read but the real highlight is the wonderful writing and twists and turns which make you question just who’s the superhero and who’s the villain. I can’t wait for book 2.

I’m a huge big fan of Marissa Meyer’s and a huge big fan of all things super hero so this should have been a match made in heaven for me and for the most part it was.

The writing is as always wonderful and Meyer certainly knows how to create brilliant and complex characters who are kind of morally grey but it was maybe that little bit too long and had a bit too much going on for me to love it.

The story itself felt very X-Men, two groups of people with super powers (the Renegades and the Anarchists) who have very different ideas about what’s best for society and end up at odds. Nova (or Nightmare to use her super villain name) has been raised by the Anarchists following the death of her family at the hands of a gang. She feels the Renegades let her down and is determined to bring them down at any cost.

Adrian (aka Sketch) is a Renegade and, while he’s not wholly on board with the way some of the Renegade teams operate, he believes in the cause and wants to protect all of those who need it. His mother was one of the original members of the Renegades and after she died in mysterious circumstances he’s been determined to find out what happened to her.

When an attack by the Arnarchists on the Renegades goes wrong Nova decides her best chance to defeat them is to become one, going undercover to destroy them from the inside. Adrian however is obsessed with tracking down Nightmare as she seems to hold the clue to just what happens to his mother. Like Nova though, he also has a secret identity to protect.

I absolutely loved how twisty this story is. Pretty much every one seems to have some kind of secret so there’s a lot of mystery and reveals. The whole secret identity thing is just so wonderfully superhero-y. Although, like Superman, I found myself wondering just how no one could spot it was the same person with a change of clothes/mask/pair of glasses.

There are in fact a lot of the best cliches from the super hero movies, tragic backstory, discovery of powers, changing allegiances, double crosses, ya know all that good stuff. It may not be wholly original but it’s fantastically good fun. What I loved most however is how Meyer manages to take something that should be black and white and make it grey. As the story progresses it become increasingly difficult to work out just which side are the baddies and which are the goodies and I think I ended up with more sympathy for the villains than the heroes.

I really, really liked both Nova and Adrian as characters. Nova is a wonderfully strong character. She begins with some very strong convictions but finds herself questioning them. She does come across as a little naive (especially considering she’s part of the Anarchists) but I can let that go. Adrian is just very sweet and awkward and extremely gallant. He just wants to save everyone.

I absolutely adored the relationship between them. It’s a little bit Romeo and Juliet although Adrian is completely clueless that Nova’s there to destroy his family and she’s completely clueless about his secret identity too. It’s frustrating as hell (why don’t they know) but it’s also totally addictive reading.

The other characters are very well done and many of them surprised me. One in particular I was completely shocked to find myself feeling sorry for but it’s just a mark of how good the authors writing is that I was almost in tears when this horrible character got their comeuppance.

If I had one big gripe about the story it’s that there is possibly too much to keep track of. There are a lot of characters and I have to admit I struggled throughout to keep them straight in my head. Each one has a real name, a superhero name and a super power and it was all just too much for my feeble memory. I kind of hope there’s some kind of character list with all of this information, their relationships to each other and affiliations in the physical book and with a bit of luck in the next book too as I’m never going to remember.

I also think it was maybe a little bit on the long side. There were a few moments in the first half of the book which were on the slow side to allow for all of the world building and scene setting. I can completely understand why it was needed and by the second half I couldn’t put it down but I do wonder if it could have been done differently.

All that being said though I do think this was a brilliant start to the series. Towards the end I was finding it incredibly difficult to put down and ended up staying up till 1am wanting to know how it was going to end and it was totally worth it. That ending was wow and now I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next book, I need it now.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

Okay here's the thing: this book could have been amazing, it's everything I love and sometimes it was really amazing, particularly at the very beginning, but it was severely compromised by what I like to call "The Cheese Factor". I really like superheroes in general (I'm not ashamed - and it's not just because they look amazing!), and I enjoyed immensely exploring the different characters and their unique abilities. But I have some major gripes. I feel like I should start with these, to get them out of my system.

First of all, many of the Superheroes had silly names. I don't feel like Superheroes need to be silly; why can't they be devious, clever and complex? Giving them names like Nightmare and Frostbite make them seem like cartoon cut outs or really cringe-worthy "Gladiator" actors with bad 80's haircuts (if you've seen that cheesy show). This is slightly redeemed by their cool abilities, which were exciting to read about, particularly the more original ones like being able to draw something and it come to life. Although we've seen this done in the Mortal Instruments series too with Clary, I guess.

Second problem - the dialogue is not only super cheesy, it's also pretty wooden and seems really rehearsed which of course doesn't help with it not feeling like a bad comedy/spoof superhero sketch rather than a serious fight scene or fighting talk between rivals. Other reviewers have said that it reads like a cliche script and I couldn't put it better myself.

The plot does move along at a decent pace, but the first three chapters were perhaps the strongest to me - they were really exciting, had plenty of action and suspense and just had me hooked from the start. If the whole book had been like those first chapters it would have been 5 stars, easily. I liked Nova (Nightmare) though as a main character, she has some guts, but I didn't really like "the bad guys killed my parents so I want revenge" theme because it's really overdone so can be hard to appreciate.

I know it seems like I've done a lot of complaining (because I definitely have, shame on me!) but I did actually love the concept. Meyer has flipped superheroes on their head in terms of the good versus evil approach - it's almost impossible to know which side you want to root for because the standard "good" guys aren't necessarily good in this story, which I love. Renegades are the superheroes in this book who are supposed to be looking out for people, coming to save the day when they need to from the bad guys. Nova is one such alleged bad guy, and a member of the Anarchists, trying to avenge her murdered parents - Nova believes the Renegades are responsible. As such, the Anarchists and Renegades are constantly head to head in this book.

Unfortunately for me, the exciting premise and potential in this book was comprised by the cliche dialogue and cringe-worthy fighting scenes. Perhaps the next book could bring it back though, Meyer has been known to start slow and finish on a high!

I liked the book. I did. It was cute, Adrien aka Sketch was cute and Nova aka Nightmare was hella cool… but ultimately….it didn’t click for me.

I loved the way the world was set up, Gatlon being almost synonymous with Gotham City, and the powers that the characters possessed felt unique because of the difference in imbued personalities, so I didn’t even think to start comparing them to the comic book characters we’re all familiar with.

The second thing I loved, and probably loved the most, was the message of the story the moralistic aspects of good vs evil and who was doing the real damage to society really struck with me, and it was a fabulous theme to choose to convey, giving the story a complexity it otherwise would have missed.

The plot in an overall general sense was really good - it had all the right components, but I was never on the edge of my seat when I knew I should have been and it felt like there were gaping holes in time between one incident and another.

Granted there were a few big scenes, but around that nothing else seemed to be going on. It was like Nova and Adrien were the only two people who existed in the world and everyone else only came to life when they were in close proximity to them. I get that’s partly to do with point of view, but the other characters hadn’t done anything in the main character’s absence. (Where the hell was Queen B, Phobia and Cyanide during the park scene? and I swear it felt like months since I’d seen Oscar or Ruby by that point.)

Although there were a few surprises…. I didn’t feel surprised.

Superhero’s aren’t new. They may not be very common in literature but they’re all over our screens and so I think a lot of the awe I otherwise would have felt reading about characters and their powers was lost. Though the angle taken with Renegades was very different mostly in the casualness of the Prodigies and their powers (and the whole origin story side to developing powers was pretty dope too!) much of the Romeo and Juliet-esque storyline wasn’t (though I am more than grateful that aspect wasn’t leaned on too heavily).

Yes I would read the sequel - and I think knowing it will be a duology features heavily into that - but I wouldn't rush to get it.

This started out really rough for me. For about 40% of the book I was confused, loads of characters were introduced and I couldn't wrap my head around what was going on. I had to force myself through the first half and I could feel myself getting frustrated with having to read it. However, I pushed through and I'm happy to say that the second half was a lot better, the story picked up and I could finally follow what was happening.
This wasn't the epic superhero story that I was expecting, a lot of the plot points were predictable and it was a major cheese fest at times. I think it could have done with being much shorter too because I don't feel like all that much happened plot wise and it seemed more like a build up/introduction than the first in a series.
I'll probably continue with the series purely because of how it ended, but I have to admit I was pretty disappointed with this seeing as how much I loved The Lunar Chronicles.

Renegades, Renegades, Renegades, oh Renegades, how I love thee.

This book was a whirlwind of HECK YAAS and OOOOO. Let me tell you - it doesn't start off pulling any punches. You're thrown right in to this dark, gritty world, and you're faced, along with the main protagonist Nova, of how difficult life is in this superhero-villain world. And it doesn't slow down for the rest of the book either. This book is a constant ride of #plottwists, sarcasm, Nova kicking ass, Adrian being A-DOR-ABLE. And I loved pretty much every single side character. Even the bad ones - they're all just so interesting, and half of the time you do sit there questioning it like really, are these people really villainous for just wanting to be, I don't know, free? It certainly does inspire interesting discussion on good/evil and where that line is.

It had perfect elements of everything, action, suspense, funny moments, romance, diversity (like one of the characters has two dads, another one has bone issues and walks with a cane but still shows he's just as capable of kicking ass, and mixed race / ethnicity) and an interesting world and plot to go with it. YAAAASS THANK YOU.

So yep. Highly recommend this (especially if you liked Brandon Sandersons Reckoners, it has the same sort of vibe)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



★★★★☆ 4/5



First, let me start off by saying I've not read Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, it's on my iPad waiting to be read, I just haven't gotten around to it. (I live up to my name, I'll finally get around to it, but not anytime soon unfortunately.) So this is my first book by Meyer, but having heard good things about the Lunar Chronicles I had high hopes for Renegades and dived straight in.

Who wouldn't? Look at that summary, sounds like X-Men, right? Which is what I kept comparing it to. If you've seen X-Men or read the comics, then you know what they're about, but for those who don't know, the X-Men are a group of people with powers ranging from strength to telekinesis to telepathy. They use their powers to help when they can as well as try and fight oppression from the humans against the mutants, and this is where the comparison comes into this.

The Renegades (superheroes), mostly made up of prodigies (people with abilities), are fighting the seemingly good fight against the Anarchists (also people with abilities but these guys are the bad guys and often called villains), who want to bring down the renegades and end the oppression of humans against prodigies.

Adrian is a Renegade, born into it.

Nova is an Anarchist, brought into it when she was just six.

When they meet both their worlds are forced to shift, giving them both new reasons to hate the Renegades and Anarchists, as well as a change in their perspectives on both sides.

Renegades is long but by no means boring, it takes a little while to get into and I saw a lot of the twists coming, but not in the way they were delivered. I enjoyed the story (I even bought a physical copy) and its set up for the next book, (unsure if there's going to be a duology or trilogy), I'm hoping to see more from Adrian's Renegade team, Oscar, Danna and Ruby, as well as the Anarchists and whether Nova succeeds in what she sets out to do in this and if it's truly the best option for all involved.



Did I like the book? Yes

Did I love it? At first no, but once I got fully into it and used to the characters, yes.

Would I recommend it? Yes! Superheroes and villains, diverse characters, a good storyline with the potential to go even further.

Yes to this story. Yes to these characters. Yes to Marissa Meyer taking a little step away from heteronormativity and putting in a gay couple (there’s still not enough, but it’s a step in a good direction for me). Yes to superhero novels with unusual superpowers. Yes to tragic backstories that lead to a deep burning desire for vengeance. Yes to deconstructing the idea of superheroes as the one form of authority and a stark divide between good and evil. Yes to all of these things.

My one ‘no’ is possibly the length of this book. It’s rather long at 576 pages hardback (thankfully I was reading on my Kindle, I don’t think I could lug that about with me on the bus). But I’m not sure I can see what would have been cut. There’s a lot of worldbuilding and character introduction that has to be done for any of the plot to make sense, the other option would have been to split this into multiple stories, but I’m not sure how that would work either. So while it might be a concern for some, it’s not unheard of to have great books that are a little on the lengthy side – Strange the Dreamer was 536 pages after all.

But enough about length, characters! Superheroes have been done to death in a lot of mediums but film and television have really dominated pop culture of late (did you see Thor: Ragnarok? It’s great) and it was so refreshing to read a Superhero novel (I do have Wonderwoman Warbringer on my TBR for the next few weeks don’t worry). But not only is the medium refreshing, the superpowers are as well. Marissa Meyer didn’t go for predictable or overdone powers. I mean our main character has the power to never sleep. Imagine how much reading you could do…I mean saving the world.

What is most important to mention about this book is the way it dismantles a lot of the ideas that surround the superhero/villain divide. This could easily have been an obvious plotline with clearcut morals, but it isn’t as simple as that. Meyer explores ideas of who deserves authority, who is worthy or has the right to wield authority over others.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I went in expecting another Marissa Meyer fairytale (I had just finished The Lunar Chronicles and was a little bit done with happy endings) but I got a much edgier novel than I would have thought possible.

My rating: 5/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I started reading Renegades today, I haven’t read Marissa Meyer before but I have heard good things about her work.

This book has a kind of alternate universe, dystopian theme. Or I suppose, a superhero theme. It tells the story of Nightmare a.k.a Nova, her family and the Renegades. There was a war between the Anarchists (people with super powers who fought for freedom, led by Ace Anarchy, Nova’s uncle) and the Renegades (people with superpowers who wanted to end the chaos that erupted because of Ace). Nova infiltrates the Renegades in the hopes to discover their secrets and destroy them from the inside.

The book was well written, but as with most uncorrected ebooks there were a few mistakes. The characters were interesting and there was a lot of moral ambiguity that really makes the reader think about whether they agree with the characters.

It is however, a very cheesy concept. Superheroes versus villains, corruption, the heroes becoming tyrannical, etc. I still found it enjoyable despite this.

I didn’t find I was surprised by anything in the story though, I guessed that Adrian would become a love interest and that he was the Sentinel before we find out. I also guessed the plot twist about Phobia and of course, the very final plot twist. I also wasn’t surprised by Detonator’s betrayals, I was surprised by Nova retaliating though.

Overall, this was a good start to a series, but probably won’t be one of my favourites unless the next book is amazing. Worth a read though!

This review has been posted at:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2172214230 with added spoiler warnings.

*I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley!Thankyou very much to Pan Macmillan! This does not affect my opinion in any way.*

OH. MY. GOD. I'm shook! I was so excited to be approved for this book because Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series is one of my all time favourites, and the premise sounded amazing. She really did not disappoint with this one!
Here's just some key thoughts about what really stuck out to me:

What's most fresh in my mind given that I've just finished it is the ending, and this might just be the best ending I've read in a long time. If you're like me and become tempted by spoilers instead of recoiling from them, I urge you now DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PART BECAUSE IT WILL RUIN THE BEST SHOCK OF YOUR LIFE. * I decided to remove this part after I'd written the review! I really don't want this part spoiled for anyone, so I will add it back in later on after it's publication :)*
This book has an amazing cast of characters. Nova is an amazing, strong heroine who is clever and resourceful and defined by her skills, and never actually her appearance-I don't think it was described in detail once actually, that I can recall, which is refreshing. Nova's alter ego Nightmare is pretty cool too, with some pretty cool powers and pretty cool inventions. Nova's backstory is tragic and awful and made me sufficiently sympathise with her, as well as helped me understand why she values Ace so much. Let's talk about Adrian. What a cool, thoughtful guy! I loved seeing him interact with Max and draw all the glass figurines for him, and how he checked up on Nova and drew her flowers, he was such a sweet love interest! I also liked seeing his relationship with his dads (some cool representation in there) and how despite their tough Council exterior, they really care for their son. The supporting characters in this were fantastic! My favourites were definitely the Anarchists, Leroy and Honey were sort of evil but also really caring and I really liked them! Phobia and Ingrid were great villains, and I can't wait to see how Phobia is as the main villain in the sequel, given that it is heavily hinted that he is a main villain. The Council were also amazingly heroic, and Nova's Renegade team had a great dynamic, especially Ruby and Oscar.
Renegades was great for making me think. I study politics at university and this had some pretty realistic ideas about anarchy as a political system. On one hand, there is Nova and Ace's idea of what anarchy could be-freedom and self dependency. Then, there is what the reality was in the Age of Anarchy, which unfortunately went very badly and wasn't what Nova and Ace wanted at all. It raises questions about whether Nova's dream is realistic or not. You also have Adrian and the Council's views about the world needing government and superheroes. What I really liked was by the end of the book, I still didn't really have a side-I like both sets of characters and I believe both have good intentions in their ideas. I am not an anarchist by any means in real life, but in the book's setting Nova makes a convincing case.
I am sort of frustrated by one thing. I really wanted Adrian to find out Nova is Nightmare in this book! It's the big reveal and then they can work out their differences and decide to be together anyway! But of course, I'll have to wait for the second book with bated breath and hope that everyone turns out happy somehow and nobody dies. Sigh.

I'm a huge fan of Marissa. The Lunar Chronicles is probably my favourite book series ever. However this fell slightly flat for me. I think the fact that it isn't my usual genre didn't help, but it just didn't grip me. I found it a bit far-fetched, didn't like the characters much and overall left me a little underwhelmed.

One the most anticipated books for me this year was Renegades. When I could get my paws on the earc I was so happy, but sadly, it was not as amazing as I expected to be.

I was expecting a book about cool villains or at least SMART villains, I mean, they almost win if it wasn’t for the variable they didn’t count on, but through all the book they act without thinking on the big picture, they were… silly.

Then we have Nova. I like her character, what I don’t like is how little motivation she shows, I mean, you expect of her a little more passion on her mission, she already got the brains and the muscle.

Renegades wasn’t the epic tale of villains versus heroes I expected, although Marissa Meyer does a great work narrative speaking.

I really enjoyed this. Felt slower than Marissa's other books. At times I felt it could of been shorter but then I finished it and wanted more. I love the world and the characters and I'm excited about whats to come.

I love a good superhero TV show or movie, but they are extremely hard to get right in literature (not including comics). But when I started reading Renegades, it had some of the best story-building and I loved that it had a ton of diversity (something Bloggers have been pleading for writers to actually write about and make them Mains). I got a ton of Superhero vibes from the characters that reminded me of some Marvel vigilantes and heroes we see on the big screen, and in Renegades, the powers and abilities are dynamic and sheer-brilliant.
Nova has a striking, affecting voice and her motivation for retribution made for great storytelling. When Adrian was introduced, who is a Renegade, he doesn't want revenge, but justice. The secondary characters are also winning in their own league, but for me, I really liked Nova the best. The characters personalities clash because of their overall motivations (just as apposing heroes/villains do) but the action is the best part toward the end of the book when the story really speeds and we can get a sense of where the next book will pick up and continue the epic tale. I was hoping that the action would pick up a tiny bit sooner, just because I like it to around the middle of the book, but I understand that a lot of world-building was needed to get a sense of what Renegades is all about.
Overall, I loved Renegades. The suspense, diversity, strong female presence and unique theme (I haven't read a book like this ever) made for a sparkling and spectacular weekend read for me. If you're a superhero fan and you've loved Marissa's previous writing, I think you're hugely going to love what Renegades has to offer.