Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series has been one of my favourite series for a couple of years now, so when I heard she was writing a book about superheroes, my heart skipped a beat. I thought Renegades fit perfectly in the row with Marvel and DC stories, and I do defjnitely recommend it to people who love either of those. Great characters, great storytelling, overall just an amazing superhero story, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

2 1/2 stars. I'm reminding myself while I'm writing this that I really didn't like Meyer's Cinder but went on to enjoy the rest of the series. Maybe Meyer is just not great at beginnings. Maybe I'm already feeling burned out on this new "It" genre featuring superhero stories. All I know is that Renegades didn't really pick up until the second half and, looking back, I don't get the sense that this first book really had a story arc. There was no climax or revelation. It felt like one very long introduction.

For much of the book, this feels like a very standard superhero tale that doesn't do anything new. After an age of anarchy descended and gangs ruled the streets, the Renegades emerged to restore the balance with their superpowers. Now they rule the city. The orphaned Nova, however, feels they are the reason her parents were murdered and so she teams up with the other side - the Anarchists - in order to overthrow the Renegades.

It was almost unreadable at first, with the cliche dialogue making it seem as if the characters were reading off the script for the latest superhero movie:
"Nightmare," said Smokescreen, with a subtle incline of his head. "It's been a while."
"You're about to wish it had been longer."
***
"Your days of villainy are over, Nightmare."

Both characters and scenes seem stolen straight from Marvel. Frostbite is obviously a play on Storm from X-men, right down to the “silver-white hair”. Gargoyle is a Hulk-like monster. They are not developed far beyond the description of their powers, which makes it difficult to distinguish them from the superheroes we know. Similarly, the parade attack near the beginning will surely remind many readers of the Green Goblin vs Spiderman parade attack.

And how is it possible that no-one worked out that Adrian is the Sentinel? Honestly, how? The Sentinel is a mysterious new superhero who claims he is a Renegade and Adrian suddenly disappears every time he’s around. Plus everyone knows how much both Adrian and the Sentinel want to find Nightmare… how do they not know? He is the worst at having a secret identity. (Note: this is not a spoiler. We are told his identity in the beginning.)

It's a long book for YA and it feels even longer. Though it does pick up eventually, I thought it was too little, too late. I will probably read on with the series, if only because I learned once already that Meyer builds up to the goods. But my expectations have been dramatically lowered.

Diversity points for the Italian-Filipina protagonist, Adrian's two dads, and a character with a disability.