Peeps, I LOVED this book. I think it’s because I’m already smitten with superhero stories, so if you are, too, then I believe you’ll like it also. Plus, it’s Marissa Meyer. She is hands down one of my favorite authors these days, and SUCH a good storyteller. She just has such a way with words and characters and story…I am truly in awe. Plus, she’s pretty clean! That’s so rare for YA these days and I, for one, appreciate it.
First things first, if you haven’t read the blurb, Renegades follows the story of the Anarchists and the Renegades. The Anarchists are an offshoot of the glory days of “villain” prodigies who remade the world so people with superpowers weren’t feared and hated and killed and all that jazz, and the Renegades are the ones who stepped in to end the Age of Anarchy that the Anarchists brought when they tore down everything to make the world better for prodigies. Now the Renegades are in control and doing their best for society, while some of the Anarchists hiding in the subways are still a little bitter about everything. Nova is our resident heroine and the niece of the architect of the Age of Anarchy himself, Ace Anarchy (naturally). Her tragic backstory (you learn right away, so no spoilers) is that her family, allegedly under the protection of the Renegades, was murdered by a villain gang and the Renegades never came to save her. Now she’s all grown up and looking not only for revenge, but the remaking of society so no one is waiting around for other people to do heroic things for them but will instead step up and do the right thing and be their own hero.
Our other POV is Adrian, the adopted son of two of the founding Renegades and biological son of another, who was mysteriously killed. He’s got something to prove and is relentlessly trying to hunt down Nightmare (Nova’s alter ego) because he thinks she has the answers he needs regarding his mother’s death. Nightmare joins his Renegades team as Nova in order to take them down…and the plot thickens.
Look, I loved it. If you’re looking for a superhero/supervillain story where the lines are blurred and you find yourself wondering whose side you should be on, this is the book for you. A lot of it can be regarded as buildup for the second book, which I’m now convinced is going to be a humdinger, but I was never bored. I was so fascinated by the world and the powers and the adorable Max, who’s definitely a highlight of the book because of his quarantine and mysterious powers. I understood Nova and I understood Adrian, and they have a great conversation about whether or not the Renegades are good for the world and I totally understood both sides. Part of what I love about this book (and all superhero/villain themes) is the questions it brings up regarding good and evil and what makes a hero and who can be a hero and how to be a hero, along with giving me inspiration to be a hero every day. When a story can do that AND is entertaining as all get out, you know you’ve got a good one.
Also, can we talk about Marissa Meyer’s endings? They stay WITH you. I still haven’t gotten over the ending of Fairest and her last line of Here is what I think of love (READ THE LUNAR CHRONICLES IF YOU HAVEN’T), not to mention Heartless and now this book…I bow in supreme awe.
Now I’ll talk Hogwarts Houses just to admit that I can’t decide what to do. I thought about it for a week after finishing the book only to think that Nova is a Slytherin and Adrian is a Gryffindor, but that seems like a cop out…still, Nova isn’t loyal enough to her Anarchist team to be a Hufflepuff or too willing to give second chances, but just loyal enough to her family and Ace that she could be a Slytherin, I’m not really feeling Ravenclaw for her, but she could be a Gryffindor because of will to save the world from the Renegades and itself. I just don’t know. Thoughts, for those of you who’ve read the books and are obsessed with putting people in Houses?
As for Adrian, I’m also stuck, though I’m leaning toward Gryffindor because of how he wants to prove himself and inspire people and “be the hero”…I just don’t know for sure, though.
Hopefully the second book will provide answers…November can’t come fast enough.
