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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Renegades
by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5/5
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian
Pages: 553
Amazon
Author
This book was a present from me to me, no disclaimer needed.
Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both. - Amazon.com
If you've not read a Marissa Meyer book then what are you waiting for?? This book was absolutely beautiful! Set after the victory of the Renegades from the "evil" Anarchists, you can't help but be on the side of the Renegades... but what if you're not getting the whole story? Told in duel narrative, you see both sides of the conflict, one from Nova who is our Anarchist nicknamed Nightmare with the ability to put people to sleep and not have to sleep herself, and our Renegade Adrian, nicknamed Sketch who can draw things to life and might have another secret he's not even sharing with his superhero parents. The thing that is usually done in superhero novels is that they have a clear evil villian and a clear superhero. While this book has some of those, you can't help but be conflicted on who's side you need to be on by the end of the novel. The best things about this book are that the characters not only have imaginative and creative abilities and superpowers, but even the least "on-screen" character has enough personality to carry a scene and not be the wallflower of the book. The plot is very well done as well and while it is a bit cliche it doesn't have that cliche feel and even feels fresh and new. The pacing is also very well done. It's fast paced, but the author does not skimp on the world building or sacrifice the story at any point to move along to the next scene. And to top it all off I think Meyer's writing is some of the best I've read this year. Her writing keeps your engaged and focused throughout the novel and it leaves you wanting more when you put the book down. Meyer also does really well in writing the romance in the book. There is no insta-love in the book and I think that's sadly a minority in today's YA world.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I think the book focused too much on the superheroes and those with abilities. I would have liked some narrative from humans who tried to join the Renegades or the Anarchists or regular humans, because Meyer does make it a point to show that the regular humans have become lazy and depend on the Renegades for everything. I would like to see why from the perspective of a regular human. I would also like to say that because this is the first book in a new series there will be some slower moments in order for there to be adequate world building and character development. I think it was handled well and it didn't drag for me, but others might not see it like I do.
Verdict: If you're a fan of superhero novels, especially Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, then you might enjoy this book. It definitely will make you question about morality and what is truly right and truly wrong and it is, in my opinion, the perfect read for someone who is transistioning from comic books to novels.
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian
Pages: 553
Amazon
Author
This book was a present from me to me, no disclaimer needed.
Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both. - Amazon.com
If you've not read a Marissa Meyer book then what are you waiting for?? This book was absolutely beautiful! Set after the victory of the Renegades from the "evil" Anarchists, you can't help but be on the side of the Renegades... but what if you're not getting the whole story? Told in duel narrative, you see both sides of the conflict, one from Nova who is our Anarchist nicknamed Nightmare with the ability to put people to sleep and not have to sleep herself, and our Renegade Adrian, nicknamed Sketch who can draw things to life and might have another secret he's not even sharing with his superhero parents. The thing that is usually done in superhero novels is that they have a clear evil villian and a clear superhero. While this book has some of those, you can't help but be conflicted on who's side you need to be on by the end of the novel. The best things about this book are that the characters not only have imaginative and creative abilities and superpowers, but even the least "on-screen" character has enough personality to carry a scene and not be the wallflower of the book. The plot is very well done as well and while it is a bit cliche it doesn't have that cliche feel and even feels fresh and new. The pacing is also very well done. It's fast paced, but the author does not skimp on the world building or sacrifice the story at any point to move along to the next scene. And to top it all off I think Meyer's writing is some of the best I've read this year. Her writing keeps your engaged and focused throughout the novel and it leaves you wanting more when you put the book down. Meyer also does really well in writing the romance in the book. There is no insta-love in the book and I think that's sadly a minority in today's YA world.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I think the book focused too much on the superheroes and those with abilities. I would have liked some narrative from humans who tried to join the Renegades or the Anarchists or regular humans, because Meyer does make it a point to show that the regular humans have become lazy and depend on the Renegades for everything. I would like to see why from the perspective of a regular human. I would also like to say that because this is the first book in a new series there will be some slower moments in order for there to be adequate world building and character development. I think it was handled well and it didn't drag for me, but others might not see it like I do.
Verdict: If you're a fan of superhero novels, especially Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, then you might enjoy this book. It definitely will make you question about morality and what is truly right and truly wrong and it is, in my opinion, the perfect read for someone who is transistioning from comic books to novels.