Nova has grown up with her uncle and his group of Anarchists. They have trained her to hate the Renegade superheroes, and she agrees to infiltrate their forces by pretending to become a Renegade so she can spy on them. Nova's loyalties are divided as she finds herself more and more involved with the Renegades and she realizes that they are not all bad. She is especially drawn to Adrian, a young superhero in training whose two dads are the leaders of the Renegades. 

This was a really fun story about superheroes and villains! The plot is adventurous and has many layers and twists. But the pacing is way too slow. The writing just drags on and on, telling the reader things we already know, slowing down the action to explain things that are obvious. We already know that the character is scared to go into the burning building. Duh. We don't need two paragraphs about how they are scared. Just give us one sentence about their heart beating fast and get on with the action already! Every single scene was dragged out within an inch of its life. The book should have been 150 pages shorter. 

I really liked Nova's character. She is so torn between the reality she wants to see in the world, and the way the world really is. She has these high ideals, but no idea how to realize them out of the mess the Anarchists and Renegades have created. She begins to see that there are faults on both sides, and she has to navigate between these very flawed systems and try to find a place for herself. She is very guarded and tries to act tough, but we also get to see her sensitive heart.

Adrian was also an interesting character. He is eager to prove himself to his two dads. They are the leaders of the entire city and the most powerful superheroes in the world, and he wants to prove that he is also powerful and wise and capable. But he keeps making mistakes. He needs more training. He takes risks and tries to handle it himself instead of asking for help when he needs it. He is also experimenting with some very dangerous powers and keeping secrets from his dads.  

I liked the slow romance between Nova and Adrian. They are very hesitant around each other. They are obviously attracted to each other, but of course Nova is trying to keep her distance and stay focused on her mission to take down the Renegades from the inside. It's adorable how Adrian keeps getting past her emotional defenses with his charm and kindness. 


I was disturbed by the first scene in the book which includes a lot of violence and descriptions of blood, but it didn't get too bad after that. A few fights, some explosions, and a couple of murders, but it wasn't too graphic. 
To see details about the violence and other questionable content in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/renegades-renegades-1-632760