I really really enjoyed this! It's also honestly one of the best series to read with a friend because there's so much to discuss and theorize.

This book does a really good job of setting up the stakes of the story and furthering the reader's connection to both Nova and Adrian and their ideals. It also served to make the opposition between 'villains' and 'heroes', or Anarchists and Renegades, less obvious. We're further shown how power has the ability to corrupt people, especially people who are constantly paraded and celebrated as heroes. Additionally, there is attention given to the fallacies of a 'superhero state,' where people no longer rely on themselves but on the prodigies who have powers only (to the extent that the structure that is being rebuilt is not strong enough, as there aren't enough prodigies to do everything). It also muses on what happens when power is unchecked, and if the heroes will remain so if there is no longer any villains, or anyone for that matter, to oppose them. Additionally, it shows how that the removal of rights can often be a slippery slope, especially when the power to remove those rights is put into the hands of individuals. Overall, it was honestly just a fantastic book for exploring those themes through the lens of the superhero genre alone.

This series also just has a fantastic cast in my opinion, and the main characters are perfectly crafted to tell the story that Meyer wants to tell. Neither of them are the extremes of their side, and both are seen constantly questioning the world around them. They're intelligent, dedicated, and loyal, sometimes to a fault. It makes their waverings of ideals even more interesting, as it seems to be a struggle between loyalty to their friends/family (Renegades for Adrian, Anarchists for Nova), as it turns into a struggle between what they've been told and the reality they see before them. I also just love the relationship between the two as well, though thinking on how this relationship is probably doomed is actually painful.

There's also just a really good plot and story here, and I have so many theories that I hope to see come true! There's a lot of mystery here beyond the whole 'villains vs. heroes' storyline, and I love that. My only disappointment for this book is that there are very few actual reveals, when it feels like we still have so many left to go before this story wraps up, and I'm worried they'll only keep being put off until the end, when I think it'd be interesting to see how the story plays out after these reveals are made (AKA I want them to be done sooner rather than later so there's time for the characters to process and react with this new information). I still loved the book though, and I cannot wait to start Supernova!