4.5 stars
I had a big review written for this book and accidentally closed the app, only to reopen and find the review gone.

It’s been a minute since I read a YA sci-fi/fantasy that I enjoyed (that wasn’t a re-read or sequel).

I thought this was interesting, and very different from other books I’ve read from this author duo.

The blend of the magical and the technological was really compelling, and I liked that these two worlds are so different from each other, despite the fact that they all originate from one place.

I did think the romance happened far too quickly. Not sure why time couldn’t have passed a little during the story to make their infatuation with one another a little more believable.

While I liked this, I’m not sure it will be a story I will think about a couple weeks from now. And if I ever pick up the sequel I would absolutely have to read this book again, and I’m not sure I loved it to the point that I would want to do that.

Update 12-29-20:
I was updating my reading spreadsheet (which hasn't been done in months

*RE-READ October 2019*
Updated Rating: 4 stars
When I originally read Archenemies a year ago, I was left feeling underwhelmed. It didn't feel like there was really that much there. It felt very much like filler. I think that part of the reason I felt this way is that I was expecting this book to finish up the story. Originally, Renegades was supposed to be a duology, so of course I was expecting some sort of actual resolution at the end of this book. I as got closer and closer to the end, it felt like the story was getting bigger, with more obstacles to overcome, but not necessarily like we were building up tension working toward a real climax. It also felt like there was a lot of focus on Adrian and Nova's faltering relationship, which sometimes felt a little silly considering the larger things at stake in the story. That said, this story does have a lot of fun scenes and reveals, and the ending is fantastic. I'm absolutely ready for Nov. 5 and Supernova.


3.5 stars
I was so excited to jump back into this world and these characters. I re-read Renegades right before picking this up and still loved it as much as I did when I read it earlier this year. And I have to say, while I really enjoyed this and will anxiously anticipate the final installment next November, I did think it suffered a bit from second-book slump. It feels a little like a bridge book and I feel like the pacing is a little slow in parts. It started to feel a little repetitive with Nova and Adrian circling around each other for 2/3 of the book and Nova being endlessly conflicted between duty and her own emotions.
That said, I still really enjoy this world and these characters. I have a few theories about the third book and can’t wait to see if I’m right. The ending was great and definitely upped the stakes.
I think I’ll have a better grasp of my overall feelings for this book once the third book comes out and I can read them in one go.

3.5

This was a ride. There were reveals sprinkled throughout this book and even though I’d figured out a couple of them, there were also some that took me by surprise. I do think the end is a little too neat and tidy for me, and it’s very quick, but I did read almost all of this in one sitting after reading the first 40 pages a week ago.

I’m curious to check out this author’s backlist and will keep my eye on her future releases.

When I first read Archenemies in 2018, I was disappointed. I wasn't expecting the series to be a trilogy, because at first it was only supposed to be two books. So when I got to the end I was dissatisfied and frankly, a little annoyed. It felt like filler, and I didn't understand how it was necessary to stretch the story into three books.

I was wrong. Upon re-read, I thoroughly enjoyed Archenemies, and this third book was packed full of action.

Supernova is the perfect end to this series.

For people who get annoyed at books that don't raise the stakes, take heart. This is a book with battles that actually come with a loss of life. You never have the sense that any of our characters is safe, and I wouldn't have been surprised to see any of the main characters not make it to the end.

There are two theories that I've had since I read Renegades in 2018, and both of them did end up being true. The first was revealed in the way that I had imagined, and was utterly satisfying. The other was done completely differently, and while I wish it had been different from an emotional aspect, it actually fits the story perfectly and leaves the reader wanting more from the story.

At its core, this is a story about humanity, and what it means to be heroic or villainous. Is the wrong thing done for the right reasons justifiable? If so, to what extent? Are villains made or are they born? Most people are not as bad as their worst deed, and even a 'good' person makes terrible decisions every once in awhile. At the end of the day, this is a book about flawed people just trying their best.

There is one thing that happens at the end that I wish had been different, but I like that it gave the book a slightly vague, open ending.

I would recommend this for anyone who loves comic books and characters with abilities. Also, if you liked this and you are okay with more mature content, I would highly recommend the Amazon Prime show, The Boys. It has a lot of similar themes to this series, although it is absolutely not suitable for children, so keep that in mind.

I can't wait to see what Marissa Meyer comes out with next.

3.75 stars

I don't have to like the protagonist in a book I'm reading. That being said, it's definitely easier to connect with a book if there is something about the protagonist that is sympathetic for the reader.

This book is definitely an exception to that. I hated the main character for most of this book. I still ended up really enjoying my reading experience. I feel like this is a case where even though I have a myriad of complaints about the book, I still ended up really enjoying it.

What I liked:

1. Sam. It's really all about Sam for me. I just want all the good things for him. I want to protect him from the bullies and a system that isn't equipped to help him. I have a son who is the same age as Sam. He is not on the autism spectrum like Sam, but he is a sensitive kid who also loves minecraft. I connected with Sam in such a profound way because of the ways in which he reminded me of my own son. I was heartbroken when he was bullied. I was enraged when the adults at his school seemed perfectly content to see Sam barely functioning because of their incompetence and lack of resources.

2. Minecraft. I loved that this book shows that things like video games and other media can be a positive thing. This is how Alex (the protagonist) was finally able to start connecting with a son he loved but couldn't understand. This game was the gateway for Sam to be able to start expressing himself and interacting with other people. And the connection Alex was able to make with his son through the game translated into them being able to connect in the real world. I just...loved it. Especially when you consider how some media, primarily video games, is vilified in our society. As I said before, my son went through a stretch where he wanted to do nothing but play, read about, and talk about Minecraft. He's had similar obsessions with other things (pokemon, lego, star wars, mario bros.) and each has expanded his interests and given him a point to connect to other people with similar interests.

I will also say that I felt like the strongest writing in this book occurred when the author was describing their Minecraft adventures. I personally haven't played the game, but I have watched my son play and I felt like his descriptions of the setting and what they were doing was absolutely perfect.

3. Autism rep. Like I said, I do not personally have experience being the parent of a child with autism. However, I do have multiple friends who have children on the spectrum, and I appreciated that the author acknowledged that not every child with autism has the same tendencies. They are not all like Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man (that is a specific example he gives), counting cards and regurgitating a bunch of random facts. They are not all completely unable to function in society. It is not always obvious that someone with autism is any different from all of the neurotypical people surrounding him or her. In short, each case is different, which is what makes being a parent to a child with autism so challenging.

I also liked that this book doesn't shy away from discussing the challenges and the emotional impact it can have on a person to have a child they don't know how to connect with. As frustrated as I got with Alex, I was able to look at him as a parent and acknowledge that even when you try your hardest, sometimes it's just not good enough.

4. Alex and Sam's arc. As much as I dislike Alex throughout most of this book, I love the growth of his relationship with Sam and how he learns to be more patient with his son.

Things I didn't like:

1. Alex and Jody. Alex was the worst. Seriously, over half of this book was simply him whining about how tough his life was and how he hated his job and his marriage was in trouble and blah, blah, blah. Even after he finally got his shit together regarding his son and finally started trying to be a decent parent, he would still complain about everything else. He threw himself several pity parties and I was over it.

So many times throughout the book, he would think to himself something along the lines of, "I suck. I really need to stop sucking." (That's almost verbatim.)
So he's aware that he has been a garbage husband, father, brother, son, and friend. He actually tells himself to stop that behavior that got him to that point, but then he proceeds to do literally nothing about it for the first 30 chapters of the book.

And any time it looked like he might actually grow a backbone, take responsibility for his actions, and do something proactive to save his marriage, he would take any excuse not to actually do any of those things. He acted like he had no idea why his wife had kicked him out and no idea what he could possibly do to fix it. He and Jody (his wife) were so passive-aggressive toward each other throughout the entire book. This is an example of a typical 'conversation' between these two:

J: So, what about us?

A: What do you mean, 'what about us?'

J: What are we doing?

A: I don't know. I don't know what you want from me.

J: You need to work on yourself so you can be here for us.

A: I don't know what you're talking about.

End scene.

They never had an honest conversation throughout the first 80ish percent of this story. It made it very difficult to root for them as a couple or feel any kind of connection to them. We're TOLD that they had this wonderful relationship, but I don't see how that could be when they can't even have a straight-forward conversation with one another. It's obvious throughout the book that she wants Alex to get professional help. There are a number of times when she says some iteration of the following lines:

a. You need to work on you.

b. You have to sort yourself out.

c. You need some help.

d. You need to start dealing with things.

Never once does she just come out and say, "You have issues and I want you to go to a therapist to figure them out."
In all honesty, they should BOTH be going to a therapist, because Jody wasn't much better. I was definitely on her side in some respects. Alex had hidden in his work so he didn't have to deal with his own son at home. That makes him a jerk. But she needs to take a little responsibility as well. In the middle of the book when he finally takes Sam overnight, we learn that he's not been on his own with his son for longer than a couple hours ever. EVER. The kid is eight. Jody's passivity enabled Alex's shitty behavior. Now, I'm not dismissing the fact that Alex was a terrible partner and father, but you can't let that kind of nonsense slide for that long.

2. The writing. This is a debut novel, and even if I hadn't known that, I think I would've guessed. The language is simplistic and lacks description. The characters lack any depth. They have conversations where one person says something seemingly benign and then we're told that it was an angry or sarcastic statement, even when the statement itself seemed fine.

As I stated previously, my favorite writing in this book happened when Alex and Sam were playing Minecraft together. It was obvious to me that it was something the author knew a lot about and also felt deeply about. Reading his note at the end about his relationship with his son who has autism and how Minecraft was the thing that helped them bond was really touching, and it was absolutely the best part of the book. Other than that, however, it was lacking.

The dialogue was choppy and awkward. Some of the side stories seemed extraneous. I'm speaking mostly of his relationship with his sister and their past with losing their brother at a young age. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but it felt like the author was trying to make a connection from Alex losing his brother and his inability to connect with his wife and son in the present day and I just wasn't buying it.
I really disliked Emma, especially her nonchalant attitude when she freaking lost Sam in the middle of a huge crowd of people in the city. It's still making me angry thinking about it. And the fact that Alex basically lets it slide also makes me angry.
I thought the Matt/Clare characters were an interesting contrast to Jody and Alex, but I felt like the gambling subplot was unnecessary.
The Isobel subplot was, again, unnecessary. I liked that he met another parent who had a child with autism, but that wasn't explored like it could've been and their quasi-romance was over before it began. I suppose it was there to make him realize how much he truly loves Jody, but then it still takes like a hundred pages before he does anything about it.
This book could've been about 50 pages shorter and I think it would've been stronger for it.
Also, the ending felt a bit contrived. I wish they'd started reconciling earlier in the book so it felt more organic. It just ends up happening very quickly.

All of that being said, there was just something about this book that sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I stayed up and read this 387-page book in one sitting. I loved Sam. The way his mind works is beautiful. This book really touched me.

I don't think I'm going to give this book a star rating, and here's why. I appreciate the importance of this story and stories like it. The massacre in Rwanda back in 1994 was horrific and I think it's something that wasn't given enough attention at the time that it was happening.

But there is a difference between a story being important and being well-executed.

As kind of an example of what I'm talking about, I would point to a passage from the book itself. On page 256, Clemantine is growing more and more frustrated with her mother. She planned a European trip for the two of them, supposedly because she wanted to have quality one-on-one time with her mother because their years apart had created a huge divide in their relationship. Her mother, instead of showing Clemantine gratitude for creating the itinerary for the trip, instead thanks God for all of the trip. Clemantine says:

"I wanted my mother to know all the places I'd been, all the horrible things I'd seen, all the scrubbing I'd done in miserable camps, the unthinkable variety of suffering I'd witnessed just to fight my way here, to be in this apartment, to bring her that new white nightgown and white bathrobe. But I did want to tell her about my experience."

And that's kind of the way I felt about this book. It was like Clemantine wanted us to know her story without actually having to tell us. It's not that there aren't details in this story, but it all feels very detached, as if I was reading a news article about a person rather than that person's story in their own words.

Also, I'm not sure exactly what Elizabeth Weil's purpose was in the writing of this book, but if it was to create a coherent narrative, I would have to say it didn't work for me. Like many memoirs I've read, this story does jump around in the timeline of Clemantine's life, but unlike other memoirs I read, I found the effect in this book to be confusing and jarring. Perhaps if there had been two timelines--one during and immediately following the massacre and one after she gets to the US--that would've been fine, but she jumps all around within each of those timelines, which just doesn't give the reader an opportunity to become invested.

Also, there were things that needed more explaining. One example is when her brother-in-law sends her and her pregnant sister back to Rwanda while she is pregnant. It is never explained why he would do this. There are other moments as well that just don't make any sense because they weren't properly explained.

Possibly my biggest issue with the book is that I felt far more connected to Claire than I did to Clemantine throughout the course of this story. I thought her ability to provide for her sister and children was really admirable. And even though she is thanked in the acknowledgements, I have to say it felt like there was a lot of resentment in that relationship that went largely unresolved on-page. I would've liked to hear anything that suggested that she appreciated all of the things her sister went through to keep them all safe. I'm not saying she doesn't, but it wasn't obvious in the narrative.

One last thing I want to mention is the audiobook. I have the physical copy of this book, but I often prefer listening to non-fiction on audiobook. Memoirs specifically are preferable to me in this format as they are often narrated by the author. This one wasn't, which is fine. However, the voice actor narrating this book was awful. I'm not sure what other books she's narrated, but I will not listen to another book read by her. Her reading was jerky and there were weird pauses in between words that didn't belong. It was almost like William Shatner was narrating the audiobook. The inflections used also didn't make sense. I ended up picking up the physical copy and reading that after about 40 pages of the audiobook because I just couldn't stand the reading.

I wish I liked this book more than I do, because I think that it chronicles a very important series of events. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like it did much more than scratch the surface.