3.5 Stars? Hmmmm . . . This book is sort of a mixed bag.  To me, Marissa Meyer is the queen of the fractured fairy tale.  She totally nailed it with not only the Lunar Chronicles but “Heartless” as well.  Both of these felt new and fresh and awesome and I couldn’t stop the exclamations of awe.  This one, however … Well … this one did not leave me very excited.  It has absolutely nothing to do with Meyer’s writing.  I think Meyer is probably one of the most gifted YA writers out there and she definitely knows how to tell a story.  Same is true of her characters.  I really liked all of the characters, none of them felt superfluous and they all added something to the story itself.  The problem comes from the fact that this, honestly, didn’t feel like anything new to me.  I feel like I’ve read this story so many times before in varying incantations.  Everything from Nova’s character development to the burgeoning relationship between her and Adrian to the surprise twist at the end.  You kind of see it all coming, which makes me wonder if this series is going to end the way that I think it will . . .  which, at this point, I’m guessing there’s a good chance that it will.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s not like I didn’t enjoy this, I did.  It was fast paced and fun and Superheroes vs. Villains and gray lines being crossed – Hurrah!  But when it comes to Meyer I was expecting more innovation, something that took the classic superhero/villain drama to a whole new level.  So far – I just don’t really feel like I got that story.  I get that this is an origin story – an explanation of the who’s and the why’s, which is why I’m hoping that the subsequent novels in the series will totally pull a “Degrassi” and go there.  As of now, especially with this being one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, I’m a little underwhelemed.

Before the review, here's my short summary of Renegades: 

Renagades is a bit like X-Men, if the X-Men replaced the government and the bad guys (Magneto's guys) had to live underground after losing THE great battle. 

But it also has espionage, secret identities and forbidden romance (but it's not all focused on the romance, don't worry).

Also, the main protagonist is a supervillain called The Nightmare, with the power of putting anyone to sleep by touching them. And the other protagonist is a superhero with not just one, but two secret identities. 

Aaand that's basically it.

• • • WHAT I LIKED • • • 

• It's fun!

The best part about this book is that I had fun reading it. Independently of how good or bad it was, I just liked the way it was written since it was mostly fast-paced and full of "things to look at". The world building felt natural enough that it wasn't overwhelming, but at the same time it kept showing new bits and concepts through the book, so it kept being entertaining even during slower chapters. I liked reading about the different and funky superpowers and theorizing about what kind of talent some characters could have. 

It was also fun having two perspectives of this world. One from Adrian, a hero trying to catch a dangerous villain. And the other from Nova, a villain that infiltrates into Adrian's team to steal information. There was a lot of secret identities and broken alliances too. See? All of the fun stuff!

• But not your typical uplifting Marvel-esque superhero story.

I haven't actually read a lot of comic books, but I've watched all the Marvel movies so at least I know how superheros work. And to be honest I've been getting tired of the same old formula from those movies.  This story has a more realistic approach to superheroes though. It shows that not everyone is happy about having heroes on the street because they're too intimidating, and that a hero's job can get get incredibly bureaucratic! Also, and most importantly, that in a world full of different superpowers, there would be a big chance of people using their powers for their own selfish reasons (which is a main theme in the book).

It reminds me a lot of X-Men now that I think about it, since there's a constant battle between the Renegades (X-men), the Anarchists (Magneto's allies) and the general public (people without superpowers). Except in this case the government and police were replaced by the X-Men and they're currently ruling the country. Or at least they're trying.

I especially enjoyed the first few chapters of the book since they were the most intense and felt like a combination of Sci-Fi / Thriller. They tell Nova's origin story and in just a few chapters build a strong character with realistic motivations. 

• • • WHAT I DISLIKED • • • 

• I felt this book was too long (576 pages according to Goodreads).

When I was about 35% into this book, I thought it had potential to be my favorite book of the year. But then it kind of slowed down. And it's not that it got boring since, like I said, it's overall a fun read. But I felt like the first few chapters had a lot of substance and a lot of character development... and then it felt a little flat. The characters stopped showing their human side and the plot got more predictable. It also stopped having the fast-paced action scenes from the beginning in exchange for longer and clichéd fights.

I think if the book had fewer pages, it could condense the second half were most of the "bland" stuff happens and it would feel more rich. Instead, it felt like the author was spreading a bit of butter in too much bread. (Credit to Bilbo Baggins for the analogy).

• Side characters felt a bit cardboard.

This was the saddest part! I was so in love with the first few chapters that I expected more characters to have a backstory and a strong personality. But apart from the two protagonists and their mentors, it felt like the rest of the world was just there to fill the empty space. There were a lot of sidekicks that could have been blended together to create more complete characters, instead of having so many people whose only trait was their superpower.

Even Adrian, the co-protagonist, didn't have a lot of original thoughts after the first half of the book. He just kinda transformed into Captain America: lawful good, chivalrous, pretty, etc.

• It ends with a cliffhanger!

I hope you don't consider this a spoiler, but I had to warn you! IT ENDS WITH AN ANNOYING CLIFFHANGER AND THERE'S NO RESOLUTION FOR "THE THING". You will know what "the thing" is. By the way, the last chapter of the book is also very similar to X-Men.m

• • • I WOULD RECOMMEND IT IF: • • • 

• You like stories that are focused on the villain's side.
• You're an X-Men fan and want to read a book with a similar vibe.
• You like espionage, secret identities and code names.
• You like "forbidden love" stories.
• You find weird superpowers interesting.
• You enjoy 500+ pages long books (even if they don't have a lot of action).

I was lucky to receive an ebook ARC of Renegades from Netgalley, thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “Renegades” by Marissa Meyer. This book is phenomenal! I have pre-ordered a copy for myself and a second copy for the library. Marissa Meyer has such a way with character development. Immediately I felt connected to Nova and was interested in her thought process. The story line is perfect for the current superhero craze. Teens and adults alike will enjoy this new book by Marissa Meyer.

I've just started diving into Marissa Meyer's catalogue and I was so excited to get a pre-release of Renegades. I love superhero origin stories, dystopias, and pretty covers, and Renegades has all three wrapped in nearly 600 pages of badass-ery. (PS, don't let the length daunt you, you're going to breeze through it too because the world is so engaging and the characters are awesome.)

Let's dive in, shall we?

Our world is one where people with X-Men-like abilities, aka prodigies, historically were forced to keep their powers a secret and live underground. Enter Ace Anarchy, who rose to be a prominent figure, fighting for acceptance of prodigies. In response, several "villain" gangs formed, leading to the formation of OG "hero" organization, the Renegades, who overthrew Ace and ushered in the age of the Renegades.  Nova Artino is our main gal. Nova is determined to bring down the Renegades after her family was brutally murdered by a villain gang and the Renegades failed to intervene. She also happens to be the niece of one Ace Anarchy.

So the main plot involves Nova, aka Nightmare, infiltrating the Renegades to bring them down from the inside. Before the "I've heard this story" thoughts start infiltrating your mind and you completely cross this off...yes, you've probably heard/seen this storyline several times. I know I have...and I didn't care at all. Our other narrator is Adrian, the adopted son of Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, two of the original council Renegade members. He has the unique ability to draw anything and bring it to life. He's also hiding some other secrets...dun dun dun

The different array of powers also super impressed me. I feel like we always get the same teleportation, telekinesis, metal manipulation, etc. But there were many abilities in Renegades that I've never encountered, i.e. Honey Bee's swarm of (you guessed it) bees and Monarch's butterflies.

And because I'm a sucker for teeny bopper romances, there wasn't as much progress with the main pairing that I would've liked, but the pining and inner turmoil was satisfying for a first novel. I can't wait to see where the story takes off from here.

4.5 / 5 stars (or Novas if you will...ok, I'll stop)

Thank you Feiwel & Friends for my copy! Renegades is available now.

At the opening of this story, an introduction, reminiscent of the opening of the first Star Wars movie (you can almost see it scroll by), tells us that for hundreds of years, prodigies - people with unusual powers - were feared, oppressed, hunted down, and killed.  Then a group of prodigies led by the legendary Ace Anarchy banded together and took down the people and institutions dedicated to their destruction.  After that, anarchy indeed prevailed, and criminal gangs arose to terrorize the population.  Another group of prodigies calling themselves the Renegades then got together to “save” the people by destroying the gangs as well as the Anarchists.  The conflict culminated ten years before the start of this story in the Battle for Gatlon City.  Since then, the Renegades have run the city through their ruling Council, which consists of the five original Renegades.  The remaining Anarchists went underground.

Among the small group of surviving Anarchists is the prodigy Nova Artino, now 16. As a child, her father always assured her that the Renegades promised to save them if they were in trouble.  But her whole family except for her was killed by a gang, and the Renegades never showed up.  Nova was only saved by fortuitously disabling the attacker thanks to her superpower that could put people to sleep.  She was still standing over the gang member in shock when her uncle, Ace Anarchy himself, came to save her.  He took her in with the surviving Anarchists.  Then she she lost her uncle in the Battle of Gatlon.

Nova blames the Renegades for all of it, and wants only to avenge Ace and destroy the Renegades.  

She has a further agenda:  she believes the Council is failing the people.  People have come to rely on the prodigies to do everything instead of taking responsibility for doing it themselves.  This made the people increasingly weaker:  apathetic and indifferent.  She believed that heroism, which now meant having a super skill, should be more about what you did with your life than what superpower you had.  “It was about who you saved when they needed saving.”  But these philosophical aspects of her motivation are inspired more by Nova’s hatred of the Council for failing her family, than by any well-thought-out ideological disposition.  

Lately Nova has been “coming out” as the Anarchist “Nightmare.”  As the story begins, at the yearly “Renegade Parade,” she and her fellow anarchists plan to take out the Council.  They are thwarted in part by Nova’s own reluctance to kill, as well as the appearance of a new powerful prodigy on the Renegade side calling himself “The Sentinel.”  After this failure, the Anarchists decide that their only hope is for Nova, still unknown, to infiltrate the Renegades, so the Anarchists can figure out how to defeat them.  

Nova manages to earn a place in the Renegades as “Nova McLain” and is accepted into the crew of Adrian Everhart, the adopted son of two of the Council, Hugh and Simon.  Adrian’s mother had been killed during the Battle for Gatlon.  Of course Adrian is handsome and kind and generous, which upsets all of Nova’s preconceptions.  She also gets to like the rest of the crew, who are just teens like her, rather than the evil adversaries she had believed they were.

As Nova gets more enmeshed with the Renegades, she is increasingly conflicted.  Or is she?  A big twist in the ending suggests there is more to her story than we know.

Discussion:  Much of the “mysteries” and “twists” in the plot are painfully obvious.  Moreover, some of the cliched comic-book dialogue and characterizations are less nuanced than in comic books themselves.  Some of this is humorous in comic-book style tradition.  For example, Adrian and Nova don’t recognize each other’s alter egos, even though there isn’t much more than a costume separating their everyday selves from their prodigy identities.  One thinks of years of seeing everyone fooled by Clark Kent’s glasses.  And although Nova has some impressive skills with inventing helpful gadgetry, she is much less insightful than any of Mayer’s previous heroines, as well as less open to new information to challenge her prior beliefs about what might or might not be true. 

Evaluation:  I felt like the author couldn’t decide if she wanted to write a comic book or a more fleshed-out young adult coming-of-age story, especially at the beginning of the book.  She seemed to find a more consistent rhythm as the story progressed.  I look forward to seeing what happens next, but not as much as with her previous books.

Meyer is best known for her lunar Chronicles series, which I remember to be such a delightful binge read during the holidays. When I heard she has a new sci-fi series/duology coming out? Of course I jumped on the chance to read it!

What I found so irritatingly unnecessary is the developing romance, which was like the -we both have false identities-but we’re actually -enemies to lovers-. It's so annoying that Nova and Adrian can’t just stay enemies as they actually are or platonic friends. This type of romance is over done, and there is no chemistry because I kept on screaming “stop it Adrian!”“stop it Nova!”and frustration. This is an easy/lazy method of writing to create some sort of messiness or tention and it ended up falling flat on its face. Also they had four people on the team and the author paired them up male female and male female,(ugh heteronormativity)

There is one thing that I can give high praise is on the aspects of diversity. Our main character Adrian is described to have brown skin and he was adopted at a young age by his two dads. Our other main character Nova is Italian Filipina briefly mentions about her being biracial There is a character called there if you just character who has a disability and has to use a cane.

I was really hoping that we can have some side characters fleshed out, ones that the readers could really get invested in. Here is the problem, I connected to 0 of them. A big part of the problem was that the narrative was so focused on Nova and Adrian’s backstory and current plot points. There are two POVs, and they were our protagonists, so I feel like that's the reason why. I wanted to feel like the side characters were my best friends, but that just didn't end up happening for me.

The most boring part of this book was the Throne of Glass-esque competition where gifted people audition and compete to become a Renegade. It’s your typical what you could envision because it's been done time and time again in fantasy and sci-fi way. The most yawn worthy part of the book, because this was where I almost DNFed this. 

Another thing that irked me to no end was the fact that the biggest super villain’s name was Ace. I’m asexual, and we’re portrayed as cold heartless monsters and the author choosing this name just rubbed me the wrong way.

Since I wasn’t this in physical form I actually didn't realise that it was the 500 pages long. Which wow isn't that way too long for a weak introduction where nothing really happened, was full of superhero villain cliches and over used tropes? No thanks! 

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own**

Renegades by Marissa Meyer I received thru Net Galley for an honest review.  Marissa Meyer truly has a wondrous gift of writing. I first discovered Marissa thru her Lunar Chronicles and one I loved.  Renegades is told thru two points of view, Nova and Adrian. Nova is part of the Anarchists (or villains) who seeks vengeance for the death of those closet to her and of broken promises by those who vowed to keep people safe.  Nova, or known as Nightmare  after not being able to  follow thru with her comrades mission, she seeks a new way to foil the syndicate of prodigies, (humans who extraordinary powers,or abilities) or Renegades.  Adrian a member of the Renegades is searching for Nightmare for she tried to harm who is closet to him.  Not to mention part of the Anarchist, which is against the law. He truly believes that the Council has the cities, Gatlon, best intentions in mind and doesn't question their motives. However, as the story unfolds, is the Council  actually more like the Anarchist? I truly enjoyed the first book of the Renegades series.  I really loved Nova's complex personality. I could feel how she is torn between what she is suppose to do, to what she  has to do.  The more she finds out more about the Council, do they, the Council truly have the citizens of Gatlon City best interests at heart?  Loved Marissa's take on superheroes, villains, and the people who come and go in their life. A few surprises along the way, loved the action, and wonder how it will all play out. Cannot wait for the next Renegades book.

This was SO fun! I went into it not knowing anything about the story itself, and I was so pleasantly surprised. Think of it as a superhero mashup told from opposing side POVs in a totally unique way. I was worried that with the overcrowded superhero media these days, the constant similar retellings and such, that this would be just like any of those stories, or rather, origin stories.

It wasn't. This was totally fun and unique, while still throwing nods at other stories.

Before I say anything else, a big thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Basically, this is a world where prodigies (people with special abilities) used to be oppressed, but a man named Ace Anarchy rose up and fought for their freedom & acceptance. Except, the age of Ace turned into a villainous era, where villain gangs broke out and terrorized the citizens. So in turn, "good" heroes rose up to fight them, called the 'Renegades'. They overthrew the Anarchists and took control.

So you here you have it - the Anarchists (those who survived living underground) and the Renegades.

"One cannot be brave who has no fear."


I don't want to spoil much, but we open up into what DOES look like a typical superhero origin story. We witness Nova's family and how they meet their end, in which young Nova, who idolized the Renegades, realizes they never came to help her family after promising to protect them. But guess who did? Uncle Ace. 

Now, Nova lives with the Anarchists underground. Her alias is the 'Nightmare', and she's able to put people to sleep with a single touch. While carrying out a plan to take out the Council (the original leaders of the Renegade), Nova is stopped by a boy who calls himself the 'Sentinel'. After a heated battle between the two, Nova barely escapes him, and wonders who the heck he is, because she's never seen him or heard of him from the Renegades.

A lone hero? Perhaps. 

Enter Adrian (aka smol). 

Adrian is the son of an original Renegade, his mother, who was murdered when he was young. Now, he lives with his adopted dads - the two heads of the Council (aka the most fawned over Renegades). They adopted him (and here I cry because it's so sweet) and he grew up within the Renegade headquarters. He's brilliant and has a super cool ability which I won't spoil. But he has a secret that no one in the Renegades knows about.

He's the Sentinal. 

And when he fought the 'Nightmare' (he has no idea who she is underneath her mask), she utters a phrase that tells him she might know who his mother's murderer is. So Adrian sets out to find her, while Nova sets plots in place to take out the Renegades for good. I'm going to stop there and leave the rest of the book as a surprise. Trust me, just dive in! 

As I mentioned before, this is like a mashup of all your favorite superhero movies, but at the same time, the story is totally unique and so are the characters. I didn't feel like I was reading another origin story or watching a movie I've seen a thousand times. This was SO fun, totally twisty, and super fast paced and visual. Meyer is so insanely creative - we saw that in her Lunar Chronicles series that I loved - and I would argue that this series might even be stronger (though no one can replace Thorne.) All the prodigies have crazy cool powers - ones that I would have NEVER thought of. The whole plot is brilliant.

My only complaint is that we don't get resolution for the one thing I craved, though it will certainly be in the sequel(s). I neeeeeded to see how that played out. Oh well, whatever. I'm hooked, Marissa. You got me.

**Possible Spoilers** Renegades by Marissa Meyer is an action packed novel full of superheroes, villains and intrigue.

I really enjoyed Renegades! The story is interesting, the characters are engaging, and the overall pace of the novel is good. While it definitely had the feel of X-Men at times, this was a unique story and fun to read from start to finish.

I like that the book hooks you from the very beginning. You follow the evolution of Nova as a villain to Nova as a Renegade. It’s an intriguing storyline that you can’t help but be sucked into. I found myself at odds while reading the book: am I team Renegade, or team Villain?

I appreciated that in this world, not everything is black and white. The villains have legitimate views that are not all evil. They want freedom for prodigies—that’s a hard thing to fault. On the flip side, not all Renegades are sunshine, rainbows, and ethically sound. You have Renegade thieves and those who bend the rules to suit their purposes. In our world, there is no black or white either, so this is a timely reminder in today’s rocky political climate.

Nova is an awesome villain. Is she good? Is she bad? It’s hard to tell which way she’s going to swing, but I think the more time she spends with the Renegades, the more she realizes they’re not as bad as the villains paint them to be. I hope she stays on the side of “good,” and uses her influence to pave a new era between prodigies and common people.

Adrian is an equally awesome Renegade with the coolest superhero power. Of the prodigies, I’d probably like to have Sketch’s the most. After all, he can be whatever he wants to be, right? I really enjoyed reading the interactions between him and Nova. The romance there is very sweet and innocent, which is a nice contrast to the violent jobs prodigies typically have.

Out of all the characters, I’m most intrigued by the Bandit. What’s the end game? We find out in the end of the novel what the Renegades are using the Bandit for, but how is this going to play out in future books? How will this sway Nova’s mission?

The book ends with more questions than answers, but that’s to be expected in a series. I’m hooked, and I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be posted on my blog on November 4, 2017: https://thriftybibliophile.com

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

I was delighted to be gifted an advance copy of Renegades by the publisher through Netgalley. I'm a huge fan of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series, so I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it, and Renegades was not a disappointment. I loved this book! I especially liked the themes of self-reliance and personal liberty that are sprinkled throughout the book from the point of view of Nova. Sure she is one if the villains, but it isn't exactly that simple. There's good and bad on both sides. I also really liked the discussions of what makes a hero, and how anyone can be one, because super powers do not make a person a hero, what's in one's heart and what one decides to do makes a person a hero.

This was similar to Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, so if you liked that series you will probably like this one. I personally liked this book more. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I am a huge fun of Marissa Meyer's "Lunar Chronicles" series, so I was very excited to get an advanced copy of this book, the first in a new series, from Netgalley. I did not enjoy it as much as the "Lunar Chronicles" books, but it was better than her standalone book "Heartless." This book is about superheroes and villains with powers, alternating perspectives between Nova, whose family was killed when she was little, and then was taken in by her uncle, and raised by a small band of supervillains, the Anarchists; and Aiden, the son of a dead superhero and then adopted by two other superheroes who are part of the ruling council of the titular Renegades. Now a teenager, Nova eventually decides to infiltrate the Renegades, who she sees as the bad guys. The start of the book was very slow and kind of confusing with lots of names and information being thrown around, but things really started picking up around halfway when both Nova and Aiden start considering who is good and bad and that maybe things aren't so black and white. The book feels a little derivative of some of the other superhero stuff out there in the world, especially X-Men, and was definitely longer than it needed to be, but I did really enjoy the second half and will definitely read the sequel when it comes out. 3.5 stars.

DNF @ 16% 

This book just wasn't for me. It is VERY long and I just feel like it's bringing nothing special to the table. I've also never really been a fan of superheroes, so maybe this book and me were never meant to be.

I'm not sure how I feel about Renegades. I loved some elements and then I didn't love some elements. At some points I was ensnared by the store and at some points I wanted to not finish this book. I loved The Lunar Chronicles because of the unique characters and pacing. But the pacing in this book just felt off. Maybe it was just me. I didn't really love it but I didn't really hate it.

(4.5 stars)

I received an early copy from Macmillan in exchange for this honest review.

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 and I was so excited to find out that I would have a place in the blog tour! My favorite thing was probably the fact that this book is LONG! I love my long books, you guys.

Marissa’s new novel starts out with a young Nova. She is fully aware of her power - putting people to sleep with a single touch. When she helps put her baby sister to sleep, she takes a nap herself. She wakes up to the sounds of her parents being shot and, when she goes to hide, her little sister ends up getting shot. Only person saves her from death: her uncle AKA Ace Anarchy. 
Ten years later, Nova is now an Anarchist going under the alias Nightmare. She is quick, good with weapons, and doesn’t take any shit from anyone. She absolutely hates the Renegades, considering they never came to save her family. Her only intent in life right now is to eliminate every single Renegade.
To do that, she must infiltrate the Renegades as a poser herself.

I really enjoyed Nova’s character. She is a total bad-ass and I know I tend to say that a lot about some female characters. For real though, Marissa crafted Nova into this woman that doesn’t fall in love automatically in the first novel of a series. Yes, there is some spark between her and another Renegade. However, Marissa did the smart thing and didn’t make it all about the “romance”. She made this book all about Nova and it’s not just centered on revenge. Nova, while posing as a Renegade prodigy, continuously struggles with what she thought she knew about these superheroes while also learning things that seem to cause her mind about them to split. She struggles with her identity when it comes to being a villain and being a superhero. There are moments in this novel where she saves people and it kind of throws her off balance. By the end of the novel, she’s clearly in that same split. However, all she has known in her life is how to be a villain and the need for revenge regarding the death of her family. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how her story progresses in the next novel, especially when a MAJOR SECRET is revealed that SHE KNEW ABOUT THIS WHOLE TIME! (if I’m correct because I gathered no sense of surprise from Nova when this SECRET was revealed).
So, Adrian is that Renegade that Nova has a spark with. He is the adoptive son of Captain Chromium and Dread Nation, both male superheroes. Points for rep! His mother was killed by a villain and Adrian has always wanted to find out the truth. Who killed her? It especially gets complicated when Nightmare quotes a line to him that was found on a card next to his mother’s body. Because of this, he is dead set on finding Nightmare, uncovering her secrets, and potentially killing her. He tries to do this while acting as his own alias, The Sentinel. He can create different powers with tattoos on his body while also making his drawings come to life. Nobody knows that he is The Sentinel, so he is forced to keep his identity a secret until he finds Nightmare. It doesn't help when the Renegades continuously drag The Sentinel for barging into crime scenes with the “R” on his chest. Adrian clearly wants to be a Renegade and this known fact is what shapes his character. He is talented with his marker, but he wants to be more. He wants to be a superhero like his fathers and like his mother was. However, because of his encounter with Nightmare, he is forced (by himself) to hide his secret for a longer period of time until he can prove himself. He thinks, by capturing Nightmare, it would be the perfect opportunity to reveal himself. 
Surprisingly, considering Nova hides her secret and Adrian hides his, it’s still a secret...kind of. There are little tiny bits and pieces where Adrian gets a whiff of Nova’s trail and vice versa with Nova on Adrian’s trail. However, we might definitely have to wait for that major blow up to be revealed in the second book. 
Marissa definitely pieced this story together perfectly. I think it can be difficult to create such a long story and not have it drag. However, she gave us so much insight into Nova’s and Adrian’s thought process that it helps the reader to connect and learn and grow with the character. I hope she will keep that style in the second book because, obviously, there is a lot more growth to go with these characters. I’m eager to see where she takes them.
Going on that note, I want to mention that there are more details than dialogue. I know some people might find this as dragging the story. But like I said above, Marissa fit everything together perfectly. I was never bored, never disinterested. It gave me a stronger connection with the story, the characters and what was going on. It gave me a clear understanding that, though the city sees the Renegades as idols, there is something else underlying in the headquarters and in their lives than the citizens know about. There are secrets and struggles and feuds. I do hope that Marissa expands on that, as well.

Overall, this story was definitely everything I expected and wanted it to be. Marissa has never disappointed me before and she still hasn’t to this day. 
Who know the life of a superhero could be so complicated?

Superheroes, special abilities, vengeance, they are all here! Wonderful start to a series, but I felt this book was a bit too long and quite descriptive, but maybe this is needed to set up the series. I am still anticipating the next part of the series.

Great start to Marissa's new series! Looking forward to the next book!

A new book by the author of the Cinder series and boy does it live up to the hype. I loved it just as much as Cinder. It is beautifully written and keeps you guessing. Something that is new and not like everything else that is saturating the market. New kind of superhero book.

With a vague synopsis that didn't give me must aside from Sky High (an old Disney channel original movie) vibes, I didn't know quite what I was in for when I started reading Renegades, but I put my faith in Marissa Meyer's very capable hands, and I shall never doubt her skills again.
            I can't say too much about the plot since this is an ARC review and I don't want to spoil anything, but it was very well written, action packed, and unpredictable. It's one of those stories thats begins in the middle of the action--literally starting in an assassination attempt--and I think it works very well for Renegades because it sets the pace for the rest of the story. The first few chapters read slightly slower than the rest of the book, but from the moment Nova decides that she is going to act as a double agent for the Anarchists by entering the trials to become a Renegade, I found myself sucked in and unable to put it down, constantly being hit with twists and turns as soon as I started to believe I had figured it out. I must say that the plot twist at the end truly shocked me, and I can't believe I have to wait so long to see what happens next!
            Meyer's vivid descriptions throughout the novel really help to transport the reader into the world of Renegades and Anarchists. She not only gives a fantastic visual description of Gatlon City including everything from the Renegades' headquarters, to the Anarchists' subway tunnels, to every individual street vendor's cart and product which makes the city come alive in our minds, but also describes the city's rich history with the Age of Anarchy and the Battle for Gatlon which allows ua to truly feel and sense the tension and uneasiness present in the city. The only thing I wish she had included more of was the history of how prodigies came to be because I thought that their powers were one of the coolest aspects in the story, and she could have expanded more on them.
            There is an expansive list of characters in Renegades which is already hard to keep track of, but with many of them being either superheroes or villains, a lot of them have aliases which makes it even more difficult! For the first few chapters I found myself unable to tell who was who or who had what powers, but eventually got the hang of it. I really enjoyed Nova and Adrian, the two main characters, and thought that Meyer did a good job in giving them interesting backstories which connected to their internal drives. Nova is an Anarchist who wants to destroy the renegades because of what they did to her uncle and possess the power to put anyone she touches to sleep, and Adrian is a Renegade who wants to find the Anarchists responsible for murdering his mother and has the ability to make anything he draws come to life. Of course there is a bit of romance between the two of them, but it isn't instalove, and I really enjoyed the way Meyer incorporated it into the story as to make it not feel forced. The POV switches between them throughout the story, giving the reader the point of view of both an Anarchist and a Renegade, allowing them to decide which side they believe to be in the wrong. Aside from the main characters I must say I found the rest to be a bit lacking. Some of them had half-decent back stories and character development, as if some were just lost or forgotten along the way. I did enjoy the Anarchist entourage of Ingrid, Lyon, Phobia, and Honey--I just wish there was more of them, and as for the Renegades, I felt that a few of the characters were present only for their powers. Overall, l I believe Meyer did a good job with her characters.
                In conclusion, I give Renegades by Marissa Meyer four out of five stars for being an fantastic, action packed start to a new series, and I highly suggest it to anyone who's a fan of YA, but especially to fans of D.C., Marvel, and superheroes in general.

Marissa Meyer has proven time and time again that she is a very capable author- first the Lunar Chronicles, and now Renegades.

Summary: Renegades is set in a society where certain individuals, called prodigies, possess superpowers varying from bringing drawings to life to bleeding gems. After the downfall of a centralized government, the Age of Anarchy began, characterized by multiple villain gangs and crime. Through the chaos rose the Renegades, a group of six powerful prodigies who were dedicated to bringing about justice.
The events in Renegades occur ten years after the fall of one of the most prominent villain gangs - the Anarchists, who fell when the majority of the gang as well as their leader, Ace Anarchy, was killed. The two protagonists, Nova and Adrian, also known as Nightmare (Insomnia) and Sketch (the Sentential) respectively, come from very different backgrounds- the former the niece of Ace and the latter the adopted son of two of the original six (now five) Renegades. 
After the failure of an attempted assassination of the head of the Council (the original Renegades), Nova is sent by the surviving Anarchists to infiltrate the Renegades, now a worldwide network of prodigies dedicated to the betterment of the world after the Age of Anarchy.
After clearing the annual Renegade trials and being accepted into Adrian's crew, Nova struggles to reconcile her newfound friends within the Renegades and her mission: destroy the Renegades and achieve the freedom that her Uncle Ace had always dreamed of.

Review: I thought Renegades had a pretty decent plotline, though many of the themes within the novel itself are stereotypical, like a hesitant double agent. There's a very obvious attraction between Nova and Adrian, despite the fact that nothing happens until the end of the novel, and not much, at that. I appreciated the idea behind the Anarchists, portrayed as villains yet also humans from Nova's perspective, but in reality fell a little flat. I would have appreciated greater character development with pretty much everyone - I can't say that there was any real character development outside of the main protagonists. 
My favorite thing about the novel are the Renegades' abilities themselves. While some of them, like the ability to create and manipulate water, are stereotypical, some of them are more unique. Adrian's ability to draw anything into existence is awesome, and I find it adorable that he uses it to entertain his adopted younger brother, Max, and other children at a carnival. Adrian also uses his ability to pen things into existence to create "extra" abilities for himself, like fire manipulation and springs on the bottom of his feet, to create a new secret superhero identity for himself - the Sentinel. 
Nova's ability to put others to sleep while never sleeping herself is also pretty awesome, even though she only uses her power a few times as her undercover identity, Insomnia, is only supposed to never sleep. Nova's real abilities lie in innovation. She creates multiple different weapons (and non-weapons, like a syringe-operated elevator) to use in combat from things you might not expect to be used in such a way - or at least not without being extremely high-tech - like a blow dart ink pen.
Overall, I think Renegades is a novel that is worth reading. The ending is definitely a surprise twist - I will definitely be reading the next novel to find out what happens next. Obviously targeted at a younger audience than perhaps the turbulent and violent Lunar Chronicles, Renegades is a novel that will likely be enjoyed by many.

Interesting perspective on the superhero genre.  Nova was a well fleshed out supervillian.  However, was she really bad.  Where did she fit in her city?