* * * * *I had to give this book five stars because I was addicted from the very first page to the end. It's no secret that I love superheroes (Marvel is my life) and Marissa Meyer took on the challenge so well! There's such a flurry of cool and original powers and I fell into the world so easily.
Renegades reminded me a little of Vicious (V.E. Schwab) because it plays a lot on the idea of good vs evil and how it isn't always an easy binary to distinguish. Renegades really makes you question who's the hero and who's the villain by providing different perspectives and angles on everything which I loved! It was such a fascinating debate to explore and made everything so beautifully complex.
Another thing that Marissa Meyer aced was representation and diversity!!! Because there's such a large cast and selection of prodigies, there was so much for room for diverse characters; ethnicities, sexualities, physical disabilities, ages and appearances! This was just the icing on the cake for me because it was so refreshing to see such a diverse set of awesome and inspiring characters.
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
With books like this, it's inevitable you're gonna think about what power you'd want and personally, I'd go straight for Nova or Adrian's... though, I'm kinda leaning towards Nova's. Sure, I'd love to be able to create something just by drawing it but I'm so addicted to being productive and getting things done and just imagine having an extra 12 hours of the day! I wouldn't need to feel guilty about binging TV shows and wasting time ever again!
In terms of sides as well, I'm Team Nova all the way. I love Adrian, I do, but I love how sneaky and smart Nova is. I completely agree with her view of prodigies (how normal humans should take responsibility for themselves instead of over-relying on Renegade celebrities) and I appreciate how her past justified those views. Seeing what happened to her family was awful and I was so angry that the Renegades didn't save them as they'd promised. It makes me appreciate Nova's views completely even though I may not completely agree with her methods of taking down the Renegades.
But, having said all that, I did love Adrian and the other Renegades! And that's what makes this book so interesting because you can never decide whose side you're really on! I love Oscar and Ruby (and totally ship them, of course). I also loved hearing about their equally traumatic backstories and how they got their powers- everything about these characters and their stories is just so compelling!
Talking of ships... of course, I ship Adrian and Nova but I'm so hesitant because I don't know how much pain my heart can take. I love that neither of them know about each other's respective Sentinel and Nightmare alter egos but I seriously thought they'd find out by the end of this book. And, frankly, I was kind of hoping they'd find out by the end of this book because then we could get on with the slow process of forgiving each other for their betrayals and admitting they're in love with each other (because, damn it, they have to end up together or I'll riot).
The fact that they didn't know who each other were made this book so overwhelmingly full of tension but also... funny? There were so many scenes that I was laughing my head off at because they'd reveal things or talk about each other and they just didn't know!!! Gods, it was so entertaining.
One of my favourite scenes had to be the Renegade trial scene. It was the first time we truly saw the extent of what Nova could do and it was awesome! I loved how Adrian's team was the only one to vote for her to stay and she fits in perfectly with them (so much that my heart will break when they find out she's Nightmare!!).
My other favourite scenes were whenever Nightmare and Adrian came face to face or Nova went up against the Sentinel because you just feel so cool and in-the-know because you know who they truly are! Each of their interactions are so important and I was just waiting for one of them to slip up and reveal something that would give them away!
The incident at the library scene was cool and, honestly, I quite liked Ingrid (aka. the Detonator). She had a cool power and I thought she was super cool before... you know... she went crazy.
And my final favourite scene was when Adrian and the rest of his team went to interrogate Winston (aka. the Puppeteer). Not only is Winston a hilarious character that I hope comes up more in the next books, he's also terrible at being subtle (luckily, the Renegades are more terrible at being observant). Through this whole scene, I was on the edge of my seat, seconds from hysterical laughing and a holding my breath from fear. It was the best!
What I found really interesting was the last chapter because it brought up so many new theories!
Nova briefly talks to Phobia and he mentions the phrase 'one cannot be brave who has no fear' which implies that he or someone he knew killed Adrian's mum... right? And, then, Nova went to tombs under the cathedral to tell Ace about how his helmet isn't destroyed and just hidden by the Council. Ace! Who's supposed to be dead?!?! So, did he fake his death or is this some weird ghost-like, preserved-body kind of thing? I have no idea but I can't wait to find out!
I'm also super excited to learn about this 'antidote' that's been teased because it sounds like it'll play a big part in the next books. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone, Anarchist and Renegade, took the antidote by the end of the series. Because, as well all know, as long as there's superheroes, there will always be people who rely on them too much...
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts! Stay amazing!
Chloe
Even as a complete non Marvel fan I really loved this book. The uncertainty of good/evil is something I really like exploring.
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