Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Renegades Book 1

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

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28421168-renegades

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Marissa Meyer has created something that all of us comic book and superhero fans have been waiting for, and it couldn’t have been better! But hey, there is a sequel coming out next year, so let’s be honest, knowing her she is going to top the thrilling, action-packed, story that is Renegades. Hero or Villain? Renegade or Anarchist? That is the choice for the characters in the world that Meyer has created. The story was thrilling and kept you on your toes the whole way through. It wasn’t a black and white, good versus evil story. Nope. Not at all. Meyer has no fear in bringing out the gray areas. Especially with her two main characters, Nova and Adrian. Nova, the prodigy secretly known as Nightmare, has the power to make others sleep at her touch and she doesn’t have to sleep herself. But before she was Nightmare, she was a kid who deeply loved her family and believed in what the Renegades, the Council and heroes that protected their city from crime, did. Until, the night her parents and baby sister were murdered in front of her. (Batman, anyone?) Heartbroken that her heroes failed to protect her family when they needed her most, she was taken care of by her uncle Alex aka Ace Anarchy. The leader of the Anarchists. A group villains who just want to be equal and not punished for their gifts. Nova grows up with her uncle and his fellow Anarchists in hopes of one day taking down the organization that failed her. Adrian is the adopted son of Captain Chromium and The Dread Warden, two founding members of the Renegades and leaders of the Renegade Council. His mother was killed in the line of duty, she too was a founding member of the Renegades. Adrian’s superhero name is Sketch because he can bring his drawings and artwork to life. But that’s not the only thing he is known by. He has another secret identity because despite his belief in what the Renegades do, he feels that sometimes you need to dig a little deeper for justice. What I really loved about this story was that it switched back and forth between Nova and Adrian so you can see both sides of the story in terms of what is considered good and what is considered evil. It was never a simple concept of good versus evil. The Anarchists aren’t just villains trying to cause chaos and hurt people. They have a real purpose and it’s about freedom. They prove that the system that was created isn’t perfect and that relying on the so-called heroes shouldn’t be how the world is governed. It needs to be equal for those with and without powers. As for the Renegades, they are all about being heroes and saving people but their system isn’t perfect. And there can be those who are given a hero uniform but still are bullies. And how far are they willing to go in their quest to bring peace? I bet they are willing to cross some lines when the time comes. Adrian and Nova meet on the streets by chance and the spark between them is immediate. Though their initial meeting is brief, both know that something has changed. Circumstances throw them together once more and they find themselves on the same team. Nova goes undercover as a Renegade to learn how to take them down but in the meantime she sees that not everyone there is as evil as she once believed. Adrian opens her eyes to some of the good. And Nova, though she keeps her secret away from Adrian, shows him some of the realities of what it is like outside the Renegades group. Slowly they see both sides of the picture. But their true identities are still hidden from one another. When the time comes will their feelings be strong enough to overcome the pressure and beliefs that were pushed on them since children? We won’t find out until book two! (Which seems too far away!) If you love heroes, villains, superpowers, action, mystery and the hilarious characters then this book is for you. Even over 500 pages long it didn’t take me long to finish, because there was no dull moments. The small mysteries kept it interesting and there are still so many unanswered questions. As someone who loves Marvel and DC comics and movies, it was finally nice to find a young adult novel that held these ideas and bring them into a new light. With cliffhanger endings and shocking twists this book is a great read and I seriously cannot wait for the next one!