Book Review: Renegades

I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but I am a huge fan of superhero stories! The superpowers, the costumes, the intense battles, it’s a downright obsession for me. And if you’ve been keeping up on my blog, you know that one of the books I was currently reading was Renegades by Marissa Meyer. Well, now I’m moving it from my TBR to the finished shelf because that’s exactly what I just did!.

I have a lot of things I want to say about this book. First of all, Meyer must have put a lot of time into building this world, because it felt so real. Gatlon City had it all: the culture, the politics, the rich history, everything a reader ever wants in a world. I found myself wishing to be transported to Gatlon City because it was a perfect blend of realistic and magical, like a city out of a comic book. Cities like Gotham or Metropolis. There were amazing elements in this world that I just loved so much.

The second thing I would like to say about this book are how amazing the characters were. There was so much diversity and representation to go around that made my heart melt. A gay couple with adopted children and an African American superhero with a physical disability are only two that I can think of at the moment.

The story follows two viewpoints. The first is Nova Artino, aka Nightmare. She has the ability to put people to sleep with a single touch and she doesn’t need to sleep. When she was six years old, she witnessed the death of her mother, father, and 11 month old sister at the hands of a gang member during a time known as the Age of Anarchy. The Renegades were supposed to come, but they didn’t. Only an Anarchist named Ace, who happened to also be Nova’s uncle. The betrayal of the people who swore to protect her family lead to Nova becoming an Anarchist herself. Her only goal is to take down the Renegades once and for all.

The second is Adrian Everhart, aka Sketch. He has the ability to bring whatever he draws to life. His mother was among one of the original Renegades called Lady Indomitable, who had the ability to fly. She was mysteriously murdered, and her case continues to be unsolved. Adrian also has another alias: The Sentinel. Using his powers, Adrian created this alter ego to do things the Renegades can’t. While under the guise of The Sentinel, Adrian learns something that may lead to his mother’s killer, and becomes obsessed with finding the source: Nightmare.

The third thing I would like to address about this book is the relationship between Adrian and Nova. It starts off as a simple crush, and even towards the end of the book, it still remains a crush, since neither of them have deep feelings for one another. The admiration and the pacing of this relationship makes it so easy to ship them. And the fact that the two are secretly enemies without the other one knowing the other’s true identity makes it even more appealing to me. I can’t help it. I ship them, and there’s no stopping it.

It seems as if I can’t gush enough about this book, but I swear if I keep writing, all this post is going to be is me fangirling. That’s totally unprofessional. Instead, I want to recommend this book to everyone reading this. If you loved The Lunar Chronicles, you’ll love the Renegades. The second book, Arch Enemies comes out on November 6th, 2018, and I cannot wait for it to come out! I'm already head over heels in love with this book, and the fact that it's going to be a trilogy is making my heart race!

(I’m sorry the updating days have been weird. I just started a new job and it’s been taking up a lot of my time. Anyway, I appreciate your patience.)