From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer, comes a high-stakes world of adventure, passion, danger, and betrayal.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 … 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.
more
I never thought I would read a book about super heroes and like it! This was an easy read with some twists and turns. I love the authors ability to quickly develop characters. I feel like I know the main characters and some of the side characters like friends now. I cannot wait until the next entry in this series!
I loved this book! It was written so well that I could see the characters I could see what they were going through. I was devastated when Frostbite and her gang where bullying The Anarchists. I was rooting for Nova and Adrian the whole time.
It makes me giggle inside!
Despite the 550+-page tome that is this book, I enjoyed it. It didn’t feel that long to me, which is the important part (though I did see places that could be tightened). It’s a kind of X-Men/Heroes knockoff where everyone has a strange so-called superpower. Some of them are outright superpowers, while the others are more like “abilities.” But it was clever and imaginative how the characters used some of the more mild or strange abilities FOR a superpower. Like even Sketch, who could draw things that could come to life—obviously helpful when he needed a rope or a weapon.
I like Nova’s insistence that people could be brave or superheroes WITHOUT having an ability. There was plenty of somewhat-cheesy superhero banter in the dialogue, which I decided was part of the novel’s charm. I was okay with the ending, but it obviously left things up in the air for the sequel. There’s an awesome, surprising twist as things came to a close (no spoilers, but it’s what Nova does after the carnival).
Loved this book I couldn’t put it down
This book was incredible. It is full of so many amazing things and keeps you interested. I have gotten so many people to check it out and they all loved it. There is some romance and A LOT of drama. It includes humor and is just a naturally good book. I couldn’t put the book down. If you read it, you will definitely want to check out the rest of the series!!
This is a riveting story will compelling action, but what I like best is how the author gets you into the heads of the two main characters and shows what their motivations are. The superhero action is amazing and the story is an excellent read.
With the state of the world what it is, I’ve found it difficult over the past few weeks to get into any books… until I picked up Renegades. This is truly escapist reading therapy. I love Meyer’s take on superheroes and villains, especially the way she tackles the old adage that “a villain thinks they’re the hero of their own story”. This book pulls from a lot of pop culture references (someone tell me I”m not the only one imagining Cap and Bucky as Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden!!!) but it also manages to create a world unto its own that is rife with moral complexity, well developed characters and a story line you can’t help but keep turning pages to follow and see what comes next. I put the second book in this series on hold at y library before I was even halfway through this one and I can’t wait to get my hands on it and catch up with Nova, Adrian and the rest of these quirky yet relatable characters.
I thought this book was really good . It was so good in fact , when I would get home I would stuff my face in that book and read, read, read, and read!
I finished it in 2 days.
You guys…. there’s superheroes and tons of action. READDDD ITTTT.
This book sat on my GoodReads bookshelf for a long time before I finally picked it up. Now I’m wondering what the heck took me so long! Renegades is the first book in a trilogy by Marissa Meyer, all about superheroes and the battle between good vs. evil.
Nova was raised by villains. Ten years ago, her uncle, the leader of the villains, was killed in a decisive victory for the Renegades — a band of heroes determined to restore balance to a breaking world. After their triumphant victory, the Renegades established themselves as leaders and set up an organization that quickly spread around the world — heroes with powers fighting for the common good to destroy evil and make the world a safe place to live again.
Today, Nova joins the Renegades to take them down from within, but her journey has her questioning what makes someone a hero or villain. Not all heroes are heroic. Not all villains are villainous. After spending time with Adrian, a Renegade, Nova realizes that it’s the choices we make that will decide who we are — not the powers we wield.
While the theme of the story itself isn’t terribly original — Do you have what it takes to be a hero? — the way Meyer spins this story into a complex web of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong is certainly unique. I fell in love with Nova’s character very quickly, related to her plight, and felt her inner turmoil as she struggles to come to grips with the reality of the world around her. The worldbuilding was swiftly established with a dramatic opening chapter. The relationships Nova has with the villains and the heroes make you quickly admire her no-nonsense attitude and her compassion.
I can honestly say this is one of the best books I’ve read in months. If you are a fan of the Powerless series or superheroes in general, you will love this twisting tale of mystery and betrayal. I can’t wait to open book two!
Renegades is a fantastic read–compelling, highly engaging, with fully rounded characters that made me care for them, depth and insight, great secrets, and just enough unpredictability to make me wonder what would happen next, all the while loving the unique powers they have. Marissa Meyer made me care about Nova, a villain character – which I didn’t think was possible – by showing her trauma, her humanity, and her ability to care. I kept hoping she would become a hero, which is part of what kept me turning the pages. I kept thinking about the characters, caring about them, and I didn’t want the book to end. Thankfully there is a sequel. A fantastic read!
I love this book not just because it’s enjoyable, but it had me very captivated in the narration of the two main characters. In addition I liked that there were Hero’s called Renegades, and villains called anarchists, the main anarchists in this book are quite interesting when it comes to their abilities, differences and similarities. Over all I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes scientific fiction or twists to a story.
Be careful on your journey. Your actions might crush your heart or your heart might take you where your head’s not ready to go.
Loved the characters and that Myers chooses really unconventional super powers which gives the story more than the same old super hero genre feel.
Marissa Meyer does an excellent job writing Renegades. Gatlon City, the place where Renegades takes place, is well-described as a world filled with superhero “prodigies” called Renegades and the people who adore them.
The novel is narrated by Adrian Everhart and Nova Artino. Nova and Adrian both are prodigies, but why they use their powers differ immensely. Adrian is the adopted son of Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, two of Gatlon City’s leaders, and can bring any of his drawings to life. He’s a Renegade and patrols Gatlon City, protecting it from harm.
Nova is a prodigy with the ability to put people to sleep. She can’t sleep herself, and gained her powers after her family’s horrific death. Captain Chromium had promised Nova’s family would be safe and he failed them, so Nova joined her uncle, Ace Anarchy, in his war against Renegades. Ace was the leader of the Anarchists, prodigies who fought the “normal” people over their then-current oppression. Unfortunately, even though people began to accept and worship prodigies, the Anarchists were overthrown by the Renegades, who believed they would be better leaders than the “cruel” Anarchists. Ace lost the war, and Nova and the rest of the Anarchists fled.
Meyer clearly describes in her book the true extent of human corruptibility, even among the famed Renegades. She proves in her book Renegades that the lines between good and evil aren’t so easy to decipher. A stunning reveal at the end of the book is a perfect closer to this incredible adventure novel.
It- along with it’s sequal: Archenemies- is so full of action, plot twists and romance you can’t put it down
I read this book because of the author. I wasn’t sure what to expect because super heroes aren’t really my thing. However, I really enjoyed it. I even passed it on to my 14 yo son and he is liking it too.
There are some minor plot holes and I didn’t find the twist at the end shocking like it was meant to be, but overall very entertaining.
**there is a lot of violence and death, a near teenage kiss, a MC that has two dads; no sexual content or language.
I read this book from a library and now I want to re-read it because the book is so good, I just have to find a free one
The thing about this book that I feel really bad about is that this isn’t the kind of novel I would normally pick up. Superhero stories usually aren’t my thing because I find them all bland, all cliche, and all similar. There just isn’t very much room for creativity or uniqueness when you choose to write a superhero novel. So, it is slightly unfair to be giving this book one star, because if you know you most likely won’t like a book you probably shouldn’t pick it up and hurt its ratings.
But, I did pick it up solely because fairytale retellings aren’t my thing either, and Marissa Meyer had blown the genre out of the park with Cinder. She had taken a genre I don’t usually fuck with and created an all-time favorite novel from it. Do you see where this is going? I thought that maybe she could miraculously blow me out of the park again with a genre that I don’t like.
And it failed miserably for me.
This book was a PAIN to read. It was like every superhero movie ever jumbled together in a huge, cliche clusterfuck. And I think maybe why I hated this book so much was because the first chapter had promised something different.
In the first chapter, we are giving this hauntingly terrifying and exhilarating scene where 6-year-old Nova’s parents and little sister are shot and killed in their own home. We are given this powerful moment when little Nova holds a shaking gun contemplating killing the killer, and it gave me shivers. I was HELLA excited for the novel. I thought it was going to give me a sense of danger, a “no one is safe”, ruthless, action-packed superhero story. Not the a-typical superheros are all constantly safe and never kill each other, so morally compassed that they imprison the bad guys instead of killing them, type of childish story.
Literally in the first fight scene, Nova puts all the opponents to sleep and leaves. How is that exciting? How is that a sense of danger and excitement if the main character–who’s supposed to be a villain–doesn’t even ever kill anybody?
I feel the characters were the worst part of the novel. It’s like Meyer didn’t have the balls to actually make the villains… well villains. She said “ouh let’s make Nova a bad guy” but then wanted Nova to be likeable I guess? So she didn’t actually make Nova the kick-ass, spy villain she could have been so that the reader would root for her maybe? Even Nova’s reasons for being the villain were shit and made absolutely no sense. She constantly talks about the reason her parents are dead are because the Renegades didn’t protect them, so now she thinks NO ONE deserves protection at all? If I could say one thing to Nova it would be this:
The reason your parents are dead are because of gangs like the Roaches, who would still be running rampant in the city if it weren’t for the Renegades. The REASON for your predicament is BECAUSE of Anarchy you fucking dumbass.
Meyer tried so hard to keep Nova morally good that she lost the characterization. Even if Meyer had just said that Nova had a burning hatred for the Renegades because she’s twisted and evil and doesn’t want to see the world do good, it would make more sense than trying to keep up this trope that her intentions are good because she TRULY believes Anarchy is truly better for the world. Anyone with a brain would know that Anarchy doesn’t help anybody, and definitely wouldn’t have saved her parents.
The rest of the characters I can’t even comment on because they had absolutely no personality. They were all completely, and 100% defined by their superpowers with no actual personality traits.
This book, at the end of the day, was terribly disappointing and cowardly. The author didn’t take any risks, and other than the one handicapped superhero, she created no interesting or morally complex characters. Even though it had potential, it was paired with sub-par writing and poor dialogue, and turned to be a basic superhero story that can be clustered with the thousands of other ones on the market.