Renegades

This book came out on my birthday a few years ago and felt like a present specifically for me, and other superhero fans will feel the same.

This YA sci-fi trilogy features a world divided between those who either love or hate the Renegades, a group of superpowered humans.

If you enjoy the themes of “heroes aren’t always what they seem” present in superhero works like The Boys, then Renegades is a milder version of that, making it a great entry point for superhero fans and an action-packed, thought-provoking read about what is right or wrong.

The renegades are a superhero organization that policies all superpowered people, but one of their new members has a secret mission of her own and she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the Renegades down.

But the last thing she expected was to fall in love with one of the Renegades and now she has to choose her mission or her love.

This was a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. 

Look, Marissa Meyer is the queen of action-adventure found-family stories. No matter which of her books you pick up, you’re going to have a good time. The Renegades series is a dope sci-fi, superhero genre story that has a surprisingly serious theme. Our two protagonists, Nova and Adrian, live on opposite sides of the villain-hero dichotomy in a world where superheros and supervillains are commonplace. Cue angsty literal enemies-to-lovers drama and some pretty amazing character building. Seeing the way Meyer dives into the backstories and drives of these characters means the romance is absolutely stellar. Buckle up for this ride.

Told from the perspective of a villain in a world full of superheroes, Renegades has to be one of my favorite stories. Right off the bat, Marissa Meyer sucks you into the depth of Nova’s pain, gripping a reader’s heart with the fury and tragedy that drives this antihero’s feud against the superheroes ruling her society. I don’t cry often in books, but I was moved to tears by the first few pages — empathizing on a visceral level with why Nova would fight for the Anarchists, the villains who raised her. Yet, as this series progresses, we see Nova’s… show more.

These ideas and the images in this one were sublime! This world, where some people are born with superpowers, was like a graphic novel brought to life. The connection between Nova, who is hell-bent on revenge against the Renegades, and the Renegade, Adrian, who simply wants Nova, makes the story hum with tension. I honestly wasn't sure if she would warm to him... or kill him.