foxon's review
3.0
I had a hard time rating this one. It started out really, really good. I love the premise, the ambiguity of the main characters allegiances, the exploration of anarchy in an dystopian society. I connected with all the characters; the side characters were all fun with distinct personalities and the reader gets to see the main characters vulnerabilities making them relatable and likable even when they are lying to each other.
It is very long, though. And by the end, I was a little bored and felt that the prose suffered. It was more stagnated, less funny and more predictable.
Overall I think this series has promise, but Im not going to get my hopes too high.
It is very long, though. And by the end, I was a little bored and felt that the prose suffered. It was more stagnated, less funny and more predictable.
Overall I think this series has promise, but Im not going to get my hopes too high.
alyram4's review
3.0
.375/5 stars
It's a bit tough for me to really fall in love with a book that is so heavy on superpowers, but this was great! This is the first Marissa Meyer book I've read.! It's fairly easy to tell the "good" from the "bad", as the Renegades and Anarchists seem to have very clear motives and rules. Nova, living between two different worlds, was really interesting. It was interesting to see the underbelly of both sides, and how far each side is going to prevent the other from taking over. I also approve of Adrian x Nova. Their friendship is one I actually love, and I wouldn't mind if it were to become romantic. I also do have a very strong feeling as to how Nova will be ousted as Nighmare, which is a bit anticlimactic but predictable. Anyways, I can't wait to read Archenemies and see how the story continues.
It's a bit tough for me to really fall in love with a book that is so heavy on superpowers, but this was great! This is the first Marissa Meyer book I've read.! It's fairly easy to tell the "good" from the "bad", as the Renegades and Anarchists seem to have very clear motives and rules. Nova, living between two different worlds, was really interesting. It was interesting to see the underbelly of both sides, and how far each side is going to prevent the other from taking over. I also approve of Adrian x Nova. Their friendship is one I actually love, and I wouldn't mind if it were to become romantic. I also do have a very strong feeling as to how Nova will be ousted as Nighmare, which is a bit anticlimactic but predictable. Anyways, I can't wait to read Archenemies and see how the story continues.
marissax22's review
5.0
I originally chose this book because I needed a book based on a revenge theme for book club. Normally, anything "superhero-esque" isn't my thing so I was very pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable I found this book! So enjoyable, in fact, that I borrowed the rest of the series already so I could binge them all in a row. I did audiobook and the narrators nailed it. The characters are well-rounded and it wasn't all action based (which is great IMO because I hate when a book is too busy). The imagery was well-written and the quieter scenes weren't boring in the least. There was also some very relatable themes and I look forward to venturing further into Nova's story.
saramichelle290508's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
chloekeffer's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
readwithdj's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hwilson13's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
savetheoctopus's review
3.0
Honestly a solid book. I liked Nova just as much as I disliked Sketch (or whatever his name was). Meyers genius portrayal of the two sides made me go from liking the anarchists to liking the renegades to hating the anarchists to hating the renegades. But at the same time, I felt like I was left with way too little information on either side to make an educated opinion. Nova's incredibly biased narration (that wasn't even first person, but still managed to seem like it) made me feel incredibly conflicted about who's side I was even supposed to be on and made anything that came out of Adrian's (yes! names!) mouth sound like pure...propaganda.
Speaking of my boy Adrian, I hated him. And since Meyer made him her romantic lead, I would have to assume that was not her intention. This man was totally cheating the system and was very much so a total douche. He was totally cheating the system with all of his tattooing and for some reason that made me feel like he was... immoral? We can go with something like that. The fact that I was able to like old weasel face (aka the puppeteer) more than Adrian seems like a real problem on the writing side.
One more dig into what I didn't like in this book before I move on to the good. To me, the writing just seemed sloppy. I feel like this sort of storyline is something I'd expect from a novice author. The book was over 500 pages, and yet, I had no connection to any characters (except for my girl Nova). The plot was slow until something was blown up, and then three pages later it was back to being slow. Normally I can devour a book (even of this length) in a single day, but I struggled and failed with this one. This seemed like something that could have been split into other parts, and the #plottwist at the end felt forced and rushed and kind of messy. And It wasn't even that compelling of a book so I don't feel like I need to get the next one to discover what's up with that. Also, the diversity in this book felt slightly forced (this is entirely personal opinion and I was happy that there was diversity at all). Smokescreen had a cane and it was mentioned once or twice, but it didn't seem to hinder his ability to attack Nova in the first few chapters, even though she had guns and knives and all that fun stuff. That, and it was mentioned twice. And one more grab for the representation points, lets make Adrian have two dads. Again, I appreciate the rep, but it doesn't fell genuine. Maybe that's just me?
I will say however, that I liked Novas character, she was compelling (if a little inconsistent) and I also enjoyed Ruby and Smokescreen's (god NAMES!) relationship. It was cute! The book was enjoyable, especially because I was avoiding doing my other work and I didn't hate it while I was reading it. This is my first time reading one of Meyer's books (although I've heard she's a staple in YA) and who knows, maybe one day I'll pick up Cinder and enjoy that one more than Renegades. (okay one more jab at this book... you really couldn't come up with better names for these people than Renegades and Anarchists? Jesus...)
Speaking of my boy Adrian, I hated him. And since Meyer made him her romantic lead, I would have to assume that was not her intention. This man was totally cheating the system and was very much so a total douche. He was totally cheating the system with all of his tattooing and for some reason that made me feel like he was... immoral? We can go with something like that. The fact that I was able to like old weasel face (aka the puppeteer) more than Adrian seems like a real problem on the writing side.
One more dig into what I didn't like in this book before I move on to the good. To me, the writing just seemed sloppy. I feel like this sort of storyline is something I'd expect from a novice author. The book was over 500 pages, and yet, I had no connection to any characters (except for my girl Nova). The plot was slow until something was blown up, and then three pages later it was back to being slow. Normally I can devour a book (even of this length) in a single day, but I struggled and failed with this one. This seemed like something that could have been split into other parts, and the #plottwist at the end felt forced and rushed and kind of messy. And It wasn't even that compelling of a book so I don't feel like I need to get the next one to discover what's up with that. Also, the diversity in this book felt slightly forced (this is entirely personal opinion and I was happy that there was diversity at all). Smokescreen had a cane and it was mentioned once or twice, but it didn't seem to hinder his ability to attack Nova in the first few chapters, even though she had guns and knives and all that fun stuff. That, and it was mentioned twice. And one more grab for the representation points, lets make Adrian have two dads. Again, I appreciate the rep, but it doesn't fell genuine. Maybe that's just me?
I will say however, that I liked Novas character, she was compelling (if a little inconsistent) and I also enjoyed Ruby and Smokescreen's (god NAMES!) relationship. It was cute! The book was enjoyable, especially because I was avoiding doing my other work and I didn't hate it while I was reading it. This is my first time reading one of Meyer's books (although I've heard she's a staple in YA) and who knows, maybe one day I'll pick up Cinder and enjoy that one more than Renegades. (okay one more jab at this book... you really couldn't come up with better names for these people than Renegades and Anarchists? Jesus...)