eviereads_13's review against another edition
4.0
Solid 4.75 actually pretty good. Reflecting on it probably a 4.25/4.5
makiavellico's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5/5
I’ll be honest—if I started reading “Renegades” it was because I was in search of a good enemies-to-lovers trilogy, because, well, I’m a sucker for the trope. I did not expect the story to be that good and it’s not because I doubted Marissa Meyer’s writing skills—I’d never read anything of hers—but rather because I did not look much into the plot when I picked up the first book.
I thought, “Well, here goes another superheroes story.”
Some people may say it’s cliché and lacks originality, and while it’s true the story features some clichés, though I find them to be well executed, I would argue the lack of originality is just a matter of perspective depending on how much superheroes stories you’ve read over the past years. If you’re an hardcore fan of superheroes stories, this book will probably not change your life—but I think the same thing can be true about anything really. Among thousands and thousands of books, comics, movies, tv shows and such, is a 100% original story still a thing?
If you can go past the prejudice of “good guys vs bad guys” stories being boring, you may find yourself enjoying the plot. The world-building is good and so far believable, though what really caught me on going was the characters. I always say a good story with bad characters is tedious, while good characters can carry on a story even if the story itself is not perfect.
The female lead is called Nova while the male lead is Adrian and I fell in love with them. I can understand Nova’s pain and her desire of revenge resonates with me, just as I can understand Adrian’s different point of view. Their approach to the society they live in is different and I think both of them are neither completely right or wrong. Because yes, the Renegades should be the good guys and the Anarchists should be the bad guys, but Marissa Meyer does a good job in framing a more grey-ish way of seeing things.
As for the side characters, though I would have loved to read more of them, I’m almost done with “Archenemies”, the second book of the trilogy (no spoilers ahead, don’t worry!), and I must say I’m not disappointed. They’re pretty good.
Would I recommend this book to anyone? If they’re a fan of superheroes stories with a subplot of romance, absolutely yes!
I’ll be honest—if I started reading “Renegades” it was because I was in search of a good enemies-to-lovers trilogy, because, well, I’m a sucker for the trope. I did not expect the story to be that good and it’s not because I doubted Marissa Meyer’s writing skills—I’d never read anything of hers—but rather because I did not look much into the plot when I picked up the first book.
I thought, “Well, here goes another superheroes story.”
Some people may say it’s cliché and lacks originality, and while it’s true the story features some clichés, though I find them to be well executed, I would argue the lack of originality is just a matter of perspective depending on how much superheroes stories you’ve read over the past years. If you’re an hardcore fan of superheroes stories, this book will probably not change your life—but I think the same thing can be true about anything really. Among thousands and thousands of books, comics, movies, tv shows and such, is a 100% original story still a thing?
If you can go past the prejudice of “good guys vs bad guys” stories being boring, you may find yourself enjoying the plot. The world-building is good and so far believable, though what really caught me on going was the characters. I always say a good story with bad characters is tedious, while good characters can carry on a story even if the story itself is not perfect.
The female lead is called Nova while the male lead is Adrian and I fell in love with them. I can understand Nova’s pain and her desire of revenge resonates with me, just as I can understand Adrian’s different point of view. Their approach to the society they live in is different and I think both of them are neither completely right or wrong. Because yes, the Renegades should be the good guys and the Anarchists should be the bad guys, but Marissa Meyer does a good job in framing a more grey-ish way of seeing things.
As for the side characters, though I would have loved to read more of them, I’m almost done with “Archenemies”, the second book of the trilogy (no spoilers ahead, don’t worry!), and I must say I’m not disappointed. They’re pretty good.
Would I recommend this book to anyone? If they’re a fan of superheroes stories with a subplot of romance, absolutely yes!
poorashleu's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately I had much higher expectations for this book than I got. It's not that it was bad, because it wasn't. I was just...really, really bored. I got to 60% on the audiobook and debated continuing on.
_angelinasbooks_'s review against another edition
4.0
At first I was surprised because it was not what I expected (not in a bad way) and I was mildly annoyed because of it but as soon as I reconciled my false expectations It was wonderful. Final remarks: definitely read it just dont go into it expecting anything particular be open!!
neta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
4.5
elenh_b's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
geekreader's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fizzingwhizbee's review against another edition
3.0
**DNF at 40%**
This one just didn’t stick for me? I saw tons of positive reviews, but it felt very similar to Legend or Shatter Me or maybe both, and I wasn’t invested in the characters.
I had also heard that it “reads like a comic book”, which I can agree with, since it felt like a lot of fight scenes loosely strung together.
This one just didn’t stick for me? I saw tons of positive reviews, but it felt very similar to Legend or Shatter Me or maybe both, and I wasn’t invested in the characters.
I had also heard that it “reads like a comic book”, which I can agree with, since it felt like a lot of fight scenes loosely strung together.
ksophialydia's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
OMG YOU GUYS THIS BOOK IS AMAZING.
I enjoyed Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series. It was cute, but it was not without its faults, which sometimes were hard to get over.
I didn’t even finish Heartless.
So I was more than a little nervous about how Renegades would leave me feeling.
But you guys, this book. Is so. Damn. Good.
It’s leaps and bounds better than any of Meyer’s other works. There’s no plot holes, no loose threads, it’s tight and brilliantly paced.
There’s not one character I didn’t like. They’re all wonderful and three-dimensional. The romance alluded to between Nova and Adrian in the summary developed wonderfully over the course of the entire book. We get to see the friendship between the build and the romance blossom. There’s no insta-love, and while one could call this a slow burn romance, that may be doing them a disservice. It’s an accurate portrayal of two teens falling for each other while keeping monumental secrets from the other, and how it makes them cautious and awkward, trying to be open but not being able to share all of who they are.
It feels like everyone nowadays has to talk about the diversity and representation found in the books they read. Meyer’s handling of both is deft and palatable. Characters are not defined by their races, sexualities, or disabilities. Characters are what and who they are without it feeling like Meyer had a checklist she used when creating them.
But the thing I love most about this book is that it’s generally a-political at time when politics pervades nearly every aspect of life. Managing not to lean to heavily to one side or the other when talking about the destruction of society and the rise of superheroes and villains shows not only Meyer’s talent and skill as a writer, but also an awareness that all people read books, and we like to read to escape the real world at times, not wanting to be preached at or condemned for where we stand on a spectrum.
And that’s the heart of this book- learning and deciding what you believe and what you’re willing to do in support of it, but always questioning, never settling. What makes a hero? What makes a villain? Is the difference between them clearcut? And who is it that decides where those boundaries are drawn?
Renegades is not to be missed.
OMG YOU GUYS THIS BOOK IS AMAZING.
I enjoyed Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series. It was cute, but it was not without its faults, which sometimes were hard to get over.
I didn’t even finish Heartless.
So I was more than a little nervous about how Renegades would leave me feeling.
But you guys, this book. Is so. Damn. Good.
It’s leaps and bounds better than any of Meyer’s other works. There’s no plot holes, no loose threads, it’s tight and brilliantly paced.
There’s not one character I didn’t like. They’re all wonderful and three-dimensional. The romance alluded to between Nova and Adrian in the summary developed wonderfully over the course of the entire book. We get to see the friendship between the build and the romance blossom. There’s no insta-love, and while one could call this a slow burn romance, that may be doing them a disservice. It’s an accurate portrayal of two teens falling for each other while keeping monumental secrets from the other, and how it makes them cautious and awkward, trying to be open but not being able to share all of who they are.
It feels like everyone nowadays has to talk about the diversity and representation found in the books they read. Meyer’s handling of both is deft and palatable. Characters are not defined by their races, sexualities, or disabilities. Characters are what and who they are without it feeling like Meyer had a checklist she used when creating them.
But the thing I love most about this book is that it’s generally a-political at time when politics pervades nearly every aspect of life. Managing not to lean to heavily to one side or the other when talking about the destruction of society and the rise of superheroes and villains shows not only Meyer’s talent and skill as a writer, but also an awareness that all people read books, and we like to read to escape the real world at times, not wanting to be preached at or condemned for where we stand on a spectrum.
And that’s the heart of this book- learning and deciding what you believe and what you’re willing to do in support of it, but always questioning, never settling. What makes a hero? What makes a villain? Is the difference between them clearcut? And who is it that decides where those boundaries are drawn?
Renegades is not to be missed.