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emilyparker's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
Okay that was incredible. I didn't know how much I missed Marissa Meyer's writing til I was finally reading it again! This book overcame any expectation I had (not that I really knew what to expect at all) and was just the most fun and the most epic YA book I've read in a long time. She's so good at what she does.
I thought this was a super well done start to the trilogy, and I expect (and hope) that the next two books will be just as good if not better than this one. I will say that the world building was slightly lacking - I wanted to know more about what the world was like before the age of anarchy rather than just during and after. It would have helped to better understand why the age of anarchy needed to actually happen in the first place rather than just seeming like a super evil power-hungry act. The brief introduction into the world before the prologue was good, but not really enough to fully emphasise just how badly prodigies were treated before this time - and even after finishing the book it's something that never truly gets explained. I think it's an important aspect to consider, especially with the way that the renengades and anarchists are set up as two opposing sides that underneath the surface might actually be just as corrupt as each other.
That was another thing I loved about this book - how morally grey both sides of the two extremes are; there truly aren't the "good guys" or the "bad guys", just people taking advantage of the situation they've been put in and using the powers that they hold to enact change upon the world. I will say that until the very end I was kind of thinking that the renegades maybe arent quite as bad as the anarchists, until the whole antidote D or whatever it was called was revealed.
Also I suspected the entire time that Ace was never actually dead and was unsurprised at the end, but that was still a very nice dramatic moment nevertheless. I expected Ingrid to somehow just reveal Nova's true identity to Adrian rather than just attempt to kill her, but I'm very glad that the whole charade of her pretending to be someone that she's not will get to continue throughout the next book (if only for a short time)
That brings me to another aspect that I just loved - both Adrian and Nova having secret identities that they're trying to hide from one another whilst we, the reader, just gets to sit there and laugh at them. So freaking fun. Reminds me of Miraculous Ladybug a bit (I haven't watched it though so take that opinion with a grain of salt). It's just too good.
I really enjoyed Nova and Adrian as characters. Nova reminded me a little of Inej from Six of Crows, who I of course love, so that was super fun, and the whole pen-weapon thing for Adrian gave me massive Percy Jackson nostalgia which is always fun. I'm curious to see how their dynamic will change once they find out the truth about their secret identities, but I'm sure it will be very entertaining. It's so interesting to see how their thoughts are so influenced by the way they were raised, there was one specific part where Nova literally said something like the thoughts she was having were in Ace's voice rather than her own. But I love the way they are both able to doubt the side they have known their entire lives, and it makes me really excited to see what will happen in the future books - will everyone lose their abilities like Nova wants? Or will the renegades just take over and become more like the villains they're trying to oppose? Ahhh so good!
The side characters were also really enjoyable, on both the anarchist and renegade side. I definitely want to learn more about Leroy, he seems super interesting and I loved the big brother vibes he has with Nova, very fun. I also want more Danna content cause she just seems super cool and interesting. Max was also super interesting (pun intended), and I wonder how he will come into play throughout the trilogy, and not just through this spooky antidote they've managed to create from him.
Overall this book was a super fun time and I absolutely loved it. Whilst the world building was slightly lacking, I felt that the characters and plot mostly made up for the few holes scattered throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Marissa Meyer's work in the past!
That was another thing I loved about this book - how morally grey both sides of the two extremes are; there truly aren't the "good guys" or the "bad guys", just people taking advantage of the situation they've been put in and using the powers that they hold to enact change upon the world. I will say that until the very end I was kind of thinking that the renegades maybe arent quite as bad as the anarchists, until the whole antidote D or whatever it was called was revealed.
Also I suspected the entire time that Ace was never actually dead and was unsurprised at the end, but that was still a very nice dramatic moment nevertheless. I expected Ingrid to somehow just reveal Nova's true identity to Adrian rather than just attempt to kill her, but I'm very glad that the whole charade of her pretending to be someone that she's not will get to continue throughout the next book (if only for a short time)
That brings me to another aspect that I just loved - both Adrian and Nova having secret identities that they're trying to hide from one another whilst we, the reader, just gets to sit there and laugh at them. So freaking fun. Reminds me of Miraculous Ladybug a bit (I haven't watched it though so take that opinion with a grain of salt). It's just too good.
I really enjoyed Nova and Adrian as characters. Nova reminded me a little of Inej from Six of Crows, who I of course love, so that was super fun, and the whole pen-weapon thing for Adrian gave me massive Percy Jackson nostalgia which is always fun. I'm curious to see how their dynamic will change once they find out the truth about their secret identities, but I'm sure it will be very entertaining. It's so interesting to see how their thoughts are so influenced by the way they were raised, there was one specific part where Nova literally said something like the thoughts she was having were in Ace's voice rather than her own. But I love the way they are both able to doubt the side they have known their entire lives, and it makes me really excited to see what will happen in the future books - will everyone lose their abilities like Nova wants? Or will the renegades just take over and become more like the villains they're trying to oppose? Ahhh so good!
The side characters were also really enjoyable, on both the anarchist and renegade side. I definitely want to learn more about Leroy, he seems super interesting and I loved the big brother vibes he has with Nova, very fun. I also want more Danna content cause she just seems super cool and interesting. Max was also super interesting (pun intended), and I wonder how he will come into play throughout the trilogy, and not just through this spooky antidote they've managed to create from him.
Overall this book was a super fun time and I absolutely loved it. Whilst the world building was slightly lacking, I felt that the characters and plot mostly made up for the few holes scattered throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Marissa Meyer's work in the past!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder