tsar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Once we have total power, what's to keep us from becoming villains ourselves?”
At first, I was quite disappointed that Renegades would be a trilogy instead of a two-book series as I believed that the cliffhanger on the first book is perfect to set up the conclusion on the sequel. Alas, I realized that I should take everything with a bit of a grain of salt.
Picking up where the first book leaves off, Archenemies reveals that Ace Anarchy is alive, hiding from the society as he takes his time to strategize another devastating attack against public heroes while waiting for his dear niece to get him his helmet back. On the other hand, the original Renegades, who are now running the Gatlon City as their political rulers with iron fists, have presented the so-called perfect solution to end super-powered crimes in the form of Agent N, a neutralizing serum that would stop people from abusing their power.
In writing this conflict, Meyer offers an empathetic perspective to see the original renegades' psyche thoroughly. Some characters might have questioned the justification to use a bio-weapon as an exchange of heroes, particularly its potential to breach basic human rights. Most of all, the concern that this serum could be an abusive tool of power that could be mistreated by both heroes and villains. The easy dismissal by the original renegades show the changes that have occurred for years; the bright motivation to save the world has transformed into a jaded urge to shape the city as to how they perceive it, tuning the general public's opinions despite knowing that the renegades' choices could directly affect the society as a whole. To an extent, the dispute highlights the bitterness that Anarchists do feel about these heroes in using their powers, granting a certain appeal to illustrate their rebellion against the renegades since its first clash.
If the first book acts as a character introduction of Nova and Adrian, the second book focuses more to illustrate Nova's struggles as a double agent. The narrative writes her as a young woman growing up with the belief that all heroes are selfish and unjust, cherry-picking those who they want to save and marginalizing victims that might have distasteful connections. Moreso, she's consumed with the idea that her uncle and his rebellion would liberate the super-powered society, creating a safe space where both super-powered and normal humans could treat each other with respect. Yet, the reality hits quite different to her; while some heroes are expectedly acting like she presumes them to be, those that she has known better are portrayed to be the opposites of her assumption. For example, her own team has shown much human conscience in doing their job to protect the city, understanding the limitation of what they could or couldn't do against their enemies but being effective in their methods. These conflicting realities allow Nova to form her own idea of justice without the excessive internal influence from her uncle or the sense of vengeance following her since childhood.
Having Nova as the centerpiece of Archenemies does sacrifice a stipend of character development, especially on Adrian, who technically serves as the male protagonist of the series. However, his story doesn't severely lose its identity as he has scenes that allow him to shine, particularly the moments where he has to juggle his position as a student, a budding hero, and somewhat a parent to his adopted little brother who is quarantined for the sake of the greater good.
And so, despite a small critique of the book, Archenemies is a worthy sequel where Meyer has written a narrative that understands the struggle to put with heroism beyond its glorification in society today, which I still believe should be the end of the series altogether instead of a bridge between the first and finale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
rlobel's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Emotional abuse
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