March Reads: Renegades Review

⭐3.5/5

“You talk like you’ve read too many comic books.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice. Once upon a time, villains ruled the world. It took the force of the Renegades to stop them. Now, the Renegades are not only everyone’s heroes but the syndicate of superpowered people who rose to lead their crumbling society. Everyone loves them... except for the villains they once overthrew, and Nova. After she meets Adrian—a Renegade boy with a strong sense of justice — will Nova choose the path of heroes or villains?

Some stories are meant to be read, and some are meant to be listened. I found Renegades by Marissa Meyer to be the latter. I walked into this story with high hopes. I’ve read nothing by Meyer before, but her reputation preceded her, and I was excited to see a full trilogy about superheroes.

Meyer crafted a diverse cast of complex and likeable characters that were a joy to experience. I also appreciated the unique perspective on villains she gave us. Meyer’s book provided me with all the flashy superpowers, capes, and tights I needed, and yet something was amiss.

Meyer took her time introducing us to her world, and there were a couple of fake starts to this story that bordered on exasperating. Her writing style isn’t exactly my cup of tea either. The characters are often “starting” their actions instead of just doing them. This makes the narrative feel stunted. Meyer’s use of some superhero tropes felt forced and even out-of-place. These aspects alone made it hard for me to sit back and enjoy the story, and I felt like quitting a few times. But I stayed for the characters. I couldn’t bear to put this book in my “did not finish” pile without knowing what happened to Nova and Adrian.

In the end, I figured I just needed to listen to the story. The audiobook provided me with a level of separation from the narrator in my head, and this took the story to the next level. Book 1 ends up feeling like a lengthy introduction to a richer, well-plotted, overarching storyline, but I enjoyed it. I plan to pick up the audiobooks for the next two books in the series soon.