Renegades
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 576
Summary:
Secret Identities and Super Villains collide in a world divided between good and evil. Nova Artino stars as Nightmare, a vigilante prodigy who can put anyone to sleep with a single touch. Nova's family is dead, and she wants revenge. The people to blame are the Renegades, a team of prodigies who failed to come in Nova's time of need. But as Nova's hunt for justice delves deeper, she begins to realize that all renegades might not be as selfish as she once believed, and that she herself may not be as much of a villain as she had hoped.
Plot:
Readers hope for one goal in picking up a book: entertainment. Books are meant to entertain the reader, to give them a world different than their own. But Meyer's novel Renegades gives its audience more than just entertainment; it lets them have fun. Meyer's plot was pure brilliance. Instead of watching comic books come to life on the big screen, I was able to read about it in a book. Meyer's Hero v. Villain world gives readers everywhere the chance to bring superheroes into their literacy imaginations; and imagine a world where heroes, and villains, walk amidst. I found Meyer's novel to be expertly paced and pleasantly non-confusing; Meyers does an excellent job of organizing all of her super-powered characters into her storyline without confusing the complex narrative. All in all, the plot of Renegades is a refreshing change in diversity from it's fellow Young Adult novels.
Characters:
Renegades comes with quite an eclectic cast of characters; all armed with diverse abilities. I highly enjoyed reading from both Hero and Villain perspectives in the novel. Developing personal connections with both adversaries prevented me from favoring the heroes over the villians; rather, I sympathized with the well-being for both adversaries. Furthermore, I highly enjoyed reading about each character's super-power. While more classical powers interplay in the novel (Flight, Super-Strength, etc.), I was pleased to read about Meyer's original abilities she had concocted for her characters, and the effect it caused on the book as a whole. Overall, I found each character to be admired and relatable in their own way, and found delight in reading about each of their individual struggles and accomplishments.
Setting:
Meyer's setting is purely iconic. Renegades takes place in a world where the heroes are worshipped and idealized; the villains feared and hated. Reading about the celebrity entitlement Meyer posed on the heroes was creatively stunning, as was the collectivist fear associated with villains. Bringing the "Superhero" world to life inside her books allowed me to envision a background where supernatural abilities and normalcy intertwines into an action-filled universe.
Review:
Meyers proved that super-powered beings are not confined inside the big screen, or beneath the pages of a comic book. Renegades proves that super heroes, and villains, can make just as big an impact in literature as they do in movies. This book is fun, entertaining, and refreshing among the synonymous plot lines found in various forms of literature. I am giving Marissa Meyer's Renegades five out of five stars, and would recommend it to any fan of Marvel or D.C. productions. Thanks for reading :)
