A world of super heroes and villains? What's not to love, right?
Those were my thoughts exactly. And for the first two chapter I was instantly hooked by the intensity of the story. However those first two chapters were probably the best written chapters and my expectations for this book soon plummeted as I delved deeper into the story.
What went wrong Marissa Meyer?
Don't kid me wrong, I LOVE Marissa Meyer's books. Her Lunar Chronicles were exciting and amazing. The characters practically jumped off the page. There was so much world building. It was MAGICAL. I was expecting the exact same kind of story telling with Renegades.
So what went wrong?!
First let's talk about the characters. It was way too crowded! There were way too many characters in this story and I felt like there wasn't enough room to let both Adrian and Nova develop and grow as characters. Marissa gives us this awesome introduction to Nova, and then... where did it go? Sure, it was part of her drive to be an undercover villain and join the Renegades to find a way to take them down. But the whole time she's just a wishy washy character. Am I bad? Am I good? Nova goes back and forth none stop. I get it, she has some humanity in her. But after the first initial intro where we are given the tragedy that sets her on that dark path, she becomes a two dimensional character. Why? Because there's just WAY too many characters. Marissa spends too much time making sure to explain all these super heroes and villains and their powers and what they can do. When really, her primary focus should have been on Nova and Adrian. And Adrian? Sure he seems like a nice guy... but there is nothing deeper there. He lost his mom and still... it was all on the surface. There was NOTHING deeper with these two characters. And the only true growth that happened was that Nova made a complete 360.
The plot... Let's talk about the plot. There's some great moments in the book, don't kid me wrong. But there is over 500 pages in this book, and sure, a lot happens, but really it amounts to nothing. Nothing really happens. Nothing really get's discovered. It's predictable. It's just a bunch of scenes that don't really matter or amount up to anything. And the surprise ending? Definitely NOT a surprise! How could there possibly be a book this thick when nothing really important happens in the story? There is no drive, nothing pushing it forward. And at the end of the book I felt completely disappointed.
The world building I felt was good. I enjoyed the broken world Marissa created. It's a society run by superheroes that are kind of learning and making up the rules and laws as they go. I also loved the fact that despite the title of superhero or villain, Marissa sheds light on the fact that there's good and bad on both sides, even if their intentions are noble.
Perhaps Marissa was just setting the stage for some epic books to come. But to me, 500 plus pages to set the stage is a bit too much. And with such an amazing introduction into this world with those first two chapters, I was so hoping the rest of the book would have the same drive as the beginning did.
Will I read the next book? I'll probably give it a chance. But I am incredibly distraught and disappointed over this book. I think it's great she's trying to write a different kind of book since she's been writing in the land of fairy tales until now. All I can do is hope that book 2 has a lot more meaning and a lot more excitement than book 1.
Marissa, I don't care if it's a superhero, or a villain, just give me a character with emotion, drive, and depth. Give me a character to connect with and fight for!
My Rating:
Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
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