Renegades by Marissa Meyer
My friend C---- has a nasty habit of buying me the first book in a fun series, leaving me to shell out for the rest. This year was no exception. I literally walked into a bookstore for the next two books in the series minutes after I finished reading this one.
Thirty years after Ace Anarchy 's revolution destabilized the world's governments, a group of super-powered Prodigies known as the Renegades have taken control of Gatlon City. Nova, Ace Anarchy 's niece, infiltrates the Renegades in order to take them down from the inside. Her plan runs into trouble when she starts to develop moral qualms and feelings for hot Renegade Adrian. At least, that's what it says on the back of the book. She does have qualms and feels, but the real trouble comes from one of her fellow Anarchists being an explosion-happy dumbass who is too wrapped up in getting revenge to wait for Nova's plan to run its course. The end result is two really cool action set pieces and a couple of bodies.
This book has a lot going for it. Fun super powers. Complex pov characters. Well written action. Diversity. Three different flavors of romance including star crossed lovers, bickering banter teammates, and wholesome gay husbands.
I think my favorite aspect though were the discussions about heroism, authoritarianism, and the problematic nature of the superhero genre as a whole. The characters actually take the time to argue about the role superheroes should play in their society, whether one needs powers to be heroic, and how power aught to be used. The two main protagonists and POV characters come at it from very different angles. Nova was raised by villains and starts off the book planning to assassinate someone, but she has an unshakable moral code and repeatedly risks her life and the mission to rescue people. Adrian is the son of the city's founding heroes. He has the best of intentions, but occasionally does some really morally questionable shi t he justifies because he's a hero and his victims are just bad guys anyway. Their interactions made for interesting reading.
Thirty years after Ace Anarchy 's revolution destabilized the world's governments, a group of super-powered Prodigies known as the Renegades have taken control of Gatlon City. Nova, Ace Anarchy 's niece, infiltrates the Renegades in order to take them down from the inside. Her plan runs into trouble when she starts to develop moral qualms and feelings for hot Renegade Adrian. At least, that's what it says on the back of the book. She does have qualms and feels, but the real trouble comes from one of her fellow Anarchists being an explosion-happy dumbass who is too wrapped up in getting revenge to wait for Nova's plan to run its course. The end result is two really cool action set pieces and a couple of bodies.
This book has a lot going for it. Fun super powers. Complex pov characters. Well written action. Diversity. Three different flavors of romance including star crossed lovers, bickering banter teammates, and wholesome gay husbands.
I think my favorite aspect though were the discussions about heroism, authoritarianism, and the problematic nature of the superhero genre as a whole. The characters actually take the time to argue about the role superheroes should play in their society, whether one needs powers to be heroic, and how power aught to be used. The two main protagonists and POV characters come at it from very different angles. Nova was raised by villains and starts off the book planning to assassinate someone, but she has an unshakable moral code and repeatedly risks her life and the mission to rescue people. Adrian is the son of the city's founding heroes. He has the best of intentions, but occasionally does some really morally questionable shi t he justifies because he's a hero and his victims are just bad guys anyway. Their interactions made for interesting reading.