Renegades Book Review
Renegades by Marissa Meyer book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 7-21-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 8.2/10
Book Cover Rating: 8.2/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: Renegades
Author: Marissa Meyer
Pages: 552
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Subplots: Dystopian, Romance, Superheros
Romance Level: 1/3
Series: Renegades #1
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
First Published: 2017
Number of Editions: 62
Goodreads Rating: 4.12/5
Number of Goodreads Ratings: 161,821
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Number of Amazon Ratings: 5,779
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 12+
Movie/TV Show?? : No
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Dual, Third Person
Pacing: Fast
Generally: ‘Villain’ decides to infiltrate the ‘hero’ lawmakers as a spy.
Hook: When Nova was just six years old her entire life changed. Her parents were killed in front of her- and her baby sister was killed not long after. While she waited to be murdered next, she held to hope. Hope that the Renegade heroes would save her. Just like they promised. But they didn’t. They didn’t come. They didn’t save her. That night, she realized they were not the perfect, heroic superheroes everyone assumed. When her uncle- famous ‘villain’ leader- found her, she become an Anarchist right along with him.
Now, years later, Nova’s uncle is dead. He was killed by the very Renegades who promised to save her family. So, in an attempt at revenge, Nova plans to join the Renegades. While she is a fairly well known villain, no one has ever seen her face or heard her real name. So, maybe, if she can infiltrate the Renegades she can finally get the revenge she is looking for.
My Review
Main Characters:
Nova Artino (AKA: Nightmare/ Insomnia): Nova is an Anarchist (what most people would call a ‘villain’). Her uncle was the original Anarchist leader. Nova was only six years old when her family was killed. Nova has superpowers- she can put people to sleep by touching them and she never sleeps. She is stubborn and hates feeling helpless. She is also very skilled with weapons- and loves making them herself.
Adrian Everhart (AKA: Sketch/ The Sentinel): Adrian is a Renegade (what most people would call a ‘hero’). His mom died when he was young. She was one of the founders of the Renegades. Adrian can draw anything, then bring it to life. He uses this to tattoo himself with things he can bring to life on himself. For example, he tattooed his hand with fire, so now he can shoot fire from his hand.
I really loved both Nova and Adrian! They both had great personalities are were really unique! Honestly, their powers felt VERY over powered to me- but I might be too critical. Other than that- they both had decent character development, especially Nova. I also really liked the side characters. Hearing about everyone’s unique superpowers was super interesting too.
Character Rating: 8.9/10
Setting:
This book takes place in Galton City.
Galton city is a large, dystopian type of city. It is run by the Renegades who act as its ‘police’. It is fairly well described and has plenty of details. There are definitely nicer and trashier areas of the city- and the juxtaposition of them is super interesting.
Setting Rating: 8.6/10
Plot:
This was a hooking, exciting plot, but it didn’t always feel super unique. While it never felt like a carbon-copy of another book, none of the major themes/plot points felt mind blowing. I did really enjoy the way the plot played out and I was never confused or lost throughout the book. Note: the plot did feel aimed towards a slightly younger young adult audience.
Plot Rating: 7.9/10
Writing:
As always, Marissa Meyer’s writing was super easy to follow, engaging, and never confusing. At the same time, it wasn’t SUPER detailed or extraordinary. It also seems slightly more aimed towards a younger young adult audience.
Writing Rating: 8.2/10
Ending:
Not quite the ending I expected, but also nothing absolutely shocking. I am excited to read book two, but I likely won’t rush into it too quickly. The ending wrapped up a couple of loose ends, but there are still PLENTY left to (hopefully) discover in book two.
Ending Rating: 7.6/10
The Overall:
Overall, I really enjoyed this exciting, young adult, fantasy book. It was super interesting to hear about all of the unique superpowers and ways they can be used. This book did feel like a slightly younger young adult book, but it was still enjoyable. This book had a hooking and exciting plot- full of adventure and action. I also enjoyed Marissa Meyer’s writing, but, again, it felt slightly more juvenile. It did not end exactly how I expected it to, but to be honest it wasn’t completely unique either. I’m excited to get to the next book and wrap up a few loose ends!
Overall Book Rating: 8.2/10
I would obviously recommend this book
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Marissa Meyer has written a variety of popular series including The Lunar Chronicles and Heartless.
She has also written a variety of graphic novels.
She lives with her husband and her two daughters.
She lives in Washington.
For more information, view Marissa Meyer’s website: marissameyer.com
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