Title: Archenemies
Series: Renegades #2
Previous book in this series: Renegades
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA, sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes
Publication date: November 2018
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Purchased hardcover
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Buy it: Amazon | Book DepositorySynopsis: Time is running out. Together, they can save the world. But are they each other's worst nightmare?
Nova's double life is about to get a lot more complicated:As Insomnia, she is a full-fledged member of the Renegades, a syndicate of powerful and beloved superheroes. She works with Adrian's patrol unit to protect the weak and maintain order in Gatlon City.As Nightmare, she is an Anarchist—a group of villains who are determined to destroy the Renegades. Nova wants vengeance against the so-called heroes who once failed her when she needed them the most.But as Nova, her feelings for Adrian are deepening, despite the fact that he is the son of her sworn enemies and, unbeknownst to Nova, he has some dangerous secrets of his own.In this second installment of the Renegades trilogy, Nova, Adrian, and the rest of their crew—Ruby, Oscar, and Danna—are faced with escalating crime in Gatlon City, while covert weapons and conflicting missions have Nova and Adrian questioning not only their beliefs about justice but also the feelings they have for each other.The line between good and evil has been blurred, but what's clear to them both is that too much power could mean the end of their City—and the world—as they know it.
I loved this book! So far, it is a great series and I’m just mad at myself for not reading it sooner. Lol.
In the last book we found out that the Renegades are working on a serum called Agent N. This is supposed to neutralize superpowers and the Renegades intend to use it on anyone who doesn’t follow their code. To me (and Nova) this was absolutely horrifying.
To have your powers taken away, against your will... wasn’t this a violation of prodigy rights, as much as any abuse they’d suffered before the Age of Anarchy? Ace had fought so hard to give all prodigies the freedom to reveal their powers without fear of prosecution, but now the Renegades, the very people who should have been fighting on behalf of other prodigies, were determined to eradicate those who didn’t follow their code.
This is what’s so crazy to me: Ace fought for ALL prodigies, for their freedom. Did he go about it the wrong way? Yes. But the Renegades are basically only fighting for those who follow their stupid code.
It had to be a violation of human rights, but... who cared about the rights of villains?
This is just so upsetting, especially because Nova makes the following chilling yet accurate point:
“And once they”—she paused—“once we have total power, what’s to keep us from becoming villains ourselves?
Exactly! Yes, Nova is one of those villains they would neutralize without a second thought if they knew who she really was, but you have to admit that she makes good points. I understand that the Renegades are frustrated with all the villains, but they are taking things too far! There has to be a better way to deal with all this.
But one thing I love about Nova is that not only does she question the Renegades, but she is also starting to question the Anarchists as well.
And I just felt awful for Nova. On one hand, she has her Anarchist family which is all she’s ever known. Her thoughts align with that of her uncle’s, more or less, in that she believes that all prodigies should have equal rights. However, she’s starting to see that Ace may be taking things way too far. But all the poor girl wants is Ace's approval 😩 He is her only family, after all.
On the other hand are the Renegades, the group of superheroes she’s always loathed after they promised to protect her family and then failed to do so on the night of the murder of her parents and little sister. The things they want to do with Agent N are terrible and Nova wants to stop them. However, after being recruited into the Renegades (while undercover, of course), I think it’s safe to say that she’s made friends with most of her team, so maybe not ALL Renegades are absolutely terrible. And not only that, but she may be developing deeper feelings for Adrian, who just so happens to be the son of two of the main Renegades 😬
The relationship between Nova and Adrian was very complicated, as you can imagine. Nova, an Anarchist, infiltrated the Renegades, you know, take them down from the inside. Deception is a given here, but she didn’t expect to come around to liking the Renegades she’s working with. And the fact that she had to deceive Adrian was very heartbreaking. Especially because they had their moments where they were super cute. They had such a sweet moment down in his art room, and just... that entire scene was great! And then Adrian describing the things he likes about Nova 😍 But things can’t possibly end well for them. I wish there was a way Nova could accomplish her mission without either of them getting their heart broken 😞
But speaking of Adrian, I agree with Nova that the Renegades aren’t all great, but Adrian’s two dads can be very endearing when it comes to him and Max. Nova had dinner at Adrian’s one day, and it was just so sweet! But also really funny because they kept embarrassing him 😂 I loved the banter at the dinner table. Lol.
But yeah, I loved this! The superhero action was great, I enjoyed the blooming relationship between Nova and Adrian, and the characters are just great in general. I particularly love Nova and can totally sympathize with her internal struggles. I can understand her actions against the Renegades, but she also shouldn't trust in her uncle so blindly. I am very interested to see where things go, especially after that crazy ending! It was intense! Where do they go from here? What happened at the end... How can she possibly keep being a Renegade after all that? Oh man, it was insane! But I enjoyed it! I think it’s safe to say that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year!
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