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Renegades

(Renegades #1)

Marissa Meyer (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · Rating details · 108,669 ratings · 14,718 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 552 pages

Published November 7th 2017 by Feiwel & Friends

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Community Reviews

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Average rating 4.15 ·

Rating details

· 108,669 ratings · 14,718 reviews

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Apr 27, 2016 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017, young-adult, fantasy, arc

2 1/2 stars.

I'm reminding myself while I'm writing this that I really didn't like Meyer's Cinder but went on to enjoy the rest of the series. Maybe Meyer is just not great at beginnings. Maybe I'm already feeling burned out on this new "It" genre featuring superhero stories. All I know is that Renegades didn't really pick up until the second half and, looking back, I don't get the sense that this first book really had a story arc. There was no climax or revelation. It felt like one very long in ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Emma Giordano rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. So fun so complex so interesting – a must read!! Check out my video review!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veujV...

Other than the epic superheroes, what intrigues me most about Renegades is that it focuses on the concept of anarchy, which appears to be lacking in YA despite the abundance of dystopian/futuristic novels already on the market. The history of the time of anarchy combined with active anarchists in the present story made it very unique in that manner. I cl I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. So fun so complex so interesting – a must read!! Check out my video review!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veujV...

Other than the epic superheroes, what intrigues me most about Renegades is that it focuses on the concept of anarchy, which appears to be lacking in YA despite the abundance of dystopian/futuristic novels already on the market. The history of the time of anarchy combined with active anarchists in the present story made it very unique in that manner. I clearly don’t agree with total anarchy, but the state of the world before and after that period is truly fascinating and leads to a variety of moral questions to toy with while reading.

Although there is an influx of superhero content in the entertainment world as of late, I still feel as if Renegades stands on its own. I’m not a Marvel/DC fan in the slightest and superhero films/comic books are not my thing, but the dynamics of the prodigies vs. the Renegades vs. the Anarchists vs. the public were too fascinating for me to scoff at. The powers of prodigies vary from invulnerability and elemental manipulation to the ability to make origami come to life – the variety in terms of powers and standards created by both the superheroes and the public was very interesting to me. I found all the abilities to be well-though-out consistent, and the increase in scope of powers to be extremely well done. I definitely feel this novel would appeal to non-superhero fans who are still intrigued by the concept of supernatural abilities.

I LOVED the characters in this story. For a SFF YA novel, we have a very diverse cast which I was super pleased with! One of our main characters is Italian/Filipina, and the other is described as having “brown skin”; Additionally, one of them comes from a household with two dads and another superhero side character is disabled (walks with a cane & his superpower has nothing to do with his disability!) Nova is fierce, resourceful, brave, and confident – I truly enjoyed reading from her perspective. Adrian is also brave and intent on justice, but I feel we see more of his soft side as the story progresses. I found most of characters to be interesting and complex.

I REALLY enjoyed the slight romance in this story, more than I have regarding YA books in a while. It is the definition of slow burn, and even by the ending, romantic feelings are only just developing. The story is definitely centered on the dynamics between Renegades and Anarchists, with romance being one of the least important parts of the plot in my opinion. It’s the type of relationship where the flirtations and growth of feelings are only just beginning to brew, but you still REALLY want to root for the characters to be together.

Overall, Renegades was a fantastic read (and a fantastic audiobook!) I would absolutely recommend this read, particularly to those interested in SFF, supernatural powers, complex moral issues, and unbelievable twists. This one is definitely on my list of auto-recommends! ...more

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Jul 18, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-all, young-adult, own, sci-fi

Well, went from 5 to 3 stars. I just got taken to trade in my hardbacks, but I’m keeping the kindle and Audible versions because they are ok. But I still love The Lunar Chronicles and will be rereading them later 😉

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

**

Left my old review up on my blog just to have. Although, I haven’t been blogging and it might just go away 🤔

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List ...more

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May 13, 2017 chai ♡ rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2017, lgbtq-rep, fiction, ya-sff

I’ve got like, two feelings about this book and not all of them are good.

I'm trying to come to terms with the possibility that I will never form a meaningful emotional connection with a Marissa Meyer book like I did with The Lunar Chronicles. It's like my heart closes for maintenance when it comes to anything else written by this author. I don't know. There must have been a dimensional hiccup in the timeline—how else could I go from being unambiguously and obsessively 100% full scale high key ad ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 emma rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, ya, 3-stars, fantasy, couldn-t-wait-to-read, eh, diverse

Guys, I don’t know myself anymore.

I’m currently sitting here eating baby carrots, and I’m not happy about it, which is characteristic, but the sheer fact that I’m ingesting a vegetable in the first place is astounding. I’m currently addicted to watching feature-length episodes of a British quiz show on YouTube, when up until two days ago I was convinced I was racist against British people. But most importantly (and actually, you know, semi-relevantly) I don’t know how I feel about Marissa Meyer. ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 Kat rated it it was ok

what have we learned today? kat and marissa meyer’s books just don’t gel. sorry y’all 😥

flag 292 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it

ive read many books about people who have abilities or gifts, but i think this is the first book ive read where they are actually considered superheroes. like crime fighting superheroes, against villains. straight out of a comic book. and i will say it felt very cheesy in the beginning, but i got into it. eventually. because this is a beast of a book with loads of introspection and description. so there was a lot of trudging through that had to be done. but fortunately, things really picked up i ...more

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May 12, 2017 ♛ may rated it liked it

Shelves: i-am-trash, clichéd-to-death, 400-pgs, fantasy, buddy-read, look-at-that-beauty, decent, kickass-heroine, meh, series

I feel like the amount of expectations I put on this book just made it bound to disappoint me. Like, think about it realistically, how is ANY book ever going to live up to the glory that is Scarlet??
You just…can’t compete with that ya know.

My feelings and thoughts summed up:
description

The Pros
- I love me some anti-heroes, give me bad guys with tragic back stories and complex development that make me rethink my entire moral compass
- The ending was bloody fantastic, that last sentence left me all !!??? ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Sofia rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointments, enough-with-the-rebellion, lost-interest, gary-stu, le-sigh, stock-side-characters, too-long, what-a-pointless-book, well-that-was-a-cheap-plot, dnf

This book is dull, unoriginal, boring, and nonsensical.

Nova is a prodigy, someone gifted with special powers. She's basically a superhero, only she's not a hero, she's an Anarchist (very original). Adrian is a Renegade, one of the heroes that protects Gatlon City from the Anarchists.

First of all, why do the people need protection in the first place? The Anarchists aren't even doing anything. They just hide in their little abandoned buildings and occasionally attempt to assassinate a Renegade. ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] rated it it was amazing

“One cannot be brave who has no fear.”

Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In a World Full of People with superpowers, which Side would you choose - good or evil?
Would you be a superhero or a villain?
If I had to choose, I would take the side which would be the right one in my opinion.
That’s what I love about really brilliantly created villains - in their own eyes they do the right thing, they are the heroes.
Nova was raised by people that many call villains - people that fought the Renegades in the Age of Anarc ...more

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Jun 08, 2019 Brittany rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-read, books-in-my-library, audiobook

I don’t think I can properly put into words how INCREDIBLE this book was!!! It was consistently good from start to finish and I knew I’d be giving it a five star from about the halfway point but the ENDING!!! No spoilers, but I had chills for the entire last chapter and Marissa Meyer absolutely stunned me with not one BUT TWO plot twists!!! (One still wasn’t explained but like, I’m pretty sure about it). If you’re at all a fan of superheroes and super villains and the great area in between I thi ...more

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May 12, 2017 sunny marked it as to-read

why didn't anyone tell me THIS EXISTED ...more

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Dec 31, 2017 Ashley Nuckles rated it it was amazing

I hadn’t even planned on reading this and finished it in three days. It was sooooooo good & fun & dark but also funny at the right times and GREAT! Such a fun spin on the superhero/super villain type of story, and I NEED the next one!

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May 28, 2017 may ➹ rated it it was ok

Shelves: buddy-reads, young-adult, in-the-trash, 2-star, annoying, disappointing, boring, rep-bipoc, read-2017, dystopian

PSA: THIS BOOK SUCKED BUT NOT BECAUSE OF THE GAY DADS

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Dec 20, 2016 emi rated it liked it

Shelves: girls-kicking-ass, 3-stars, 2018

I forgot the book ended with that. Holy shit.

This probably would have been a 4 star rating if I found Nova to be a more likable character. But I didn't. So it's not.

Rtc maybe? We'll see. ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Helena Paris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, hardback, best-of-2017, buddy-reads, favourites, superheroes, signed

Buddy read with my OG BR partner, Maica!

WHAT. OMG WHAT. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!

Ok onto Archenemies NOW because I need to know what happens!!! (And yes, I know that it’s 5am lol I couldn’t put this down) ...more

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Jun 28, 2016 Reynita ★ The Night Reader ★ rated it really liked it

Shelves: breath-in-breath-out, i-love-the-cover, warm-my-heart, great-books, original-and-fresh-story, great-romance, i-want-to-live-in-this-world, live-up-my-expectation, so-funny-lol, ya-books

~~REVIEW TO COME TOMORROW.~~

THE REVIEW IS POSTED

3.8 STARS. Totally worth to read.

BOLD. VALIANT. JUST. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A HERO?

Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors, like I need to buy everything she writes.
So, I bought this book because :
1. Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors.
2. The cover looked so BEAUTIFUL.
3. I needed this pretty book on my bookshelf.
4. The plot was interesting.

Look, when my copy arrived at my house, I was beyond excited, you know. I have waited ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 R.K. Gold rated it it was ok

This book put me in a slump. The reason I’m giving it 2 instead of 1 (and honestly it’s more of a 1.5) is cause at least it’s still a well defined story it follows basic rules of structure and someone could probably find some enjoyment from it.

I was not so lucky. This review will contain some spoilers because I’ll be including some of my annotations.

My god I’m too tired of this book to even do a deep dive. Let’s just start with how incompetent the characters are like they make every situation wo ...more

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Jul 17, 2021 Layla rated it liked it

Shelves: buddy-reads, marissa-mayer

~ 2.5 stars ~

This book was enjoyable enough, but it wasn't necessarily "good". It's a fun concept, and I can see why someone would love this, but unfortunately, despite surface level enjoyment, I didn't really have a fulfilling experience. I did not connect with the story or the characters. Nor is there anything that really makes this series stick out to me. It's kind of just mediocre, for a lack of better words. I am unimpressed.

The biggest thing that annoyed me about this book, and pretty muc ...more

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Jun 06, 2018 April rated it it was amazing

Loved it! This book reminded me so much much like the movie Sky High in some aspects. And that ending!? 😱 Can't wait to read the next one. ...more

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May 12, 2017 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] marked it as to-read

Shelves: sci-fi, owned-tbr, owned-p, ya

Set aside @ pg 171. I do want to finish this, just not right now.

---

I'm here for aaaaaaall the gay dads :)

---

oh my god you guys LOOK AT THIS COVER ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 ;3 rated it liked it

my attention came and went in spikes while reading this 😪

flag 99 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2022 the-bi.ace-book-advocate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1-worshipped-like-a-god, badass-mc, booktok-made-me-do-it, diverse, enemies-to-lovers, crying-shaking-throwing-up, pain-in-a-good-way, yes-something-original-for-once, fantasy, forever-traumatized

!FIVE STARS!
!!not really spoilers but if. you want to go into this book knowing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING do not read this revew!!
MSSHRG: failed abortion's and unerasable mistakes, gather around, for I have a tale to tell. *throws wood into bonfire dramatically*
little ugly kids: Tell us Ms. Super Sexy Hot Reading Girl
MSSHRG: This tale begins in a..dun..dun.DUN. DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY! For people with cool abilities are hated by people who don't have cool abilities.
little ugly kids: but why, but why?
MSSHRG: !FIVE STARS!
!!not really spoilers but if. you want to go into this book knowing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING do not read this revew!!
MSSHRG: failed abortion's and unerasable mistakes, gather around, for I have a tale to tell. *throws wood into bonfire dramatically*
little ugly kids: Tell us Ms. Super Sexy Hot Reading Girl
MSSHRG: This tale begins in a..dun..dun.DUN. DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY! For people with cool abilities are hated by people who don't have cool abilities.
little ugly kids: but why, but why?
MSSHRG: shut the fuck up you failed abortions. Anyway, we start with a super hot sexy gal who can make people sleep, which is something I lack thanks to you wankers, and she's an assassin
little ugly kids: is she evil!!!???
MSSHRG: luckily yes, which makes her ten times hotter. Anyway, she hates superheroes, but like....who doesn't. Those motherfuckers always be rescuing cats from trees and expecting a reward. Like bitch, I ain't giving you a brownie for doing the bare minimum..ahem...anyway...she works for these hot evil people, and a hot evil guy who really isn't a guy but sort of is a guy but isn't really tho
little ugly kids: *mild confusion*
MSSHRG: Anyway she meets this hot black guy in glasses and he's like 'oh, your bracelet' then she's like 'wow, your weird' then he's like 'here's your bracelet' then she's like 'get the fuck away from me'. Basically that's what we call 'enemies to lovers' where two whipped bitches try not to be whipped by insulting and killing each other. Spoiler alert: it doesn't really work
little ugly kids: whipped like slaves
MSSHRG: don't be racist. anyway, there's so much complexity. because most goodie goodie readers are on the hero's side. But the superhero pal gals treat normal humans like they're pets, and it's condescending. Like, I CAN REACH THE TOP SHELF FOR A PICKLE JAR
little ugly kids: but you're vertically challenged
MSSHRG: first your racist, now you're ableist. Anyway, this supercool hot villain gal is so annoyed, so she wants to get revenge on the superhero pal gals, so she infiltrates them
little ugly kids: *surprised pikachu faces*
MSSHRG: yeah, they're really dumb bitches, basically she goes to a trial and becomes a 'superhero', and the hot black guy from before is like 'you really turn me on with your cool kickass moves and snarky attitude' and she's like 'i will taze you' and he's like 'with that tazer or with that million dollar pussy'
little ugly kids: what's a pussy
MSSHRG: your reason for existing, now don't interrupt. basically the other superhero gal pals are all like 'woah, this chics hot and smart, we love her' but others are like 'she's def sus, and not because she pours milk before cereal' and she's all like 'DESTROY' and the hot black dudes like 'you are so fucking hot' and she's like 'i will FUCKING taze you' and he's like 'you turn me on when you threaten me'
little ugly kids: Do they kiss?
MSSHRG: this is an angsty villain love story...OF COURSE NOT! meyers wants us to suffer before we get all warm and gooey inside, and besides, she's a hot villain, she hates the superhero gal pals.
little ugly kids: what happens next
MSSHRG: next, i'm going to fucking sleep because it's called beauty sleep for a reason!!!! ...more

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Dec 30, 2016 Tweebs♥️ added it

dnf

i rather watch grass grow

RTC !!

*******************************************

Buddy reading with my villains meymey and tims sista 💙💙💙

Why I am a Failure at life

*goes inside bookstore to just have a "look"*
*gives myself a pep talk about not spending any money*
*sees Renegades staring me in the soul and sending those "take me home" vibes*
*reminds myself that I'm only here to "look" around*

5 seconds later...

*silently whispers "...fuck"*

me to me:

WELL I HOPE THIS WAS WORTH BREAKING THE ONE THIN ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy

4.75

I did not expect to love this as much as I did...but it honestly could have been half the length.

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2018 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, sci-fi, 2018, kindle, young-adult

3.5 to 4 stars

I enjoyed this book, but it was a bit draggy at times. And, while I was enjoying it, I was often not very gung go to get back to it. It felt like it took a long time to make even a little progress. But, in the end I was intrigued and entertained.

For fans of YA sci-fi/fantasy, you should be satisfied with this book. I am not sure if this has been approached with the superhero element before, but it felt similar to ones I have read before where magic was involved. Also, there is a b ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Alaina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, young-adult, fiction, dystopia, books-i-own, 2018

second time read and review!

I FREAKING LOVE RENEGADES GUYS. I'M SO FREAKING PUMPED TO DIVE INTO ARCHENEMIES. IT'S SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME. STARING AT ME. GLARING AT ME. I MUST READ IT!!

Nova, she's a fucking bad ass. I love her so much. I mean.. if anyone wanted a cool super power.. putting people to fucking sleep is probably one of them. She's like the girl version of the sandman. I loved it! Then there's Adrian, and I'm all like.. yasss gimee more por favor! I love them together so freaking mu ...more

flag 89 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2018 Cindy rated it liked it

A light and fun book for when you want to turn your brain off. The story and characters are nothing remarkable, but its harmlessly generic writing can provide itself as a comfort read.

flag 88 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2019 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-books, read-in-2019, split-pov

THAT. ENDING.

flag 87 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2018 Natalie Monroe rated it it was ok

Shelves: boooring, could-have-been-better, not-as-good-as-i-expected, typical, when-sparks-don-t-fly, derp-moments, lgbtqia-if-you-squint, great-concept-poor-execution, i-am-so-smart-smrt

"There are many dangerous people in this world. But there are also many good people. Brave people. No matter how bad things get, we have to remember that. So long as there are heroes in this world, there's hope that tomorrow might be better."

[insert gif of me attempting to give a fuck]

Five months. It took me five months to slog through Renegades.

It's just so profoundly boring. I could've wept wishing it'd give me an emotion. Or just half an emotion. I'm not greedy.

Renegades tries to sell it ...more

flag 84 likes · Like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge Corner: Renegades by Marissa Meyer -> Restarting May 30th, 2022	18	25	Jun 02, 2022 03:08AM
Who is your favourite Renegades series character and why?	9	57	May 26, 2022 02:36PM
Ranters and Revie...: Renegades	7	34	Jan 27, 2022 11:20AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer - Restarting January 14th 2022	253	302	Jan 21, 2022 08:54PM
Booktalk In PJs: Meinungsaustausch	1	16	Oct 27, 2021 04:06AM

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About Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer

116,410 followers

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.

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