Renegades (Renegades, #1)

by Marissa Meyer

But in other countries, the rebellions turned violent, and the violence dissolved into anarchy.

Dude's last name was anarchy - what a surprise that anarchy happened 😂

Humanity loses faith in times like that. With no one to look up to, no one to believe in, we all became rats scrounging in the sewers. Maybe Ace really was a villain. Or maybe he was a visionary. Maybe there’s not much of a difference.

Big oof

Beautiful and joyous hope, promising to solve all your problems, rain justice down upon your foes, and probably give a stern talking to a few jaywalkers along the way. Warm and promising hope, encouraging the normal folks to stay inside where it was safe while they fixed everything. Don’t worry about helping yourselves. You’ve got enough on your plate, what with all the hiding and moping you’ve been doing lately. You take a day off. We’re superheroes. We’ve got this.

“We haven’t done anything. I’m loyal, I swear. I always have been. And my family … please, don’t hurt my family.” There was a moment in which it looked like the man might smile, but then it passed. “My orders were quite clear. It is not my job to ask questions … or to have mercy.”

This is definitely assassination... The question is whether the hit came from the Renegades or the Anarchists.

Nova gaped as the stranger hauled the girl, screaming and swatting his chest, back in Nova’s direction. He was roughly her age, but much taller, with dark skin, close-cut hair, and thick-framed eyeglasses. The way he strolled through the crowd made it seem more like he was carrying one of those cheesy Captain Chromium plush dolls rather than a ferocious, flailing child. He stopped in front of Nova, a patient smile on his face.

O M G Epic entrance from Mr. Adrian!!

His smile became even more serene and Nova’s heart stammered. Not just because he had one of those easy smiles that made other girls swoon, but because there was something unsettlingly familiar about him, and Nova immediately began racking her brain to figure out where she knew him from, and whether or not he was a threat.

She is totally one of the girls that it makes swoon.

“Just grabbing my things,” she said, snatching up the bag. She dropped back to the ground. The dumpster lid crashed shut. “I’ll be on the roof in two minutes.” “Make it one,” said Phobia. “You have a superhero to kill.”

I'd say this escalated quickly, but the prologue was her entire family being assassinated 😅

“You know what they say … one cannot be brave who has no fear.”

Winston whined in sympathy. “Sacrifices must be made sometimes, mini-Anarchist.” Nova sighed. “You’re absolutely right.” Then she hooked her arm around Winston’s ankles and pulled. He yelped, arms flailing, and toppled over the edge.

It was at this moment, I realized that I was in love with Nova.

He would have to remember for next time. Nightmare didn’t follow the same rules as the rest of them.

Adrian checked to be sure no one was peering down from any nearby windows, then pressed his fingers into the center of the suit’s chest piece. The armor clunked and hissed, folding in on itself like origami, rolling inward along his limbs until the suit was no bigger than a crushed aluminum can.

Definitely Ironman vibes

That girl had a bunch of low-tech gadgets and a power that only worked through skin-to-skin contact. How had she beaten him?

Sass and moxie

He grimaced, recognizing his own pathetic attempts to defend his pride. But who was he kidding? He had underestimated an opponent who should not have been underestimated. She was strong. She was clever. And most of the low-tech gadgets he’d seen her use were actually pretty impressive.

We love to see self-awareness and proper reflection!

Pulling the marker from the back pocket of his jeans, he sketched a water faucet on the rooftop’s concrete ledge and pulled the drawing into three dimensions. With a twist of the knob, cool water gushed forward.

I could understand a faucet - BUT WHERE WOULD THE RUNNING WATER POSSIBLY COME FROM???

A spiral of flame in bold black ink, its edges fading away into his own dark skin. Fire manipulation. Perhaps it wasn’t rare, but it still remained one of the most coveted powers among prodigies.

Aha! That's how he did the fire thing! Insane!

One cannot be brave who has no fear.

Where in the world did this quote come from, that it's having this effect on him?

“Nightmare,” he whispered, and it felt like the first time he said it. The first time he said the name and it meant something to him. She was no longer just another villain to be stopped. Another blight on their city to be dealt with. Now she was someone who might have answers. “Who are you really?”

The Council acted like the only direction society could move was forward, away from those terrible years of chaos and crime, but Adrian sometimes had the feeling that the foundation of order the Renegades had built was more precarious than anyone wanted to admit.

hello foreshadowing!

They did what needed to be done in order to make the world a better, safer place. Even if that meant blackmailing someone for information, or infiltrating a hideout because they thought there was something suspicious going on—with or without hard evidence.

Or assassinating a family?

Maybe whatever sense of righteousness driving them had faded as soon as they watched Captain Chromium emerge from the ruins of the cathedral with Ace Anarchy’s helmet on his pike. Maybe they pitied the Anarchists who had lost everything so suddenly—the battle, their leader, their home.

HOLD UP. If it was just the helmet... What if Ace is really alive, and that's why they're so lenient on the Anarchists in the subway??

“In that case, sending me to the trials would be a perfect plan. If only I had a death wish.” “Give yourself more credit, little nightmare,” said Leroy. “I know I do.” Nova grunted. “I’ll think about it,” she said, shoving open the door. “And don’t call me that.” Leroy only smiled.

Nightmare. The great mystery. And they didn’t even know the greatest mystery of all, those words that he could not quiet.

One cannot be brave who has no fear.

I am literally so ready to find out what the significance of this quote is.

It was an old, stately home. Had, in fact, been the mayor’s mansion, back when Gatlon City had a mayor. The mayor and his family and even some of the staff had been murdered in this very home in the early days of the Age of Anarchy. When he was younger, Adrian had been convinced their ghosts still haunted the upper floors, which was why he begged to be able to convert the basement into his bedroom. Though he no longer believed the spirits of the dead were still hanging around, he often felt a chill of apprehension when he went up to the second floor, where the master suite and a series of guest rooms branched off a central hallway.

If this is foreshadowing, that'd be an odd turn.

An autopsy revealed broken bones and a fractured skull consistent with having fallen seven stories to the concrete alleyway, and the coroner has stated that this is without doubt the cause of death. Though no additional signs of foul play on the body or at the crime scene have been found, the death being a potential suicide was quickly ruled out due to one piece of evidence: a plain white note card tucked into Lady Indomitable’s belt and printed with the ambiguous phrase: “One cannot be brave who has no fear.”

OH BOY MYSTERY SOLVED BIG OOF

One cannot be brave who has no fear …

He told her that one of the villain gangs—the Roaches—had demanded that her father craft them a collection of weapons using his gift. They had threatened David’s wife and daughters if he didn’t meet their expectations. When her papà began to fall behind on their requests, he went to the Renegades and begged for protection. Captain Chromium himself had promised that no harm would come to him or his family, but only so long as he stopped making weapons for their enemies. And so her dad did stop. And the Roaches, in retaliation, sent a hitman after him and his family. Only, the Renegades hadn’t kept their word. Captain Chromium hadn’t kept his word. They were not there to protect David’s family when they needed their protection the most.

Oh, dear

As he stood up to leave so she could come to terms with the truth of her family’s deaths, Ace had said simply, practically—“The Roaches were forty-seven members strong. Last night, I killed them all.”

If Ace is that powerful, then why didn't Nova's dad go to him? Why didn't Ace step in sooner??

“The Anarchists are my family,” she said. “The only family I have left. I won’t be free until you are. I won’t rest until the Renegades are punished. For how they treat you. For how they betrayed my family. For what they did to Ace.” Leroy fixed her with a studious look. “And if revenge does not bring you joy?” “It’s not joy I’m looking for.”

“David Artino’s work?” she murmured, her voice tinged with awe. She traced one finger along the chain of the bracelet. Her lashes fluttered, her brow knitting as if in deep concentration. “He was indeed a master.” She flipped Nova’s arm over and shot her a sly look, tapping her pinkie nail against the bracelet’s clasp. “And he certainly was a handsome young man, wasn’t he?” “Excuse me?” Nova stammered. Leroy turned a mildly interested look toward Nova. “What handsome young man?” “I don’t…” Nova hesitated, picturing a relaxed smile and warm fingers wrapped softly around her wrist. She scowled and ripped her arm away from Millie. “No one. He was no one. Just some guy.” Tittering, Millie took the pen from her. “That’s all, then. Good luck, Insomnia.”

They were supposed to encourage every prodigy … no, every human to be as heroic as possible. How was publicly rejecting anyone going to further that goal? Besides, it wasn’t just the contestants who were being judged today, it was the Renegades too. The public wanted to see the prodigy crusaders who were charged with protecting their city, with protecting them. They wanted to know they were in good hands. And, okay, they also wanted an afternoon of free entertainment. It all felt like an absurd way to handle their recruitment. Didn’t anyone have better things to be doing?

Not that he cared much for Genissa or any of her teammates. He hadn’t before, and seeing how they behaved toward the Anarchists hadn’t sparked any great affection, either. Not that he held much sympathy for the Anarchists, but for Frostbite and the others to act like such power-drunk bullies was unacceptable under the code that Renegades were sworn to live by. Plus, seeing those destroyed beehives, even if they did belong to an enemy, had made Adrian’s nose curl in disgust.

Heroism wasn’t about what you could do, it was about what you did. It was about who you saved when they needed saving.

But all the logic in the world couldn’t smother the truth that Adrian felt in his drumming heartbeat. There had been something about her at the parade. He’d been watching her when Magpie had taken the bracelet—that was the only reason he’d seen it happen. Because he’d been drawn to her, even then. Not because she was pretty, though he’d definitely noticed that too. But because there was a fierceness in the set of her jaw that intrigued him. A resolve in her eyes that made him curious.

Without looking at his teammates, Adrian grabbed the tablet. It was instinct, not logic, that forced his hand. The inexplicable certainty that she was meant to be there. With him. Well—no, not with him. But with his team. And with the Renegades.

“Rock paper scissors,” she said, hauling herself to her feet and brushing off her pants. “Paper beats rock.”

Okay, this is badass

He held her eyes as she approached and the way he looked at her made her victory feel newly, inexplicably real. It wasn’t entirely a look of shock, though there was a bit of that. But there was something dumbfounded and impressed and proud there, too, and it made her heart swell.

Bracing herself, Nova took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. His grip was firm, but his expression was warm and kind, his dark eyes focused on her from behind those thick-framed glasses. The chaos of the arena grew dim and distant. The whole world seemed to shrink to this tiny pocket of space, where Nova could feel only the press of his palm, unafraid of the touch of her skin. Where she could see only that friendly, unreserved grin. Where she could hear, not the chants and cheers of the crowd, but only his voice, his words. “Welcome to the Renegades.”

Adrian took Nova’s left forearm, but hesitated when he saw the delicate bracelet. He took the other arm instead. Taking the device back from her, he started to bend it, curving it until it fit snugly around her wrist, an elegant spiral against her skin. It was so light she could barely feel it—or perhaps she was simply too in tune with the warmth coming off Adrian’s fingers to pay much attention to the communicator.

“He wants to know where you got your power,” said Ruby, slapping down a new card. “Was it the result of some personal trauma?” said Oscar. “Or human experimentation or alien abduction?”

She racked her brain, trying to recall what had happened to the superhero, but all she knew was that she had died a long time ago. Nova had never really cared that much. One less Renegade to worry about. But now she found herself succumbing to curiosity, wanting to know what had happened to her, but not knowing how to ask.

He grinned again and Nova saw that his cheeks dimpled, just a tiny bit, once his smile got broad enough. She swallowed.

She had always been astonished by people who could fall asleep fast, like there was nothing to it. Like their spirits weren’t burdened with suffering and resentment. Like their hearts and minds could so easily be at peace.

He did, in fact, sound apologetic, but that only served to stoke Nova’s fury. Here he was, her enemy, the Renegade she most needed information about, and so far she felt like she’d learned nothing that she didn’t already know yesterday. “All right, how about this question,” she snapped. “Is that suit bulletproof?” “What—?” Nova revealed the gun and fired. The bullet hit him in the chest, squarely over his heart. The bullet did not penetrate the armor, but he still cried out and stumbled back—though whether in pain or surprise, Nova couldn’t tell. She frowned. “I guess it is.”

Captain Chromium barreled forward, and Nova had barely grasped these new arrivals before the Captain was tearing through the wreckage as if the fallen library were nothing more than a child’s set of building blocks, tossing whole floor beams aside, crushing his fist into half-standing walls of stone. Steam continued to rise up from the ruins, and though the fire was extinguished, Nova knew all those materials must still be blistering hot. But what did he care? He was Captain Chromium.

But she couldn’t deny that she was glad Adrian Everhart was alive. She was glad that his smile was just as warm and relaxed now, after an extremely trying day, as it had been at the parade. She was glad … Well. Maybe she was just glad.

Nova shut her eyes and thought, if she were a villain worthy of the name, she would be with them now. Celebrating, or mourning. And if she were a hero, she would be hurrying to help any Renegades who might be trapped and hurt beneath the rubble. Instead, she listened to the sounds of a city in distress, and did nothing.

“What about your dad?” she said. “I mean, your biological dad. Don’t tell me he was a superhero too.” He chuckled. “I don’t think so. She told me he was some guy she rescued when a shoe factory collapsed. She flew him to safety, they were both pumped up on adrenaline, one thing led to another … honestly, at that point I told her to skip to the end of the story, ’cause I was five, and ew.” He shuddered and Nova couldn’t help but laugh. “Anyway, they tried going on a few dates after that but he couldn’t handle the pressure of dating a superhero, so it ended before she even realized she was pregnant.”

Nova turned away, coughing and pressing a hand to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut as they started to water. She felt a hand on her back, placed gently between her shoulder blades, and she shivered so hard at the touch that Adrian pulled his hand away. Even as she cleared her throat and tried to bring her breaths back to normal, she felt the sting of disappointment that the touch, concerned and innocent as it might have been, hadn’t lasted just a little bit longer.

Ruby’s plate was empty but for a few leftover shreds of lettuce, and Oscar was protecting his own plate from her as she attempted to stab one of his black olives with her fork. “They have an entire bin full of olives!” Oscar shouted. He lifted his plate off the table, holding it as far out of her reach as possible. “Go get your own!” “You don’t even like olives,” Ruby shot back, nearly falling into his lap as she leaned across him, fork jabbing at the air. “You only got them to taunt me!” “Okay, lovebirds,” said Adrian, dropping the envelope onto the table. Ruby immediately fell back into her chair, face reddening, whereas Oscar grinned, looking supremely pleased with the label.