When the library shut down back in March, I brought home roughly 30 books to keep me out of trouble for what we thought was going to be a three week quarantine. Much like Gilligan’s Island (a three hour tour!?!), those three weeks stretched into 77 days. When I went back to work in June (Hallelujah! Am I right?), I’d read all of those books but three.
One of those three was Renegades by Melissa Marr. (The other two were a nonfiction book about Cartier and an out of order book in a Civil War series that I was not ready for. Both have since been read if you are keeping score at home.) A few years ago, I read and loved Marr’s series about Cinder - which is a retelling of the famous fairy tale, however this time, Cinderella is half cyborg.
Marr’s latest series is about superheroes, but it takes some fun twists along the way. The Renegades are heroes who have saved their city - and the world - from the Anarchists. However, now that they’ve conquered evil, they are stuck with having to manage the city that they fought so hard for. (Spoiler alert: no one’s super power is typing.) Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden lead the Renegade OG’s who train new crews of supernaturally powerful students each year.
But maybe the Anarchists aren’t quite as defeated as they thought. When Nightmare and her team try to assassinate Captain Chromium during the annual parade, tensions run high. Will the Renegades be able to defeat their rivals a second time?
My favorite part about this is how unexpected things were. Marr portrayed the Renegades as potential tyrants, who were policing without any kind of due process. I found myself leaning towards the Anarchists and agreeing with their side. I also loved the characters - Nova/Insomnia: who’s superpower is not sleeping, Adrian/Sketch: who can bring to life anything he draws, and his brother, Max/Bandit: who steals powers from others.
Renegades is the start of a trilogy that also includes Archenemies and Supernova. Get comfy because these young adult books are long - roughly 500 pages each, but friends they are so worth it. Get your cape on and get reading.
Happy saving the day…
:) Amanda
