The Book That Made Me Rethink Heroism and Blurred the Lines Between Right and Wrong

What if the so-called “good guys” aren’t as perfect as they seem, and the villains we’ve always feared actually have a point? That’s the question Renegades by Marissa Meyer throws at you. I could reread this series a million times and still find new reasons to love it.

This is a postapocalyptic world that has been literally rebuilt by superheroes. They’re called the Renegades, and to most people, they’re the face of hope and justice. But for Nova Artino, they represent something very different: failure, betrayal, and loss. She blames the Renegades for the death of her family. As a result, Nova has grown up among the Anarchists, the so-called villains.

Her mission? Infiltrate the Renegades and bring them down from the inside. It is a simple plan that sounds straightforward until she meets Adrian Everhart, a Renegade with a rebellious streak and secrets of his own. As their lives intertwine, the lines between loyalty and betrayal, justice and revenge, start to blur. Suddenly, Nova’s not so sure who the real villains are or if anyone’s really a hero at all.

What makes Renegades so compelling is how it explores perspective. Nova and Adrian are on opposite sides, yet both believe they’re doing the right thing. Through their eyes, we see how two people can live in the same world and come away with totally different truths. It also raises a crucial question: Are we born into our identities, shaped by the circumstances around us? Or do we have the power to define them through our choices?

Maybe it all comes down to empathy, a gentle reminder to see the world through someone else’s eyes every now and then

And if not? Well… at the very least, we might find an understanding of how someone could end up on the “wrong” side of the fight. Suddenly, having a villain origin story doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

-Lauren