Review: “Archenemies” by Marissa Meyer

I will start off by saying this isn’t my most elegant review. (But are they really nowaways? LOL) Archenemies was really an escapist book for me during this quarantine. June has been kind of rough on my mental health, and there was just something about this superhero novel that pulled me back (even though it took me almost 3 weeks to finish the book).

Title: Archenemies (Renegades #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: November 6, 2018
Genre: Young adult, fantasy
Length: 474 pages (hardcover)
Synopsis: (via Goodreads) “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.”

Gosh, I just really enjoyed Meyer’s writing in this. The world felt so immersive and it was as if I were watching a movie, not reading a book. I was eager to return to this book over and over again. I absolutely adore all the characters, and I’m really shocked some of the major secrets about the MCs haven’t been discovered yet. I love how Meyer weaves together their worlds yet keeps them separate and it all seems reasonable and logical to someone looking in.

I’m eager to see how the final book will play out. I have a lot of questions, and with the way this book ended… Like how is it all going to come together and make sense? Will Adrian and Nova really become friends or be mortal enemies?

Also, there was a bit of foreshadowing here regarding Nova’s bracelet and I expected it to come up again and tie together in the end… It didn’t, unfortunately, but I hope to see it in the third book. I think there’s a mystery surrounding stars as well and maybe something to do with Nova’s father’s power.

It was really good to have both Nova and Adrian’s POV because they both have a lot of internal struggle and it’s interesting to see how they both explain and view the Renegades, prodigies, and villains in the world as they either have or haven’t benefited from all of them in some way. I liked their blossoming romance as well, especially since they have so many secrets. I didn’t find the romance cheesy either, and it was interesting to read Nova’s very conflicted feelings about Adrian. It really had me wondering if things are truly going to work out in the end.

You can purchase this book from Amazon (at the time of this post, the hardcover is less than $12!), Barnes and Noble, Book Depository (U.K. edition), or find it at your local indie with IndieBound.