Archenemies (Renegades, Book 2)

**Author: Marissa Meyer**
**Published November 6, 2018**
**Page Count: 496**

In book two of the Renegades series, super power individuals Nova and Adrian have a lot in common. They both lead secret lives in which they seek revenge for the death of a loved one and a they have a growing attraction for each other. While working with the “good guys,” they both discover mixed feelings about a new medical breakthrough that can remove a superpowered individual's powers. Will Nova stand by and let her enemies use the new drug against her people? Will Adrian be able to get behind taking away people’s powers without their consent? Change is coming, decisions must be made, lines will be drawn, and super powers will be taken away.

Reading Audience:

Middle and High School

Stuff to be aware of:

Gore/Violence - You will find plenty of superhero action is similar to the first book. Some more intense scenes include a girl getting her skull crushed, a baby is shot and murdered.

Language - There is name calling.

A*s - 2 D*mn - 5 Hell - 4

LGBTQ+ - Two male characters are married. They are the adopted parents of one of the main characters. His “dads” are often referenced in the story and make frequent appearances.

Sexual - There is chemistry between the two main characters. In one scene, they make out. During this scene “magic touches” are mentioned. The description is detailed, but it stays pretty PG rated. It is mentioned that “his hands found bare skin.” The word “sexy” is used several times. A girl imagines a male character in his boxer shorts.

Other - Drugs are mentioned multiple times. They are stolen, sold, and bought during a small side plot in the book. Opioids are specifically mentioned. There is also a new article about a girl dying from overdose.

Overall

I didn’t enjoy the first book and felt it ripped off story lines from other super hero media, but the second book moves away from some of that and expands to world more and allows it’s characters to grow. The dialogue improves and the characters are more enjoyable. However, if all the “secret lives” aspects put you off in the first one, this out has even more. Also, many of the questions left open ended from the first book continue to go unanswered, I suspect to get you to read the next one. It is an okay read, but not one I enjoyed much.