SCIFIMONTH 2023 | AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Supernova (Renegades #3) by Marissa Meyer

  

Title: Supernova

Series: Renegades #3
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: November 5, 2019
Pages: 549
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: Audiobook

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All's fair in love and anarchy...

The epic conclusion to Marissa Meyer's thrilling Renegades Trilogy finds Nova and Adrian fighting to keep their identities secret. While the battle rages on between their alter egos and their allies, there is a darker threat shrouding Gatlon City.

The Renegades' worst enemy is back among them, threatening to reclaim Gatlon City. Nova and Adrian must brave lies and betrayal to protect those they love. Their greatest fears are about to come to life, and unless they can bridge the divide between heroes and villains, they stand to lose everything. Including each other.

Intrigue and action will leave readers on edge until the final, shocking secrets are revealed.

Holy freaking wow! I mean, I just don't even know what to say right now. That ending really got to me. It puts so much into perspective and opens up so many possibilities. This series is such a work of art!

Marissa Meyer's storytelling is absolutely flawless. I am so enamored by her dazzling writing style. And not necessarily in a flashy way but in a polished and attention-grabbing way. Her writing just really stands out. Her witty dialogue and exciting action scenes bring the reader into the story with minimal effort on the reader's part. Meyer's clever plot-weaving abilities are to be commended. There are twists and turns you won't see coming and the way that everything falls into place is superb and entirely perfect. 

I am a comic book reader so I already have a soft spot for superheroes and supervillains. I loved how Meyer was able to harness the idea of superheroes, which is so saturated in media, and create her own individual and unique characters. I mean, that is hard. Pretty much every superpower that you could think of has already been used over and over again. Sure, some of her characters have some of those well-known powers that are fairly quintessential, but Meyer is also able to come up with some wholly unique superpowers. I was very impressed. 

I fell so hard for these characters. This series has a large ensemble cast of characters and they are all fantastic. When I read the first book, it took me a moment to get all the characters separated in my mind but once I did it wasn't hard to see their individuality. Each character has a distinct personality and physical description and each character's part in the story is as unique as they are. This is definitely a found family story worth reading. I love the themes of friendship and camaraderie. 

Nova had a heck of a lot of character growth in this book. Nova has to finally decide what side she is really on and commit to that allegiance. Nova has always been a character that I was able to connect with throughout the series. She has always been a morally gray character and I love that! It's easy to see her reasons for villainy and heroism so it's a thin line to walk. Adrian's character has also always been very relatable. His backstory grabs you and it is easy to walk in his shoes with all the different elements of his life pulling at him. 

The main romance in this book is very heartwarming. It is definitely not the main focus of the book though it does get a decent amount of attention. The romance is a slow burn that drops hints here and there. There is also a secondary romance between side characters that is just as heartwarming and it develops in the background as the story progresses. It is easy to see the interest of each love interest through their banter and outward gestures. As for Nova and Adrian, their romance blossoms organically in a forced proximity setting. The more time they spend together the more they start to admire each other and feelings of attraction heighten to the point of true feelings for each other. Since they are enemies it makes for a really interesting and emotional romance. I will ship Nova and Adrian all day long. 

That ending really got me in the feels. I can't even pinpoint the feeling it gave me. I had guessed the identity of the POV in the epilogue earlier in the story but hearing things from their perspective had a sombering effect. Hearing their POV about the conclusion of the story and their perspective about heroes and villains was chilling. Especially when it is clear that this person gravitates towards villainy and feels that it can't be helped. Add to that the fact of this person's identity and it's just wild. I can picture an entire spin-off series in my mind revolving around this character and it blows my mind. I can only hope that one day Meyer will decide to write it. I would be ecstatic!

Overall, this was an outstanding finale to an incredible series! I am so floored by this series. I just can hardly put into words the overarching joy that I feel for all of these characters that have touched my heart and for this brilliant series as a whole. If you are a fan of superheroes or supervillains or if you simply love tons of action in your books then this series should be on your radar. Meyer weaves a creative tale of what it means to be a hero and that perhaps there are both heroes and villains in all of us. 

What are some of your favorite sci-fi books with great finales or intense plots? I love a good ending.