Renegades / Marissa Meyer

3.5/5

In the world of Renegades, people with powers exist and they're called prodigies. Prodigies were persecuted until Ace Anarchy rose up and established the Age of Anarchy, where prodigies refused to hide any longer and embraced their powers, calling themselves Villains. In response to the Villains running rampant, other prodigies arose, calling themselves the Renegades, and destroyed the Villains. As the Renegades rebuild the city and their influence grows, Villain prodigies find themselves in hiding again; how can the cycle end? Nova Artino, a prodigy with Villain connections, is sent to infiltrate the Renegades, and becomes caught between the two sides. 

Renegades blurs the lines between the good guys and the bad guys, and questions the meaning of the word "hero." Marissa Meyer takes a hard look at the role of government and law enforcement, and how having power changes the way people view one another, the way they view themselves, and the way they interact with one another. I love books with moral ambiguity and shades of gray, so I enjoyed those themes in Renegades; but there are many moments that are just paragraphs of introspection, and while I really enjoy philosophical thinking, many of these passages repeat themselves. One other thing that kept Renegades from being truly stellar to me is that I felt like Meyer could have fit a lot more plot and action into a novel of this length. It's not so much that the novel was slow, just that it didn't hit a certain level of intensity. There were a few high-stakes moments that had my heart racing, but overall the novel didn't have the drive I would have liked. Adding to that, both Nova and Adrian are a little slow. Each of their hidden identities are incredibly obvious, and I found it ridiculously unbelievable that by the end of a book of that length, both of their secret identities were still intact. 

I'm a fan of Marissa Meyer, and though Renegades can't compare to the Lunar Chronicles, it holds up strong against many other YA fantasy novels. Nova is smart and quick, Adrian is conflicted and compassionate, and the variety of characters are all exciting to meet. The surprise at the end of the novel is not much of a surprise, but definitely enough of a twist to make me want to read the sequel (the fact that this is a duology doesn't hurt either). I would recommend Renegades to Marissa Meyer fans, Strange the Dreamer fans, and fans of moral ambiguity.

Boys Don't Knit (In Public) / T.S. Easton

3.5/5

Boys Don't Knit is well-written story from the point of view of high school underclassman Ben Fletcher. After an incident that wasn't completely his fault, Ben is essentially on probation and must take knitting classes as a way to give back to his community. The novel is not only about Ben finding out that he loves knitting, but also coming to terms with who he is and where exactly he stands in his relationships to those around him.

T.S. Easton does an excellent job in Boys Don't Knit of capturing the stubbornness and immaturity of adolescence but also the natural depth and compassion in Ben. Ben is what most would call a nerd; he likes to keep his head down, stick to the rules, and loves cleanliness. Easton takes what most would find annoying traits and makes Ben relatable and human, and I loved that. The novel is also unfailingly funny; I found myself laughing at Ben's sense of humor, conveyed through various forms, such as his emails. Ben also experiences a huge amount of growth in all of his relationships, from the ones with his mom and dad to the ones with his friends, and with many other people that he probably never expected anything from. The development was natural, and watching Ben slowly grow made me proud.

Overall, Boys Don't Knit is skillfully written and a delight to read. The voice and tone is suitable for a younger audience (it would be middle school appropriate); it is definitely enjoyable for all ages, but just know that going in. I would definitely recommend Boys Don't Knit as a sweet, funny fiction read.