Renegades

I am going to adamantly recommend the Renegades series by Marissa Meyer. There are three books in the series: Renegades, Archenemies, and Supernova. It has become my favorite book series, which I read in its entirety within a couple of weeks and then immediately started reading again. The story is basically about superheroes- or Prodigies,

as they're called in the book, though they're technically humans with extraordinary abilities (almost like the X-Men)- that are trying to rebuild society and establish peace and order after a long period of Anarchy and chaos. They're called the Renegades. At the same time, the people who ruled in that period of Anarchy- the Anarchists (haha)- are trying to topple the Renegades and bring about the freedom of Prodigies everywhere through their ideals of Anarchy, that being the right to live their lives the way they see fit, without a hypocritical government dictating how they live their lives. They want peace and freedom for Prodigies everywhere, devoid of the fear and persecution that had once dominated their lives. So, you've got Nova, one of the Anarchists, who infiltrates the Renegades to gather intelligence on them, trying to find a way to bring them down from within. She ends up joining a Patrol Unit, led by this guy named Adrian- they call him Sketch- who also has an alter-ego that no one knows about. These two basically go on a cat-and-mouse hunt for each other's alter-egos while simultaneously building their relationship with one another and growing closer, the whole time ignorant of the fact that they are looking to take down one another. Plus, they're both seeking their own forms of vengeance and seeking answers to questions that have been haunting them since they were kids, which ultimately ends up bridging their paths together even more. It's enthralling. There's compelling action, drama, and a believable romance- which I personally think is hard to find. The character development is top-notch, and the world-building is incredible. If it interests anyone else, there are also many characters that are people of color- including Adrian- and two of the most powerful characters that oversee the Renegades are a married gay couple- AND THEY ARE JUST SO PRECIOUS. It really reads like a comic book, as well, which I found all the more enticing and overall just fun to read. I will say this also: there are few book series that have an ending that is satisfying, that have that ending that brings everything full circle without contradicting itself or falling flat. This is one of those book series that manages to be so wide-reaching, with so many possibilities for how it can end, but never loses sight of where it needs to go to keep you turning the pages. It definitely has that sense of completion by the time you reach the end that you end up wanting to read it all again, with all the answers in place, so you can experience everything with a renewed appreciation of the story as a whole. Personally, I think this is one of those book series that is everything you wish other series' would be and more.