C.J. Redwine
Pages: 416
Publisher: Balzar and Bray
Format: ARC
Source: Epic Reads
Age Group: Young Adult
Date Published: August 28, 2012 (TOMORROW!!!!)
Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.
With that said, I'll get on to the book! Defiance was amazing. It was suspenseful and heart-wrenching and funny, sometimes all at once. It gave me a little bit of a similar feel to Birthmarked (which, coincidentally, is one of my favorite books EVER). It was just the whole "post-apocalyptic reverted in modernization" feel with a strong heroine who stands up for what she believes in. Mind you, Gaia was a little bit smarter and more stubborn and generally different than Rachel, but whatever.
I have like ADD today, so bear with me. Let's go over the plot (because I can't put my thoughts together any other way): So, Rachel's dad hasn't come home within his 60 day time frame (weird) and has to be declared dead. Rachel and co. don't think he's dead, but they have to go along with it because of their crazy dictator. They go and read his will and he lists Logan (his apprentice, aged 19) as Rachel's new Protector (a man who has to go with Rachel everywhere and look out for her), while they had all expected Oliver (kind of Rachel's stand in grandfather) to be named. Poor Rachel now has to go live with Logan (whom she had declared her love for when she was 15 and he turned her down, now she hates his guts). Theeeennnn, Rachel and Logan hatch a plan to go find her daddy (after many, ah, mishaps?). Eventually everyone ends up in the Wasteland and it's very dangerous for all involved. Yup. Well, that's pretty much everything that isn't too spoilery. There's a lot of romance and tragedy thrown in throughout, and that made everything very interesting. My only complaint is that I was a little bored in the beginning, and found myself skipping paragraphs and even pages. Needless to say, I was confused often. It really picks up one Rachel goes out into the Wasteland, and that's the majority of the book. Plus, the boringness may have come from the fact that I went all ADD (again) the first day I was reading Defiance and was having a hard time paying attention. Overall, it was a beautiful plot and I did like it very much.
The characters were interesting. Rachel's the stubborn kind of girl who picks a stance and doesn't really do her research. For example, she hated Logan without knowing his whole story. She just decided to hate him because he turned her down. She has this air of innocence, even though she can take down and kill any full grown man. She is fully capable, but she can be really stupid. It really just boils down to the fact that she lets her emotions rule her rather than logic. While Logan, on the other hand, was Mr. Logical who always has a plan. He always thought through every worst case scenario (typically there were 3) and how to deal with each. He knew every way to escape and always had a back-up plan. I think he and Rachel really made a good team. She was the heart and he was the brains, and I really liked that about them. Logan was also kind of a genius, and I loved him for it (smart guys are my favorite). I gotta say, though, my favorite character is this chick named Willow who is only in the book for a couple chapters. She was just too funny!! She has like no mental filter and just says whatever she thinks. I really hope we get to see more of her.
That cover is just too gorgeous! I love cover-Rachel and her outfit totally fits the book. And the Baalboden in the background is EXACTLY how I pictured it! It's just so perfect, and the main reason I was actually interested in the book in the first place (then, you know, I read the summary and was hooked).
I give Defiance 4 stars, because, while I really enjoyed it, the beginning was a little slow. Obviously, I recommend it to all of you reading this, especially fans of the Birthmarked series.
Today is my first day of school (I wrote this yesterday). I'm kind of nervous, but definitely excited for Junior year. I just hope I'll be able to update my blog as often as I do now! Wish me luck :)
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