Defiance (Defiance #1)

by C.J. Redwine

Published: August 28th 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

*ecopy received from publisher for an honest review.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

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.

~My Review~

It takes a lot for a book to completely impress me, and while Defiance was close in doing so, I still enjoyed it. The story is told from an alternating point-of-view, switching between the two main characters. That method, I loved. The author gave us the ability to see-and feel-how both Rachel and Logan react to their situation. Also, instead of just one person narrating, we get the chance to understand the emotions of both characters.

Rachel is quite the female lead. Similar to Logan, she's brave, witty, and determined, but what separates the two is her being absolutely headstrong, rash, and quick to make assumptions. Rachel's fighting spirit appealed to me, but at times I got upset with her for the negativity towards Logan. I can understand her reason for being that way once it became clear, but from the beginning I wanted her to see he meant well.

The burning romance between the two was longing and convincing. There's nothing happening in an instance, as both had developed feelings for each other over the years, but the wait for future development had me anxious.

Logan had this mesmerizing aura that pulled me to his character. His protective nature and interesting inventing skills won me over the moment he stepped in the story. Logan's been through quite an ordeal; every time a spec of his hurt comes out I sympathize as well as hurt along with him. But after a while it got tiring, which leads me to what I didn't like about the book: The need to stress on terrible events in the past. Logan's constant recollection of his mother's lifeless body, for example. I can't count the amount of times I read about her tragedy and unfortunately, I got tired of doing so. Another thing was the dilly dally, my way of saying things are stretched too much. Don't get me wrong, the story's good, as authentic as it gets, but some parts were a bit draggy and should've moved along. Other than that, everything else was just peachy.

Setting wise, it was great. In going into this book I wasn't expecting techy inventions or the mention of tracking devices and identification objects. It had a combination of medieval, science fiction, supernatural effect. Such a discovery was rather interesting to me, and that definitely distinguishes this book from others in similar genres. What else? The adventurous aspect. The moment we're taken into the Wasteland things start heating up for the characters, and the journey gets really entertaining after that. You start getting a rush, wanting to know what happened to Jared, Rachel's dad, on his mission, and what exactly is the commander's fascination with a certain package.

Defiance is daring. A strong debut serving its intent, if the objective is to captivate. The plot is very much arousing, and the characters are believable. Overdo scenes aside, the writing is superb. The author's ability to conjure words that stir the emotions of readers is just astonishing. Again, I enjoyed it, maybe you will too.

P.S: I LOVE THE MUSIC IN THE TRAILER, DON'T YOU?