Sunday 29 July 2012

Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine


Defiance (Defiance, #1)

  Title: Defiance
  Author: C.J. Redwine
  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Publication date: August 28th 2012
  Source: Edelweiss
  My rating: 5 Stars




 
Goodreads Description: Rachel’s world is confined to the protective walls around her city. Beyond them are violent wanderers, extreme terrain, and a danger straight out of legend: a beast called the Cursed One that devastates everything in its path.

When Rachel’s father goes missing, she is desperate to search for him. But her attempts to flee the city bring her to the attention of its overbearing ruler. His efforts to control her make the world within the walls seem as dangerous as that outside.

Her only chance at escape is Logan. Once her father’s apprentice, and now her only protector, he feels that helping her might mean losing her completely. But if he can put his feelings aside, they might be able to save more than Rachel’s father. They might be able to break down the walls, and set their people free.


*“It’s probably my job to tell you life isn’t fair, but I figure you already know that….So instead, I’ll tell you that hope is precious, and you’re right not to give up.”

Seventeen year-old Rachel Adams can’t believe it when all the searches are called off, and her father, Jared, is declared dead.   He is the best tracker/courier for the city state of Baalboden.  Rachel’s heart is crushed with grief and despair, but she knows deep down that if anyone can make it in the Wastelands that lie beyond the city gates, it’s her father.  She now must attend the reading of his will to find out who will be assigned as her new Protector.  Rachel has no doubt that Oliver, the trusted family friend and surrogate father, is the one that will be named.  She is beyond shocked when Logan McEntire, her father’s apprentice and the one man she’s been avoiding for the last two years, is named as her Protector.  This is the man she gave her heart to, only to have it handed right back.  No matter though, because she doesn’t plan to stick around long enough for that decision to affect her.  She starts planning a way to skirt over the protective city Wall and look for her father. 

Nineteen year-old Logan is shocked to find out he’s been assigned as Protector over Rachel, the daughter of the man he considers his father.  One who professed her love for him two years ago, but no longer even glances his way.  Logan feels there’s no way he can take on this responsibility, especially when he has so little time to plan and execute a mission to locate Jared.  Added to all of these problems is the Commander, the cruel and wicked ruler of Baalboden, who is watching every  move Logan and Rachel’s makes.  They figure out he doesn’t believe Jared is dead either and is suspicious that Logan or Rachel know he’s not. 

I loved everything about this story!  The characters, the pacing, the world, and of course, the romance!  You will find no insta-love or triangle in this story.  There are just two well-rounded and believable main characters.  This is told is in dual POVs alternating between Rachel and Logan, and I felt the method worked rather well.  We’re able to see the story and how things are felt from both sides, making it easy to connect with both main characters.  Lack of communication between Rachel and Logan leads to them making bad decisions with major consequences.  But shock!! (Because this seems to be so different from many YA stories.) These characters actually learn from their mistakes and do not keep repeating them. Thankfully, you aren’t frustrated throughout the entire novel, having to grit your teeth at every stupid decision!  Their romance is very sweet, and like I said, no insta-love, but instead a slow and satisfying build-up.   Here’s a little snippet to tempt you:

*Her lips brush mine, sweet and hesitant, and I open my eyes.  She’s all I can see.  All I can taste when I breathe in.  Her body molds itself to mine like she was made for me, and I want her to feel it too.  To acknowledge it.

I guess you would call this a steampunk novel set in a post-apocalyptic future world.  There are futuristic-gadgets, and yet much of the advanced technology we have available in our world is gone.  Customs and traditions seem to have reverted back to the past.  The role of women has taken a big leap back, which left me furious in a few instances.   Fortunately for Rachel, her father chose to ignore that custom and trained her to be a competent fighter.  I can’t talk about the characters without mentioning the cruel and sinister Commander.  I cringe at every scene he’s in!  He seems to always have something up his sleeve, and I’m wondering if there’s something to that.  There are reasons he’s in power, and I hope we’ll find out more in the next installment. 

There are enough questions and things left undone that I’m anxious for the next book.  Yet, we’re not left with the pain and frustration of a cliffhanger, just excited anticipation awaiting the next book.   This is a brilliant debut from author C.J. Redwine!

Thank you to Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss for allowing me to read this wonderful story.

*Quotes taken from uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.



24 comments:

Aneeqah said...

Ahh, I am so. Stinking. Excited. For. This. Book. Seriously!! It has to be one of the books I'm dying for that comes out this August. Ever since I read the synopsis and saw the cover, I have seriously been pining for this book. I'm so glad that you loved this one Rachel!! It seems like there are some seriously awesome twists, and some great characters. Rachel sounds like a totally kick-butt main character, which I always love. And this romance looks super sweet! And a big YAY for no insta-love!!

I am so happy that you loved this Rachel. I am totally pre-ordering this one and counting down the days until it releases!!

Keertana said...

Rachel, you're going to find this hard to believe, but I have been eagerly anticipating this review ever since I first saw that you picked up a copy of Defiance in your Showcase Sunday post a couple of weeks ago. I know - I have no life! ;)

I've been so excited about this book and while I've seen a lot of mixed ratings, I have to say that yours make me very hopeful for this novel. :D I love the premises of it and the characterization and romance between Rachel and Logan sounds very realistic and promising. Plus, it's always nice to have a twist and some background to our characters as well. I loved the quote you included in and I always enjoy novels with a kick-ass character, so I really think I'll like this one. I seriously can't wait one month till the release of this one, so I'll just have to sit tight and wait for my pre-ordered copy to reach me ASAP! :) Wonderful review, Rachel! I'm so glad you liked this one! :D

~Keertana
Ivy Book Bindings

Rachel said...

I hope you ladies love it as much as I did. I was really surprised at how much I loved it. Keertana, I have no life either! Other than reading books of course! :)

Teresa Mary Rose said...

I am so excited for this book and after your review I am even more excited! So glad to see you enjoyed it!

Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

Eunice said...

Yay! I'm so happy you loved it too, Rachel! The characters are indeed very believable and I love how they developed and learned things from their mistakes. The romance is just so sweet too! Lovely review, Rachel! :)

Vegan YA Nerds said...

Wow, I haven't heard much about this but it sounds amazing! It seems like strong, girl fighters are a popular new character!

I want to know what happens between Rachel and Logan now, yay for not love triangle :)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I can't wait to read this one. I love a "slow and satisfying build up". And I loved the dual POV in Pushing the Limits so it's great to hear this one has it too. You have me really excited for this one now. Great review Rachel.

Aa'Ishah said...

I'm so excited for this! I can't tell you how glad I am to know there's no insta-love here, as lately it's just become increasingly annoying to me. :P It's great that you can connect to both characters. I've found that loads of people don't like multiple POVs, but I think they can work well if done properly. This sounds amazing. Beautiful review, Rach! :)

Shane @ItchingforBooks said...

Really awesome review. I loved the trailer for this book and have been meaning to get into it.

Anonymous said...

Amazing review, Rachel. Sam and I will be reading it together as from Monday, so now I'm even more excited for it. I really love the sound of the romance. I can't wait to meet these wonderful characters, especially since these are actually characters who learn from their mistakes. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rachel. :)

-Ria xo said...

The relationship sounds super cute!! Rachel and Logan sounds perfect.<3 EWWWW to the sound of Commander. :L Haha, I'm glad you loved this, Racehl! And thanks for a brilliant review. (:

Pooja. S said...

Loved your review, Rachel! It's probably not something I'd pick up on a whim but that's because I'm usually not into these plots. But it sounds so fascinating and I love the sound of these characters :) Glad you liked this one, Rachel! <3

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

The second I finished reading your review for the first time, I went ahead and preordered this. Vanilla queen or not, you don't gush very often, and neither do you give five stars easily anymore. I need to read this and soon. August 28th seems so far away. :)

Anonymous said...

5 stars?! So I guess the she looks delicious; I can dip her in sugar quote didn't bother you after all, hehe. I was a bit skeptical at first whether this book would be for me (I'm a bit exhausted by all these new YA dystopian/steampunk books being published this year!) but I'm glad this book wowed you because of its brilliance, Rachel. :) Lovely review, as always! :)

Rachel said...

I can't wait to see your opinions Nick. I'm anxious to see if you like it as much as I did. :)

Rachel said...

@Maja-I am trying to be a little more discriminating with my ratings. I did love everything about this one and I hope you do too *bites nails nervously*

@Leanne-That quote is actually a bit of teasing of Logan from a secondary character and meant to be funny. So yes, cheesy but that's how it was meant. I've been having a hard time being enthusiastic about paranormal/fantasy YA lately too. This didn't disappoint, IMO. :)

Jessica@Booked Up! said...

I am DYING to read this one, Rachel! The front cover is stunning, and it sounds like a fantastic read. I'm glad you enjoyed this one, and thanks for sharing such cute quotes! :D xxx

Tina said...

Awesome review girl! I love fantasy books but sometimes it's hard to get into. Did you find this easier then other fantasy books?

Rachel said...

Thank you Tina. This one was actually quite easy to get into which surprised me. I feel the same way about fantasy novels, especially lately after reading so many contemporary stories. It's been really hard for me to get into the paranormal or fantasy genre again. That wasn't the case with this one. I was hooked from the beginning. :)

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

As I said on Goodreads, this is a great review! I've started it this one and like it so far. :) I can't wait to get to know Rachel and Logan properly, especially as you mentioned there's no insta-love and love triangles. :)

Tina said...

Yay's!! So good to hear! Can't wait for this to come out now:)

Unknown said...

Hehe, I'm wondering what you felt when you were reading a book with same name of the main character, Rachel! ;) I personally always felt like giggling and a bit anxious every time I cross a person with the same name like in books! But that's enough of me rambling! :P

This is GORGEOUS review, Rachel! <3 I'm glad that this Rachel in book sounds particularly amazing! And the snippet you post in this review? It's DELICIOUS! I can't wait to meet Logan myself!! Lately, I love more and more dual POV! It's amazing to get inside a guy'S head LOL! x)

Amy said...

This book sounds really good!The cover is just gorgeous. Great Review
Amy
http://teenyreader.blogspot.co.uk/

brandileigh2003 said...

Great review, I totally can't wait for the next one.
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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