Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Published: Balzer + Bray (August 28th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 403 pages
Series: Defiance, #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Summary:
Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.
While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.
When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan--the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.
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.
Review:
Defiance was truly a whirlwind! I've never read a book with these type of creatures, or dragons, so this was something beyond my normal reading. It did take me a while to really get into this story, possibly for that reason. But, by mid-way, it was impossible to put the book down.
Rachel Adams is not like the other girls of Baalboden. She isn't interested in pleasing people or learning how to cook or clean. She is much more interested in learning how to fight and take care of herself. The only person Rachel has is her father and they have a strong bond. But then one day he doesn't return from his courier job and Rachel knows something has gone wrong. Since she is still young, she must have a protector. Her father had written that her protector would be Logan, his apprentice. He knew that Logan would be the best person to care for Rachel.
Unfortunately, Rachel and Logan don't have the best of relationships. Rachel had told Logan that she had feelings for him a few years earlier and he shot her down. The last thing Rachel needs, or wants, is to have to live with Logan.
Logan and Rachel are similar in a lot of ways; both strong, passionate, and loyal. This is good but it also leads to quite a few disagreements between the characters. For a while I wondered if they'd even be able to develop a friendship, much less a romance.
In this world, there is a Commander who rules all and has tremendous power. The people of the city depend on him for safety but he is manipulating them all. Beyond the walls no one is safe. The creatures come out randomly, at times, and people know they won't survive. But regardless of that, Rachel is willing to risk her life on several occasions in order to find the truth about her father.
Defiance contains such a complex world and there are still many, many more questions to be answered. I can't wait to delve into Deception and see where this world takes us.
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