I received this book as a wonderful ninja birthday gift and
was in no way coerced, or expected, to write a review. Just sayin'
I don’t usually write reviews, mainly because I’m not very
good at it. But every once in awhile, you read something that you just want to
rave about. So rave I shall.
The first thing that struck me about Defiance is the
gorgeous cover. A cover that I grew to like more as I read the book. It’s
always been a pet peeve of mine when the picture on the cover doesn’t even look
like the hero/heroine, but with Defiance, they captured Rachel Adams perfectly!
After reading only the first few pages, the reader is transported
into a complete, actualized world. I actually went back and studied how the
author did this. In very few words, the reader gets a sense of an entire
civilization, history and way of life. Not only that, you also get an immediate
sense of who Rachel Adams is and you want to get to know her better.
CJ Redwine wrote this book in first person. Even though much
of YA is written in first person, I don’t care for it. Sometimes it puts you
too close to the character. In this novel, it works. What I haven’t seen
much is a two-person first-person POV.
Each chapter lets you know whose POV you’re in and I was grateful for this. It
added depth to the story.
Rachel Adams wasn’t raised the way the rest of the girls in
Baalboden were. Instead of learning how to be the perfect wife, she was
training how to handle weapons, defend herself and track in the forbidding
Wastelands that surround the small township.
When Jared, her father, doesn’t return from a mission across the
Wastelands, he’s pronounced dead. But Rachel won’t accept it. She begins to
plan how she’s going to escape the town and find her father. Logan McIntire
apprenticed as a courier under Rachel’s father, even though his skill lies in
inventing machinery. He too wants to
find Jared, but his biggest concern is how to keep Rachel safe. A monster,
called the Cursed One, lives out in the Wastelands, killing anyone who crosses his
path.
The antagonist, the commander and ruler of Baalboden, has
his share of secrets. Secrets that cause him to hate Rachel and Logan. He wants
something that Jared was carrying and will stop at nothing to get it.
I loved this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who
enjoys a fast-paced story with lots of adventure and just enough romance to
keep in interesting.
All in all, I loved this book. To find out more about CJ--she has a sense of humor you can't help but love-- or read more about her work, visit her
here. And next Tuesday, I will post an interview with CJ at
Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Why not check out the blog now!
