Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
Balzer + Bray, 403 Pages
Sub-genre: Dystopian
Source: ARC from publisher (Thanks!)
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Defiance #1
Recommended for: fans of The Hunger Games
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.
C.J. Redwine did an amazing job painting a strong, empowered female protagonist for her book Defiance.
Rachel Adams doesn’t have time for your crap and she definitely doesn’t have time for boys. I love that our MC is a strong-willed, take-crap-from-no one, no nonsense, kickass heroine that is hellbent on revenge and her mission to find her father. I haven’t come across a female protagonist this ruthless and focused in a long, long time and I’ll tell you what…it is MARVELOUS.
The plot is wonderfully exhilarating [read: nail-biting]. The setting is a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is still being terrorized by a monster that no one can figure out how to kill or control…only avoid…except for town’s Commander. [Makes you go, “Hmm…”, right?]
It is refreshing to see an author take so much creative liberty and throw caution to the wind with the imagery and savagery of the world she has painted for her readers. I will admit that this book is graphic…gory to some extent, but the battle scenes and fights are totally worth it and enhance the reading experience.
I would recommend this book for lovers of The Hunger Games trilogy, Shatter Me, Prodigy, and any other YA series that has a strong female protagonist…especially if you’re looking for something WITHOUT a love triangle. This is your book right here.
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