Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 416pgs

The Story

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 hot 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.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book!

What a marvelous and stunning debut book! DEFIANCE contains a fantasy and a dystopian-like world where young women are considered less important then men, and it was definitely one of the most intriguing reads I've ever come across this year and one of the most creative too because I didn't want to leave this world anytime soon. Just by reading C.J. Redwine's storytelling alone - with slight hints of slow-burning romances, action-pack sequences and riveting narratives - it's just something everyone must read and it's something that you don't want to miss out on by the end of this year!

DEFIANCE is told in two of our main character perspectives, Rachel's and Logan's, who are also love interests in the story. Now I was a super duper fan of both of these characters and I loved getting to know them both equally as individuals and as a potential couple in the works as well, and really it's no wonder why I highly regarded them as great heroes in this book. Rachel, our main leading heroine, was someone who wanted to defy the rules of women being treated with less respect and 'always' being overshadowed by the protection of men in her apocalyptic village and ever since her father went missing on the battlefield, she just went ahead and forced herself into the position of becoming a warrior - the one she has always meant to be, and that I guess was the beginning of my love affair with her. She was truly awesome! Her strength, her stubbornness, her questionable battle tactics, her will fight in whatever she believed in at the time . . . what more could you possibly want from a main heroine of an epic fantasy world? That's right nothing because she's pretty much got everything ticked off on my perfect heroine list!

As for our newly-introduced boy character, Logan, Rachel's main and potential love interest and soon-to-be confidant of a friend, he was straightaway loved by me and I'm sure by many other readers as well. He pretty much embodied everything I love in protective young hero and even though he experienced many conflicting emotions between himself and Rachel, someone whom admitted to loving him a few years back, I still just loved their connection and I loved how Logan was always there for Rachel, even when times had gotten tougher for him and his own role to play within the village. But trust me here fangals: Logan will melt your heart and frustrate you a lot . . . in a good way of course!

Overall, DEFIANCE was something I wasn't sure what to expect from but in the end I'm also very glad to have read it! It was definitely something new and exciting for the fantasy genre. With some great adventures and unexpected twists to make things really, really interesting, I definitely can't wait until I get to read the sequel, which I'm sure will just be as great as the first in this YA trilogy. So if you love books like A Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass or perhaps similar titles (genre-wise) to Mistwood and Born Wicked, then you will NEED to pick up this book soon!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Defiance by Lili St. Crow

Release Date: 19th April, 2011

Publisher: Penguin / Razorbill

Pages: 259pgs

The Story

The heart-stopping fourth novel in New York bestselling author Lili St. Crow's Strange Angels series.

Now that sixteen-year-old Dru's worst fear has come true and Sergej has kidnapped her best friend Graves, she'll have to go on a suicidal rescue mission to bring him back in one piece.

That is, if she can put all of Christophe's training to good use, defeat her mother's traitor, Anna, once and for all, and manage to survive another day . . .

The Review

From the very beginning of the Strange Angels series, I always thought of Dru Anderson to be the perfect female heroine. She was tough, had that diamond-in-the-rough edginess about her, and had a smart-ass mouth which I loved most about her. Plus, I loved every book that was published in this series cause it had everything you wanted in a YA novel. So when I saw this shiny baby lying on my doorstep, I had a "minor" fangal freakout and went straight to diving into the pages . . . but this fourth installment of the series disappointed me in so many ways. I think it was because the book was way shorter compared to the other three books I've read, and that left me with a big sad face.

Before I get into those "reasons", I just have to say something. The thing I love about St. Crow's writing - both in her adult and young adult books - is all the non-stop action scenes she offers up to her readers: the blood, the gore, the guns, the knive-throwing, and the little hint of danger knocking on every doorstep. Not to mention badass characters. It's the one thing that I know she can write successfully! Her writing is so raw and vivid when it comes to ACTION, and everyone who has read this series will know that she has the amazing ability to write like you're watching an action movie! You gotta love her for it!

In DEFIANCE we get to see Dru developing and reaching into her "blooming" stage (and no it has nothing to do with growing flowers) and of course danger follows her everywhere, no matter where she goes. With Graves "kidnapped" Dru is more than determined to find him with the help of her little gang and the handsome, young, son-of-the-devil Christophe. While it was great reading about Dru becoming a stronger and a more independent young woman, but man, she annoyed me a lot more in this book. That's new for me. I don't know whether it's because she was pining over Graves or that she was just the type of girl who wanted to annoy me in mockery.

In this installment I was reading about how she missed Graves and how she kept pushing everyone away because she was missing him, and it was a tad bit depressing. And don't get me started on Christophe. I loved him in this book because we got to see more of him and we also started to get a glimpse of him as a person, rather than the ghost who appears and disappears now and again. I was totally on TEAM CHRISTOPHE and hoped for some romance to seep into Dru and Christophe's relationship, but instead, when Dru hears a bit of information that seems fishy, she immediately distrusts Christophe and throws him like yesterday's trash. I'm. Upset. About. This.

Christophe. Christophe. Christophe. I love everything about him and while sometimes you don't trust him yourself, but all-in-all he is someone you want on your side. He's loyal to Dru, you can easily tell by his protectiveness over her. Problem for me is . . . Dru can't see him the way I see him. Peeves me off. Anyway, I'm also a big fan of Graves and I was glad we got to see him again towards the end of the book. Good old Goth Boy that we'll always love and adore. Still . . . CHRISTOPHE! <3

Overall - without spoilering everything - I can say the ending was the major thing that made me flick a star from my originally planned four star rating. I kind of felt cheated to be honest. But I guess you will have to be the judge to determine whether you love this book or not. It's kind of a love and hate relationship at the moment. But nonetheless we still have plenty of action that I always love in St. Crow's book and while there were scenes that left me so confused that I had to read it again to actually GET IT, I'm still looking forward to the fifth installment of the series and I just hope it's a much bigger book, one with plenty of Christophe and plenty of Graves, and with a less depressing Dru . . . cause she's more . . . well, badass now if you get my meaning [IN THE END YOU'LL SEE].

The Rating

3 1/2 /5 stars