Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Series: Defiance (bk. 1)

Genera: Fantasy/Dystopian Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: supernatural, post-apocalyptic, survival, adventure

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 403 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover and Paperback

List Price: HC: $17.99 PB: $9.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer & Bray

Summary/ product description: “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.”

My Review: I didn’t know what to expect from this book. I thought it was going to be high fantasy, but was surprised to find that it wasn’t. It’s a little bit fantasy, but it’s more dystopian than anything. Defiance is set in a post-apocalyptic world about 50 years in the future after a dragon-like creature from the depths of the earth has burned most of civilization. What civilization is left has reverted back to living like the middle ages, but instead of kings and royalty, there’s the Commander. So it’s a dictatorship. There are walled city-states across the country, and smaller villages. (Baalboden is the city-state Rachel lives in. I think it’s in Tennessee.) Technology is scarce. Logan’s really into making tech, so we get to see some of his inventions.

I really loved the main characters. I loved how the story switched between Rachel and Logan’s first person, present tense POVs. Rachel is strong willed and independent. She’s the definition of the feisty and fierce redhead. She’s a great warrior, even if she can’t let others know it. And she’s got survival skill because her father was a courier and a tracker. Women in her society are looked down upon as weak and must always have a Protector with them. It’s very sexist and old fashioned. Rachel doesn’t want to be treated that way.

Logan, Rachel’s father’s apprentice, becomes her Protector after her father doesn’t return from a mission. Rachel’s angry about it at first, and makes a big deal about it in front of the Commander. Logan is a truly nice guy. He’s smart, creative and makes some pretty awesome inventions. He cares about Rachel. He’s kind of in love with her, even if he doesn’t realize it till he can’t get to her. I really like him, and the romance between both them. It’s not insta-love. It develops in a realistic way.

This book is non-stop action and a ton of romance. I never got bored. There were lot of details in the writing and descriptions. I think some of my favorite thing in this book were the Worst/Best Case Scenarios that Logan thought up. He’s so smart and think far ahead. He must have a really high IQ. A genius. And it sets him apart from other YA male love interests. The focus wasn’t on how hot he was, but on how intelligent he was and how he made Rachel feel.

This book was awesome. I recommend it to fans of Soulbound by Heather Brewer, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, The Selection by Kiera Cass, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Eve by Anna Carey, the Hunger Games, Divergent, and other dystopian series. Can’t wait to read Deception, book 2 of the Defiance series.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover so much! It’s Rachel with a really big cloak and trees. It’s so cool! Love the orange, purple and green color scheme. And it’s metallic matte paper! The sliced title is cool too.