Review of Defiance

Goodreads Summary: "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."

You guys know how I like my heroines: strong, capable, and just plain awesome. Rachel definitely was in the ranks. She was totally kick-butt. And yet, she wasn't always that way. As a reader you got to see a lot of character progression, by the end of the novel she wasn't the same girl that readers are introduced to in the beginning. She had grown. And in a logical way. You could understand how she got from Point A to Point B and it wasn't just because she had to in order to make the story work. LOVE. And you know, she had faults. Like me she was entirely too impulsive. Which of course leads to some fun, and a lot of not-so-fun, times in the story. Definitely a fun character to follow!

Logan was a tech-head, AKA a total nerd. And I loved the boy for it. Sure, I'm all about the bad boys and will choose them if push comes to shove but as a nerd I have a soft spot for fellow nerdlings. [This could be why I adored Cricket so.] He was the logical counterpart to Rachel which made him a more than fitting narrator. He keyed the reader into things that overly impulsive Rachel, who tended to barge in, might not have picked up on. And he was just awesome. I'd totally want Logan on my side if I was facing a Cursed One.

I think my favorite aspect of this novel was the dual narration or alternating point-of-views. Not only did you get Rachel's perspective on what was going on but you also got to hear Logan's thoughts as the story progressed. I loved getting both sides of the story! Especially because the two weren't Siamese twins, meaning they weren't attatched at the hip, things were going on elsewhere and having two narrators made it so that the reader was privy to what was going on in multiple settings. YES.

[On that note, can anyone recommend me some other titles that have alternating POVs? I'm pretty much sold on the concept and would LOVE to read more.]

The novel itself flew by. There was near constant action, the dual narration, and mini cliff-hangers at the end of the short chapters that made you desperate to know what was going to happen next then POOF you're with the other character. This method of story-telling had me invested, totally hooked on finding out what was going to happen next. You just can't help but be drawn in and devour the chapters. And of course being shorter they lulled you in, just a few pages more easily turned into a hundred pages later for me.

So yes. Defiance is a definite must read. I'm definitely going to be picking up a copy for myself as soon as its released. <3

Rating: 5/5

I was able to read an ARC of Defiance as a participant in a blog tour, this in no way affected my review.