Review: Defiance

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Published - August 2012

418 pages

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.

I was anticipating this novel for a while, like most of the book I read because I've had it for a bit. I had purchased it when it was on sale for Kindle and I was excited mostly because of cover appeal. I didn't know anyone who had read it and I didn't see any reviews from people I trust. I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was meh? I was disappointed a little bit. 

While I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it could have been a little more developed. It was a little repetitive and I thought there was a lot of description about the world and the monster that had destroyed the society. It felt a little flat though and it lacked complexity. The author drops a lot of terms in about the society, but a lot of times I felt like I should already know what they were. Even when terms were first introduced they weren't really explained. This made me disconnected from the story and less interested in the traditions of the society. It didn't feel like the author had a solid picture of the society she was introducing me to. Instead it seemed like some things were made up as a means to an end for the plot of the story. 

I couldn't quite connect to the characters either. I liked Rachel and Logan, but again, I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the friendship/relationship rather than introduced to it. At the beginning of the story Rachel is assigned to someone to be her caretaker and by the way Logan and Rachel react I thought the two of them are next to strangers. Later I started to realize they were fairly close acquaintances, but their relationship seemed to be uneven throughout the book. One minute they are really awkward around one another and the next they seemed to be deeply in love with one another. Even so, I think their romance works. They complement each other in a lot of ways. One is a lot of the brains and the other is a lot of the brawn. (Their relationship dynamic reminds me a lot of Peeta and Katniss) I liked Logan's back story and how that drove him to protect Rachel. Overall I'd like to see where they go from here, and how they will adjust to the changes in their world that they helped bring at the end of this book.

Even though I had some issues with this story, I think I will be checking out the sequel. I really was intrigued about what happened to Rachel's father and by the end of the story I was invested in what will happen next. I'd like to see a little more world development and just better description of the society. That was what really lacked in this story for me. Even so, I thought the idea was good and it already has me hooked to see what will happen to Rachel and Logan.

Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Stars

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