Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Defiance

Author: C.J. Redwine
Series: Courier’s Daughter Trilogy, Book One
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian/Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Source: Personal Library, Bought

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My Review:

I loved this book. The idea was very original to me and I honestly had a hard time placing this particular book in a specific genre. It is dystopian to me, but also fantasy because of the creature they call The Cursed One, which is basically a dragon with no wings. The plot line was original and offered many twists. It was full of action and a great love story. Basically everything that I love in a good book.

Rachel is our main character. She is a young girl living in a world where women are less educated than men and seen more as objects than people. They are believed to only be good for cooking, cleaning, hosting dinner parties, etc. Her father, Jared, is the best courier in the city, travelling through the Wasteland to deliver messages to other cities. Rachel’s mom died when she was a baby and her dad has taught her how to defend herself. So unlike most girls who know how to wield a wooden spoon, Rachel knows how to use a knife and a switch. She’s pretty badass. She suffers a lot of turmoil in this book and, unlike a lot of books, she responded to each situation accurately. This girl is broken and beaten down. There are times and days where she is pretty much worthless because she simply can’t pull herself out of her grief. I didn’t think this made her weak though. In fact, I thought it made her very relatable. However, after she grieves, she returns with a vengeance. She knows what she has to do and will stop at nothing to do it. She has resolve unlike any other and I admired her for that.

Logan is our other main character. He has basically brought himself up from nothing with the help of Rachel’s father, Jared. He was an orphan when Jared took him in and began training him to become a courier. Becoming a courier isn’t really where his heart lies though. What he’s really good at is inventing new technology. In a way, he’s kind of a nerd, but a nerd that sure knows how to fight. He is an extremely skilled fighter and shows courage where others would fall. At the beginning of the book, he has this mind-set that he deserves to be alone. If he doesn’t let anyone in, he can’t lose anyone and feel that pain. But by the end, he realizes that that isn’t the life he wants and he develops a fierce desire to protect the ones he loves. Logan is smart, gorgeous, strong, and courageous. I fell in love with his character from the start.

Commander Chase is the leader of the city of Baalboden. He is basically the most evil person to ever walk the face of the Earth. At the beginning of the book C.J. Redwine tells us that he is seventy, but I had a really difficult time picturing him as a seventy year old man. He is still extremely strong and nimble. The city uses horses for transportation and seems behind technologically in almost everything. I had a hard time believing that they had the medical capabilities they would need to keep a seventy year old man that fit and healthy. Anyways, I hate him. He rules the city through fear and basically kills anybody who dares question him.

Another comment on the whole technology thing. They seem to be not very technologically advanced as far as their everyday lives go. However, each citizen also wears a wristband that allows the Commander to track their every move. That is also how they pay for things at the various shops scattered throughout the city. This kind of threw me for a loop because if they have technology like that, why do they need to live so primitively in every other aspect of their lives? I suppose that maybe it’s another way that the Commander has control over them. You know, “I have this technology, but I won’t let any of you have it” type of thing, but it just didn’t quite jive with me.

Overall, this book was really good. It is full of action and has a beautiful love story. My favorite thing about this particular love story was that it was genuine. Rachel and Logan didn’t instantly fall in love, but instead, slowly began to realize their feelings for one another. It seemed much more believable than most YA books nowadays. I can’t wait for the second book, Deception, that will be released August 27, 2013. Happy reading all!

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