Book Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Published August 28th, 2012
Balzar + Bray
403 pages (Paperback)

Rachel Adams has a secret. While the other girls in Baalboden sew dresses 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 city's brutal 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 one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to find him herself. But what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

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 daughter. Logan is determined to protect her but soon 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. (From Goodreads)

The cover is what sold this book to me.  I'm always up for a book with a badass female protagonist.  Then I discovered the dual POV, and I knew I had to read Defiance.  Unfortunately, it did not quite meat my expectations.

I was actually expecting a dystopian novel, but Defiance is more historical (not to be confused with factual) than anything else.  We've got swords, dragons, and a society where women are required to have the "protection" of a man.  Don't worry though, they pretty much get sold off for marriage too!  Overall, the world-building was okay, but some aspects could have been better explained.  I still don't quite understand The Chosen One.

Rachel ended up being one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered, and not nearly as badass as I craved.  Her fiercely independent nature was more stupid than brave, and her the way she thought things through made little sense to me.  Luckily, Logan was easier to read.  I actually found the way he told the story and his logical nature quite interesting.  I basically just kept reading for Logan's POV.

The plot was a lot of Logan and Rachel being desperate for one another, but refusing to acknowledge their feelings.  The romance wasn't steamy, or even overly romantic.  Also, these "assassins" from the description make a very brief appearance   Y'all know how I feel about assassins, and there wasn't enough of them.  There was still action and killing, but very little assassins.  I kind of felt ripped off on that one.

Overall, I enjoyed parts of Defiance, and spent the rest of it wanting to smack Rachel for being so annoying.  That being said, Defiance established a solid base for future novels to build upon and grow from.

Much love, Samantha