Review: Defiance (Defiance, #1) By: C.J. Redwine

Title: Defiance (Defiance, #1)
Author: C.J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 416 Pages (August 28th, 2012)
From: the Publisher
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 4 Stars - C.J. Redwine’s Defiance, the first in a brand new trilogy is in a word, captivating. With two strong lead characters with a huge fight on their hands, Redwine delivers in this new fantasy that’ll captivate you and leave you ready for more.

Rachel is a fierce girl who knows how to yield a sword and how to survive in the wilderness in the outside world. She’s courageous and strong; sometimes both to a fault, but you can’t help but love her for trying to protect herself and those she loves. When her father a courier for the cruel Commander fails to return he’s pronounced dead without question or search for his survival in the wilderness. I felt bad for her part of the story and cheered her on in other parts. As I said above and I totally mean it, she’s fierce!

Logan was an apprentice to Rachel’s father and since her father is listed as dead, he’s appointed as Rachel’s new protector. While the two have somewhat grown up together Logan being assigned as her protector isn’t something they are excited about. There’s issues between the two that run deep yet they’ll have to find a way to work together to find out what happened to Rachel’s father and find out why the evil Commander is too eager to find the package that Rachel’s father was supposedly in possession of. Logan is extremely smart and is all that of your average 19 year old guy. He’s a mess of emotions and questions each and every one of them. He knows deep down he’ll do anything to keep Rachel safe and takes his role as protector seriously.

One thing that I loved about him was that he’s more than someone who can fight and take care of the things around him that mean the most; he’s also an inventor, which gave the story a bit of a sci-fi feel to things.

Both Rachel and Logan have such strong voices and I often found them fighting for who was telling the story. I didn’t mind it in the slightest, especially since it’s written in dual points of view which just added to the story. It’s known how much I love the multi points of views, they just give you so much more of a well rounded detail, getting a chance to see the world and events unfold from two totally different perspectives.

I will be honest when I say that the story ended up being nothing what I thought it was going to be. I have questions about the world that Rachel and Logan live in and felt a bit lost there, but in the end the characters and journey we follow along with was enough to keep me more than entertained and ready for more.

With writing, story and characters that have so much to offer readers, I do recommend this title for anyone who’s looking for a wonderfully written fantasy title that has a bit of everything – action, adventure, and romance all mixed in with a good dose of suspense that left this reader ready for more and I have no doubt others will feel the same.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.