Defiance

Read complete review here: http://notjustnonsense.blogspot.com/2012/08/early-review-defiance-by-cj-redwine.html Sixteen year-old Rachel Adams is not like the other girls from Baalboden. She is not obedient, subservient and submissive. Nope, she can read, write, think, and, best of all, fight. But even though she's so special, it doesn't matter much, because, in the end, she still needs a male Protector to walk her to places and make any and all decisions for her. At least for show. And that was almost acceptable... until her father never came back from his last courier mission and was pronounced dead by the tyrant Commander... and his will required that cutie nineteen year-old Logan, his apprentice, and not sweet Oliver, her almost grandfather, would become her new Protector. Rachel never quite forgave Logan for turning her down when she declared her undying love to him a year ago, so how can she ever go live with him as her Protector? Especially when she is certain her father can't be dead. Now she needs Logan's help to try and escape over the Wall and into the Wasteland, to look for him. But the Commander won't make things easy for them. He know her father had something important in his possession when he went missing. Something that can help strengthen his already very solid tyranny. Something that has to do with the Cursed Ones, terrible beasts that know only destruction and death. Written with alternate POVs, Defiance is a lovely tale of adventure, action, mystery and budding romance. I love male POVs, so this was a real treat. Logan was such a great character. Smart, corageous, strong and confident, but at the same time, uncertain of his worth and of making the right decisions... in particular the ones involving his beautiful, innocent and stubborn new ward, Rachel. He needs to constantly save her from herself and her impulsive reactions, and, at the same time, think of how he can get her out of the wall safely and, also, find her father along with the highly sought-after mysterious package. All the 'women are weak and need to shut up and stop thinking and just rely on their men, 'cause they know what's best for them' did annoy me quite a bit, but Rachel was always trying to rebel and show-off her strength, so that made things much better. Even if she could be a bit too reckless for my taste, sometimes. She had so much stress, sadness, anger and despair building up inside her... I almost could feel it, myself. She really grew during the book. She was forced to 'harden up' and do things that changed her forever, but she never strayed fom her path. Some people might not like their heroines with so much blood and vengeance and anger, but it fit her very well. The romance wasn't thrown in there very often, but when it was... oh, man. Sparks flew. LOL. There is just one thing that bothered me. Okay, I get it that it's very 'in' now to write series, but this is the kind of book that could have been a stand-alone. Everything could have been explained and wrapped up in one go... if only the author wanted to. It was a good book, sure, but it irritated me a bit at the 'end'. This one really shouldn't have been made into a series. I liked it, but there's nothing that really makes me look forward to the next one. A lot has already been explained and what hasn't, I can certainly imagine. Anyway, if you like strong heroines, cute heroes and fast-paced books, then give this one a go! :D * I received an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.* Have you read Defiance? What did you think of it?show more

I immediately liked the fire that I saw in Rachel. She was fiesty but she knew when not to cross the line. I admire her fierce devotion to her dad, and her confidence in what she has been taught. I admired how she didn't sit back and let things happen to her, she knew when she could and could not do something and make a difference and even when it was hard, if she could do something, she did. Rachel is all that my inner spirit wants to be with her fiestiness and determination. I wasn't so sure about Logan, but he won me over in a few pages because his heart was in the right place. I don't know what will happen romantically if anything but it was good to hear his side of what happened and his motivations for hurting her. It's sad that he knows he caused that wall, and I can only imagine what it would be like to grow up with a girl and then all of the sudden be charged with protecting her. (that is the way the society is set up. He was an apprentice to her father and since her dad didn't return and was declared dead, they both thought that an older friend of the family would be appointed.) As the chapters went on we find even more insight into his feelings and thoughts and I grow to like him more and more. He becomes this perfect blend of techie and fighter. I really enjoyed the dual perspective in this story and I think that moves the plot along, and there are also scenes where it gave more suspense because we knew something the main character did not. Another plus for the book is that it explored the many forms of grief and how people process it differently and how it effects them. A choice is made in a split second, but it has repercussions and that is dealt with well in Defiance. Sometimes books skim over the negative consequence of actions, but I appreciate how C.J. faces it head on. I can't wait for the next one, I want to find out more. C.J. Redwine wrapped up the threads of this story while leaving room for questions and definitely a need for the next pages to be in my hands.show more