NICOLE'S REVIEW: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Title: Defiance

Author: C.J. Redwine

Format Acquired: Paperback
Publication Date: August 28 2012

Publishing House: Balzer + Bray

ISBN: 9780062222787
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary: Rachel Adams has a secret. While 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 impulsive 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.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book) 

Review:

I, sadly, am on the fence about this one. There are aspects of this book that I liked, but there were some that well... I didn't. 

The story is told in the alternating voices of Rachel and Logan. It starts with Rachel awaiting the return of her father, Jared Adams, who unfortunately does not return. He is soon declared dead and a new Protector, Logan, is assigned to Rachel. Now, Rachel and Logan don't believe that Jared is dead and both decide to hatch plans to go find him amid all the drama and tension that swirls between them, and there was tension, I just don't know what happened to it because it seemed to just disappear in the second half of the book. Can problems (aka drama) like that be resolved so quickly, given that it had a few years to fester?

Redwine's characters were a decent lot. Rachel is headstrong, impulsive and brash where Logan is calculating, perceptive and methodical, but both are resilient, and both are fighters. I liked them well enough but I couldn't exactly connect with them. The relationship between the two was nice and developed at a steady pace until the second half of the book, that was when it started to feel rushed. I found myself wondering how Rachel seemed to magically forget her hatred for Logan, although I have to commend Rachel for not lying to Logan. There was a moment where I thought that Rachel would lie to save Logan's life and protect him but I'm glad she didn't. I'm not fond of the whole lying to someone for his own good thing. It causes more problems than it solves. 

I think that Defiance had an adequate storyline  It had action, suspense, mystery, romance and creatures that could spit fire and blow stuff up. The pacing was very good, I did enjoy how the story starts by throwing you right into the action; it managed to draw me in and hold me as Rachel and Logan faced countless obstructions on the way to find Rachel's father. Problems here and there, one after the other, heartbreak and death and all that and let's not forget the dragonesque creature that throws fire at everything that moves. That's totally hardcore.

So why am I so unsure about this book? Mainly because of the world building. I couldn't get a feel for the setting, I was't even sure what time period this took place. It was off-putting to say the least. I also wasn't too fond of Commander Chase as the villain. Sure he's evil, he kills, he blackmails, he threatens and I did want to hit him upside his head but there was something missing to his character; to me he lacked depth and he fits the standard villain mold to a T.

So is Defiance one of those over-hyped books that just end up disappointing you? Well, no. I liked it well enough and just wish that the world building be fleshed out a little and Commander Chase be given more depth. I'd like a little more information on him and his past and I also want to be able to get a better feel for the world Redwine has created. Who knows? Maybe all my questions will be answered in the second book. I plan on getting the next book in this series and I hope it won't disappoint.

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