Book Review: Defiance

Defiance

By: C.J. Redwine

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Release date: August 28, 2012

Genre: YA dystopian/fantasy

 403 pages

Buy it at Amazon, IndieBound or Barnes & Noble

Source: ebook purchased by reviewer

Defiance is set in a grim future where oil drilling has unleashed a horrific monster from deep within the planet, which then brought about the destruction of modern civilization. The few survivors have organized themselves into city-states, each with a leader who has a piece of technology which allows him to send the monster away, thus protecting his people. In Baalboden, this overwhelming power has caused Commander Jason Chase to become a misogynistic tyrant.


The story is told through dual viewpoints. Our narrators are Rachel Adams, only daughter of Jared Adams, a courier for the Commander, and Logan McEntire, Jared Adams's apprentice. At the beginning of the book, Rachel awaits her father's return from his last mission. Since he has been gone for 60 days, he is declared legally dead, and Rachel is assigned a Protector: Logan.

The structure of this post-apocalyptic society is part of the book's charm for me. Men have become overtly protective of women; the danger of their barely-organized social system makes them believe that women must be defended and coddled. This would be incredibly annoying, were it not for Rachel and Willow both proving those notions completely false. This fictional society is the perfect setting for a kick-butt heroine to prove that she is just as capable as any man, and that she doesn't have to sacrifice her femininity to do it.

Logan is another reason I love the book. Logan has been a social outcast all his life, but he's worked hard to learn as much as possible, even though he hasn't been properly educated. He is much more than the hardworking apprentice Jared Adams took on; he is smart, creative, and trustworthy. In modern times, he would have been a tech nerd. He's a refreshing departure from the "bad boy" characters who are all over YA fiction right now.

The plot takes the shape of an adventure quest: Logan and Rachel set out to find Jared and the package he was supposed to be carrying home to Baalboden. As they progress, they discover more layers of the story. Of course, since this is book 1 of a trilogy, the resolution is just temporary- leading the reader right into  book 2.

Defiance is a stunning debut. Redwine has won a place on my list of must-read authors.

Summary:

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father 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 boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

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.