Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Rachel Adams isn’t like other girls, and in the city of Baalboden, that’s a very dangerous thing. Instead of worrying about clothes and boys, as is deemed acceptable, Rachel practices with weaponry under the tutelage of her father and Protector. But when her father fails to return from his last courier mission and is declared dead, Rachel is assigned a new Protector—her father’s apprentice, Logan. This is the last thing that either of them wants, especially given their complicated history, but Logan is at least willing to fulfill his part of the deal. He isn’t prepared for when Rachel decides to escape from Baalboden in search of her father, but he knows he can’t let her go alone. The two must venture and battle their way through the Wasteland, facing countless threats, and only hoping that they’ll be in time to save the world as they know it and stop even deeper treacheries.

Defiance is another dystopian story, and unfortunately, it’s also another one that had such a fascinating premise that doesn’t completely deliver. For the most part, the action and fast-paced plot were fantastic, and I found the story impossible to set aside for that reason alone. I can’t give the same praise to the characters, though. I had a hard time completely sympathizing with either Rachel or Logan. Rachel was a little too impulsive and selfish for me to really care about her, and Logan seemed more like a character than a person at times. Sadly, my inability to connect with the main characters made the plot, including both the romance between Rachel and Logan and the overarching storyline regarding the results of their journey across the Wasteland, less satisfying.

Defiance will still be enjoyed by fans of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

Rating: 3.75

Review copy from ALA