Title: Defy
Author: Sara B. Larson
Published: January 7, 2014
Series?: Defy #1
Format Read/Pages: eBook/336
How I Acquired It: NetGalley
Date Finished: January 3, 2014
Date Finished: January 3, 2014
*Thank you to Scholastic
for the chance to read an ARC.
A lush and gorgeously written
debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced
to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick
wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's
guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of
night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting
her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through
the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive
with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only
one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret
is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart:
the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark,
intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong
enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?
~
There have been a lot of
comparisons made to Mulan and there really shouldn’t be. The only thing that is
similar is the fact that a young woman pretends to be a boy and joins an army.
The two young women have completely differing reasons to hide their identities
and really should not be placed in the same boat. I was excited when I received
this ARC via NetGalley, I had read about it beforehand and it seemed like a
promising start to what could turn out to be a great series. In the end I must
say that I was disappointed with what was presented in Defy.
Some of my first thoughts were
that even though the concept is something that has been around and used quite
often, there are still a number of ways that it could have been spun to create
something highly suspenseful and entertaining. I was most looking forward to
the reveal, how Alex let everyone know that she was in fact, Alexa. When the
time came, the way that it was handled really annoyed me. There were so many
other ways to have it play out, rather than both love interests having known
for years. It makes sense that Rylan might know, but I would have liked to see Damian
be surprised by the news, there were also spaces for some moments that could
have been added for some comic relief, given that she is pretending to be a boy
with the feelings of a young woman, that Larson did not capitalize on. I
understand that it is a serious story, but it was a bit flat at times and a bit
of lighthearted fun could have been added.
The love triangle was very predictable
and quite annoying at times. Given the fact that both boys have been in love
with her, without her knowing, for years there was no real development in any
of the relationships. It just seemed that one second the prince is letting her
think she has fooled him into believing she was a boy and the next they are
kissing. And don’t get me started on Rylan; could Larson make him into any more
of a chump? Telling Alexa he will wait for her and still love her even after
she has clearly chosen Damian. Alexa needs to stop being a baby and take what
she wants, even if that person happens to be a prince. “Oh, I will never be
good enough for him; it won’t be accepted… blah, blah, blah.” Girl, shut up.
You just saved a country, take what you want!
I really had no emotional
investment in any of the characters and the one that I did like, got killed off
quite early on in the story. The only thing I could really relate to with Alexa
was the fact that I too would have disguised myself as a boy to avoid being
raped daily and used as a brood mare. This brings me to something that was not
all that necessary, in my opinion, the breeding house. I understand it was used
a tool to make us hate the king more than we already did, but it really was not
needed and I find it hard to believe that the people living in the vicinity of
the castle, seeing what happens to those girls everyday would actually allow
that to go on. I really think that there would have been a revolt before, had
any of them been thinking compassionately at all.
Overall, I really don’t know how
to feel about this story. I really, really wanted to like it, but it just
rubbed me the wrong way. In this day and age, where there are so many strong
female protagonists out there and Alexa just did not match up. If after reading
the plot of the next book, I find myself intrigued, I may check it out; but I
have no idea where the story could go from here without introducing a random
antagonist that will threaten the lives of our characters, making them act on
all the love that is flowing between them. And at this point it would probably
just continue to annoy me. Good thing I have another year, to maybe revisit Defy and change my
opinion, before Larson gives us another entry into the series.
2.5 Stars
