Saturday, January 12, 2013

4

Review of Defiance by C.J. Redwine

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Synopsis:
Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls 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 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 escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, 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 when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he 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. (Taken from Goodreads)


Stars Given: 


Overall View:
To be honest (yes, the best and most original way to start a review), I only picked up this book because of the cover, which is a stupid reason.  When I began reading this book, it was actually not as bad as most of the reviews say.  I believed that this book was not really that bad, and if I had a choice of rereading it, I might, if I had nothing else to read.  The characters were developed and showed change throughout the story.  They did not stay as the same pure, kind-hearted people as the story came to an end.  It took me 2 days to read it, which means that it was really good, considering the amount of time I got to read during those 2 days.  The plot was original, with the Cursed One, but the only thing that seemed to make me want to just throw it into the pile of I'm-so-tired-of'-reading-the-same-books-with-different-character-names was that the main character's reactions were predictable.  It just made me want to scream out: "NO!  DON'T DO IT!  YOU KNOW IT'S WRONG AND YOU'RE GUNNA REGRET IT!!!" kinda thing (mostly during English class too).  So overall, the plot was pretty good, and the only thing that kept me from upgrading it into a 4 star-ed book is the main character, Rachel.  I wouldn't buy it if it was not on sale.  If I ever want to reread it (low chance), then I would rather pick it up from my school library rather than really buying the book to keep.

Characters:

Rachel - 
Description of Character: Rachel isn't like all the other girls in Baalboden.  She is fierce and knows much more than anybody would expect her to.  She knows how to wield a weapon, defend herself, and most importantly, survive in the wilderness.  Her father, Jared, has been MIA and so the Commander claims him dead.  Rachel believes that she is able to find her father, with the help of Logan, the boy she fell in love with two years ago. She travels into the Wasteland, with her new protector by her side, to find her father. 


Review of Character: I felt that Rachel was the only problem in the book.  Okay, maybe one of the problems, but she was I guess the major problem.  Everyone expects a strong female lead and I did not see that in Rachel.  At all.  Sure, she's meant to be strong and would rebound any attack that comes at her, but her personality and thoughts just made her weak.  Yes, with capitol W-E-A-K.  I couldn't take the fact that she was so reckless, causing the plans that Logan revised to fall apart.  I just wanted to slap her and tell her that Logan needs her to be calm and civilized and she is NOT  helping at all.  When I was reading from her POV, I found it boring, speed reading through parts that I found that didn't need to really be in the book.  Her character at the beginning was okay, as I found her strong, but when she witnesses Oliver's death then Jared's, she really became even more reckless, which made me HATE her.  Because of her character, it brought 1 whole star down.  It may seem unfair, but once you read it, you would want to slap her, trust me.

Logan -

Description of Character: Logan has lost his mother, when he was young, to the Commander.  He can't bear to lose anyone else he loves.  To Logan, Rachel used to be just his mentor's daughter, but when  his mentor, Jared, becomes missing, he realizes his responsibilities when he is assigned Rachel's protector.  As he and Rachel is released into the Wasteland, by the Commander, their journey takes many twists and turns, making it hard to trust anyone.

Review of Character: Logan was the only one actually keeping Rachel sane throughout the whole story.  If he was not one of the characters narrating the book, then I don't know.  I think the book would just crash and burn, literally.  Logan was probably my favourite character.  Not only did he have logic (something I look for in many main characters), not once has he thought of reckless things like Rachel did.  Throughout the story, Rachel kept repeating the word 'revenge' and Logan has not said much about it.  He is smart and can use what he has to survive.  He was the strongest, most developed character in the story, keeping his emotions and thoughts in line.  If it weren't for Logan, my school library would not get this book back.  They would, but it would be in a pile of ash.


*Supporting characters not listed

4 comments:

  1. It's too bad the actual book itself wasn't a great as the cover. I was meaning to read this book a while ago but I don't think I will now. It doesn't seem like my cup of tea so to say.
    Thanks for the honest review! :)

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    Replies
    1. That was exactly my thought. Maybe when you have the time and you're bored, you could read it to see if it really is your book or not :) We may have different tastes !

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  2. Hello Tiana and Andria! Guess what? I just nominated you to the Liebster Blog Award!!!
    You can find more details about the award here!
    There are a few things you've got to do to participate, but it's pretty easy!!

    Have a wonderful day,
    Nitzan @ Drugs Called books

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey :) That's a really nice review. I never read the book but I am planning to do so :)
    I really like your review style, especially the fact that you pay closer attention to the characters :)
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete