{Review} Defy by Sara B. Larson
12:00 AM
Pages: 336Publication date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Sara B. Larson
How I got the copy: From Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
From Goodreads:
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?
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?
To say this review is late is an understatement. But in all fairness I wrote it on my phone in the notes app back in January. So I apologize to the publisher it took so long for me to post it!
Are you a fan of Mulan and Throne of Glass? Then I highly suggest you try Defy. It's got a girl pretending to be a boy in the kingdom's army. She's vulnerable like Mulan and yet really kick butt like Celaena.
And if that's not enough there's tons of action. In fact, I was really surprised some reviews said they were bored and that nothing happened in this book. Maybe they just didn't read far enough because Defy was packed with action and I couldn't stop reading. There's also a mystery and you find a new piece of the puzzle in each chapter which also kept me hooked.
While I'm not a fan of love triangles usually, this one was interesting. By the end I really had no idea who I wanted Alexa to be with more. My only complaint is the dialogue. I love me some witty banter between love interests and main characters and that was not really a component of this book. I felt the character development for the minor characters was also a little bland. When a few people died I found I didn't really care and that's never a good thing.
The world felt middvil which I loved and it was refreshing to read a Fantasy novel that didn't have confusing names or need ten maps for me to understand it. The end of this book wrapped up pretty neatly so I'm curious to see how book two will continue. I will definitely be continuing on with this series though and I suggest you do too.
Are you a fan of Mulan and Throne of Glass? Then I highly suggest you try Defy. It's got a girl pretending to be a boy in the kingdom's army. She's vulnerable like Mulan and yet really kick butt like Celaena.
And if that's not enough there's tons of action. In fact, I was really surprised some reviews said they were bored and that nothing happened in this book. Maybe they just didn't read far enough because Defy was packed with action and I couldn't stop reading. There's also a mystery and you find a new piece of the puzzle in each chapter which also kept me hooked.
While I'm not a fan of love triangles usually, this one was interesting. By the end I really had no idea who I wanted Alexa to be with more. My only complaint is the dialogue. I love me some witty banter between love interests and main characters and that was not really a component of this book. I felt the character development for the minor characters was also a little bland. When a few people died I found I didn't really care and that's never a good thing.
The world felt middvil which I loved and it was refreshing to read a Fantasy novel that didn't have confusing names or need ten maps for me to understand it. The end of this book wrapped up pretty neatly so I'm curious to see how book two will continue. I will definitely be continuing on with this series though and I suggest you do too.
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