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Author: Sara B. Larson
Pages: 337 pages
Release Date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Scolastic Press
Recieved From: NetGalley
Status: Ebook, Defy (#1)
Synopsis (from Amazon.com):
A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and heart-racing romance.
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?
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Review
Firstly, I'd like to thank Sara for making such an amazing book! Defy is everything-and so much more.
Defy is a lovely story about adventure, magic, revolution, love, friendship, family, loyalty, and of course: freedom.
Alex Hollen (born Alexa Hollen), is from Antion with roots from Blevon, the enemy county. She is part of the king's guard, but after a murder, she's left alone with a dangerous secret and even more dangerous enemies.
Alexa is a narrator I loved from the start, mostly because she could hold her own. When she loses her closest confidant, and is left alone with Rylan and Prince Damian, I started to feel sorry for her. She is tough, she is smart, she is deadly, but when she's left alone with the guys while their captured, she doesn't exactly know who she is. She's lived 3 years as a boy, and doesn't completely remember how to be just her, just an ordinary girl. We see wonderful character development in Alexa that I know will just get better in the second book!
The overall story plot was very interesting, and kept me really interested. For me, I was able to pick up on some of the foreshadowing early on and figured everything out fairly quickly, but nonetheless, everything was plotted beautifully.
The conflict between the two warring countries was really interesting. The fallout of the war was really dark, and you see a lot of that dark tone throughout the story. I really felt sorry for the kingdom of Antion, I really did. What I loved the most was that the overall plot didn't get out shined by the romance happening between the characters (which, by the way, was a lot).
The romance was a typical YA romance- a girl stuck between choosing two impossibly (hot) loyal guys who love her. But Alexa is her own person, and I was really happy with the way Sara tied up the romance and all the loose ends (for this book). I was a little upset for a couple of minutes, but if Sara ended the story the way I wanted her to (for the first couple of minutes while I was upset), I would've been more upset.
Sara B. Larson is an amazing author, she keeps her characters in check (for the lack of a better word), and keeps them true to themselves.
This book is DEFINITLY one to look out for in 2014! And I highly recommend this book!
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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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