Review: Defiance by C.J Redwine

Goodreads Summary:
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.

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Pages: 403 (Hardcover)
Series? #1 (Defiance Series)
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

LONG STORY SHORT:

Good, but not overwhelming, I expected way more from this one. The writing style was out of this world, and the plot was constantly fooling with me BUT it didn't grab me, didn't capture me. It took me forever to get through this book because I couldn't even make myself care for the outcome all that much.

REVIEW:

I don't get all the hype around this book. Everyone seemed so obsessed with it, I thought this would be my new favorite this year...and it wasn't, really. It wasn't bad , either. I guess I would've been amazed if this was an unknown book. The writing style was REALLY good and emotional, the author knows how to transform the characters' feelings to the reader.

Rachel seemed realistic to me at first. She started off as that kick-ass, daddy's girl you just have to like somehow. And her stubborn attitude towards Logan was..amusing. But then she started being unreasonable. And silly, even. There were so many times she risked her LIFE to voice her opinion on something completely ridiculous and unimportant. That really got on my nerves. It was like she wasn't able to THINK! Or survive, that is. All because of her temper which I found to be extremely unrealistic.

Logan was a lot better in that way. Then again, he was thinking a bit too much for me. Weird how he always knew EVERYTHING. And had all the things planned out and somehow he was so protective and nice and good and....it was a bit too much for me.

The plot, yes, was intriguing, but there were some things I didn't like about that, either. For example, the author never really kept you guessing. The characters had certain plans - that the reader knew about - and then those plans were rearranged or given up on. That's what I called plot twists in the beginning of this review. Mhm, but a real twist for me is when I'm convinced something will happen and than BOOM it doesn't. You know what I mean?

Oh well. So Defiance was not the book for me. Without all the hype and my high expectations, though, I might have enjoyed it more because Redwine's writing style was really good and the storyline differs a lot from those of other fantasy reads.

RATING: 2/3 Smarties