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A review by lynseyisreading
Defy by Sara B. Larson
4.0
Swords and Sorcery
I'm a total sucker for this genre it's fair to say. I've read pretty much every book that's ever existed in it, and loved most of them. I was a little bit concerned that DEFY might prove to be too similar to the too many others I've read, and of course there's the whole Mulan style storyline that was bound to feel familiar. But I have to say that, thankfully, it proved to be a very engrossing read in its own right, and very difficult to put down after the first few pages. I read it in a single sitting.
Our heroine, Alex/Alexa is a master swordsman/woman--
Okay, this is going to get confusing - I'm just going to refer to her as a girl, okay?
Alexa has always been the better fighter between her and her brother - her twin - Marcel. On the day their parents are murdered, and with the threat of Alexa being taken to the breeding houses, as all orphaned girls her age would be, they make the snap decision to shear off her hair, say she's a boy, and enrol her in the prince's guard. The story then jumps forward three years and we learn that not only did the plan work, but Alexa has moved up the ranks to a senior position, second only to the captain, and is widely known as the one to beat when it comes to sword fighting and archery.
Cool, right? So she's a badass, and has one one the most dangerous secrets you could think of. One that, if discovered, would mean instant death. Add to that the fact that she's now 17, and suddenly becoming very aware of certain other members of her guard, and the prince himself, who all think she's a boy and, well, there was just no damn way I was putting the book down until I saw how all that played out!
And the plotting was good. Really good, actually. Yes there's a love triangle, but I thought it was handled well and it by no means overtook the action. And although the story contained in this novel is wrapped up perfectly, I have enough interest in these characters to come back for the next instalment to see where the author is going to take them next.
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a total sucker for this genre it's fair to say. I've read pretty much every book that's ever existed in it, and loved most of them. I was a little bit concerned that DEFY might prove to be too similar to the too many others I've read, and of course there's the whole Mulan style storyline that was bound to feel familiar. But I have to say that, thankfully, it proved to be a very engrossing read in its own right, and very difficult to put down after the first few pages. I read it in a single sitting.
Our heroine, Alex/Alexa is a master swordsman/woman--
Okay, this is going to get confusing - I'm just going to refer to her as a girl, okay?
Alexa has always been the better fighter between her and her brother - her twin - Marcel. On the day their parents are murdered, and with the threat of Alexa being taken to the breeding houses, as all orphaned girls her age would be, they make the snap decision to shear off her hair, say she's a boy, and enrol her in the prince's guard. The story then jumps forward three years and we learn that not only did the plan work, but Alexa has moved up the ranks to a senior position, second only to the captain, and is widely known as the one to beat when it comes to sword fighting and archery.
Cool, right? So she's a badass, and has one one the most dangerous secrets you could think of. One that, if discovered, would mean instant death. Add to that the fact that she's now 17, and suddenly becoming very aware of certain other members of her guard, and the prince himself, who all think she's a boy and, well, there was just no damn way I was putting the book down until I saw how all that played out!
And the plotting was good. Really good, actually. Yes there's a love triangle, but I thought it was handled well and it by no means overtook the action. And although the story contained in this novel is wrapped up perfectly, I have enough interest in these characters to come back for the next instalment to see where the author is going to take them next.
4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.