Series: Defy Book #1
Format: ebook
Rating: 4 Stars
How I Got It: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Synopsis courtesy
of Goodreads
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?
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?
Review
I breezed through this one. The romance story line is
pretty cliché, but is done fairly well. I did really like the larger
action/political plot. I do want to continue the series and I hope the
sorcerer/magic element is further explained, because it sounds interesting.
Now, I’m not a huge fan of cross-dressing story because
they usually have a lot of embarrassing/awkward moments and those moments make
me uncomfortable. This didn’t have that. I’m glad Alexa had her twin brother,
because that actually eased a lot of tension.
And I did like Alexa. Sometimes she got a little whiney
for me. In certain situations, I sympathized with her, but other times it was
just annoying. She was also a little too quick to forgive especially when it
comes to Damian. She is very strong physically and mentally. And I’m happy to
see she’s proud of her strengths. Of course she isn’t perfect or cocky like
some young adult fantasy heroines that bother me.
Like I said before, the romance is cliché. It’s a
forbidden romance with a love triangle thrown in. I don’t like love triangles,
but what can you do. The “L” word was thrown around a little too quickly for
me, but I do want Alexa to be happy.
The magic system wasn’t explored a lot, but I liked what
I saw and I’m hoping Ms. Larson will go further.
The world is in a state of war and I like how that was
handled. There were real stakes and people are injured and/or die a lot. I
would have like to see more of the political side of things since I like that.
Based on how this one ended I do think I will get more of that. Kind of like a
Sherwood Smith Crown Duel/Court Duel thing.
Even though I had some complaints this was a fun and
quick read. It would probably be a good gateway young adult fantasy.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
No comments:
Post a Comment