Book Review: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
Pages: 480
Publish date: April 1st, 2017
Publisher: Hot Key Books
ISBN: 9781471406362
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks
Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony planet of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up – they know that Earth’s settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun.
When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth’s robotic mech warriors, she realizes that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis’ salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her – even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He’s a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. If she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?
Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth’s various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer – both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world’s fate, and Abel’s.
Defy the Stars:
I received an arc of Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.
Claudia Gray was one of the first authors that I read when reading YA, and when I heard about this new series I couldn’t wait to pick it up. And I wasn’t disappointed. The characters were intriguing, the plot kept me on the toes and everything else just worked.
Defy the Stars follows young protagonist Noemi who is a fearless soldier of Genesis. Genesis is a colony planet of a dying earth, but as the citizens of Genesis growing, Earth settlers want to destroy it. In the midst of war, Noemi meets Abel, a robotic mech warrior from earth. And she releases that he might hold the key that she needs to save her home. But, there is something different about Abel, something unique and oh they are in for an adventure.
Noemi was an interesting protagonist and I really enjoyed her. I liked her strength and the power that she holds. Noemi doesn’t have much of a family, but those that she has – she cares so much for them. She would do anything for them. But, I also liked as the Defy the Stars goes on we find out more about her, and she learns more about herself. I really enjoyed her character arc, and even though it wasn’t a dramatic change, but it’s also the first book in the series.
Abel – I loved him. Abel is a robotic mech in many ways, but not like others. He has emotions, feelings, intelligence. His personality that is entertaining and fun, but he also is innocent. He lived alone for a long time so when Noemi arrives – it’s a shock to his system. I loved his hesitation, I liked that he fought with himself, and I also loved his strength.
At first, Defy the Stars was hard for me to get into. Not because it wasn’t good. But, because I am not a massive science fiction fan. I took me about 80 -100 pages to get into it. However, after that I was in I couldn’t stop.
Because it’s science fiction, world building is very important for the book. As the novel goes on we find more and more about the world of Defy the Stars. It’s complicated yes, but also intriguing. I was taken by the world and I wanted to know more as the novel went on. Obvious we didn’t find out a lot in this book, but it also works. It leaves room for more and all the information wasn’t dumped onto the reader.
Defy the Stars is intense. You don’t know what is going to happen next, you don’t know who to trust. You just want to turn page after page because you want to know how it’s going to end – what is going to happen.
There wasn’t really a romance in this book, however, there is friendship. I liked that even though Noemi and Abel are so different. But, as the novel goes on and they spend their time together – they get to know other. I liked the banter, the secret looks and how they worked so well with each other.
Overall, Defy the Stars is a fun, heart-stopping and heartbreaking at times. The characters were interesting, the world intriguing and the plot kept me on the edge of my toes. Defy the Stars explores the notion of family, friendship, believing in yourself and standing up for what you believe in. It explores humanity, intelligence and war. It’s a fun, exciting read and I cannot wait to read more in this series.
Have you read Defy the Stars? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read other books by Claudia Gray? Let’s Chat!
