18 January, 2014

#BookReview :: Defy (Defy #1) by Sara B. Larson

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 girl, disguised as boy, on the Royal Prince’s guard. That first line of the blurb was enough to get me interested in this book. I not only like kick-ass but love girls who can literally kick some male ass in fights. Alexa has earned her spot among Prince Damian elite guards with her amazing sword play skills. She is known to be the best. But even her skills fall short when a Sorcerer attacks the Prince and takes them hostage. Prince Damian and Alexa have Rylan for support as they try and get out of their situation.

I liked the plot of the story very much. While mostly predictable, the story does throw in a few surprises here and there to keep the readers interested. Also, any story that makes way for such an amazing lead girl deserves some extra credit. The author storytelling style is pretty much simple and straightforward. While that does help in getting into the story, it also takes away the wonder that a reader feels when a new world is described to them through the stories.

Alexa’s backstory is really interesting and helps us understand why she made the choices that she did. However, as the protagonist of the story, her character developed very little throughout the book, as was the case with the other major characters. There was very little development in terms of the characters in this book and that was pretty disappointing. While this is the first part of a series and the author has ample time to develop each of them, the protagonist needs to grow gradually and continuously in order to hold our attention. 

All in all, this book was a couple of hours well spent.



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1 comment:

  1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I really like the sound of this book, the whole aspect of the main character sounds great, but I'm so iffy with fantasy books lately. Glad you enjoyed it though! :D

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