Defy by Sara Larson

Title: Defy

Author: Sara B Larson

Series: Defy #1

Genre: Medieval, YA, Romance, Magic, Swords

Source: Kindle

Pages: 336

Rating: 4 stars!

Available at:

Amazon(.ca) • Goodreads • Amazon(.com)

Blurb: (via 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?

My Review:

The non-spoiler section:

I was in the mood for a good Romantic YA novel as my Christmas vacation is nearing its end, and Defy by Sara B. Larson was the perfect fit for my mood. There was the perfect amount of suspense and mystery, and a subtle release of information to the reader that both satisfies you, and keeps you wanting for more! The characters are so well defined and the author really stayed true to them while leaving room for them to develop throughout the book. And of course, the plot, was fascinating with very few complaints from my end. I would definitely recommend this books for Maria V Snyder lovers out there!

NOW FOR SOME SPOILERS!

Let’s talk characters first. Damian was perfectly crafted and I believe was written out the best. You slowly learn his past and the reasons he is so secretive and acts so closed off from the people around him and its both heart breaking, but understandable at the same time. His character had the slowest developmental time, and I think we will see much more of that development in the second instalment of this series. The main character, Alex, was also really well done. My only complaint with her development was having her twin brother die too soon. The reader just starts to scratch the surface o their relationship before he was killed off, and while I felt sympathy for Alexa, I wasn’t saddened by her brothers passing myself. I would have liked to see at least another chapter before he moved on.

That was a great transition as I move on to talk about plot now that I think about it! As far as the plot went, the only major complaint I had was the speed by which it went by! Sara Larson has so much to offer this book, and while I completely believe she did a great job, I believe that another 100 pages (or even 50!) would have made it so much better, especially as Alexa trains to learn how to defeat other sorcerers. The book was going at a great sped up until that point, then everything moved a little to quickly for my taste.  However, the writing was fantastically done. It flowed excellently and I never felt that there was any awkward wording or dialogue that took me away from me really getting into the story.

Let us not forget the juiciest part though; can we say love triangle ladies? Although it wasn’t a TRUE love triangle (with the female lead having romantic feelings for both interested men), I think that we are going to see a lot more of this in the second book. I think that the forbidden aspect of Alexa dating the Prince-turned-King adds a lot of tension that will push her toward Ryland, even though her heart lies with Damian…. Of course, this is just a prediction! I can’t wait to read the second book to find out if I’m right!

Overall, a great YA book. The second book was just released a few days ago (thank god I don’t have to wait!), so I am going to go read that as soon as this is posted. Once again, this was a great book for Maria V Snyder lovers out there! There was something about it that had a faint touch of a Snyder feel, possibly some inspiration from her books? Regardless, a solid 4 stars! Now, I am off to read Ignite, book 2 of the series!