Defy Sara Larson
Description (from Goodreads)
A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.
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?



*This book was received for an honest review from NetGalley*

I read Defy in the middle of a reading slump. For some reason, nothing I read I've been able to enjoy. Nothing has come close to four stars (and five stars might as well be a holy grail). And frankly, most times I've uncertain about giving books three stars. To be honest, it's kind of freaking me out a little, because I've never experienced anything like this before.

So I’m a little wary of discussing how I felt about this book. I’ll be honest; I devoured it. Practically read it in one sitting. I actually made myself put it down so that I could stretch it out, since it was the first time I had really enjoyed reading a book in a while (which, as you can imagine, depressed me a bit).
Yet, despite these things, despite the fact that I enjoyed it and gave it a rating of four stars, my confidence was a little shaken. Did I really enjoy it as much as I thought I did? Did my experience accurately reflect the merit of this book? I’m pretty sure if I had read this novel at a different time, I would be fanatical about it. And I really did enjoy it.
But I’m just in this weird place with books right now. I can’t describe it. I think the fact that Defylifted me out of my apathy a bit is telling enough, so let’s just say that YES, this book is awesome.
Whew, glad to spew that out of my mind.
Anyway, this book is a solid debut. I can tell that Larson has talent, and I’ll bet she will go on to have a great career. And let me just say, Ms. Larson, that I have been wanting to read a gender-bender fantasy novel for a while now. Call it an itch that needed to be scratched, if you will.
The thing about gender-bender stories is that they need to have a strong heroine. That’s the only way that she’ll survive in the masculine environment. And Alex/Alexa was certainly a strong character. I loved that. She was quite the badass, frankly, running around killing people with blades and stuff. What a cool fighter. And I lovedhow devoted she was to her duty. Nothing was going to keep her from protecting the prince. Although, I would wager that part of her devotion came from the desperation of her situation.
I also loved the setting. More jungle stories, please! I love fantasy, but the medieval Europe setting can get a bit dry, as much as I adore it. The jungle kingdoms were such a refreshing change of pace. And just think of all the different creatures one can run into in the jungle (read: a LOT)!
Prince Damian was also great. Not in a swoon-worthy, he’s so attractive sort of way (although there was plentyof that), but in an I-can’t-figure-him-out sort of way. I really didn’t know if he was good or bad for much of the story. He was deliciously complex. I enjoyed that he wasn’t some one-dimensional character. And I also liked that Alex was aware of the dangers of being involved with him. She wasn’t that naïve about it.
Larson also wrote a compelling first few pages. The story opens with a literal bang, and a few pages later she gives quite the surprise. I was not expecting that. But it did serve to flesh out Alex’s character well. I admire the fact that she didn’t mind stirring up the status quo when it comes to the beginning of a story. Sometimes they can be formulaic.
But there were things I didn’t like. Firstly, the love triangle. I am SO. SICK. of love triangles. Truly. Please create actual conflict between the two characters, not just artificially manufacture some by adding a third person. I hate it. And there are definitely two suitors for Alex.
If a love triangle is done well, I can usually stomach it. But I don’t feel like this one was written well. The one character just seemed like a cardboard cutout propped up to add some conflict. I literally had zero interest in him. Boring. He was just there, floating around, moaning that he would always wait for Alex.
I’m sorry. No. This is not a healthy message, and it’s constantly shoved down our throats. If someone realizes that his love is unrequited, he should not profess his intention to wait around indefinitely until the other person “sees the light”! He should state that he is going to move on, that he hasto, that it is only fair for him to try to move on and grow, survive, as an individual. Not just stew there, hoping for what might be.
By constantly having this happen in love triangles (and come on, this is ALWAYS. GOING. TO. HAPPEN. because it’s the only way to keep the debacle going), it sends the message to young girls that it’s okay to waver back and forth between two people, to keep them hanging in uncertainty simply because it’s safer for you emotionally. It’s selfish. And wrong. Be a good person and cut one of them loose, even if it’s hard. Even if you see him grow up and happily be with someone else. You’re just spreading more pain around otherwise.
I also think the pacing was a bit off with this book. The beginning was kind of slow, and the ending a tad rushed. I know this is Larson’s first novel, so I’m willing to cut her some slack. But perhaps the sequel could be a bit longer, in order to better develop the ending. Things just fell in place too quickly and neatly. Some of them should have taken more trouble/time.
And all of these characters had huge hero complexes. All of them. All of them were willing to just die. Literally. And many of them did. Where is their fear? Where is their desire to keep living? I can understand and get behind sacrificing yourself, but show some terror as you do it, not just calm acceptance. That’s not realistic. So many of these characters just were like “Yep, I’m off to die now, tell so-and-so I love them”. And that was that.


And wow, looking back on this review I’m tempted to change the rating to three stars, but I’m keeping it at four, because I’m pretty sure this reading funk has me being hypercritical.

Defy is a good book. If you like fantasy, exotic settings, girls masquerading as guys, or all of the above, you’ll enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more by Larson.
4/5

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