YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Defiance (Defiance #1) by C.J. Redwine will be our 4th GBR for September 2016.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

chapter 1 (view spoiler)[I can see why they'd declare him dead if he's been missing for 60 days. She's not going to be happy that Logan is named as her protector though. (hide spoiler)]

chapter 2 (view spoiler)[ at least it sounds like he has a plan to try and rescue him (hide spoiler)]

chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ why is she walking through the market place alone when she knows what the punishment is? is she insane?! (hide spoiler)]

chapter 6 (view spoiler)[ the woman killed was logan's mother? and now Rachel is trying to replicate what happened to her? what is she doing?! (hide spoiler)]

chapter 16 (view spoiler)[ is Oliver really going to want to go with them? and is he up to it? (hide spoiler)]

chapter 22 (view spoiler)[ oliver ☹ (hide spoiler)]

chapter 27 (view spoiler)[ I'm glad they have a plan worked out. (hide spoiler)]

chapter 31 (view spoiler)[ now poor Logan is in the dungeon! (hide spoiler)]

chapter 42 (view spoiler)[ well they're certainly in danger now. (hide spoiler)]

chapter 43 (view spoiler)[ he escaped! (hide spoiler)]

chapter 44 (view spoiler)[ and after all that he really is dead. darn it ☹ (hide spoiler)]

chapter 54 (view spoiler)[ I can't believe she killed him. (hide spoiler)]

chapter 60 (view spoiler)[ he loves her! (hide spoiler)]

chapter 63 (view spoiler)[ they are so cute together! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16: (view spoiler)[ It's so frustrating how their town works. Women don't even deserve to be able to do anything without a man? I'm not sure I like Logan or Rachel yet. Both have their downsides but hopefully they show that they're likeable soon. (hide spoiler)]

Ashley wrote: "Chapter 16: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I thought the rule about women not being allowed to go to the market alone without a man a bit harsh! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Chapter 16: [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Exactly! And the way the Commander was talking about how it's to protect everyone from how silly women are. Whenever people talk like that (book or not) it really makes me mad! (hide spoiler)]

Ashley wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Chapter 16: [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I'm surprised the men went along with it. I expect they'd find shopping tedious, so why make it mandatory that they have to go with the women? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 36: (view spoiler)[ I think Melkin seems to be an interesting guy and is definitely hiding something. Seeing as his wife is in the dungeon, I don't think he willingly works with the Commander. I'm thinking he will be a potential ally in the future for Rachel. Meanwhile, I can't think of why Logan needed his cloak so bad besides warmth. Maybe he has some sort of hidden gadget in there? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 59: (view spoiler)[ While there's action happening I don't feel that into all of it. It isn't bad but it also isn't all that good in my opinion. At this point I'm thinking maybe 2.5 stars, perhaps higher if something big and exciting happens. The characters aren't all that interesting to me because they seen a bit cliche to me. (hide spoiler)]

15%
(view spoiler)[ I do not like this Commander, he's a douche for sure. I do no like how this city is set up. Yah he was gone 60 days but still, and why do the girls need protectors, is this the 1800's, i think not. I want to see this Cursed One! (hide spoiler)]

23%
(view spoiler)[ I 100% believe he can control the Cursed One, no way does it not attack him! She is dumb thou, you need to lie low for a bit not go out on your own! (hide spoiler)]

54%
(view spoiler)[ Who is this person helping Logan in prison, and i can't believe they took the other trackers wife and put her in there too! (hide spoiler)]

90%
(view spoiler)[ It sucks they found out her dad had died, but now she can start to move on. and i totally understand why she attacked him, i'm upset he died sure, but he probably was going to kill her in the end, so it's better this way. (hide spoiler)]

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Date Changed. Restarting February 3rd 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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I started this and I realized I needed to read the synopsis because I have no idea what this is about. lol.

Read the synopsis. Really excited to read this sounds really good!

I don't know if I'm just not in the mood for this or I just don't like it but I'm going to backburner this for a bit and see if gets any better later on when I try again.

Oh that's sad to hear. I started today but was only able to read half of the first chapter until I was interrupted by family.

Jenn wrote: "Oh that's sad to hear. I started today but was only able to read half of the first chapter until I was interrupted by family."

Hopefully I can pick it up again very soon. I have a feeling I've either read this before or at least tried to. :/

this has been sitting on my kindle for a while so I think I'll jump in here so I have some motivation to read it

@Lane Welcome!

Chapters 1-6: (view spoiler)[I'm still trying to get a handle on this world. Women need protectors and apparently if they're caught without one it means death? Protectors from what? And why do the guards kill them as punishment from breaking this rule? I'm so confused... (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7-27: (view spoiler)[ These chapters are extremely short and I kind of got caught up and forgot to post. This commander is a piece of shit and even though I'm pretty sure it won't happen, I really hope he dies this book. But I have a feeling that he made a deal with the creatures who destroyed the world and it has something to do with that trinket he wears.

That aside, I had a feeling they would kill Oliver to use against her. He was too sweet and too kind and both loved him. Poor Oliver :( (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 28-36: (view spoiler)[ I'm wondering if Melkin will turn out to be an ally. Something tells me that he's not too happy with the commander. Also, I keep picturing tremors when the Cursed Ones are described. It's bad. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 37- 44: (view spoiler)[ I honestly thought that her dad would still be alive and that he was just waiting for a time to approach. How sad to know that he died. Maybe this is just a ploy? I don't believe it but it would be nice lol. She's already lost so much.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 45-61: (view spoiler)[ Well Logan found them but also found an army. I wonder what this device means. Is this the source of the Commanders power? It's obvious it's not because he's a fearful warrior. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[ while I didn't love it, I did enjoy it. Not many questions were answered though so I'm hoping the next book does that. Like what was really behind the power of the commander? Who controls the beast? Why does the commander hate Logan so much? (hide spoiler)]

20%

(view spoiler)[ I struggled with the first few chapters of this, but it steadily got a little better. I don't like Rachel very much, but I do like Logan and Oliver. Rachel just seems kind of whiny. I like that Logan is really smart and an inventor, especially since it seems like he came from really humble beginnings.

I hope there's eventually some back story on how these societal standards got created, because they seem really strange and anti-woman? Like woman needing a "Protector" or they get flogged in the streets seems really problematic and I hope the book addresses that outside of Rachel just being mad about it. (hide spoiler)]

40%

(view spoiler)[ It's interesting because the only character in this book I find to be well-written is Commander Chase, and we don't even spend any time in his head. I mean, the fact that Rachel couldn't figure out that the person under the cloth on the wagon was Oliver is just so strange, and doesn't seem at all to fit her character and the people she's supposed to love, like she only worried it was Logan, who she has grown to like in two days, while Oliver is her pseudo-father right now. And I actually liked Oliver. Rachel and Logan are pretty blegh and incredibly one-dimensional. (hide spoiler)]

Welp, (view spoiler)[ DNFing. I can't do it. (hide spoiler)]