Defiance (Courier's Daughter Trilogy) [Hardcover]

C. J. Redwine (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Courier's Daughter Trilogy

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this distinctively imagined dystopian fantasy, Rachel and Logan must throw their lots together in order to fight for justice against a cruel city-state dictator known as the Commander. At 15, Rachel possesses qualities normally forbidden to girls, such as fighting skills, self-confidence, and a nurtured belief in her own independence. Logan, a few years older, became her courier father’s apprentice when he was an orphan. Now that her father has disappeared, the teens discover, to their mutual dissatisfaction, that Logan has been named Rachel’s protector. In alternating voices, Redwine unfolds the adventures, threats, deep disappointments, and hard-won gains the two teens experience. Logan is a tech whiz who places logic and planning above quick response, while Rachel’s passionate disposition has her reaching further than she can readily grasp. The fantasy elements include a fearsome beast known as the Cursed One, a kind of underground dragon the Commander uses to control the common people. Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin will be excited to meet this new but skilled fantasist. Grades 8-11. --Francisca Goldsmith

Review

“A well-paced, heart-wrenching tale of loyalty, courage, and love.” (Romantic Times)

“Spellbinding, romantic, and impossible to put down.” (Julie Kagawa, New York Times Bestselling author of the Iron Fey series and the Blood of Eden series)

“C.J. Redwine’s DEFIANCE is a gritty, thrilling adventure sprinkled with moments of breathtaking tenderness. I read it in one sitting.” (Rae Carson, Morris Award finalist for THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS)

“DEFIANCE defies all reader expectations, giving us both a post-apocalyptic setting rife with history and a plot that’s as much about the discovery of one’s own humanity as it is about survival.” (Lisa Mantchev, author of EYES LIKE STARS)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062117181
• ISBN-13: 978-0062117182
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C.J. Redwine loves stilettos, lemon bars, and any movie starring Johnny Depp. She lives in Nashville with her husband, four kids, two cats, and one long-suffering dog.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Debut! August 28, 2012

By Cupcakegirly/Jenuine Cupcakes

Format:Hardcover

I've been dying to read this for a long time now and I literally cried when I found out I was getting my chance. This book had me laughing, crying, and chain chewing (gum) because it was so intense at times. It's a thrilling adventure of love, loyalty and hope that will suck you in from the first page.

While most girls within the walled city of Baalboden were learning the importance of how to cook, sew and behave properly in public, sixteen year old Rachel Adams was also learning how to take care of herself with sharp objects. (She can gut you like a fish!) Her father Jared, Baalboden's top courier made sure she knew how to wield a sword and what to do in order to survive the Wastelands. He taught her well, so well in fact, that when he fails to return home after his most recent courier mission and is declared dead, Rachel decides to go looking for him. (I would volunteer to go with her and offer to carry her Switch.)

Danger lies beyond the wall but it could be more dangerous for Rachel to stay. In order to escape, she'll have to defy not only The Commander, Baalboden's tyrant leader but her newly appointed Protector as well; a man with the potential to do her more harm than The Commander and the evil creature that lurks beyond the wall combined. Enter Logan...

Nineteen year old Logan McEntire is the orphaned outcast who Jared took on as his apprentice and he's also the boy who broke Rachel's heart two years prior. To make things even more awkward, he's just been appointed Rachel's new Protector. Logan is good looking, uber intelligent, and his inventions are nothing short of uh-mazing! He also has a knack for weighing all the options in every situation which Rachel finds a strange mix of annoyance and comfort. Basically, Logan is a hot nerd who can kick some serious butt! If he were a Super Hero, his name would be something like, "Captain Scenario". ;) Logan if also not afraid to stand up for what's right even if it means risking his own life.

Rachel is a hardcore heroine! Smart, beautiful, courageous and incredibly loyal, her impulsiveness is what gets her into trouble and also happens to drive Logan insane. You can't really blame her though, being forced to grow up fast is never easy. She too is selfless and her journey through the Wastelands will test her in ways she never imagined and threatens to destroy all that it is important to her. She'll have to fight with everything she has in order to save those she loves and try to not lose herself in the process.

Then there's Quinn... *sighs* I was Team Quinn long before I *met* him but I just knew I would *hearts* him and do.I.ever. He's tall, dark and every bit as awesome as Logan. He's kind, compassionate and possesses a wisdom beyond his years but he's not without his tortured past. Knowing this only encouraged my desire to become a Tree People hugger. ((hugs Quinn)) Quinn is also able to empathize with Rachel in ways that even Logan can't which doesn't sit too well with Capt. Scenario but he's just being helpful. You know, I have a huge fear of heights but I'm confident Quinn could help me overcome that. ;)

As Rachel and Logan make their way through the Wastelands, they'll have to fight an army, a creepy monster who refuses to die and uncover a secret so powerful, it has the potential to start a war. They'll experience love, heartbreak and hopefully learn that even in the worst situations, all you can do is your best.

I thoroughly enjoyed the alternating POV's between Rachel and Logan! Their relationship is strained at times and while Rachel might not be a girlie girl, she, like all females, can certainly benefit from a compliment. Logan, being the tech head often misses the mark and the results had me snorting out loud!

(Rachel) "You're telling me you're going to give me a compliment even though I shouldn't logically need one?" Her voice doesn't sound pleased.

(Logan) "I have no idea how this conversation went awry so quickly. I just want to tell her something nice. Does it have to be a ten-minute discussion about motives and semantics?"

The world building is fanfreakingtastic, but in case you want a little more visual (and trust me, you do), be sure to check out C.J.'s Defiance board on pinterest. It takes the reading experience to a whole new level.

One of the main things I took away from this story was the importance of holding onto hope especially when it seems like all hope is lost. We all go through difficult times and it can be very easy to lose ourselves to grief or pain but regardless, we can always cling to hope...hope for change, for love, for redemption and hope for new life.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great plot and characters September 7, 2012

By brandileigh2003

Format:Hardcover

I immediately liked the fire that I saw in Rachel. She was fiesty but she knew when not to cross the line. I admire her fierce devotion to her dad, and her confidence in what she has been taught. I admired how she didn't sit back and let things happen to her, she knew when she could and could not do something and make a difference and even when it was hard, if she could do something, she did. Rachel is all that my inner spirit wants to be with her fiestiness and determination.
I wasn't so sure about Logan, but he won me over in a few pages because his heart was in the right place. I don't know what will happen romantically if anything but it was good to hear his side of what happened and his motivations for hurting her. It's sad that he knows he caused that wall, and I can only imagine what it would be like to grow up with a girl and then all of the sudden be charged with protecting her. (that is the way the society is set up. He was an apprentice to her father and since her dad didn't return and was declared dead, they both thought that an older friend of the family would be appointed.) As the chapters went on we find even more insight into his feelings and thoughts and I grow to like him more and more. He becomes this perfect blend of techie and fighter.
I really enjoyed the dual perspective in this story and I think that moves the plot along, and there are also scenes where it gave more suspense because we knew something the main character did not.
Another plus for the book is that it explored the many forms of grief and how people process it differently and how it effects them. A choice is made in a split second, but it has repercussions and that is dealt with well in Defiance. Sometimes books skim over the negative consequence of actions, but I appreciate how C.J. faces it head on.
I can't wait for the next one, I want to find out more. C.J. Redwine wrapped up the threads of this story while leaving room for questions and definitely a need for the next pages to be in my hands.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My Life is a Notebook YA Reviews August 31, 2012

By Gretchen @ My Life is a Notebook

Format:Hardcover

~This review is based off an ARC received from Edelweiss~

You know those books that you hype up through the skyline in your mind because they sounds so flipping fantastically awesome?

This was one of those for me. And it was not entirely a good thing.

I was salivating over Defiance because of how flipping fantastic the cover and the synopsis looked. The premise looked unique and it seemed action packed. Both of those things were entirely correct when I read the book. What got me, however, was the characters.

The romance was expected right from the get go, but in the end it was what docked and entire star from the book. I had hoped that this book would focus less on romance and more on action, and that the fact that Rachel and Logan had that past would prevent an insta-love scenario. Both of these things were incorrect. From the first pages, the romance was very much a focal point of the story. I couldn't understand how such a big deal could be made about how Logan had turned her down and everything, yet they were clearly both in love with each other from the get go. I won't drone on about this too much because I know you guys are sick and tired of me picking apart romance, but nothing in that made sense to me.

However, despite the romance, I certainly got the action I was looking for. The Commander of Baalboden is CREEPY and EVIL as all get out, and once things get started they don't stop. Redwine also had no problem hurting or killing off characters to prove a point, which kept the stakes high on every page.

The setting was just as unique as I'd hoped, and Redwine didn't spend much time infodumping yet I felt I had a handle on how things worked. The Cursed Ones were really interesting, as was the sort of Frontier outpost I was imagining coupled with the advanced technology Logan and others had. I also enjoyed how this unique setting was just that - a setting. Sometimes I feel like authors take too much time away from the story getting you into the world, but Redwine did none of that. Defiance was all about the characters and the plot.

Despite the fact that I wanted more from the characters of Rachel and Logan, they worked well enough that I really enjoyed the ride - especially when they were apart. The end hinted at a possible coming love triangle which made me groan, but it also left the book in a really crazy place that leaves room for LITERALLY ANYTHING to happen. I'm really excited to see what Redwine will do with the plot, and I'm even willing to deal with more Rachel/Logan focal points as long as the action keeps up the pace it set in this one!