Anne's Reviews > Defy

Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines

There's a lot to love about Defy. Tough girl who has to pretend to be a boy, hot prince who has to pretend to be obnoxious, evil sorcerers, misunderstood magic, and a kingdom in peril. It's not what I would consider action-packed, but the story clips along at a good pace.
I was initially a little worried by the hint of a love triangle in the blurb, but it turned out to be fairly obvious who she was actually interested in.
Yeah, and then there's the other guy.
It's not you, it's me.
I love you, but I'm not In Love with you.
I think of you like a brother...minus all the genetic similarities.

I loved the backstory that led Alexa to have to disguise herself as a boy. It was made more plausible by the fact that she had already been trained to fight by her father. The reason her father trained her was also something that made sense. Since she already knew her way around a sword, it eliminated the moments in the story when I would normally roll my eyes at the heroine's ability to step into the role of a bad-ass...without any prior experience. The magical elements didn't come into play until later, and this helped establish why she was able to not only blend in but become part of an elite force protecting the prince.

The author did a great job with Damian's character, as well. I really didn't like him at all. And then suddenly I did.
Hello, Mr. Darcy!
And at the end of the book, I really couldn't have loved him more. I'm trying really hard not to give spoilers, so let's just say that he is one of those guys who understands that beauty is only skin deep.

And speaking of the end?
Dear God! I can't believe that the author actually went the route that she did! I'm not talking about a cliffhanger here people, I'm talking about...
Nope. Sorry, that would be a spoiler.
I will say it was something I haven't seen happen very often in YA.

In the interest of total disclosure, I will say that there were a few times I thought Alexa acted a bit out of character for someone who was supposedly so tough. I don't know why, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I'm willing to chalk it up to other people finally knowing her secret, and maybe coming to terms with being able to act like a girl for the first time in years.
Even with that minor annoyance, I'd recommend this one for someone looking for a young adult fantasy novel.