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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
If you had told me an AI robot could fall in love with a human girl and it wouldn’t feel even a little bit creepy to read, I wouldn’t have believed you until this book. It was lovely. Action packed and fun!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Forewarning, this will not be a very long review at all!
So, first off, I want to say I originally started reading this in 2017 when it came out, but I put it down after 83 pages with the intention to eventually read it. I did it because I didn't think I liked Noemi's reactions in the beginning, nor the unusual mesh of Abel's mind. However, I take it all back. I most definitely should have given this more of a chance in the first place, but I also suppose I didn't want to enjoy it back then. It seems like now was the perfect time and I definitely wasted half a day finishing it off today.
My favourite series by Claudia Gray is her Firebird trilogy. And I originally began reading Defy the Stars before I fell in love with the Firebird books. In comparison, Defy the Stars felt so pale! But now, I take it all back.
Defy the Stars takes a while to warm up to both story and characters. Noemi is a strong character but very set in her beliefs and choices in life, and none of this is compromised when it comes to Abel - a sentient Mech. Abel on the other hand is supposed to be an intelligent Mech, however, he has spent years alone, abandoned by his maker on a spacecraft. In that time, he has developed from a programmed intelligent Mech to something more sentient. When they first meet, its under strenuous circumstances, but over time, throughout their entire space journey, Noemi discovers she can't simply sacrifice him, not when he is more human than machine, and in turn, Abel learns that he is more than the machine that he is - a fact that he knows but years of isolation had made him strange, until he begins interacting with Noemi.
The main plot of this story involves Noemi, in her official officer capacity, determined to fulfil a mission given to her. She does disobey an order and boards an abandoned ship where she encounters Abel, and in the process loses a dear friend. It's from here where the story begins.
This is a run and jump kind of journey story. There's a time limit and tentative trust, as well as near deaths of Mech, imprisonment, orders to kill, and declarations of feelings that are more human than machine. Once I got into the story, everything just took over. I became interested in their journey, interested in Noemi's growing respect for Abel, and in turn, Abel's emotional development. I also really like the conversations of religion without being preachy (which I found occurred in the last book I read). Gray handles it really well with Noemi.
The world is great. It's not detailed but there's enough detail to give the worldbuilding substance and variety. And I love it. It feels as foreign as it is familiar, which by the way, I forgot to mention is that the world is set in the distant future where humans have moved offworld onto other planets, there are jump gates, spaceships, and an abundance of Mechs. Earth is a villain in this, polluted, desecrated, and as many Mechs as there are humans. Genesis where Noemi hails from, is the opposite - not polluted and has very little interest in Mechs.
I've heard other reviews comparing Noemi and Abel to Kady and Aidan from the much loved Illuminae Files books, and I can say, as a fan of Aidan from that series, as much as Gemina is my favourite of the three Illuminae books, Noemi and Abel are nothing like them. Far from it. Yes, there is a human, yes there is a Mech/AI, yes there are jump gates and space worlds. But Illuminae tilts more towards a friendly respect between human and AI - a super creepy and fun in his own way AI who has evolved in a slightly creepy but odd way, he kind of reminds me of a more fun version of Ultron from the Avengers movies - whereas Gray's story contains a Mech who grows beyond his original potential, who's fun when he's unaware he's said something as human as its unusual (i.e. his talk about prostitution to earn money that is effectively rejected), and who isn't creepy, but rather looking for acceptance and respect for what he is. I quite like Gray's take on this kind of character, it's different and definitely not like Aidan of Illuminae, but still interesting!
Overall I can't wait to finish this trilogy. I should have done what I did with the firebird books - bought them all and then read Defy the Stars, rather than read it first and order the others!
So, first off, I want to say I originally started reading this in 2017 when it came out, but I put it down after 83 pages with the intention to eventually read it. I did it because I didn't think I liked Noemi's reactions in the beginning, nor the unusual mesh of Abel's mind. However, I take it all back. I most definitely should have given this more of a chance in the first place, but I also suppose I didn't want to enjoy it back then. It seems like now was the perfect time and I definitely wasted half a day finishing it off today.
My favourite series by Claudia Gray is her Firebird trilogy. And I originally began reading Defy the Stars before I fell in love with the Firebird books. In comparison, Defy the Stars felt so pale! But now, I take it all back.
Defy the Stars takes a while to warm up to both story and characters. Noemi is a strong character but very set in her beliefs and choices in life, and none of this is compromised when it comes to Abel - a sentient Mech. Abel on the other hand is supposed to be an intelligent Mech, however, he has spent years alone, abandoned by his maker on a spacecraft. In that time, he has developed from a programmed intelligent Mech to something more sentient. When they first meet, its under strenuous circumstances, but over time, throughout their entire space journey, Noemi discovers she can't simply sacrifice him, not when he is more human than machine, and in turn, Abel learns that he is more than the machine that he is - a fact that he knows but years of isolation had made him strange, until he begins interacting with Noemi.
The main plot of this story involves Noemi, in her official officer capacity, determined to fulfil a mission given to her. She does disobey an order and boards an abandoned ship where she encounters Abel, and in the process loses a dear friend. It's from here where the story begins.
This is a run and jump kind of journey story. There's a time limit and tentative trust, as well as near deaths of Mech, imprisonment, orders to kill, and declarations of feelings that are more human than machine. Once I got into the story, everything just took over. I became interested in their journey, interested in Noemi's growing respect for Abel, and in turn, Abel's emotional development. I also really like the conversations of religion without being preachy (which I found occurred in the last book I read). Gray handles it really well with Noemi.
The world is great. It's not detailed but there's enough detail to give the worldbuilding substance and variety. And I love it. It feels as foreign as it is familiar, which by the way, I forgot to mention is that the world is set in the distant future where humans have moved offworld onto other planets, there are jump gates, spaceships, and an abundance of Mechs. Earth is a villain in this, polluted, desecrated, and as many Mechs as there are humans. Genesis where Noemi hails from, is the opposite - not polluted and has very little interest in Mechs.
I've heard other reviews comparing Noemi and Abel to Kady and Aidan from the much loved Illuminae Files books, and I can say, as a fan of Aidan from that series, as much as Gemina is my favourite of the three Illuminae books, Noemi and Abel are nothing like them. Far from it. Yes, there is a human, yes there is a Mech/AI, yes there are jump gates and space worlds. But Illuminae tilts more towards a friendly respect between human and AI - a super creepy and fun in his own way AI who has evolved in a slightly creepy but odd way, he kind of reminds me of a more fun version of Ultron from the Avengers movies - whereas Gray's story contains a Mech who grows beyond his original potential, who's fun when he's unaware he's said something as human as its unusual (i.e. his talk about prostitution to earn money that is effectively rejected), and who isn't creepy, but rather looking for acceptance and respect for what he is. I quite like Gray's take on this kind of character, it's different and definitely not like Aidan of Illuminae, but still interesting!
Overall I can't wait to finish this trilogy. I should have done what I did with the firebird books - bought them all and then read Defy the Stars, rather than read it first and order the others!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m starting to think that sci-fi might not be my genre. I either find it really confusing or the explanations of the technology is too boring. I just have a hard time when there’s all this future technology that I don’t really understand. On top of that, this book has multiple WORLDS that I need to try to understand. It’s not easy, I’ll tell you that. I felt like I got a pretty good handle on Earth (obviously), Genesis, and Kismet, but then Stronghold and Cray are toss-ups. I have no idea which world is which. Overall, I wish that there had been a little more world(s) building. Gray had such a huge opportunity to create these awesome new planets, but in the end I feel like I didn’t really get a sense of “there-ness” for any of them. They might as well have been all one planet. Also, I wish the characters had actually gone to Kismet instead of just landing on its moon. That almost felt like a cop-out to me. Like the author didn’t really want to go into all the detail that Kismet would require so she just said, “Here, I’ll have them go to this more boring place instead.”
Noemi was okay as a character. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t love her either. I don’t really feel like we got to know her that well. We get some of her background, but it’s more telling rather than showing. I didn’t feel anything about her history. Like, I felt bad that she’d lost her whole family, but it didn’t feel like something tragic in her backstory even though it was. Does that even make sense? I did like the religious aspect of her character though, it gave her a little more depth. Abel was a little more interesting. There were times when you could almost forget that he’s a mech (basically a robot) but at the same time, you never really could. There were times throughout the book when his abilities were a little too convenient. Oh, the characters are in a bind? Luckily Abel can do this thing and get them out of it! I mean…everything that he did was plausible with who his character was, but still…too convenient. And I thought all the details about how he’s programmed to be really good at sex was weird and unnecessary to ANY aspect of the plot. Honestly, it just made me feel super uncomfortable every time he brought it up. Secondary characters were alright. They were really just there to help the main characters keep the plot moving.
The relationship between Abel and Noemi just seemed so obvious and contrived. Like…of COURSE they’re going to fall in love. Never mind that Abel is NOT HUMAN. Here’s the thing. I always have a really hard time when a human girl falls in love with an alien, a being who is technically hundreds of years older than her, or robots. Basically anything that isn’t really human. It just feels so weird to me! Like…we wouldn’t have a YA book where a human girl falls in love with a dog, right? So what makes these other non-human love interests okay? In my opinion, nothing. Nothing makes it okay. I’m still creeped out. WHY COULDN’T THEY HAVE JUST BEEN FRIENDS???
Overall, I thought this book was just okay. It was really slow for me to get into, but once I was about halfway through the pace really started to speed up and I finished the last half fairly quickly. It looks like this is going to be a series though and I just don’t see myself having the motivation to pick up the next book even though I wouldn’t necessarily mind finding out what happens next. But if you’re already into sci-fi, then I think you might like this book.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: None
Sexual Content: Moderate. No actual sexual encounters, but it is mentioned openly at times.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Noemi was okay as a character. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t love her either. I don’t really feel like we got to know her that well. We get some of her background, but it’s more telling rather than showing. I didn’t feel anything about her history. Like, I felt bad that she’d lost her whole family, but it didn’t feel like something tragic in her backstory even though it was. Does that even make sense? I did like the religious aspect of her character though, it gave her a little more depth. Abel was a little more interesting. There were times when you could almost forget that he’s a mech (basically a robot) but at the same time, you never really could. There were times throughout the book when his abilities were a little too convenient. Oh, the characters are in a bind? Luckily Abel can do this thing and get them out of it! I mean…everything that he did was plausible with who his character was, but still…too convenient. And I thought all the details about how he’s programmed to be really good at sex was weird and unnecessary to ANY aspect of the plot. Honestly, it just made me feel super uncomfortable every time he brought it up. Secondary characters were alright. They were really just there to help the main characters keep the plot moving.
The relationship between Abel and Noemi just seemed so obvious and contrived. Like…of COURSE they’re going to fall in love. Never mind that Abel is NOT HUMAN. Here’s the thing. I always have a really hard time when a human girl falls in love with an alien, a being who is technically hundreds of years older than her, or robots. Basically anything that isn’t really human. It just feels so weird to me! Like…we wouldn’t have a YA book where a human girl falls in love with a dog, right? So what makes these other non-human love interests okay? In my opinion, nothing. Nothing makes it okay. I’m still creeped out. WHY COULDN’T THEY HAVE JUST BEEN FRIENDS???
Overall, I thought this book was just okay. It was really slow for me to get into, but once I was about halfway through the pace really started to speed up and I finished the last half fairly quickly. It looks like this is going to be a series though and I just don’t see myself having the motivation to pick up the next book even though I wouldn’t necessarily mind finding out what happens next. But if you’re already into sci-fi, then I think you might like this book.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: None
Sexual Content: Moderate. No actual sexual encounters, but it is mentioned openly at times.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK, LIKE YOU JUST HAVE HAVE TO
✅️ SLOW BURN ROMANCE
✅️ ENEMIES TO FRIENDS TO LOVERS, FORCED PROXIMITY, HUMAN AND MECH
✅️ POLITICAL ISSUES, DIVERSE RACES AND CULTURES, INTERGALAXY TRAVELLING, ETC ETC
it's just a masterpiece. There's just SO much funny and witty banter, cute scenes, i RAN OUT of sticky tabs
It's sort of steamy but no spice at all!!
✅️ SLOW BURN ROMANCE
✅️ ENEMIES TO FRIENDS TO LOVERS, FORCED PROXIMITY, HUMAN AND MECH
✅️ POLITICAL ISSUES, DIVERSE RACES AND CULTURES, INTERGALAXY TRAVELLING, ETC ETC
it's just a masterpiece. There's just SO much funny and witty banter, cute scenes, i RAN OUT of sticky tabs
It's sort of steamy but no spice at all!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail
I don't read a lot of YA/sc-fi but tend to enjoy them when I take the plunge out of my comfort zone. I was a little uncertain how a book involving a "machine" and a fighter pilot would unfold, but it works, even better than I imagined. I was riveted from the beginning moments as Abel and Noemi cross paths in a fierce intergalactic battle.
"We were both looking for each other the whole time.."
While it's action packed, the book focuses on the complicated relationship between enemies. Watching Abel and Noemi learn to trust and rely of each other was the most fulfilling experience. Their chemistry and slow burning relationship is pure YA gold. Abel is childlike and innocent in many ways, and he completely melted my heart. Even though Noemi faces war with bravery and is a tough heroine, she's also pure and untarnished. There are no clear villains here, and Gray does an excellent job of conveying multiple sides of a complex war.
"A victory that comes from the sacrifice of an innocent isn't a victory. It's the end of us."
I've read a few books from Gray and this is hands down my favorite to date. I will be desperately awaiting the follow up installment for this one! (Thanks Hollis for talking me off the ledge with the duo update) I recommend Defy the Stars to any YA fan, even if you tend to shy away from sci-fi.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for my advanced copy.**
"We were both looking for each other the whole time.."
While it's action packed, the book focuses on the complicated relationship between enemies. Watching Abel and Noemi learn to trust and rely of each other was the most fulfilling experience. Their chemistry and slow burning relationship is pure YA gold. Abel is childlike and innocent in many ways, and he completely melted my heart. Even though Noemi faces war with bravery and is a tough heroine, she's also pure and untarnished. There are no clear villains here, and Gray does an excellent job of conveying multiple sides of a complex war.
"A victory that comes from the sacrifice of an innocent isn't a victory. It's the end of us."
I've read a few books from Gray and this is hands down my favorite to date. I will be desperately awaiting the follow up installment for this one! (Thanks Hollis for talking me off the ledge with the duo update) I recommend Defy the Stars to any YA fan, even if you tend to shy away from sci-fi.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for my advanced copy.**
There's a bit of a rocky start to this novel, but it's not long before the story kicks off into a careening sci-fi adventure. It's got so many things I love about the genre: an exploration of the souls of advanced robots, people on backwater planets longing to see the universe, daring space battles, ethical debates about scientific breakthroughs, and more. At the heart of it are two great characters who meet as enemies but steadily come to care for one another in a way that builds believably rather than falling instantly in love. (Fun bonus: no hackneyed YA love triangle, either!) I also like that this book tells a complete story on its own, while still setting up a few dangling threads for the forthcoming sequel to resolve. If you're looking for light but poignant intergalactic thrills, you can't do much better than this.