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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Claudia Gray is a master storyteller, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to read Defy the Stars, the first book in a trilogy about adventure, love, and humanity—in space. If you love stories that are a bit out of this world, while still remaining grounded in relatable characters and exciting adventure, then Defy the Stars should definitely be your next read.
Claudia Gray is the New York Times bestselling author of many science fiction and paranormal fantasy books for young adults, including the Firebird series, the Evernight series, the Spellcaster series, and Fateful. She's also had a chance to work in a galaxy far, far away as the author of the Star Wars novels Lost Stars and Bloodline. Born a fangirl, she loves obsessing over geeky movies and TV shows, as well as reading and occasionally writing fanfiction; however, she periodically leaves the house to go kayaking, do a little hiking, or travel the world. She will take your Jane Austen trivia challenge any day, anytime. Currently she lives in New Orleans. You can find her online at ClaudiaGray.com.
She's a soldier. Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She's willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel. He's a machine. Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that's begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination. Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they're forced to question everything they'd been taught was true. Fast-paced, romantic, and captivating, Defy the Stars is a story about what it means to be human, about deciding what you truly believe in, and about finding your place in a dangerous world.
The world building in Claudia's books are spectacular. There are just enough details at the beginning of the book to ground you to the world and to the characters' motivations, but not so many that would overwhelm. I felt very tied to Noemi's and Abel's understandings of their worlds, and as they traveled together, I enjoyed how the threads of those understandings started to come undone. With each Gate the two jump through, and each planet they land on, more is revealed about the world that simply wouldn't have been known otherwise. Through both world building details, the characters' adventures on these planets, and characters introduced from each planet, readers learn all about Genesis, Earth and the rest of Noemi's and Abel's world.
Character is a huge part of Claudia Gray's stories. Noemi and Abel couldn't seem more different on paper, and indeed they don't get along at the beginning of their acquaintance. Noemi and Abel were characterized incredibly well, both through their understandings of each other, and themselves. Throughout the story, and all the crazy adventures, they both act in character. Yet, they both also experience growth as they encounter different obstacles. Gray's characterization of Noemi and Abel is where the true heart of the story lies, especially as the story is about humanity and human nature. Gray nails that with main characters Noemi and Abel.
Defy the Stars is a science fiction story, and one of the main characters is a machine, but the entire novel revolves around humanity and the true meaning of being human. Gray explores this theme expertly. There's compassion and care, as well as a deep examination of the horrors and atrocities man commits. Noemi's and Abel's world views are both extended through their travels, as usually happens, but they both also act on these new understandings, for the betterment of the world. I love how Claudia Gray is able to balance so much in her stories—world building and characterization all while making sure the theme remains front and center.
Defy the Stars is a powerful story, and was an addictive read. I am definitely thinking about diving into the next one, so maybe stay tuned for more reviews. Until then, you can find Claudia online at ClaudiaGray.com.
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
Claudia Gray is the New York Times bestselling author of many science fiction and paranormal fantasy books for young adults, including the Firebird series, the Evernight series, the Spellcaster series, and Fateful. She's also had a chance to work in a galaxy far, far away as the author of the Star Wars novels Lost Stars and Bloodline. Born a fangirl, she loves obsessing over geeky movies and TV shows, as well as reading and occasionally writing fanfiction; however, she periodically leaves the house to go kayaking, do a little hiking, or travel the world. She will take your Jane Austen trivia challenge any day, anytime. Currently she lives in New Orleans. You can find her online at ClaudiaGray.com.
She's a soldier. Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She's willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel. He's a machine. Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that's begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination. Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they're forced to question everything they'd been taught was true. Fast-paced, romantic, and captivating, Defy the Stars is a story about what it means to be human, about deciding what you truly believe in, and about finding your place in a dangerous world.
The world building in Claudia's books are spectacular. There are just enough details at the beginning of the book to ground you to the world and to the characters' motivations, but not so many that would overwhelm. I felt very tied to Noemi's and Abel's understandings of their worlds, and as they traveled together, I enjoyed how the threads of those understandings started to come undone. With each Gate the two jump through, and each planet they land on, more is revealed about the world that simply wouldn't have been known otherwise. Through both world building details, the characters' adventures on these planets, and characters introduced from each planet, readers learn all about Genesis, Earth and the rest of Noemi's and Abel's world.
Character is a huge part of Claudia Gray's stories. Noemi and Abel couldn't seem more different on paper, and indeed they don't get along at the beginning of their acquaintance. Noemi and Abel were characterized incredibly well, both through their understandings of each other, and themselves. Throughout the story, and all the crazy adventures, they both act in character. Yet, they both also experience growth as they encounter different obstacles. Gray's characterization of Noemi and Abel is where the true heart of the story lies, especially as the story is about humanity and human nature. Gray nails that with main characters Noemi and Abel.
Defy the Stars is a science fiction story, and one of the main characters is a machine, but the entire novel revolves around humanity and the true meaning of being human. Gray explores this theme expertly. There's compassion and care, as well as a deep examination of the horrors and atrocities man commits. Noemi's and Abel's world views are both extended through their travels, as usually happens, but they both also act on these new understandings, for the betterment of the world. I love how Claudia Gray is able to balance so much in her stories—world building and characterization all while making sure the theme remains front and center.
Defy the Stars is a powerful story, and was an addictive read. I am definitely thinking about diving into the next one, so maybe stay tuned for more reviews. Until then, you can find Claudia online at ClaudiaGray.com.
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
What a tropefest but in the bEST POSSIBLE WAY
DID NOT EXPECT TO FEEL SO MANY FEELINGS AH ABEL
DID NOT EXPECT TO FEEL SO MANY FEELINGS AH ABEL
First few chapters were difficult for me. I almost thought I won't be able to read the book, because I wasn't into it much. But it quickly changed and I started to enjoy the story and characters much more, so I ended up flying through it pretty quckly.
But even though I liked reading it, the story was pretty predictable, which was a bit dissapointing. I am still going to continue with the series though, because I liked the relationship of Abel and Naomi.
But even though I liked reading it, the story was pretty predictable, which was a bit dissapointing. I am still going to continue with the series though, because I liked the relationship of Abel and Naomi.
What a surprise. I always have mixed feelings about space books, but despite the spaceships and robots and holograms, the four or five new planets and their inhabitants and the wormholes that allow travel there, this was human at its heart, wrestling questions of morality and ethics in such a tender way. It’s remarkably grounded for a space novel - remarkably human for a robot novel. It wrestles questions of: greed, terrorism, isolationism, environmentalism, the place faith has in a galaxy of extreme advancement and extreme deterioration. And while I don’t usually like huge religious presence in books, it’s very meaningful and personal here, and makes the book’s biggest questions - what does it mean to be human? what does it mean to have a soul? - so much sharper.
I love Abel, the robot, more than I have any right to. I love him. and I love his relationship with his creator, with all its complications and implications, and I love how his relationship with Noemi suffers and develops all at once.
It's fast-paced, it's unpredictable, and it's so, so, so full of compassion, more so than I'd ever expect in a sci-fi novel. So I guess it's also unlike anything I've ever read.
I fervently hope there's a sequel. It just can't leave off here. (I just wish the cover weren't so ugly.)
I love Abel, the robot, more than I have any right to. I love him. and I love his relationship with his creator, with all its complications and implications, and I love how his relationship with Noemi suffers and develops all at once.
It's fast-paced, it's unpredictable, and it's so, so, so full of compassion, more so than I'd ever expect in a sci-fi novel. So I guess it's also unlike anything I've ever read.
I fervently hope there's a sequel. It just can't leave off here. (I just wish the cover weren't so ugly.)
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Actual ratings: 3.5
This is the kind of science fiction story that I like. Not too technical and the right amount of romance. The heart of this story is Abel. I loved the way his personality is written. I liked his dialogues, his internal monologues and the way he evolved as a character. He is a well written character and if I continued on with this serious it would be for him. I also liked the progression of the romance in this story and really liked the fact that the story does not end with a ‘and, they got together’. It would not have made sense.
This story is not deep but it does attempt to ask some deep-ish questions regarding war, revolution and specifically about whether robots can have humanity. It focuses on just one likable character to answer the questions regarding robots and humanity, and it worked for me. The story recognized that war and revolution are complicated, and I loved that a YA story restrained itself from giving a black and white response.
The only weakness of this story is the fact that after the initial hurdles everything seems to work out for our protagonist. This affected everything for me. The side characters seemed too friendly even in enemy territory. Problems got solved too quickly and easily. For example: Our protagonists don’t have money and there is a debate on whether prostitution is an ethical option or not. And then, someone just comes up to them and offers them a job. Then, when they get discovered in their hideout while they are completely exhausted and unable to fight for their lives, they were discovered by some rebellious teenagers who very easily agree to not only not report them but also help them steal a device.
I am not implying that our heroes should have to solve every problem with their nails and teeth. It’s just that some of the things that happened just did not seem plausible within the universe created by the author.
All of this being said, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. It is a solid entry that does a good job of introducing the world to us and establishing the players in this story. I probably will not continue with the story though because I liked the ending. I don’t feel compelled to know further on what happens and am comfortable with leaving the fate of our heroes to my imagination.
This is the kind of science fiction story that I like. Not too technical and the right amount of romance. The heart of this story is Abel. I loved the way his personality is written. I liked his dialogues, his internal monologues and the way he evolved as a character. He is a well written character and if I continued on with this serious it would be for him. I also liked the progression of the romance in this story and really liked the fact that the story does not end with a ‘and, they got together’. It would not have made sense.
This story is not deep but it does attempt to ask some deep-ish questions regarding war, revolution and specifically about whether robots can have humanity. It focuses on just one likable character to answer the questions regarding robots and humanity, and it worked for me. The story recognized that war and revolution are complicated, and I loved that a YA story restrained itself from giving a black and white response.
The only weakness of this story is the fact that after the initial hurdles everything seems to work out for our protagonist. This affected everything for me. The side characters seemed too friendly even in enemy territory. Problems got solved too quickly and easily. For example: Our protagonists don’t have money and there is a debate on whether prostitution is an ethical option or not. And then, someone just comes up to them and offers them a job. Then, when they get discovered in their hideout while they are completely exhausted and unable to fight for their lives, they were discovered by some rebellious teenagers who very easily agree to not only not report them but also help them steal a device.
I am not implying that our heroes should have to solve every problem with their nails and teeth. It’s just that some of the things that happened just did not seem plausible within the universe created by the author.
All of this being said, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. It is a solid entry that does a good job of introducing the world to us and establishing the players in this story. I probably will not continue with the story though because I liked the ending. I don’t feel compelled to know further on what happens and am comfortable with leaving the fate of our heroes to my imagination.
I've read this book for the first time in April earlier this year and wanted to review the book as well back then, but never got around to actually write the review. I was talking about this author with a friend of mine recently and it got me instantly excited to finally write the review. I've come to love YA Science Fiction books so much lately and especially the ones that also contain some romance. This book gave me everything I wanted and more.
Sacrifice your lives, they say.
A Sci-fi setting - meaning outer space, whoop whoop -, Robots/AI, action, lovable characters and a slow-burning romance!!! What more is there for me to want??? This book exceeded my expectations and I'm so happy I bought it and got to read it - and that I'm able to reread it in the future as well.This is definitely one of my favorite sci-fi books I've read so far and I now, finally, get to tell you guys WHY I think it's so insanely good! Read on for my non-spoiler review of DEFY THE STARS by CLAUDIA GRAY.
In the first part of the book, Noemi and her fellow soldiers go out on a practice run for the Masada Run that takes place in three weeks where they end up in an unexpected fight with Earth. Noemi's friend Esther gets hurt during this and Noemi saves her and takes her to this abandoned ship that they've only just noticed, in order to save her. On this ship, they meet Abel - an Earth mech who has been trapped aboard for thirty years when everyone up and left, leaving him stuck in outer space. Noemi finds out that the ship - called the Daedalus - was Burton Mansfield's, who created these mechs like Abel. Mechs are made ranging from B-Z and they all have certain capabilities whereas Abel is superior and utterly unique in his kind because he has all the capabilities of B-Z mechs.
The universe of Defy the Stars - of which you can read more specific details about if you click on the image on the left - is one I fell in love with immediately. I fell really hard for the Young Adult sci-fi genre after reading Illuminae and have been craving to read more books ever since. Not many books have made such an awesome impact on me after Illuminae though, but this one DID. I've gobbled up everything about the worldbuilding in this book. I LOVED traveling throughout this universe and can't wait to see what more we'll see in the follow-up book(s). It's something that can't be thoroughly explained in a review I think; you need to read and experience it for yourself!
"And more than just the awesome worldbuilding, though,
I really, really loved the Mechs this Burton Mansfield created, especially the one called Abel hehe. Abel's become so much more than a robotic AI character. He had such a great development throughout this book and I loved reading from his POV. When we first meet him, he's trapped in this Earth vessel, where he's been for the past thirty years as you read before. In this time, he has learned a few new surprising things–he can dream, though sleep isn’t required for his kind, and he feels emotions the likes of which he’s never felt before, which also isn't something the Mechs are capable of in this intensity. But well, Abel's a one of a kind for a reason and we'll soon find out more about him and his background. I LOVED everything about Abel right from the start and everything that followed after. He's so incredibly well written and feels so alive and realistic. And he has such incredible humor!! I loved reading about the way he 'battles' with himself while he tries to understand all these emotions building inside him and other developments he's had in the past 30 years. And when he meets Noemi he's not gonna know what hit him. She's gonna shake his whole 'world' upside down!
When Noemi boards his vessel, Abel is finally freed from his prison of solitude–and, per his programming, becomes the mostly-willing tool of his new human commander. Together, Noemi and Abel will fight to find a way to destroy the Genesis gate that allows Earth to send forces to invade Genesis before it’s too late. Their journey will take them to other worlds and outposts, where they will find other rebels and the secret to Abel’s past. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR MAJOR FEELS!
Noemi was another great character and I loved her right from the start as well. She's strong, brave and bad-ass. She's not afraid to fight for what she believes is right and I really loved the way Claudia portrayed Noemi. Noemi is driven and thinks of herself as abrasive (though she’s really not), as well a strong commander with a good sense of intuition–her emotional sensitivity and ability to quickly adapt to situations make her not only a believable and invaluable fighter but also an awesome heroine. Just as Abel's character, there's more then enough character development in this first installment around Noemi and I loved experiencing this journey through her eyes as well!
"I think this is my favorite sci-fi romance
At first, I was hesitant about a developing romance within this world and this story-line, but I was also really intrigued at the same time. As with Illuminae; beforehand I'd never guessed it was possible to combine such intense and real emotions with a lot of feels and a great developed romance within a sci-fi setting, but it definitely Was possible. And Claudia has done such a freaking amazing job as well with this sci-fi book. I think this is my favorite sci-fi romance out of everything I've read so far in the past couple of years. It was truly amazing. It was slow-burning and therefore it really made a HUGE impact on my Feels.
"EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS AMAZING, ADDICTIVE
This book was unputdownable right from the start and If I could've, I'd have finished it in one-sitting - unfortunately, life got in the way so I had to take care of my family and such, lol. But every free second, I immediately picked up this book and devoured every page I was able to read. It was a PERFECT blend of Sci-fi elements, really awesome and lovable characters, a great story-line with some romance blended in and this utterly amazing writing by the author. This was my first Claudia Gray read and I already can't wait for 1. THE SEQUEL TO DEFY THE STARS and 2. READ MORE OF HER OTHER BOOKS. I'm so glad I got to read this story so I could fall in love with everything this book has to offer. It ends with an open ending, so I've been going mental about having to wait for the release of the second book. This is that kind of book you can't forget about and makes waiting for a sequel/follow up book just excruciating, lol.
This is a book for anyone looking for a sci-fi read within the Young Adult genre, anyone who wants a great first introduction in YA sci-fi and anyone who's just looking for a wicked and awesome reading experience in a setting you'll fall in love with right from the start and just can't put down once you've started reading!
Sacrifice your lives, they say.
Sacrifice your children.
Only through sacrifice can Genesis survive.
A Sci-fi setting - meaning outer space, whoop whoop -, Robots/AI, action, lovable characters and a slow-burning romance!!! What more is there for me to want??? This book exceeded my expectations and I'm so happy I bought it and got to read it - and that I'm able to reread it in the future as well.This is definitely one of my favorite sci-fi books I've read so far and I now, finally, get to tell you guys WHY I think it's so insanely good! Read on for my non-spoiler review of DEFY THE STARS by CLAUDIA GRAY.
"If you like reading about an awesome sci-fi worldbuilding with some really awesome AI-robots, a great developing romance, and top-notch written characters, you are going to devour this book!"
In the first part of the book, Noemi and her fellow soldiers go out on a practice run for the Masada Run that takes place in three weeks where they end up in an unexpected fight with Earth. Noemi's friend Esther gets hurt during this and Noemi saves her and takes her to this abandoned ship that they've only just noticed, in order to save her. On this ship, they meet Abel - an Earth mech who has been trapped aboard for thirty years when everyone up and left, leaving him stuck in outer space. Noemi finds out that the ship - called the Daedalus - was Burton Mansfield's, who created these mechs like Abel. Mechs are made ranging from B-Z and they all have certain capabilities whereas Abel is superior and utterly unique in his kind because he has all the capabilities of B-Z mechs.
The universe of Defy the Stars - of which you can read more specific details about if you click on the image on the left - is one I fell in love with immediately. I fell really hard for the Young Adult sci-fi genre after reading Illuminae and have been craving to read more books ever since. Not many books have made such an awesome impact on me after Illuminae though, but this one DID. I've gobbled up everything about the worldbuilding in this book. I LOVED traveling throughout this universe and can't wait to see what more we'll see in the follow-up book(s). It's something that can't be thoroughly explained in a review I think; you need to read and experience it for yourself!
"And more than just the awesome worldbuilding, though,
it’s the characters that are at the heart of this book..."
I really, really loved the Mechs this Burton Mansfield created, especially the one called Abel hehe. Abel's become so much more than a robotic AI character. He had such a great development throughout this book and I loved reading from his POV. When we first meet him, he's trapped in this Earth vessel, where he's been for the past thirty years as you read before. In this time, he has learned a few new surprising things–he can dream, though sleep isn’t required for his kind, and he feels emotions the likes of which he’s never felt before, which also isn't something the Mechs are capable of in this intensity. But well, Abel's a one of a kind for a reason and we'll soon find out more about him and his background. I LOVED everything about Abel right from the start and everything that followed after. He's so incredibly well written and feels so alive and realistic. And he has such incredible humor!! I loved reading about the way he 'battles' with himself while he tries to understand all these emotions building inside him and other developments he's had in the past 30 years. And when he meets Noemi he's not gonna know what hit him. She's gonna shake his whole 'world' upside down!
When Noemi boards his vessel, Abel is finally freed from his prison of solitude–and, per his programming, becomes the mostly-willing tool of his new human commander. Together, Noemi and Abel will fight to find a way to destroy the Genesis gate that allows Earth to send forces to invade Genesis before it’s too late. Their journey will take them to other worlds and outposts, where they will find other rebels and the secret to Abel’s past. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR MAJOR FEELS!
Noemi was another great character and I loved her right from the start as well. She's strong, brave and bad-ass. She's not afraid to fight for what she believes is right and I really loved the way Claudia portrayed Noemi. Noemi is driven and thinks of herself as abrasive (though she’s really not), as well a strong commander with a good sense of intuition–her emotional sensitivity and ability to quickly adapt to situations make her not only a believable and invaluable fighter but also an awesome heroine. Just as Abel's character, there's more then enough character development in this first installment around Noemi and I loved experiencing this journey through her eyes as well!
"I think this is my favorite sci-fi romance
out of everything I've read so far!"
At first, I was hesitant about a developing romance within this world and this story-line, but I was also really intrigued at the same time. As with Illuminae; beforehand I'd never guessed it was possible to combine such intense and real emotions with a lot of feels and a great developed romance within a sci-fi setting, but it definitely Was possible. And Claudia has done such a freaking amazing job as well with this sci-fi book. I think this is my favorite sci-fi romance out of everything I've read so far in the past couple of years. It was truly amazing. It was slow-burning and therefore it really made a HUGE impact on my Feels.
"EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS AMAZING, ADDICTIVE
AND IT'S JUST AN UNPUTDOWNABLE READ!"
This book was unputdownable right from the start and If I could've, I'd have finished it in one-sitting - unfortunately, life got in the way so I had to take care of my family and such, lol. But every free second, I immediately picked up this book and devoured every page I was able to read. It was a PERFECT blend of Sci-fi elements, really awesome and lovable characters, a great story-line with some romance blended in and this utterly amazing writing by the author. This was my first Claudia Gray read and I already can't wait for 1. THE SEQUEL TO DEFY THE STARS and 2. READ MORE OF HER OTHER BOOKS. I'm so glad I got to read this story so I could fall in love with everything this book has to offer. It ends with an open ending, so I've been going mental about having to wait for the release of the second book. This is that kind of book you can't forget about and makes waiting for a sequel/follow up book just excruciating, lol.
This is a book for anyone looking for a sci-fi read within the Young Adult genre, anyone who wants a great first introduction in YA sci-fi and anyone who's just looking for a wicked and awesome reading experience in a setting you'll fall in love with right from the start and just can't put down once you've started reading!
DON'T DOUBT FOR ONE SECOND; BUY THIS AMAZING BOOK!
fast-paced
adventurous
medium-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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes