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spagoots 's review for:
Defy the Stars
by Claudia Gray
Overall this book was both good, and not so good. I found the plot pretty well written. The characters never spent much time in a false sense of security. Also, the plot seemed to be logical, and therefore it flowed well.
On the other hand, I think the characters were much weaker than the plot. Noemi seemed okay, but I found Abel's thought process and dialogue to be too robotic. Sure, he technically is just a robot, but he has a soul too. And if I met someone who talked as robotic as him I'd think I'd be able to tell the unidentifiable mech is indeed a mech.
As for the romance? It was just alright. Yeah, I shipped it but the moments that were supposed to make you think "oh yes! I ship it!" didn't really have much of an impact in my opinion and weren't we identifiable as you'd expect for a super slow burn. And the moments that were identifiable just weren't that great. (Especially the angst. I am a huge fan of angst but I found their arguments sorta lack-luster.)
Overall, for a sci-fi book I also found the time spent focused on religion a bit ill-fitting. I don't have anything against reading about religious characters, but it's the first time I've seen it in a YA book like this. (Normally I'd expect it in more of a coming of age story).
One last thing, I also found all the random mentions of things sex-related unncessesary. But each to their own I guess.
To conclude: Do I regret reading it? Nope, and I'll probably read the next book too. But would I recommend it? Only if you can't find something better. Or if you're not as picky as me, haha.
Upon reading further reviews: I still think that at it's surface the plot flowed. HOWEVER--there were tons of holes such as the true reasonings behind the war, etc.
On the other hand, I think the characters were much weaker than the plot. Noemi seemed okay, but I found Abel's thought process and dialogue to be too robotic. Sure, he technically is just a robot, but he has a soul too. And if I met someone who talked as robotic as him I'd think I'd be able to tell the unidentifiable mech is indeed a mech.
As for the romance? It was just alright. Yeah, I shipped it but the moments that were supposed to make you think "oh yes! I ship it!" didn't really have much of an impact in my opinion and weren't we identifiable as you'd expect for a super slow burn. And the moments that were identifiable just weren't that great. (Especially the angst. I am a huge fan of angst but I found their arguments sorta lack-luster.)
Overall, for a sci-fi book I also found the time spent focused on religion a bit ill-fitting. I don't have anything against reading about religious characters, but it's the first time I've seen it in a YA book like this. (Normally I'd expect it in more of a coming of age story).
One last thing, I also found all the random mentions of things sex-related unncessesary. But each to their own I guess.
To conclude: Do I regret reading it? Nope, and I'll probably read the next book too. But would I recommend it? Only if you can't find something better. Or if you're not as picky as me, haha.
Upon reading further reviews: I still think that at it's surface the plot flowed. HOWEVER--there were tons of holes such as the true reasonings behind the war, etc.