Scan barcode
A review by lawbooks600
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Representation: Black, Asian and biracial (half Latina and half Pacific Islander) characters
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while but I never got around to doing so until now. When I finally got the opportunity to read this novel I seized it, then I picked it up and read it. When I finished it, I enjoyed it but I can understand why others wouldn't. Romance readers would be disappointed. Sci-fi lovers wouldn't be.
It starts with the first character I see, Noemi Vidal, fighting for her planet Genesis in the rebellion against Earth. She meets a mech, Abel, in an abandoned ship while trying to save her friend, Esther.
Unfortunately for Noemi, Esther dies since the latter refused treatment, leaving only Noemi and Abel. To add salt to the wound, Noemi's planet needs help so she asks Abel to make a plan, and that is to get a device that can destroy the gate, stopping fighters from travelling there. So begins the long adventure Noemi and Abel take only to find one part. Defy the Stars shines in its immersion and captivating worldbuilding because I could never put it down, there's an explanation for everything and nothing is nonsensical. I enjoyed the character development also.
I could see the worlds when reading this and appreciated how they were distinct (e.g., Stronghold is a mining planet, Genesis is fairly new, Kismet is a tourist attraction, Cray is arid and Earth is Earth.) However, Defy the Stars is not without its flaws. The romance is barely there for a story the publisher marketed as one third romance. Yeah right. It's more like one percent. It rubs me the wrong way when authors make the cast diverse only to tick off boxes. Black? Check. Asian? Check. You get the idea. It's more superficial and tokenistic than anything significant. If all the people were white, it wouldn't make a difference. The conclusion is action-packed and finishes on a cliffhanger. I'll still get the second instalment, but I'll wait until I have time.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while but I never got around to doing so until now. When I finally got the opportunity to read this novel I seized it, then I picked it up and read it. When I finished it, I enjoyed it but I can understand why others wouldn't. Romance readers would be disappointed. Sci-fi lovers wouldn't be.
It starts with the first character I see, Noemi Vidal, fighting for her planet Genesis in the rebellion against Earth. She meets a mech, Abel, in an abandoned ship while trying to save her friend, Esther.
Unfortunately for Noemi, Esther dies since the latter refused treatment, leaving only Noemi and Abel. To add salt to the wound, Noemi's planet needs help so she asks Abel to make a plan, and that is to get a device that can destroy the gate, stopping fighters from travelling there. So begins the long adventure Noemi and Abel take only to find one part. Defy the Stars shines in its immersion and captivating worldbuilding because I could never put it down, there's an explanation for everything and nothing is nonsensical. I enjoyed the character development also.
I could see the worlds when reading this and appreciated how they were distinct (e.g., Stronghold is a mining planet, Genesis is fairly new, Kismet is a tourist attraction, Cray is arid and Earth is Earth.) However, Defy the Stars is not without its flaws. The romance is barely there for a story the publisher marketed as one third romance. Yeah right. It's more like one percent. It rubs me the wrong way when authors make the cast diverse only to tick off boxes. Black? Check. Asian? Check. You get the idea. It's more superficial and tokenistic than anything significant. If all the people were white, it wouldn't make a difference. The conclusion is action-packed and finishes on a cliffhanger. I'll still get the second instalment, but I'll wait until I have time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, and Grief
Full trigger warnings: Terrorism and pandemic mentioned, physical illness, hospitalisation and death of a child, sibling, parents and friend, grief and loss depiction, explosions, military violence and war themes, near-death experience