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A review by megkm
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
3.0
*3.5 stars (but it was really close to 4 stars)
I’m always attracted to a good space opera, but I did not expect this.
I picked this book up on a whim. A booktuber I follow was talking about it and I thought, 'space, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, YA-adventure—sign me up.' However this book brought a lot more to the table than I thought. Since this book came out in 2017, I’m not going to give an extensive review. However, 519 pages deserves some recognition.
so, what’s it about?
The story follows Noemi, a young Genesis soldier who stumbles upon a mech (robot) in an abandoned ship while trying to save her friend. Abel, the mech, is originally an enemy to Noemi but understands that she is his only salvation to escaping the ship he's been abandoned in for 30 years. Forced to work together, the two embark on a journey across the galaxy to save Genesis from the war.
The plot is fast-paced. Definitely binge-worthy since so many of the chapters end spectacularly. I finished it relatively quickly, with everything considered. Towards the end, I couldn't put it down.
The world-building was fantastic, and I loved it when they visited different planets. I do wish we went more in-depth with the different planets, but it was generally easy to understand the unique personality of each planet. This book was also filled with moral conflicts. I’m usually not a big fan of this in books (as I find books an escapism), but all the issues were conveyed in a meaningful way that pushed the plot.
characters ‘n relationships
Noemi – a badass with a big heart. She isn’t your traditional YA Heroine. Her character development was also executed nicely. She didn’t simply take everything at face value. She thought things through and slowly changed her opinion on topics but kept her beliefs strong.
Abel – His development was painfully slow, but somehow it worked. I’m not normally into the robot vibe but his character was witty, prideful, and warm. Towards the end of the book, it didn't really feel like he was a machine—Claudia Gray’s exact plan, in my opinion. She pulled the audience in and made them feel like he was human too.
This book was a dual POV between Abel and Noemi in the present tense third person. This kept the flow going smoothly. The story mainly followed Abel and Noemi but there were some side characters. The side characters were important in the fact that many of them were the reason why the plot was able to move along but I didn’t feel quite connected to them as I could have. I was impressed by Virginia though. She was by far my favorite side character.
I’m gonna be real here and say that I started reading for the romance. I’m a hopeless romantic, okay? However, this book was such a slow-burn, romantic stuff happened but not often—up until the end anyway. (Even at the ending there wasn’t that much, I mean I'm satisfied but I know there could be more. Hence the second and third books, I'm assuming) Anyway, I usually stay away from slow-burns, at all costs, but this book built the relationship up nicely. She takes it so slowly that you savor every special moment between the two characters. Also, this book had some great banter between the two MCs, always a plus.
dislikes + why the 3.5 rating?
I had a few bumps while reading this book that I just had to take note of. One, the plot had a couple of conveniences that were well...convenient. I found myself able to predict a lot of what was going to happen, but at the same time anticipating the next chapter anyway. The conveniences helped move along the plot, but some things were just annoyingly obvious.
Ah, the side characters. The side characters didn’t leave an impact on me. I feel they could have been stronger. If the side characters became a part of their mission and joined them on the ship, then it would be different. I didn’t connect with them as much as I could have. This was a downfall because every time a new character was introduced it felt almost rushed because there wasn’t much time with them.
The time zone. This was set in the faraway future (I think in 2200 something). Which okay, cool, but there were a couple of times where trends and tech were from the present (20th and 21st century). The book had it written off really well, but sometimes it felt like an out to not have to imagine as much about what the future could be. For example, one planet still used trains built in the 1900s (trains/railroads weren’t even a thing until 1830), they explained it but still. Of course, this could just be a convenience to help the reader better relate the fictional world to the reader's personal experience and knowledge. Anyway, it just felt...convenient at times.
But, also, plot conveniences and relations to the present time (even if the book is set in the future) is common among sci-fi books, so it isn’t that big of a deal.
So, this book was good. I genuinely considered giving it a 4-star rating. BUT I wasn’t fully amazed by this book. Now, I would totally recommend this book to other people since it was fun with a decent plot. However, I’m picky with my ratings and if it didn’t blow me away or leave a lasting impact then I won’t give it a 4 or 5-star rating. This book did leave a small impact on me in the sense of environmentalism and politics, but that’s just the activist in me. Hence the 3.5 rating. (It's like a 3.8 in my mind but y’know). I would recommend this to anyone interested in a good space read, even if you don’t like romance ;)
☆ twitter | tumblr| letterboxd ☆
general spoiler-y notes
—the amount of em dashes in this review is a reflection of the amount of em dashes in the book.
—Mansfield was a great villain. I originally had some hope but knew it seemed a bit sketch. By the last half of the book, he was effortlessly the antagonist.
—I loved how independent the two MCs were. Yes, they leaned on each other when they needed too but it was no damsel in distress situation. We love strong independent characters!
—this book really made me think about environmental issues in a whole new way.
—The protecting thing really got me. At first, it was just Abel but then NOEMI I-
—Virginia being like ‘hey this is cute n all but let's break out of prison now.’
—ALSO, I read this book while the world is very political and we’re going through a pandemic, and when the whole Cobweb thing happened in the book I flipped. How is it my luck to have randomly picked this book up when we are experiencing some of the things that happen in this book what?
—Check out my kindle notes and highlights to see my thoughts while reading and a few of my favorite quotes!
CONTENT WARNINGS AND ISSUES MENTIONED: Violence, death of a friend, many close calls to dying, somewhat constant threat of death/being captured, people are severely injured in various ways, mentions of prostitution, mentions of sex, one or two mentions of drugs and drinking, curse words are rarely said. Environmental issues, religious themes and issues, political themes and issues, medical issues.
I’m always attracted to a good space opera, but I did not expect this.
I picked this book up on a whim. A booktuber I follow was talking about it and I thought, 'space, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, YA-adventure—sign me up.' However this book brought a lot more to the table than I thought. Since this book came out in 2017, I’m not going to give an extensive review. However, 519 pages deserves some recognition.
so, what’s it about?
The story follows Noemi, a young Genesis soldier who stumbles upon a mech (robot) in an abandoned ship while trying to save her friend. Abel, the mech, is originally an enemy to Noemi but understands that she is his only salvation to escaping the ship he's been abandoned in for 30 years. Forced to work together, the two embark on a journey across the galaxy to save Genesis from the war.
The plot is fast-paced. Definitely binge-worthy since so many of the chapters end spectacularly. I finished it relatively quickly, with everything considered. Towards the end, I couldn't put it down.
The world-building was fantastic, and I loved it when they visited different planets. I do wish we went more in-depth with the different planets, but it was generally easy to understand the unique personality of each planet. This book was also filled with moral conflicts. I’m usually not a big fan of this in books (as I find books an escapism), but all the issues were conveyed in a meaningful way that pushed the plot.
characters ‘n relationships
Noemi – a badass with a big heart. She isn’t your traditional YA Heroine. Her character development was also executed nicely. She didn’t simply take everything at face value. She thought things through and slowly changed her opinion on topics but kept her beliefs strong.
“The opposite of faith isn’t doubt. The opposite of faith is certainty.”
Abel – His development was painfully slow, but somehow it worked. I’m not normally into the robot vibe but his character was witty, prideful, and warm. Towards the end of the book, it didn't really feel like he was a machine—Claudia Gray’s exact plan, in my opinion. She pulled the audience in and made them feel like he was human too.
This book was a dual POV between Abel and Noemi in the present tense third person. This kept the flow going smoothly. The story mainly followed Abel and Noemi but there were some side characters. The side characters were important in the fact that many of them were the reason why the plot was able to move along but I didn’t feel quite connected to them as I could have. I was impressed by Virginia though. She was by far my favorite side character.
Virginia doesn’t go to the screen, but she leans over far enough for Mansfield to see her hand as she flips him off.
I’m gonna be real here and say that I started reading for the romance.
dislikes + why the 3.5 rating?
I had a few bumps while reading this book that I just had to take note of. One, the plot had a couple of conveniences that were well...convenient. I found myself able to predict a lot of what was going to happen, but at the same time anticipating the next chapter anyway. The conveniences helped move along the plot, but some things were just annoyingly obvious.
Ah, the side characters. The side characters didn’t leave an impact on me. I feel they could have been stronger. If the side characters became a part of their mission and joined them on the ship, then it would be different. I didn’t connect with them as much as I could have. This was a downfall because every time a new character was introduced it felt almost rushed because there wasn’t much time with them.
The time zone. This was set in the faraway future (I think in 2200 something). Which okay, cool, but there were a couple of times where trends and tech were from the present (20th and 21st century). The book had it written off really well, but sometimes it felt like an out to not have to imagine as much about what the future could be. For example, one planet still used trains built in the 1900s (trains/railroads weren’t even a thing until 1830), they explained it but still. Of course, this could just be a convenience to help the reader better relate the fictional world to the reader's personal experience and knowledge. Anyway, it just felt...convenient at times.
But, also, plot conveniences and relations to the present time (even if the book is set in the future) is common among sci-fi books, so it isn’t that big of a deal.
So, this book was good. I genuinely considered giving it a 4-star rating. BUT I wasn’t fully amazed by this book. Now, I would totally recommend this book to other people since it was fun with a decent plot. However, I’m picky with my ratings and if it didn’t blow me away or leave a lasting impact then I won’t give it a 4 or 5-star rating. This book did leave a small impact on me in the sense of environmentalism and politics, but that’s just the activist in me. Hence the 3.5 rating. (It's like a 3.8 in my mind but y’know). I would recommend this to anyone interested in a good space read, even if you don’t like romance ;)
☆ twitter | tumblr| letterboxd ☆
general spoiler-y notes
—the amount of em dashes in this review is a reflection of the amount of em dashes in the book.
—Mansfield was a great villain. I originally had some hope but knew it seemed a bit sketch. By the last half of the book, he was effortlessly the antagonist.
—I loved how independent the two MCs were. Yes, they leaned on each other when they needed too but it was no damsel in distress situation. We love strong independent characters!
—this book really made me think about environmental issues in a whole new way.
“We can’t even buy beauty any longer. Can’t even work for it. Sometimes I think Earth has no more to give.”
—The protecting thing really got me. At first, it was just Abel but then NOEMI I-
—Virginia being like ‘hey this is cute n all but let's break out of prison now.’
—ALSO, I read this book while the world is very political and we’re going through a pandemic, and when the whole Cobweb thing happened in the book I flipped. How is it my luck to have randomly picked this book up when we are experiencing some of the things that happen in this book what?
—Check out my kindle notes and highlights to see my thoughts while reading and a few of my favorite quotes!
CONTENT WARNINGS AND ISSUES MENTIONED: Violence, death of a friend, many close calls to dying, somewhat constant threat of death/being captured, people are severely injured in various ways, mentions of prostitution, mentions of sex, one or two mentions of drugs and drinking, curse words are rarely said. Environmental issues, religious themes and issues, political themes and issues, medical issues.