{Liza Reviews} Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

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.

So, I have to start with a confession:  The only book I’ve every read by Claudia Gray is Evernight and I didn’t love it. Therefore, I have been very reluctant to read anything by her before, but I do like sci-fi AND there has been so many amazing reviews for Defy the Stars that I just had to try it.  I’m glad I did because I loved it!

The world building and the plot, together with the characters were the best part of the book.  The story is a mix of the movie I Am Robot  with a bit of The Martian thrown in.  In case you haven’t seen the movies, the basic plot is that Earth is dying.  As humans new this was coming, they started settling in different planets that they thought could support life.  The idea is to abandon Earth and move to these planets.  The more promising one is Genesis.  The problem is that after so many years living in the planet and as new generations were born in the planets, they don’t want to give Earth the power to do they same thing they did to the planet. Earth created mechs (a robot with human tissue?) to serve them and fight their battles.  With me so far?

Noemi is a warrior of Genesis that discovers an abandoned ship in an attempt to save her best friend from a mech attack.  Abel has been stuck in the ship for 30 years and has begin to evolve.  They form an unlikely alliance.  Abel’s programming mandates that he obeys Noemi as his commander.  Noemi cannot trust a mech.  Slowly, they start to know each other, to understand each other and later to become friends.  It’s a great character development and  adored them both.  Together, they are stronger.  Together they go on a race throughout the universe to find a way to stop Earth’s attacks on Genesis.

Noemi is brave, selfless, smart, curious.  Abel is the ultimate mech, life-like and he grows to have a lot of human-like characteristics.  On their travels, they also meet other characters that form a great addition to their group.

The ending is adequate for a series but a bit unsatisfying too. Gray’s writing is beautiful, it conveys so much feeling, it describes this amazing world so perfectly that you can almost see the stars.  I loved it!

Overall? 

I really liked Defy the Stars.  It’s a story were the lines between fighting for one’s believes blurs the more that those believes affect others.  Is a story of possibility, of evolution, growth, adventure, friendship and love.  I cannot wait for Defy the Worlds.

The audiobook of Defy the Stars was amazing.  The narrators did a great job.  We have two of them, Kasey Lee Huizinga is Noemi and Nate Begle is Abel.  It’s my first book by Kasey and she did an amazing job with the voices of all the characters.  It was also my first book narrated by Nate and although his narration was more mechanical, I think he was able to convey the ‘machine’ part that is Abel.

Are you a fan of sci-fi?  Have you read Defy the Stars?  What did you think? 

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Liza

Liza

Co-owner at Quite the Novel Idea

I'm an avid reader (since I learned to read at age four) and a book blogger (since May, 2011).I read mostly YA, but I also read romance, new adult and some middle grade.

Born in Puerto Rico, hola :), military wife for 22-years, and mother of three boys.I work full time doing something else that I love (sadly I don't get paid for reading!)

Liza

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