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quixoticreads 's review for:
Defy
by Sara B. Larson
The Laughing Listener
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Rebecca Mozo
Length: 9 hours & 45 minutes
Story Rating: 4 Stars
Performance Rating: 5 Stars
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
What a surprising read! After finishing [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449778912s/22328546.jpg|25037051], I needed an emotional break before starting [b:Glass Sword|23174274|Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436460934s/23174274.jpg|42720997] and turned to my Hoopla account for help. I chose this book at random without knowing anything about it, or having heard of it before and was pleasantly surprised! Despite being heavily weighed down with clichés (Love triangle? Falling for a Prince?? Chosen one???) I couldn’t help but be entertained my this!
THE UGLY
After perusing some of the other reviews, I was actually surprised to see some of the bad ratings. Was this a piece of literary genius? Ummmm, no. But definitely deserving of more than one star, I thought. However, if you go in thinking it’s a Mulan-esque tale of feminist power, you will DEFINITELY be disappointed.
To help, here’s a list of things to know before picking up this book:
-Completely unlike Mulan besides the whole acting-like-a-boy thing.
-This is 100% a romance book with some fantasy and action-y stuff thrown in.
-Definitely geared for the younger side of the teen spectrum.
-Hardcore love triangle vibes vaguely reminiscent of the whole team Edward/team Jacob fiasco of the early 00’s (minus all of the supernatural crap).
-Filled to the brim with tropes including a bratty prince who secretly has a heart of gold, boy who has everything but is silently miserable, best friend who gets friend-zoned and confesses their love, the what-do-I-do-two-beautiful-men-love-me anguish, and many more.
What I’m trying to say is, set your expectations low on this one. I think what really saved me was going into this blind. All I wanted was something cute and easy, which is exactly what I got.
As far as the story goes, I was vaguely annoyed at the love triangle because it felt pointless. We all know who Alexa is going to choose, isn’t there enough going on without it? Plus, the ending was completely frustrating to me.
THE GOOD
Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I really enjoyed Defy! This book made my girly side very happy.
I knew exactly where this story was going the moment we got a description of the “devastatingly handsome” Prince Damian and I fought against it so hard for a while. I mean, really?? Forbidden love with a handsome prince??? Really????
But DAMMIT, I am such a sucker for forbidden love and teen angst. Despite fighting against this book in the beginning, Damian is so cute I ended up throwing in the towel halfway through. His character was designed to be swoon worthy and I’ll admit it, I swooned. Alexa’s character was really fun too! I loved that she’s a girl who can kick butt. Plus, her sense of humor and temperament were completely relatable to me.
And the setting was really interesting too! The kingdom of Antion sounds like it’s shrouded in rain forest, which was an interesting contrast to the classic, old-world sophistication of the castle. It provided a colorful backdrop to the story that I really appreciated.
Also can’t forget to mention Rebecca Mozo’s narration, which was wonderful! I don’t know where she’s from, but she spoke the whole story in an English accent that sounded legit to my American ears. But then at the very end when Mozo read the credits she sounded American and it blew my mind!!! Either way, she sounded amazing and gave a great performance.
FINAL WORD
If you’re looking for something fun and romantic then definitely give this book a try! I really liked it and can’t wait for the next one!!