"True beauty is what lies inside of us, not what the world sees."
Defy by Sara B. Larson immediately caught my eye when several readers compared it to Graceling by Kristin Cashore, which is one of all-time favorite novels. I was a little wary of Defy because the description emphasizes the fact that there's a love triangle and at this point, I'm beyond sick and tired of love triangles. Despite my hesitation, I immediately delved into the world of Defy and I have to say that this is one of the best fantasy novels I've read this year. Defy by Sara B. Larson is an intelligent fantasy with an extremely appealing protagonist and a great balance of action and romance.
Alexa disguises herself as a boy and serves as Prince Damian's royal bodyguard and guard. For years, Alexa has been keeping up this charade and I found it extremely hard to believe that Alexa never let her facade slip. It just didn't feel possible to me at all and I couldn't suspend my disbelief this much. Other than that, I really loved Alexa and she was an extremely entertaining protagonist. I immediately became a fan of Alexa and Larson does an excellent job of making readers feel empathic with Alexa. I really look forward to learning more about Alexa and I hope she is just as awesome in the sequel!
I was frightened to get to the section of this book where the love triangle was introduced, but much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the romance in Defy. The love triangle isn't that big of an aspect in this book like the description implied and I think the romance worked extremely well. There were a few instances where the romance read a bit like a soap opera and was extremely dramatic, but I was strangely enthralled by this love triangle. The romance is a bit reminiscent of Throne Of Glass, but Larson manages to set apart Defy's romance with unique plot twists. My biggest complaint with the romance was Alexa's tendency to ogle and swoon over mens' chests often; Alexa concentrated too much on chests to the point where it became strange.
Defy by Sara B. Larson is one of the best debuts of 2014 by far and it really satisfied my fantasy craving. Defy is full of intense action scenes that will make readers feel as if they're actually in the heat of battle and there's so much I loved about this book. I am dying to read book #2 and I'm extremely confident that the Defy series is going to will capture the hearts of readers who enjoy fantasy novels. This is definitely a must-read!
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