"A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?"
Well, this is definitely a retelling of Mulan in a weird way. The difference is that practically everyone knew she was a woman. Or he was a woman? Alexa is a woman. That is a much better way of saying this. Alright, I'm going to say this: Defy is just... Pft. Very disappointing. There is a lot of potential for greatness, but the author totally blew it.
For starters, there is rather slow plot. When I say, I mean slow. It is like the one third point of the book, and there is nothing about being held captive like what the synopsis promise. Yes, it does happen eventually, but... So slow! And I couldn't get into Defy. I thought I would like it, but the synopsis just fell through. Pft.
I can't tell whether or not I sympathize with Alexa (or Alex). Definitely not. Because I keep on making fun of her and insulting her in ways. Then again, I'm more upset at how disappointing the plot is. And I absolutely hate the love triangle. I loathe it. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy love triangles (like Peeta/Katniss/Gale and Rachel/Percy/Annabeth and Dimitri/Rose/Adrian), but this... This is just horrible. I hated it. No chemistry between her and Rylan. Damian and her is better, but thank goodness it is tolerable.
(Oh, yeah. I skip over those Rylan/Alexa parts. It is so obvious who she is going to end up with. Always the dark and mysterious type. Oh, spoilers? Eh... I don't think so. What? Cinderella always gets the prince in the end).
Damian vs. Rylan. Even though I hate these two male love interest fights, I will compare these two. And then, I'm so over it. First up, we have Damian on one side. He is very mysterious, plus a Crown Prince of his kingdom. And so handsome and dreamy (though not to me). However, he may or may not be a traitor to his kingdom and keeps a lot of secrets away from the main character, Alexa. Alex. Alexa. Never mind. Now we have Rylan. He is cute and loyal. He keeps tabs on Alexa, because her brother demands the loyalty and probably would still be watching over her despite that promise. A soldier, he is a good fighter, but he isn't as good as Alexa. After all, he keeps on losing to her, which only proves that she is probably an Amazon warrior. But enough of that. Alexa, who are you going to choose?
Alexa: I don't know. I keep pushing them both away, because it isn't right. We have the attraction, but he's a prince! And he's a friend! Blah, blah, blah, blah.
Oh, I think I made fun of them a little too well. Well, from this, you can probably tell that I'm very upset and disappointed by Defy.
Rating: One out of Five
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