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jenryland

jenryland

Defiance - C.J. Redwine Defiance is an interesting story that's both dystopic (a walled community ruled by a cruel despot who has promised to protect the residents from a monster) and post-apocalyptic, with some fantasy elements. For me, one of the strengths of Defiance was the way that the story set up a big ol' tangle of interpersonal conflicts. I know that some readers aren't a fan of the dual POV, but since these two characters are separated for some of the book, this narrative choice was practical and added suspense.For those of you who like action and fight scenes, there were some great ones. Plus, some plot twists that zigged when I was expecting them to zag. I also thought Rachel and Logan were an interesting couple. I liked the fact that she's more the brawn in the relationship and he's the brains. She has more of the warrior spirit -- in the Department of Kickbutt Heroines, they don't make them any tougher and fiercer than Rachel -- while Logan invents gadgets that are half MacGyver, half Q from James Bond. The book's monster (a beast called The Cursed One that was released from the bowels of the earth as humans drilled for fuel) reminded me of that weird black cloudmonster from the TV show LOST. I also wanted to understand the story world a lot better. Does Defiance take place in the future or the past or was this alternate history? I called the book post-apocalyptic because it seemed to me that the appearance of monsters sent the whole society (or world?) plunging into backwardness -- wearing cloaks and oppressing women and throwing people in dungeons -- but I wasn't sure. I got glimpses of other groups, both harmful and helpful (Rowansmark and the Tree People) but I never quite understood who they were and how they fit in. I'm assuming that perhaps some of these questions will be answered in a future book.