Review: Defy the Stars (Constellation #1) by Claudia Gray

Defy the Stars

(Constellation #1)

by Claudia Gray

April 4, 2017

512 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

She’s a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is a 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.

 

Review

I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover but doesn't the cover of Defy the Stars just promises great adventures? It's so stunning I can look at it all day long. The inside of this book also delivers a powerful captivating story.

Defy the Stars was such a refreshing space saga. I had some doubts about the pacing but then I realized it's pretty perfect. There's a steady build up in intensity and importance of each event. The story had me completely sucked in. The world-building was incredible. I felt like I was experiencing each colony right alongside the characters. I was invested in the well-beings of the characters and wanted to know how they would steer through the obstacles they faced to reach their goals. Although their original goal does deviate (for the better), failure was not an option and they saw their mission through.

The story starts off with us meeting Noemi Vidal, a girl who has accepted her fate. It was to be a meaningful end for her until a startling discovery sends her down a different path. Noemi encounters things she only imagined before, some never. I think this sentence sums up her experiences nicely. "Sometimes traveling to new places feels strange, but coming home feels even stranger. You don't expect the familiar to become unfamiliar, and yet it does." (p. 494). By the end of the book she's not the same person she was at the very beginning of the book. Some of the things she's seen and heard cannot be undone and it's made her question her standing. She has a bit of a wake up call which was, again, for the better.

Abel is a robot or mech as they call it in the book but he's one of a kind special. I loved his every dialogue- arrogant yet sensitive, heartfelt yet hilarious (when he was talking about some specific programming of his). Ms. Gray's so on top of the robot talk. The gradual transformation in his speech was perfect. His changes were obvious. It was so awesome to see Abel come into his own!

There's no way I can write a review without talking about Noemi and Abel. I was unsure if I could stand behind a relationship should one develop between them but I must say, Ms. Gray has me convinced. I would've like to see some more romantic moments but I can see why there weren't many. Their heart-to-heart conversations were sincere and endearing enough. We really get a deep glimpse into Noemi and Abel. Feelings might not be as clear as I like them to be but there's definitely something more left to be explored.

The few supporting characters we got to interact with were fun. They provided other perspectives into the colony worlds and more than proved their worth. Such handy skills each possess. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them yet.

Defy the Stars exceeded my expectations. I'm not sure where the story is going but I know for certain that I'll be along for the ride. I'm more than happy to travel through the Loop again and visit any of those worlds!

 

*I received a finished copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the finished copy I received.