Review of Defy by Sara B. Larson

 Release Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Page Count: 336

Format: Hardcover

Genre: YA/Fantasy

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?

Defy was one of those rare books that made me cry, the characters were so well written that I couldn't stop myself from caring for them as if they were real people. After a chain of several one to two star books that I read Defy was a welcome change, being legions better than the rest.

Defy is set around two twins who escaped the destruction of their village and had no choice but to join the king's army. Marcel and Alexa,who had to disguise herself for a boy from that moment onward so as to not be sent to the breeding house and face a horrible fate. Years later she is one of the best fighters in the army and is tasked with protecting Prince Damian. After getting abducted along with the prince and another guard she finds out that she may be on the wrong side. Alexa and Marcel were both extremely well written and like I said before I loved reading about what happened (except for some sad parts). Alexa has to pretend to be someone she's not for years and that requires a tremendous amount of strength that most people wouldn't have. She faces numerous obstacles and problems but she doesn't doubt herself either and does what needs to be done. Unfortunately there is a love triangle in Defy, I knew who I wanted Alexa to choose but the book kept throwing twists and turns at me. Prince Damian was the character who surprised me the most, he wasn't who I expected him to be as can be seen from how his whole character changes. The characters, plot, and world building played together perfectly and every page was filled with emotion.

I am absolutely dying to read the sequel to Defy especially after that ending. Defy is a book that I would recommend to everyone even if they don't like fantasy. Whatever you're doing, drop it and pick up this amazing book because you won't be disappointed.

5/5 - Amazing book