Title: Defy (Defy #1)
Author: Sara B. Larson
Series: Yes
Finished or ARC: Finished
Source: Won
Goodreads:
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?
Review:
Well, I read this a long time ago, and I got the sequel for Christmas, which is sad because I haven't been able to pick it up to read. College sucks sometimes.
Anyway, to start off, I really like Alexa. She's an amazing heroine that knows what she wants and goes for it. Of course, when it comes to boys she's a little confused. The plot line was a little original - the kidnapping part with Damian was brilliant. A unique twist. Of course, from there, it was a little predictable. But not too much. Sorcerers were banned, but of course, there are a few hiding. Want to get rid of horrible ruler....blah blah blah. All you need to know is that Alexa had a large hand in saving the day, and Damian turned into something that we all suspected he was when his mother was brought up.
The king has to be one of the worst villains I have ever read about. Well, in the top 20, he's at 10. After reading about him, I wanted to jump through the pages and rip out his heart Regina style (hehehe). Of course, that ability is something I lack. What I liked, though, is that Larson made him a very realistic king, as if she took one from history and put him in the story. I say this because - of course - the king is a dictator, but some of the things he did were things kings did back in old times - like rape. Not many books I have read mention the evil king raping or holding slave houses - usually it's just a lot of murder. (Not that I don't mind that either.)
The romance was....I don't want to say horrible, but it wasn't great. As read in the summary, there is a love triangle. Honestly, I think it was more like a scale that was very unbalanced. Alexa was clearly leaning towards one guy more than the other. She friend-zoned him before he got a chance to make her like-like him! And the thing with the other guy....ugh! Crappy insta-love. Let me tell you, there is not such thing as insta-love. It was horrible. And their little moment towards the end about her being with him because she couldn't trust him (please reread through the review if you can't guess which guy this is.)
The ending - happy, but I still need to read the sequel.
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