Defy the Stars

Defy the Stars was an epic space adventure! It had action, adventure and some romance too.

I found Noemi Vidal interesting, strong and kind. She is willing to do anything to save her planet even to die. Abel was also an intriguing character and so much more of a human than his creator ever was.

The plot was great and really drew me in. Abel and Noemi must work together in order to save her planet, Genesis. They travel to the other planets in the Loop (Kismet, Cray, Stronghold and eventually Earth) and meet exiting characters like Virginia Redbird along the way. It was an interesting concept to see how different and unique all the planets were.

Claudia Gray's depiction of all the planets was amazing and very detailed. This was an amazing novel I will never forget! Recommended for fans of science fiction, fantasy and space adventures!

Noemi Vidal is a seventeen year old solider who is willing to die from her planet. Able is a construct - part flesh and part machine. The two are and should be enemies but a unexpected battle brings them together. I loved both characters. Able is so much more that what he was designed to be. Noemi changes as the two of them work to stop a war that has been going on for ages. This is almost a romance as Able comes to love Noemi but it stops short when they both go their own way after a very exciting adventure. This was one I could not put down. I loved the premise and how Gray used it to keep the story filled with great characters and exciting action. I recommend this for any SciFi fan. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I received this free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Stylistically Speaking…
I’m usually not a stickler when it comes to writing because every author has a different writing style, but I did not like the style of this book. The writing is sub-par and a little too technical to make the story really come to life. Even when written from the human’s POV, there was very little emotion or flavor the writing, leaving everything feeling just a little bland. It made it hard to get into the book and care about what was going on.

Mech, not Human
I understand the premise of this book is that mechs are robots capable of doings as well as or better than humans. However, it was because of this particular aspect that sections of the book felt too unrealistic. Things worked out too well for the characters. Yes, they had struggles, but they came out unscathed and unharmed and never really felt like they were in any real trouble. So, the tension just wasn’t there.

Bare Bones
I liked the overall build of the world, but the actual individual builds of the worlds was limited. Understandably so. After all, only pieces that are required for the story should be shown, but I felt myself wanting to know more about each of the worlds visited by the main characters. I saw so little of them in the story that I didn’t really feel like they were real or unique and I would have liked more.

That Ending, though
I’m not going to spoil anything, but the ending was too clean. It wrapped itself up into a nice little package with a beautiful little bow and took away every last drop of mystery there was. I did not like this. I think the story would have been better off if certain pieces were left to the unknown, to the imagination of the reader, but they weren’t and I actually was left unsatisfied because of it.

This book was everything I hoped and more! I love sci-fi stories with interplanetary chases and adventures and this did not disappoint! Abel was created as a machine but was left stranded in the debris left behind after war between the planet Genesis and Earth. Left for 30 years alone in his ship, he's freed by the enemy- Naomi - a pilot from Genesis. They are born enemies but end up working together and forming a bond unlike any other between machine and human. I cannot wait to read book two and hope it's not too long before it is released!!! I hate forgetting what I read years later- lol, especially when a book was as great as this one!

The is an epic story with rebels, space battles, prison breaks, and last-minute rescues. The themes include loyalty, love, environmental destruction, and what it means to be alive.
I was captivated by the story and the narration was excellent. I often listened late into the night because I couldn't put it down. Recommended to: Fans of The Lunar Chronicles.

Wow! This book really surprised me with how much I liked it! I recently have gotten interested in Star Wars and Star Trek, so I was super up for the space vibe that this book was about. I thought it was a unique plot and the addition of the robot sidekick was something that I found myself loving! The character development of the robot in the book (I know I am calling him the robot, but he has a name) was what blew this book out of the water for me in terms of emotion and interest.

Defy the Stars was an absolutely breathtaking book. It covered so many points about twisted societies and the world today, and it sparks so much thought about what could be. The characters’ depth and growth was astonishing, and their adventure was the most incredible and entertaining journey I’ve ever taken. This book will make you cry, laugh, and consider so much more than what you can simply see. I absolutely recommend this book, and I can’t wait to read more!

I very much enjoyed this book. It would appeal to fans of the Starbound series. This is the first book I've read from this author and she is my new obsession. The science aspect is not sacrificed for cheesy YA romance. One thing I can say that I really appreciated from this book was how the author handled the subject of religion and faith without being dismissive or offensive. The main character struggles with her faith in a way that (as a person of faith myself) can understand and relate to. It was very refreshing to see.

Started reading the free sample, got to the mass prayer scene and figured it'd be hard for me to sympathize with the protagonist's side, but whatever, I was promised sentient machines, read on.

Next came "plasma bolts flying through the air of space" and I realized there would be little consistency in physics, too.

After I got to the unimaginative android I went to check out the reviews. Found way too many of "I got a free copy in exchange for my honest review" kinds of thing, so I noped right out.

Yay for free sample!

"In three weeks, Noemi Vidal will die--here, in this very place.
Today is just practice."

A novel's opening words is the author's chance to make a good impression and grab the reader's interest. I'd say this opening is a 10!

Defy the Stars is a young adult hard sf space opera novel with two protagonists, each carrying half of the story. Noemi is human. Abel is a mech [android]. But Abel is no ordinary mech. Instead, he is the lost prototype Model One A. Models B through Z are ordinary mechs compared to Abel. Abel was apparently made to be the son android genius Burton Mansfield never had. He is far more advanced than any other mech made before or since.

Noemi is a starfighter pilot because her world needs as many pilots as possible [no matter the gender]. She is willing to go on the aforesaid suicide mission because she is willing to die to defend her planet.

It is also a coming-of-age novel for both Noemi & Abel.

I would highly recommend Defy the Stars (book one of the Constellation series) to anyone who enjoys good worldbuilding, lots of action, thoughtful adventure, solid character development, and overall just a suspenseful, page-turning good read!

Defy the Stars was an epic space adventure! It had action, adventure and some romance too.

I found Noemi Vidal interesting, strong and kind. She is willing to do anything to save her planet even to die. Abel was also an intriguing character and so much more of a human than his creator ever was.

The plot was great and really drew me in. Abel and Noemi must work together in order to save her planet, Genesis. They travel to the other planets in the Loop (Kismet, Cray, Stronghold and eventually Earth) and meet exiting characters like Virginia Redbird along the way. It was an interesting concept to see how different and unique all the planets were.

Claudia Gray's depiction of all the planets was amazing and very detailed. This was an amazing novel I will never forget! Recommended for fans of science fiction, fantasy and space adventures!

This book was everything I hoped and more! I love sci-fi stories with interplanetary chases and adventures and this did not disappoint! Abel was created as a machine but was left stranded in the debris left behind after war between the planet Genesis and Earth. Left for 30 years alone in his ship, he's freed by the enemy- Naomi - a pilot from Genesis. They are born enemies but end up working together and forming a bond unlike any other between machine and human. I cannot wait to read book two and hope it's not too long before it is released!!! I hate forgetting what I read years later- lol, especially when a book was as great as this one!