Defiance (Courier's Daughter Book 1)

This was a well written book about a future society run by a ruthless tyrannical man who would kill anyone who didn't follow his rules and the two young lovers who dared to oppose him.It was full of adventure and courage by the two main characters and how along the way fell in love.

Looking for a YA book with a strong female lead? This book is all about being true to yourself and fighting for what you believe in. I couldn't believe it was a "first novel". I am looking forward to reading more by C.J. Redwine.

Great characters who grow and gain insight. The romantic tension is powerful. The plot is suspenseful, full of action, and has enough twists to keep the reader guessing. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

In this sequel to Redwine's breakout novel, Defiance, Rachel deals with the internal and external consequences of both her actions and circumstances. How does she deal with so much hurt, guilt, and betrayal, while still performing her duties to her people? She and Logan are charged with protecting the remnants of Baalboden as they struggle without the protection of Baalboden's walls. To brave the Wasteland poses enough peril without the added dangers of the Commander's new army hunting them down and a traitor in their midst killing them off as they try to reach the safe haven of Lankenshire.

With intense action, inner turmoil, and a dark mystery on every page, this book will keep you flipping pages right up until the cliffhanger ending, and leave you desperately impatient for the final installment of this thrilling trilogy.

In this sequel to Redwine's breakout novel, Defiance, Rachel deals with the internal and external consequences of both her actions and circumstances. How does she deal with so much hurt, guilt, and betrayal, while still performing her duties to her people? She and Logan are charged with protecting the remnants of Baalboden as they struggle without the protection of Baalboden's walls. To brave the Wasteland poses enough peril without the added dangers of the Commander's new army hunting them down and a traitor in their midst killing them off as they try to reach the safe haven of Lankenshire.

With intense action, inner turmoil, and a dark mystery on every page, this book will keep you flipping pages right up until the cliffhanger ending, and leave you desperately impatient for the final installment of this thrilling trilogy.

There was quite a bit of adventure! I enjoyed the dramatic character buildup but the ups and downs of the emotions proved to be a bit much for me, I occasionally found myself rolling my eyes at the gloom and doom. I do recommend this for anyone who enjoys a strong female lead, a good love story, and a journey full of twists and turns.

I was kind of disappointed with this book. It seriously looked like it had so much promise, but I started reading it and I felt ...nothing. I wasn't really attached to the characters, to the setting or the book itself. About halfway in, the only thing that kept going through my head was "This book is gray." And by that, I mean that the book was bland. It was boring and it was a depressing gray color. The main character wasn't terribly likable, which is extremely important to me- I couldn't connect to her and the whole disconnect I felt with the novel seemed to be very limiting in my enjoyment of the book. I didn't feel an emotional connection and I struggled to visualize the setting in my mind. There was no warmth, color or beauty created by the writing.

Now, I don't mean to bash the book or be cruel. It is a debut novel, and it's not bad for a debut novel. It has promise. There were unexpected things that happened for which I applaud the author- she kept the book mostly out of cliched waters. She also made the villain truly evil. There was no slightly human undertone or soft side. He was a true villain and written well. Written so well that I was extremely frustrated with him because I usually like to secretly like the bad guys in books and he was just icky.

Overall, the book didn't really satisfy my thirst for a "kickass heroine on a mission", which was what I was really looking for when I picked the book up. Perhaps this isn't the fault of the book, but merely bad timing.

Another well written and engrossing book. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy action, a little romance and a deadly mystery to uncover. The plot holds your interest and the many obstacles faced by the characters keep you reading for more. I made myself put the book down a few times just to make it last longer- otherwise I would have practically read it straight through! I hope there is a third book to follow, and I am already eagerly awaiting its release!

First of all, this book suffers from a malady common in many fantasy novels. The main characters think and act alike. It makes the characters flat and uninteresting, their interactions are not even noteworthy. There is a lack of any real conflict between the main characters because they are often thinking and about to do the exact same thing, so the author has to rely on cheap misunderstandings and things happening at the exact wrong time to create drama. The inserted drama with no real conflict makes the romantic subplot ridiculously overdrawn. The grandfather-y character could have been better used to show a different viewpoint but instead he is inexplicably caught up with the good-guy character groupthink and then swept away from the main plot before he ever voices his own opinion. The main female protagonist is portrayed in a way that makes no sense considering the world that the book takes place in.

Similarly, the main bad guy is sold as an utter bad guy, with no realism in his portrayal. His actions make no sense in terms of his own narrative and often does or doesn't do things that would be completely illogical from his point of view just because the author wanted to make things happen a certain way to the protagonists.

In addition the story drags on with hardly anything happening. When I was about halfway through I suddenly realized that NOTHING had happened yet. Literally nothing. I felt the same way about 75% of the way through the book. The action picked up only towards the very end, only to find out that we have to read he next book to find out what happens next. No thanks.

On the plus side, the world the book takes place in seems interesting, though very little time was spent developing it.

This book amazing and full of action. I sometimes tend to get annoyed by the female characters but this character was just so strong willed. I loved her! It was a little slow in the beginning but later on it was extremely FASCINATING.

There was a bit too much descriptive violence. Just when I thought the book was leading to an almost happy conclusion, something ugly jumped into the storyline and brought you down. I would not recommend this book younger people.