Review Detail

I can always tell if I truly love a book by two things:1)I pick up the book to read it at any possible spare moment and 2) When I have finished reading the book, I am a bit melancholy because I feel like I am leaving a good friend. Defiance met both these requirements. I was captivated by the story within the first ten pages. CJ Redwine does an excellent job of describing the setting of Baalboden making it quite easy for the reader to picture it. Two points of view, Rachel and Logan, tell the story and I found that easy to follow since each chapter was titled with the appropriate point of view. CJ's writing is both intelligent yet clear and fit well with the story. I quickly fell in love with Rachel as well as Oliver,Rachel's "grandfather", whom I kept picturing as a Morgan Freeman type.
What was different for me in this book was the villain, the Commander. With most villains you might find a shred of mercy or humanity that would allow the protagonist an "in" so to speak. No chance with this guy;there is nothing redeemable in the least with him. This led to a sense of the unpredicatable with him which made the story even more fascinating.
The story kept my interest with different turns and characters. The Cursed One is an example of this and I found myself hoping that CJ will write a prequel to explore the history of this even deeper. The ending left me wanting more and I will anxiously await book two.