Author: Claudia Gray
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Hot Key Books
Goodreads
A stunning blend of action-packed science fiction and love against the odds. Perfect for fans of STAR WARS and the DIVERGENT series.Review by Nara
Noemi Vidal has returned to her planet, Genesis, as an outsider - ostracised for refusing to end the Liberty War by sacrificing Abel, the most advanced mechanical man ever made. She dreams of travelling through the stars again, and when a deadly plague arrives on Genesis, Noemi gets her chance. The only soldier to have ever left her planet, it will be up to her to save its people. If only she wasn't flying right into a trap.
Abel, now fully aware of his soul and captaining his own Vagabond ship, never dreamed he'd see Noemi again, not when the entire universe stands between them. But when his creator Burton Mansfield delivers news of Noemi's entrapment, Abel knows he must save her, even if it means risking his own life.
Danger lurks in the dark corners of the galaxy, and Abel and Noemi will discover a secret that could save Genesis and Earth... or destroy them all.
In this thrilling and romantic sequel to Defy the Stars, bestselling author Claudia Gray asks us all to consider what drives us, and where we truly belong.
Defy the Worlds returns to the world of Abel (an AI so advanced he is almost human) and Noemi (a soldier from a planet named Genesis). After the inconclusive ending to the first novel, I was glad to find out that Claudia Gray intended on expanding the story.
I still found the AI issue very interesting, especially with the emergence of a second android which contains the memories of a certain other character (keeping things spoiler free lol). It's interesting to think- is this android technically a person? Did they manage to capture all of their memories and install it into the robot? If so, is it still the same person? These sorts of debates are ones that will certainly happen in the future should AI become advanced enough. Probably not in our lifetime though.
The pacing of Defy the Worlds was certainly more quick and action-packed than the first book- most likely because the world has already been somewhat set up, and there was a lot less of that science-fiction info dumping at the start of the novel. The dual POV was well done, with the two stories eventually intertwining to one.
Overall, Defy the Worlds was a decent follow up to Defy the Stars, but I felt that it didn't quite live up to the standard of the first. I'm also a bit unsure about whether this book is going to have a follow on because it seems to end on somewhat of a cliffhanger, and there is no sequel listed on Goodreads. I guess I'll have have to keep an eye out for any updates.
Edit: looks like there is now a sequel on Goodreads! I'm assuming it will be the conclusion to the series.
Liked it
RatingsOverall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
World Building: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 2/5
