Noemi Vidal is a teen soldier in an interstellar war, fighting to defend her home planet against Earth’s robotic mech armies. When the disastrous aftermath of a space battle strands her on an abandoned enemy ship, she encounters a deadly mech determined to kill her–until a twist in his programming compels him to do her bidding, and to reveal a secret which could save her world.

Abel, Model 1A of the Mansfield Cybernetics Line, is his creator’s masterpiece: the most complex mech prototype ever made, he not only appears perfectly human, but possesses an artificial intelligence so sophisticated that he can feel human emotions. When Noemi boards the ship he has been trapped on for decades, his programming demands that he obey her as his new commander–even if she’s fighting on the other side of the war, and even though her plan to win that war will kill him.

As they embark upon an exciting and dangerous journey through the galaxy, Noemi begins to recognize the soul within the machine, and Abel’s devotion to Noemi soon becomes more than a matter of programming. It’s a journey that will teach both of them what it truly means to be human.

The Review

Science fiction and fantasy are always my genre of choice, so when a representative from Hachette Book Group approached me about reading and reviewing some of their upcoming YA SFF books, I jumped at the chance. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!

DEFY THE STARS is a dual point-of-view novel told from the alternating perspectives of Noemi, the teen fighter pilot, and Abel, the hyper-advanced mech Noemi recruits for her mission. I thought these main characters were interesting. Noemi just wants to save her home-planet, and Abel just wants to reunite with his designer. Throughout the course of DEFY THE STARS, Noemi and Abel encounter friends and foes, travel to the many planets of the Loop, and discover what it means to be human. And while here were times I felt the save-the-world plot was a little predictable, overall I enjoyed the book.

DEFY THE STARS (2017) by Claudia Gray

I’d give DEFY THE STARS 3.5 out of 5 stars. While most of the characters were interesting, the plot was easy and fun to follow, there were a few issues I had with the writing. I read an advanced reader’s copy, and while I understand that it isn’t the final version of the book, I expected it to be pretty close. The story is told in third person present tense, which by itself isn’t a bad thing, but there were moments when it would shift to past tense, and not necessary when the characters were recalling past events. This was also my first time reading anything by Claudia Gray, and I honestly expected more from someone who writes STAR WARS companion novels.

I would recommend DEFY THE STARS for teens and young adults just getting started in the science fiction genre. It’s an easy story to follow, with interesting characters and events to keep their interest.

The Info

Title: DEFY THE STARS
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette)
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
Format: Paperback
Pages: 502
Genre: YA science-fiction
Source: I received an advanced readers copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Goodreads