Dystopian books fascinate me. Just how horrible can society become? In Defiance, the population cowers in their walled city of Baalboden. Outside the walls, there is only barren wastelands populated by The Cursed One a cross between a big giant worm and a fire breathing dragon. (Think Tremors). Life in the city is not that much safer. The citizens of Baalboden are ruled by the ruthless Commander Chase, a power-hungry, sadistic, and generally evil leader. His Brute Squad patrols the streets of the city, ensuring compliance of the populace.This is a patriarchal society. The women of Baalboden are trained to be obedient and dependent upon their male protectors. No woman ventures outside her home without a male protector. Women wear only skirts. Women barely receive an education, taught only life skills such as sewing, cooking, etiquette, and bargaining. At age 16 a woman is “Claimed” by a male in the community and begins to start a family.Defiance is told from alternating points of view of the protagonists. The chapters are quite short, making this a quick read. Rachel is fierce, brave, and smart. She is rather impulsive, often acting before she thinks out the consequences of her actions. Rachel has not had the typical upbringing of a Baalboden girl. Her father made sure that she learned how to protect herself with a sword. Logan struck me as a little bland at first; however his character grew on me after a while. Logan is a thinker, constantly plotting out best case/worst case scenarios. Logan is an inventor and some of his inventions used a surprising amount of technology. Logan was especially adept at creating large explosives, a most useful skill. If you are reading this book for the romance, yes, there is a romance. Rachel and Logan have a nice little relationship going on. It begins as a friendship, and then as they get to know each other better, it does bloom. It’s pretty tame, but they do spend a lot of time declaring their love for each other at one point in the book. Defiance was an action packed read, full of chase sequences, sword fights, and explosions. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy of this book. Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
