Book Review – Defiance

by CJ Redwine (Atom Books) ISBN: 978-1-907411-22-1

Readers who liked The Hunger Games will enjoy this book. The setting is similar and the female protagonist is strong-willed with awesome fighting capabilities. The differences between the two books end there.

Rachel is confined within the walls of Baalboden. Baalboden should be a sanctuary for its citizens but living under the rule of the Commander is difficult. The Commander is a cruel autocrat and he will maintain his power at all costs. To venture beyond the walls is the same as committing suicide. The Wasteland is rife with Highwaymen and the Cursed One, a creature that will wipe out anything and everything in its path.

Rachel has to face these risks when she escapes the confines of a world that has become even more dangerous than the one she has to journey through to find her father. Her father, a courier, has not returned from his trip from the Wasteland. Logan, her protector, tries to help her but the Commander shows his cruel streak and separates the two. Rachel is on her own.

The pacing of the story is tight and the chapters short enough to make this book a page-turner. The ending suggests a sequel. I am waiting in anticipation.

Ulrike Hill

4/5