Noemi Vidal wants nothing more than for her planet, Genesis,
and her adopted family to be safe. However, with their
enemies from Earth raging a dangerous war, safety seems far
out of reach. When an accident lands Noemi on an abandoned
space ship, she finds something unexpected: a mech named
Abel whose program has evolved beyond that of a typical
mech. Mistrust and unease flow in large waves between them,
yet when they are forced to work together, they discover
something new and gentler in each other. But friendship, not
to mention love, is dangerous in a time of war, and no life
is certain.
Claudia Gray's DEFY THE STARS takes readers far into a
galaxy of battles, survivors, adventurers, and more. While I
know little about engineering and piloting, Gray masterfully
captures Abel and Noemi's brilliant minds and passion for
the mechanics as they navigate their ship. In fact, the
impressive details of their time on the ship creates almost
two distinct settings, one on the ship where the two are
often alone and one outside the ship where war rages and
people must toe lines carefully on every planet. As they
navigate the sort of 'private' and public settings, both
Noemi and Abel are forced to challenge their beliefs, and
the experience of seeing their minds open to each other and
the planets around them is beautiful and touching.
While the characters are easily lovable and have a fantastic
connection, the length of the plot is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, Gray is superb at creating road blocks,
obstacles, and conflicts that get in the way of Abel and
Noemi's individual goals. However, there are so many road
blocks that the plot gets a little frustrating at times,
though the patient reader is usually rewarded great scenes
later on.
DEFY THE STARS presents several complex and deep themes, but
my favorite is the theme of owning your own life. Both Abel
and Noemi struggle with following a specific path set by
someone(s) else, and they each must learn to listen to their
own voice and live their own lives, even if it means a
little temporary pain. Readers should expect some tears,
some warmth, and a plethora of action in Claudia Gray's latest.
Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her
planet, Genesis. She's willing to risk anything--including
her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel.
He's a machine.
Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has
advanced programming that's begun to evolve. He wants only
to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of
Genesis, he's an abomination.
Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by
chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey
through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for
good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even
higher than either of them first realized, and the more time
they spend together, the more they're forced to question
everything they'd been taught was true.
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