Defy the Worlds (Defy the Stars, 2)

Not as good as the first book, but Defy the Worlds is still a solid sequel that raises the stakes on both personal and galactic levels.Some other reviews have mentioned this, but Noemi and Abel are apart for half the book. Frequently, that type of plot device irks me, because it seems like a trick to keep the romance from developing too quickly. Granted, with Defy the Worlds, the plot device never felt like a trick...but it still made the book less interesting. I realized pretty quickly that the magic of the first novel was really in the interactions between our two MCs, not necessarily on a romantic level (though that's good too) but just as interesting characters. So when they're separated, some of the magic spark has dimmed. Thankfully, Noemi and Abel reunite around the 50% mark, and once they're together again, the book is firing on all cylinders.In terms of the plot itself, I was surprised by the direction Claudia Gray decides to go. Defy the Worlds feels a little like The Empire Strikes Back in that, if you took it out of the original Star Wars trilogy, the overarching plot wouldn't be that different. Similar, Defy the Worlds is like a little side jaunt that doesn't contribute much to the galaxy-spanning plot of the Liberty War and Remedy's rebellion etc. Granted, this story definitely contributes to the character development, but I just kept wondering why this plot was important. Possibly, this is a result of the series originally being planned as a duology but being extended to a trilogy. The stretch is seen here, I think.All that being said, I still really enjoyed Defy the Worlds! The second half in particular was full of action and great character development. Plus, I just love Noemi and Abel on the page together. This is a ship I can definitely get behind. So while there's a bit of a sophomore slump here, I'm still definitely on board for book 3.

The most advanced mechanical man ever created and young woman raised from birth to be a warrior who volunteers for a massive suicide run to save her planet. Yes, these are our two star-crossed lovers.One who never expected to have a future and one who found out (at the end of the first book) that his creator had intended all along to steal his future by transferring the human's consciousness into the mechanical man’s body, snuffing out the android's consciousness in the process.The inventor justified the latter, of course, by saying that since, in effect, he's a genius and so deserves immortality whereas the mechanical man, being mechanical, could obviously not have a soul of his own, etc. (This same inventor and his friends also believe that the rich deserve immortality, too, provided that they can pay their way).Fortunately, after both Abel and Noemi were positive that they had said a final goodbye and would never see each other again, in the second book Noemi's planet is attacked and, since she is the only resident to have been off planet before and survived the attack, she is sent out to deliver the planet's surrender.Noemi makes it out of her planet's Gate (yes, think Stargate-type travel except no one walks, you take your ships through) then she gets immediately kidnapped by the people after Abel (his human creator who is very elderly by this point and desperately wants his body for said immortality).Much adventure ensues.This series asks a lot of the right questions such as two posed to Noemi: "What are you fighting?" and "What are you fighting for?" And, of course, what does it mean to be human and what are one's responsibilities to others (whether friend or foe)?Highly recommended and, of course, anxiously awaiting the final book next year!

I debated continuing with this series but decided to go ahead and read book 2 and it wasn't bad. However, it doesn't have that spark I need. That little extra something to make me want to continue reading it. It took me 16 days to read. Too long for me. I kept picking up other books instead of this, and that says a lot.This book starts 6 months after book 1 ends, and our MCs are attempting to continue with their lives while knowing they will never see each other again. I won't provide spoilers, but actions beyond their control eventually reunites them and they work together to save Noemi's home planet, Genesis.If you loved book 1, you'll probably love book 2. So I will warn you this ends in a cliffhanger. I recommend purchasing both books 2 & 3 to avoid agonizing over the end. You'll want to jump into book 3 right away.I will not be purchasing Defy the Fates right away. I will be waiting a little for a new edition to be available. Not only because the end didn't tear my heart out, but also because publishers completely changed the book cover for book 3 (paperback) and it does not go with my copies of books 1 & 2. How disappointing.

Like most series, this book does suffer a bit of middle book or filler syndrome but there's definitely enough going on to keep one interested. It just doesn't have the emotional high points, IMO, that the first book did. And for me that isn't even strictly about the romance, though that's certainly enjoyable and I do love their chemistry. What gets to me in these books are the questions about morality and spirituality that are raised and even though the main characters are apart for most of the book I still found what they were doing separately interesting. That ending, though... It surely sets up the 3rd book for lots of conflict.It surprises me that there are so few reviews on this series in general so I had to put my 2 cents in - overall excellent. Reminds me of my favorite sci-fi series like Dark Matter and Battlestar Galactica. Hooked.

This took me far longer to read than it should have done; I thought it was slow at the beginning, but that was my state of mind I believe. What a sequel! It certainly doesn’t suffer from “middle book syndrome” - this was truly fantastic.I love the blossoming of Abel as a person with a soul, and I loved him meeting Simon (won’t say any more because of spoilers!) the characterisation was spot on.There were a couple of points where I felt it dragged, and maybe it could have been cut a bit - but that’s a minor quibble.Bring on book three!

Excellent sequel and I can't wait for the next book already. I didn't expect it to go where it went!

This book was everything I wanted in the sequel and more! Abel is probably one of my favourite characters ever.