Defy the Stars
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4.5 • 32 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Lost Stars and Bloodline comes a thrilling sci-fi adventure that Kass Morgan, bestselling author of The 100 series, calls "startlingly original and achingly romantic...nothing short of masterful."
She's a soldier--Noemi Vidal is willing to risk anything to protect her planet, Genesis, 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's advanced programming has 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.
An epic and romantic adventure, perfect for fans of The Lunar Chronicles and Illuminae.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this poignant and profound SF novel from Gray (the Firebird trilogy), resources are scarce, humans populate multiple planets, and a colony world called Genesis is battling Earth for independence. Noemi Vidal, a 17-year-old fighter pilot from Genesis, is on a training run when an Earth army of humanoid robots known as mechs attacks her squadron. Noemi gets separated from the group and seeks refuge on a broken-down research vessel. On board is Abel, the first mech ever created. A showdown ensues before a quirk in Abel's code dictates that he submit to Noemi's command. Using information gleaned from Abel, Noemi hatches a plan to liberate Genesis that necessitates the mech's destruction. It's not long, though, until Noemi is forced to wonder whether Abel has transcended his programming. Noemi and Abel share the narrative, and together they weave a tale that examines the ethics of war and tackles questions of consciousness, love, and free will. Gray's characters are nuanced, her worldbuilding is intelligent, and the book's conclusion thrills and satisfies while defying expectations. Ages 15 up.
Customer Reviews
An enjoyable YA Sci-Fi Adventure!
I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to read this! I actually really enjoyed this human/robot sci-fi adventure romance. There was really great world building and I found the characters incredible, but there were times I felt a bit lost and confused about the plot. It was very well-written, but the details sometimes were a little too much. I did like that the book brought up a lot of questions about right and wrong, as well as humanity, religion, and faith. Fans of sci-fi shouldn't feel put off by the romance aspect of the book. It's actually really slow burn between Abel and Noemi and isn't the focus of the story.
The best part of the book for me was how Noemi and Abel developed and grew as the story progressed. Each character evolves and changes as they are forced to make difficult decisions and question what they believe. Abel really stole the show though and his POV chapters were my favorite. His logical and matter of fact manner, in addition to his unexpected sense of humor, made him incredibly endearing. The book has a fairly open ending, and presents the possibility of much more to come. I'm excited to see what's next for Noemi and Abel!
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*
Loved it.
Loved the book. It had an interesting plot and good character development.
8/10
This was a great read