Have you ever wondered if storytelling could save the world?
Before you roll your eyes at me for the absurd thing I say, I must tell you they can. But you’re right, stories might not change everything on their own; they’re just a good start. Where do you think money came from? Trees? Last I checked, a sheet of paper is worth less than a dollar.
That’s right, money started off as a story, not an objective reality.
Welcome to my odd review series, where I categorize how much novels question our beliefs about life, and how much they merely take them for granted.
Given that this is the last entry in the series, I will refrain from spoilers. Maybe theme-wise, but plot points will be protected. Promise.
W H A T I S D E F I A N T ?
This is the last book of the series, don’t start here if you don’t know what Defiant is, I beg you.
Check these out first:
Unto the recap!
***
After returning from the Nowhere, Spensa feels she doesn’t belong to the place she once called home, or with the people she called friends. Maybe the delver merged with her soul could make that difficult, or maybe impossible, but definitely uncomfortable.
All the while, the Defiant, having procured alien allies, unite against the Superiority in a single voice. Good thing they had everything in order and carefully planned out for the big hit.
Oh? They didn’t?
Bummer.
F U N
If emotional ups and downs are the markings of a good time, then I had an amazing time.
Battles were as exciting as ever, if not more—because a teleportation battle is way cooler than it sounds, AND it already sounds cool— so it’s safe to say this book was intense. The dogfighting also reached all-time highs while raising the stakes, and the action was ever-present; even in the slower moments, I found myself drawn by the banter between characters and the sweetest bits of connection they forged.
The worldbuilding expands, gets much cooler, and if I dare say—endearing. All we had seen so far was merely the surface and a great thing that is because there is more coming in the future. Just in case you yearn for more.
But the best thing, for me, at least—because I am a very emotional creature—were the monologues.
My, oh, my. I was literally sobbing most times, and when I wasn’t, I was feeling with my bones.
I have only one word for this book and it would be…
Beautiful.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
W E L L W R I T T E N
If Cytonic was a bit shaky in this category, I’d say Defiant improves in quality.
Certainly, Defiant’s not Skyward, but it does find a way to wrap up things nicely by merging all three main books in one; it connected the events of the previous installments perfectly while keeping thematic unity, and gave characters from the previous books their deserved time in the sun.
Structurally, it wasn’t predictable, and it managed to surprise me twice—and hell, those surprises were very well made. I see why Sanderson is proclaimed for his series finales because he did manage to compile everything seamlessly and satisfactorily.
Even if his writing is simple, he has a knack for emotional punches.
I had no idea to what extent, but now I know.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
T H O U G T - P R O V O K I N G T H E M E S
I think this is a refreshing theme I hadn’t seen directly addressed as it was.
To put it simply, Defiant continued on the same line as the previous books; identity.
This time around though, it had a different twist. What happens when you’ve had your adventures, your quests that changed you, and they end? How do you see the world now? The place you came from, your home?
Spensa’s journey throughout this book was nothing less than relatable. The struggle she feels to belong, to feel like she once did, but while having all these experiences she cannot turn back time on. The answer she finds is as heartwarming as ever, and I can’t help but agree with the conclusion.
Because this is me, however, I still think this book was dulled down. Yes, it’s a YA book, yes! But I’ve been thinking kids are smarter than they look. I believe the richness of themes means exploring every facet of the theme so we can think critically about it. Nuance was not here in the conclusion, but I guess it did do a good job exemplifying how emotionally taxing it can be to confront the place you left behind that doesn’t feel like you belong anymore.
I give it that.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
C R I T I C A L C O M M E N T A R Y
Since the beginning of the series, I knew this book had pretty poignant commentary.
Starting with a society fully built on a military, escalating with a manipulative government—as they tend to be—, and ending with a conclusion to throw it off… it had all the markings for a good critique.
And it did not disappoint.
(Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want any spoilers)
As simplified as it all was, the observations made were accurate. Big empires are weak because they’re big. Their demise seems to be inevitable. That is a fairly good thing to point out if you ask me. I won’t go into specifics because I would be spoiling the whole thing otherwise, but trust me, it has pertinent commentary.
But the best part would be cooperation.
We can build anything with it.
Mark my words.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
P R O P O S E S A L T E R N A T I V E S
I guess I’ll continue where I left off in the previous category.
Cooperation.
With the rise of individuality over the years, it’s great to see how we’re bringing cooperation back into the mix. I’m not sure if it’s only me, but I seem to find TV series gravitate out of collaboration and more into personal power. Which is not a bad thing entirely, but we forget how important communities are.
A hundred points for bringing it back.
…Though it might not be all that strange in YA to happen, whatever.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
To make a long story short, this book got:
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