Defy the Worlds

Defy the Worlds is the Second book in the Constellation Series written by Claudia Gray

Synopsis

The second book begins where the first left off: Noemi and Abel are separated with Noemi having returned to be a soldier for Genesis and Abel piloting his ship the Persephone. When Genesis is exposed to a new threat, Noemi is sent back through the gate to earth seeking to save the people on Genesis before a deadly plague can wipe them all out. Before she can fulfill her quest, however, she is captured by Burton Mansfeild, Abel’s creator, who is planning to use her to bargain with Abel in exchange for Abel’s surrender. Before the trade can be made Burton Mansfeild is forced to flee with Noemi leaving Abel to traverse to the far reaches space in order to save her.

This book is just as wonderful as the first one. It is full of humor, thought provoking concepts and occasionally tragedy.

Noemi and Abel are both wonderful fully fleshed out characters who also have a beautiful budding relationship. One of the best things about the romance in this series is that it never overwhelms the plot, instead through it you can see Abel’s and Noemi’s character growth and development. They are a very unselfish couple, who are extremely supportive and never try to hold the other back from their goals. They are honestly one of the best examples of what YA romance can be.

One of the biggest and most thought provoking themes in this book is the concept of the “prime directive”. Abel has been programmed with a prime directive since his creation, but when he decided not to die to save Burton Mansfield, he cast his prime directive aside. He spends a lot of this novel deciding what his new “prime directive” will be. Noemi, while human and therefore not programmed in the same way Abel was, has still be taught from a young age that her life is not as important as the survival of her planet Genesis; in this book she starts to question whether or not Genesis is worth the cost of her life. She and Abel have many deep discussions about this, when they’re not busy running for their lives or blowing things up.

Recommended For:

Teens and young adults of all ages and older, especially those looking for a great Scifi read.

Contraindications/Cautions:

Trigger warning for scenes of war, that might be disturbing for some readers.

There is also a storyline with a very creepy child; I’m not sure if this actually needs a warning, and I doubt it will make anyone not want to read the book, but if you scare easily just know that there is a very creepy child in this book. You have been warned.

Side Effects

Tears, just crying all the tears- although that honestly might just be me

Cliffhanger of Death that leaves you anxiously awaiting the sequel (which has now been actually been published!)

Has been know to make grown men cry (my husband claims he was “chopping onions” while listening to the audiobook but I refuse to believe him- they were very manly tears and he should not be ashamed of them)

Final Thoughts

This is definitely one of my favorite series. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought provoking YA read.

If you are a fan of the TV show Firefly, this would definitely be a book you want to pick up. It has some very similar themes, and like the TV show, is very funny.

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