Defy the Fates

Defy the Fates is the third and final book in the Constellation Series written by Claudia Gray

Synopsis

Brief summary of the end of Defy the Worlds: Noemi and Abel have brought an army of Vagabonds to the Genesis system, and have helped to forge an alliance that will hopefully lead to the end of the Liberty War. Earth launched an attack on Genesis and the Genesis army and the vagabonds started to fight back. Abel used his abilities as a mech to hack into the fighter mechs attacking Genesis and rendered them unable to fight, thereby basically guaranteeing Genesis’ victory against Earth. After the victory Darius Akide, arrives on the Persephone, and attempts to kidnap Abel and force him to seal the gate between Genesis and Earth; an act that will cause Abel’s destruction. Noemi arrived on the Persephone in time to see Darius Akide standing over Abel’s body, she attempts to stop him and Darius shoots her in the abdomen at point blank range. Abel becomes conscious and in a rage over Noemi’s death kills Darius. He then decides to do anything necessary to save Noemi, including taking her back to Haven and fixing her with mech parts- even though the price will probably be his soul.

Summary of Defy the Fates: Abel has placed Noemi in a life support pod, in order to preserve her until he can save her life. He plans to take her to Gillian Shearer, on Haven, as she has a laboratory containing everything he needs. He is willing to barter his life to save Noemi, as the Gillian will want Abel’s body as payment for Noemi’s life. Upon awakening Noemi discovers that she is no longer completely human, but neither is she completely mech; she is something new. She also realizes that Abel has sacrificed himself for her, but she cannot sit back and let him die. The two of them have to fight for not only their lives but also for their right to be free, in this epic conclusion to the Constellation trilogy.

I have been saying since my first review of this series that Claudia Gray does a great job of adding in humor to her writing. While I don’t normally put quotes in my reviews as it is hard to keep the review spoiler free, I felt like this quote gives away nothing while also highlighting the humor:

“[He] once dreamed he had become a lasagna—to be specific, a lasagna with opinions about politics, frustrated about its inability to share these thoughts with a galaxy not yet ready to listen to pasta.”

I laughed so loudly I scared my dogs. Apparently the sound of my joy is unfamiliar to them…

This book did feel a little choppy to me while reading it. It felt like the characters were doing things just to do them, and I couldn’t see what the author intended with some of the scenes. However, it all makes sense in the end. Every scene and encounter has a purpose, and it all comes together in an epic finale.

The only real complaint I have is that I wish the Epilogue was longer. I don’t need a Cassandra Claire epilogue that is 1/3 of the whole novel or a Sarah J Maas “novella” to sum up this book (I say this with great love and affection for both of these authors), but I honestly felt a little cheated of how little time we get to spend with the characters at the end of the series. After three books I have devoted a significant amount of emotional energy into these characters and I wish there was more pay off. That being said, I still love the series and this book and I would still read the whole thing over again if I had the chance.

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.

Side Effects

Drowning in a lake of your own tears

insomnia caused by not being able to put the book down

Probably will cause grown men to cry- my husband has yet to finish it, but he is a big softy so I’m just assuming he will.

Final Thoughts

Claudia Gray has written a wonderful finale to her Constellation trilogy. It is just as compelling as the first two and wraps up the storyline in a satisfying way.

This whole series would be great for a book club, as there is plenty of discussion worthy topics. I personally would love to talk to someone who has also read these books, because I have a lot of feelings, so leave a comment if you want to discuss!

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