Writing is a hard skill to learn, and writing a good story is even harder. That’s why when a book is written right, it can hook you in completely, and engage you into the story. Defy The Stars by Claudia Gray does this in an amazing way. The solid plot, the detailed characters, the clever humor, and the splendid action all come together to create this highly engaging story that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book. 

The plot of Defy The Stars goes like this: In the distant future, Earth became overpopulated and just not a good place to live, so a good chunk of the humans leave Earth and colonize a new planet, called Genesis. Earth doesn’t like this, so Earth and Genesis are constantly at war. A soldier of Genesis, also one of the two main characters, is known as Noemi Vidal. Noemi is a cold, lonely girl, who only felt a connection with Esther, her sister from the family she was adopted by. She cares deeply for her home world, and is willing to die to protect it. Our second main character is Abel, a prototype mech created by Burton Mansfield, creator of all the other 25 models of mech. After a battle against Genesis, Abel is left stranded on an exploration vessel known as Daedalus for 30 years, before Noemi stumbles upon the ship in the middle of another battle against Earth. Noemi finds Abel there, and because of his programming he must obey her. Together, the two set out on their journey through the universe to destroy the stargate that allows Earth to get to Genesis, and permanently end the war.

This book is one of the most interesting stories I’ve read. The plot was solid and engaging, the characters were well made with great personality and clever wit, and the action was fast-paced and fun to read. The story develops the characters and their relationship throughout its entirety, creating a masterpiece of a story.