Mundie Moms

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Book Review: DEFIANCE by C.J. Redwine



Published by: Balzar & Bray
To Be Released on: August 28th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Teen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. -quoted from Harper Teen

What an absolutely stunning debut! C.J. Redwine's writing is poignant, her storytelling is mesmerizing and her world building is incredible. I loved everything about this book. DEFIANCE is a well crafted story that had my complete attention from the moment I started it, and it still has me wanting to crawl back through it's page long after I've finished it. It's one of those books that takes you on an incredible journey, introduces to you unforgettable characters, treats to a story unlike one you've read about before, and gifts you with moments of romance, heartbreak, action, and well, defiance.

It's that defiance, or as I like to refer to it as stubbornness, that makes Rachel a stand out character for me. Her defiance is one of her greatest strengths and biggest dawn falls. She's an incredibly strong women who thinks quickly on her feet, is fiercely independent, and has this loyal devotion to those she loves. I admired her and the choices she makes in this story. Regardless of some of the not so fun consequences she deals with from her actions, I found myself relating to her often and cheering her on. Had I been in her shoes, I would have done many of the same things she did. I loved feeling like I really got to know her as a character. She came to life for me in so many ways. It wasn't just the fact she acted more like a tom boy vs the obedient women those of her time were expected to be like, but the comfort she had in her own skin is one of the things I loved the most about her! She embraced the women she is and the girl her father raised her to be, despite not having a mother around for her. I seriously loved her for that.

I also liked understanding why when I first met her she had her emotional wall up, and getting to see her slowly but surly bring it down further and further the more I got to see Logan and Rachel interact. Logan, WOW, what an amazing hot boy with sword. I loved him as much as I loved Rachel, because again I felt like I really got to know him. His honesty with his insecurities with himself made him both vulnerable in ways I don't always see a main character/hero mention, and it made him relatable and realistic, because I got to know him and understand him. I loved seeing him grow from a little bit of unease in his new roll to the fierce, loyal protector other people saw in him. He truly is the perfect match for Rachel. These two have an amazing chemistry, and it was such a breath of fresh air to see them work through their feelings of hurt, of insecurities, and watch their relationship grow into something strong and immovable. C.J. Redwine rocks with sizzling character chemistry and writing hot scenes!

Character wise, DEFIANCE has solid, dimensional characters that allowed me, the reader, to truly understand them. It wasn't just the two main characters I enjoyed reading about, but the other characters who are apart of Rachel and Logan's world. I connected with them on emotional levels despite the fact I didn't grow up in this time period, nor have I dwelt with most of the things Rachel and Logan do. I felt like I understood the reasoning behind their motives, I got what drove them to action, as well what motivated them emotionally. The characters complimented the storyline perfectly, and I loved getting caught up everything that goes on within the pages of this book. 

C.J.'s world building is seriously awesome. I love, love, love reading books that have a timeless feel to them, and have a world that is historic, and yet unique and creative to the story it's apart of. It's unlike any other world, yet similar to a few of my other favorite reads this year. Once again I am in awe over this year's debut books that I've fallen in love with. This is one book that stands out among the many YA books I've had the pleasure of reading not just this year, but as a whole. I highly recommend this book. I could go on and on about my love for it, but I'd either end up spoiling something or boring you guys to death over my list. If you haven't already, go pick this one up! I can guarantee you, you will find this book near the top of my top ten list at the end of the year. This book is phenomenal. I want more!


Don't miss my Defiance blog tour/ interview stop from earlier this morning with C.J., here

DEFIANCE Blog Tour: Interview with Author C.J. Redwine

I'm so excited about today's DEFIANCE blog tour stop, as I have debut author C.J. Redwine on the blog! YAY! First off I have to say HAPPY RELEASE DAY to C.J., as DEFIANCE is finally out in stores! If you guys haven't yet put this book on your to read list or your must acquire book, I highly recommend it. I'll have my review up later today and you can read all about my fan girling over it. 




Hi CJ! Congratulations on your debut, and happy RELEASE DAY! I can only imagine how excited you are to see your "baby" out in the world. What are you going to do to celebrate Defiance's release?

EAT CAKE. Seriously. I mean, I'm also having a launch party here in town and then an online lauch party on Thursday night to celebrate, and those will be awesome. But CAKE. That's the crucial thing to remember. ALL THE CAKE.

I LOVED this book. Your storyline, your characters, the world building, and everything is amazing. What was your favorite element to write/create?

I really loved my characters. Logan took a super long time to get to know, but once I figured him out and put him and Rachel into a room together, sparks (definitely not always the romantic kind!) flew. I enjoyed the way my characters broke down and then got back up, lessons learned, stronger than ever after my plot slapped them in the face. That makes me sound super evil. Hmm ... *wisely says nothing more*

Rachel is a fabulous protagonist. What's something you admire about her and the choices she made in Defiance?

I admire the way she just wears her emotions on her sleeve and acts on them. It got her in a lot of hot water, but I had to stand back and admire the tenacity with which she clung to her beliefs and the lengths she was willing to go for them.

Who are some of your favorite heroines and what qualities, if any, did you use from them and give to Rachel?

I have a LOT of favorite heroines. Hermoine, Becks from Everneath, Lucy from Narnia, Elisa from Girl of Fire & Thorns, and Anne from Green Gables, to name a few. I think a strong heroine is one who grows to understand and accept who she really is and then stays true to that in the face of opposition. Rachel grows a lot in Defiance, and she's many steps closer to understanding and accepting herself. I also think a strong heroine is one who knows how to keep an open heart and doesn't close herself off after getting hurt. Rachel hasn't quite learned that one yet, but I think she might. :)

What was one of  your favorite scenes or chapters to write?

I loved writing the lake scene. ;D You know the one ... So much fun to let them have a reward for all the crap they'd been through.

If you could put one of your favorite fictional characters into Rachel's story, who would you choose and why?

Samwise Gamgee. Such a loyal, hard-working hobbit! I think Rachel and Logan could really use a loyal friend with Sam's kind of wisdom. Plus, who doesn't love a hobbit?

Speed Round:

When writing, music or no music? Music!

A tropical get away or a mountain hide away? Can't I have both?

Who would you want to be stuck on a deserted island with: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr), or James Bond (Daniel Craig)? YES

Favorite place to read? Bed

You know I have to ask this, a Shadowhunter or Hot Boy w/ Sword? Lol, with all due respect to Shadowhunters, my Logan is a Hot Boy w/Sword so I'm going to have to be on his team. :)

Thank you CJ for stopping by Mundie Moms today! Have a fabulous time at your launch party tonight. Be sure to stop by and read my 5 star review here.




Published by: Balzar & Bray
To Be Released on: August 28th, 2012
Purchase from: Harper Teen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. -quoted from Harper Teen

About the Author:



Follow CJ on: her Website her blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

TMI Movie News: Cassie Talks About Meeting The Cast



Seriously, if you guys weren't already fan girling/ or fan boying over all the TMI on set accounts and pictures, wait till you read this post. Cassie was recently asked if she could tell fans a little bit about the TMI movie cast. This was her response, which she posted yesterday on tumblr:

"Can you tell us about meeting the cast?"
Um, sure!


I went up to Toronto on my way to Europe (long story) right before they started filming to look at sets and see props and say hi to people. The movie people I know best are not the cast, but the producers, like Robert from Constantin, and Eric from Sony, and Jessica, the screenwriter. (Who you can follow at https://twitter.com/JessPostigo — she often tweets in Spanish which is good for my Spanish-speaking readers.)

I saw sets and props and Jocelyn’s paintings and other cool things I am not allowed to talk about because I got one of those letters that you have to sign that says you won’t talk about anything you see or they will bury you in a parking lot in Burbank.

The actors were doing fight training most of the day anyway. Kevin came by to show us they’d dyed his hair black and Jemima came by to show the runes they’d painted on her. The Voyance rune was partway up her wrist so I grabbed her hand and explained how the Voyance rune goes on the back of your dominant hand, whichever one you use to hold weapons. Jemima was patient and did not hit me for manhandling her.

I mostly got to talk to the cast at dinner because the producers were being magnanimous and said, “Cassie, sit with your Shadowhunters.” It was basically all Shadowhunters because it was those members of the cast that needed to be there for fight training (minus Valentine but either Jonathan Rhys Meyers comes with built in fight training or he’s doing it later. :)

The cast seemed a bunch of sweet kind funny people who had obviously developed a good rapport. Lily showed me the terrifying bruises she is covered with from her fight training. They told me Jamie can do a somersault in midair and stick the landing (so I suppose there’s always the Olympics in his future.) We discussed Lily’s hair color (I like it. I never thought of Clary as having orange-red hair, but more dark red and fiery.)

I had my phone out so Robert asked me if I had tweeted about dinner. I was still terrified of the Burbank parking lot so I held my hands up and said “Not a word.” He got an evil smile and said, “Why don’t you?” so I tweeted that I was having dinner with Jemima, Kevin, Aidan, Lily, and Jamie.

I flipped my phone over, waited five minutes, flipped it back over and was like, “Well… 400 or so mentions, all about you guys.” Then they all started leaning over the table because everyone was curious. I read as many of your guys’ tweets aloud as I could except NOT THE PORNOGRAPHIC ONES because yikes. 

Me: Um, Kevin, someone wants to know if you are as happy looking in the mirror every morning as they are looking at your face.

Aidan: Tell them for me that he is.

Me: Lily, someone really loves you, and also your hair, and also Jamie.

Jamie: I am after hair?

Me: Someone would like you to know you are a very good-looking cast.

Aidan: It’s true, everyone is very good-looking. I mean, not me. Everyone else!

Me: Someone wants to know what your Shadowhunter gear looks like.

Kevin: My pants are very tight. I put on tight pants today, went into the fight training room, six guys punched me, and then I threw up.

Me: I am…sorry about that. Also everyone wants to know where Robbie and Godfrey are.

Kevin then asked the “Yeah, where’s my boyfriend?” question and Lily and Jamie opined that Robbie was great and had done an amazing audition, and one of them opined that he wasn’t bad-looking either but I will not say which one.

Jemima was also very pleased she had gotten Izzy’s whip to crack on the first try. She is super sweet and speaks perfect French (as I think does Kevin, or he does an amazing job of pretending) so if you’re wondering if someone tweeting is really Jemima you can always test her French. :)

I’ll be back on set in September and I am looking forward to seeing my Shadowhunters again as well as Simon and Magnus. It is a lovely weird experience having dinner with what feels like your own characters. Not many people get to have it so I feel very lucky and I am glad I brought my phone because it was like bringing a piece of you all with me. :)

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