All that’s Missing is an EPIC Space Battle! Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray Audiobook Review

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Don’t want to read the whole review?  Click to jump to the Skinny Review.

I have no reason why I love reading about artificial intelligence and this book HAS one! Think YA Star Wars! Sure, the start was a little slow, but the story picked up speed as I got immersed into the world.

Defy the Stars is about two unlikely heroes, an android named Abel and a teen soldier named Noemi. Noemi inadvertently rescues Abel from his prison where he has been stuck in for about thirty years. These two become allies as they try to stop an all-out war between Earth and Genesis, the second Earth.

Multiple POV

I love that this book is written in the third person but in 2 POVs, Abel and Noemi. I love that we are able to take a peek into Abel’s developing personality and feelings and it made me connect with him and I actually felt that he was human!

In SPACE!

98% of the story takes place in space! And I absolutely LOVE it! Apparently, space has been the trend lately in books and even in movies, too! I love the worldbuilding here since Gray made me feel that I was in space! Or the space that I imagine.

Slow Burn

I also love that the romance is very subtle. It’s not even prominent in this book and that was so refreshing. I love the interactions between Noemi and Abel. I love how Abel tries to rationalize his recently discovered feelings between the world, the war, and of course, the feelings he is developing for Noemi.

I saw the twist light years away!

Well, forgive the pun, but I knew a few chapters in who the main villain is. It’s not really as obvious but I already saw it coming. But still, knowing didn’t lessen my enjoyment.

I also love that the main plot of the book isn’t about romance, but about Abel’s coming of age, so to speak. I also how right and wrong is somehow blurred.

This book is a set-up!

Basically, nothing really happens in this book. There is NO epic space battle here and I am very, very disappointed with that. I wish there was AT LEAST some action. So in essence, this book is really a set-up for the next book in the series. Sure, I still enjoyed it, but I think it needed more action.

The Ending

While I am not a fan of the ending, I like the set-up for the second book. This doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, so I am very happy about it.

I do hope to see more of Abel and Noemi in future books. I really NEED more action and adventure, of course!

The Audiobook

I had a hard time with the audiobook that I had to speed it up at 1.2x on Overdrive because both the male and female narrators were narrating really, really slow. Also, their tone sounded so robotic that it really took away from my enjoyment. I’m even surprised that I was able to finish listening to the audio because both the narrators were annoying.

Books like Defy the Stars

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is an EPIC book with amazing battles! Also, this happens in space!
• Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza is about an advanced android! OMG! This series is really underrated and I hope more people read this book.

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Do you ever finish an audiobook even though you don’t like the narrator(s)?

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