I was definitely not expecting to like 'Defy the Stars' as much as I did. In all honesty, the cover with the two teens staring deeply into each other's eyes makes it look like a somewhat trashy romance. (The new covers with the planets and blocky font are so much better and align with more closely with the content of this novel, which I'm so glad about.) I think this book banks too much on romance with the tagline and cover - whilst there is romance, it is far from being the central issue of the narrative all the time. 'Defy the Stars' is undoubtedly more action and adventure than romance.
Nevertheless, the fascinating thing about 'Defy the Stars' is that it brought up dilemmas of morality I found personally fascinating: when does a machine come human, what is a soul, what does it really mean to be human? Abel is one of the most fascinating characters I've read in a while - he is blunt due to his nature as a mech, but never boring. His frankness brought many comedic scenarios into the narrative. I loved his development as he became more human throughout the book.
Noemi was equally wonderful as a heroine. She was level-headed and thoughtful, and I liked that she was Chilean! It was really nice to see a lot of diversity in this book.
World-building was great - there was so much scientific jargon that it was undoubtedly science fiction, and I enjoyed that. All in all, a really wonderful book and I look forward to the sequel!
Nevertheless, the fascinating thing about 'Defy the Stars' is that it brought up dilemmas of morality I found personally fascinating: when does a machine come human, what is a soul, what does it really mean to be human? Abel is one of the most fascinating characters I've read in a while - he is blunt due to his nature as a mech, but never boring. His frankness brought many comedic scenarios into the narrative. I loved his development as he became more human throughout the book.
Noemi was equally wonderful as a heroine. She was level-headed and thoughtful, and I liked that she was Chilean! It was really nice to see a lot of diversity in this book.
World-building was great - there was so much scientific jargon that it was undoubtedly science fiction, and I enjoyed that. All in all, a really wonderful book and I look forward to the sequel!