Deliverance by C.J. Redwine Series: Defiance #3
Published by Balzer + Bray (8.26.2014)
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 480 pages
Source: Edelweiss
Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One.
Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.
Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.
But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?
My thoughts
I’m sorry to say that this book is my least favorite of the series, but I still enjoyed the journey and I like the way everything was wrapped up in the end. And something I liked – this book was really dark. Most of the book is a major struggle for both Logan and Rachel (especially Rachel). There was a lot of gloom and doom, which really drove home the desperation of the characters.
Sadly the pacing was horribly slow through most of the book. I feel like things were happening but nothing really happened, if that makes any sense! However, the ending was INTENSE. It was totally worth the slow pacing!
Missing him feels like something I was born to do. I breathe. I blink. I miss Logan. I couldn’t stop it if I tried.
As always, I loved Rachel and Logan, as well as their relationship. Their love was beautiful and powerful, the kind that could move mountains. It was truly the driving point of this story. I’m not usually a fan of romance, but it wasn’t like the overwhelming mushy kind. It was simply this: They needed each other. He was the breath she breathed, and vice versa. They would move heaven and earth for each other. They never gave up on each other!
It’s time they understood that there’s a price to pay for hurting innocent people. And I’m just the girl to teach them. […] When the right thing is in front of me, I’ll choose to do it. And I won’t lose myself, because I finally understand the difference between seeking revenge and seeking justice.
Rachel went above and beyond with her badassery this book! She was kick-ass before, but she was even more so this time around. She stayed strong even when things should have reduced her to a broken shell of a person. And even when people were trying their best to break her, she still held her chin high and defied them.
View Spoiler »I loooved the part with the tanniyn! It was pretty epic :D
Favorite quotes
Now I know that sometimes, for better or for worse, people aren’t who they seem to be. Sometimes the thing you think will fix everything ruins it instead. And sometimes what hurts you has to tear you apart before it makes you stronger.
“There are two kinds of people in this world – those who are confident enough to treat others with respect and those who are miserable inside and spend their lives tearing others down because they think it will somehow make up for what they lack.”
If a girl has made up her mind to do something, there’s no point standing in her way unless you prefer to have your dignity, and possibly your nose, ruined.
I lean my forehead to hers and close my eyes as the gift of her love for me, a fierce, indestructible love that would drive her to sacrifice her life to save mine, pours across the broken foundations of my life and lends it strength.
Overall Assessment
Plot: 3.5/5
Writing style: 4.5/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Previous Books
These books seem very interesting. I actually quite like some doom and gloom, so they might be my thing :D I’m glad to hear you liked how the series ended (even if it was your least favourite). It seems like a lot of people have been disappointed with series endings lately, so it’s good that this wasn’t the case.
The idea is very intriguing, you should try picking up Defiance!