Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this ahead of it's release in exchange for a review! Anyway! I fell in love with Claudia Gray's writing after I read her Star Wars YA novel "Lost Stars" (Star Wars + YA = the best of all worlds), and this book was no exception. There were the occasional annoyances typical in YA writing (do we really need to be reminded every other paragraph how much better and awesome than a human Abel is?), but still, even with it's flaws I loved this book. It's like if Firefly joined forces with Westworld and Star Trek. Loved it. Desperate for a sequel already. Please write more stuff, Claudia Gray. I need it.

For starters, I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, AI, other planets in the universe, etc, but I absolutely loved this story! The description of Defy the Stars had me intrigued.
I have to say, it wasn't until about 30% into the story that I was really hooked.

The top 3 things that I absolutely love about the book:
1. The main character is female and hispanic (YASS!)
2. The development of the characters, Abel's human emotions, Noemi realizing who she truly is and what Abel is
3. The story being told from both main characters point of view.

I loveeeeeee books with multiple narrators, Breaking Dawn pt 2, Salt to the Sea, Glimmer, Marie Lu's Legend, Dark Places, Allegiant, The Night Circus, just to name a few and now I can add Defy the Stars to the list.

What had me the most interested and hooked was watching Abel grow into his character. Everything he experienced, thought, felt, wondered, was fascinating. I love human behavior and Gray does a great job allowing Abel to grow into something he shouldn't be. A lot of his mannerisms reminded me of a person on the spectrum. I know that he is a machine but his logical responses, usually underlined with sarcasm, pride, or wit, where so human like, which makes the reader fall even more in love with Abel, who can't help that he was created and not human and doesn't allow that to determine who he will be. I also truly enjoyed Abel and Noemi's relationship. Abel helps Noemi realize her true worth and potential and in return she helps Abel become more human.

My issues with this book:
THE ENDING! As with almost every book I read I guess. For such an action packed adventure they embarked on, the ending pales in comparison to the entire book. I would have truly appreciated an epilogue to give the reader some closure. But honestly, the ending is open to the reader's imagination. I have already envisioned the ending that would have made me very happy. A sequel to Defy the Stars would be pretty awesome, Just saying *hint hint*.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the story as a whole.

DEFY THE STARS was a very engaging science fiction story. Noemi Vidal is an orphan, a pilot, and a member of a suicide squad determined to close the gate that brings forces from Earth who are trying to conquer her planet Genesis. Earth has worn itself out and needs new planets. However, the settlers on Genesis are willing to fight a war to keep Earth from destroying their planet.

On a training run, Noemi's friend Esther is injured and Noemi's only hope is to take her to a derelict ship near the gate in the hopes that the sick bay will have what she needs to help her friend. Noemi doesn't realize the the derelict ship has been the prison for an advanced mech for the last thirty years.

Abel is the first and greatest creation of cyberneticist Burton Mansfield. Mansfield also created the twenty-six other varieties of mech who do all sorts of jobs on Earth and the other Earth-seeded planets. From medicine to the military, various mechs are built for the various jobs. Abel is one of a kind however and his thirty years in isolation have let him develop new talents that his creator didn't anticipate.

When Noemi and Abel first meet, it is at the point of a gun. But Abel pledges his service to Noemi since his programming dictates that he serve the highest human authority on the vessel. Neither trusts the other at all. Noemi has been taught, and experience has shown her, that any mech is evil. Abel really wants to return to Burton Mansfield but years of loneliness overcome that wish.

When Abel tells Noemi that there is a way to disrupt the gate that won't require the suicide run that is in the plans, Noemi decides to take that option. They need things not available on the ship or on Genesis and need to go through the gate to the larger universe belong.

As they travel from planet to planet to get what they need, they both see what conditions are like for the humans on other planets and see that a resistance movement opposed to Earth's policies has been developing. They also both see that the need for another home for humans is becoming more and more desperate.

Their feeling for each other change as they travel. They make friends. And, eventually, they come up with a plan that won't necessitate the deaths of either of them. But that doesn't mean that they are at all safe. Burton Mansfield has his own plans for Abel and will go to great lengths to accomplish them.

This was excellent science fiction.

I know it's only February, but this book is definitely leading as my favorite book of 2017. I absolutely love the story between Abel and Noemi, I liked that the romance wasn't so in your face and mostly played a back seat to the rest of the story. The adventures they went on and all the different planets were so amazing to read about and made me wish so much that I was living in this world, despite the current war and awfulness going on.

The descriptions of each planet really made me feel like I was there and I could picture exactly what they were like. The other characters in the book are fantastic as well and I really liked all the different personalities that were introduced in this book. I can tell that so many more great things are going to happen between these worlds and everyone that was introduced and I can't wait to see what happens to Abel and Noemi!

as a big fan of Claudia Gray's other books, i was a bit nervous to read this as it's a bit different from what she usually puts out. but i was pleasantly surprised to find that i loved the story of Noemi and Abel. the struggles they go through and the emotions i felt while reading the book made this a fun ride to go on.

I really enjoyed this book! Both Noemi and Abel were compelling characters and I was caught up in the story right away. I barreled my way through this book in one day because I couldn't wait to know how it ended. I really liked the touch of Noemi's religious beliefs and how they influenced her worldview and actions, and how the different religions (and non-religions) coexisted on Genesis. This book was a lot of fun to read.

As I'm a big fan of all things scifi and most definitely all about shows like BSG (Battlestar Galactica) & Humans, I'm likely fairly predisposed to like this book. I'm also one who has accepted that though the tidal wave of YA books is inescapable, those that stand out to me and capture my imagination are few. As an adult, I don't have as much time left on the planet as I did when I was in the YA targeted teenager, so I need to make my reading time really count. Defy the Stars was definitely worth the three days it took me to read it.

Noemi Vidal is winsome and I enjoyed watching her evolve over the course of the story. She begins as a soldier of Genesis who will give her life to save her world & fight any enemy that poses a threat. She ends as a soldier of Genesis who will give her life to save her world & challenge the threat the world has become to itself. The experiences she has in between are what pulled & shaped her and I found it well done. She lost a friend, made more in places unexpected and saw things she never imagined. I enjoyed seeing the worlds on the Loop with her.

And then there's Abel. Skynet should be so lucky. Abel's not just self-aware. Thirty years of accidental isolation have given him unexpected and interesting abilities & characteristics. He's not human but he has humanity. Abel's definitely a person. And he also has some of the best insights and lines in this book while still maintaining sincerity and innocence.

"Some aspects of humanity were programmed very badly." - Abel

Too true and that is on display here. There's a bio-weapon gone awry, terrorist bombings by a cell of Remedy (a loosely connected group opposing Earth's tyranny), planetary disparity & a Nobel Prize winning scientist that is, in my estimation, damned near mad with his long game plan to circumvent mortality. On the upside, we do get to see the best of humanity on display here also and as in life, so it is in books, they are always a welcome surprise & I look forward to seeing more of them in the next book.

Random thoughts & observations:

1) Rare is the book that makes me realized I need to watch a movie but that happened here & I seriously need to check out Casablanca. I think I'd have been more moved by the references herein.

2) I'm all in on the personhood of Abel but I don't know if he's feeling love for Noemi. I mean, what sentient being wouldn't glom onto the first other sentient being they've been around after 30 years of complete isolation? Still, I liked how this thread was handled. Very deft.

3) The Queen mech choosing to remove her upgrade or as Abel put it, "chose to be something instead of someone", didn't quite work for me for reasons having to do with sentience & abilities of mechs not like Abel, as laid out. Still, it's one small thing in a lot of good.

Definitely recommended. If you're like me & don't go for a lot of YA but you do love science fiction, give this one a read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Defy the Stars was a wonderfully enthralling new Light Young Adult Sci-Fi. By the time the second chapter closed, which was told from Abel's POV, I was hooked. This book was hard to put down. In some ways it was totally predictable—you know these two are going to work together and maybe get some feelings going, creating chemistry. Yet, in other ways, this one felt so fresh and new, and that was mainly due to the enjoyable and delightfully engaging voice of narration from Abel, and the lovely and touching bittersweet ending.

Abel is a mech. Now, to me the word "mech" is a large exo-suit of armor ... think Tony Stark in the huge Hulkbuster Iron Man suit from Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Construct-o-Mech skeleton Emmet from The Lego Movie, or even the soliders' ammo/armor suits in Edge of Tomorrow. So, it took me a while to reconcile the description of Abel with more of a traditional android or cyborg.

What didn't take me long to see was the fantastic narrative created by Abel's character. These two juxtaposed narratives are what allows the author to both show and tell throughout the story. By exploring the world through Abel's analytical eyes and neural processor, we can be told who Noemi is through his assumptions and the results of his observations. Seeing the world through Noemi's eyes and emotionally based brain and heart, we see the typical character novel and rationale of showing Noemi to the reader. We see her courage and generosity, her hurt and her rawness, as well as being told how courageous, resourceful, and unique she is from Abel reconciling his visual input.

Where Abel is literal and methodical in his reasoning, which is just both hilarious and informative at various times, Noemi is a wonderful combination of hard-steeled outer and a soft, gooey inner that she keeps hidden very well. Noemi is damaged and hurting, and her own personal task comes with having to reconcile Abel's humanness. Noemi talks about trying to find her personal moment of grace, understanding where she fits within the religions on her planet, Genesis. And, ironic enough, Abel's thirty years alone allowed him the chance to look within himself and have his own kind of moment of grace. Abel's uniqueness—no other mech was ever built to match how exceptional and human-like he is—is equal to saying every human being is unique, and that makes him extraordinary in a wonderfully ordinary way. These two characters complemented and played off each other in such splendid ways that I found myself wanting more. I loved that the novel closed like a stand-alone, but I wouldn't be opposed to revisiting these characters or this world with another book.

Simply stunning! "Defy the Stars" is a beautiful and incredible YA sci-fi. We begin with Noemi, a 17-year-old soldier from Genesis, a planet formerly settled by Earth and now engaged in full combat with Earth. Earth is dying and they want to take over Genesis. Genesis is free from pollutions and well maintained- they are worried Earth will destroy their planet too. Noemi is one of the soldiers who has volunteered to go on The Masada Run- a suicide mission intended to buy Genesis more time from Earth's attacks. Genesis is connected to the other planets of the Loop through gates in space. It is through these gates that the "mechs" or mechanical robots from Earth (named between B-Z, each letter having a different purpose; e.g. Charlies and Queens are the fighters) come.

While doing a scouting mission for the Masada Run, they detect some Earth mechs who have come through to attack. They must fight, and in the process, Noemi's adoptive sister, Esther, is attached. Noemi must save her at any cost and flies onto an abandoned spacecraft from Earth. Little does she know, there is a mech onboard who has been stranded for 30 years. Abel is something different and something special. There had been rumors of an A-model, but no one has actually heard of one. Abel also carries knowledge that could prevent the Masada Run and needless loss of life.

Together, Abel and Noemi embark on a quest throughout the galaxy and around the loop to save Genesis. Along their quest, there are some big questions the book poses, such as what it means to be human and have a soul- but also what is life and love. It is a beautifully intricate tale that grips you from the first chapters and carries you throughout. The book also addresses some other big points in terms of humanity's future and values as they travel from planet to planet- including some big things like elitism (intelligence and economic), refugees, terrorism, etc.

This is absolutely brilliant book, and I loved it! I am so sad that it ended; Gray has really outdone herself on this one. If you loved her Firebird series, you will love this one even more! The ending is not final but open, and I wish so much the next book was already here! This is an incredible series, and I cannot wait to continue it. This is definitely one of my newest favorite books!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

That cover! Beautiful!
I was not entirely a fan of Gray’s Firebird series, so going into this book was a little frightening. But nevertheless, I tried anyway.
And to be quite honest, I’m glad that I did. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but when are books ever exactly how you want them to be.
I really enjoyed the space odyssey. However, to say that I was disappointed is an understatement. I was expecting better clarification. I understand including definitions may disconnect from the story or just aren’t relevant because the characters already know what exactly what it is and what it does.
The writing was just as I remembered it to be. Tweeny. Yes, this book is for young adults, but most teens have a stronger vocabulary than this. Nevertheless, I was determined not to let that be my downfall.
The characters were all right. Abel was the most promising by far considering how much he had changed from the beginning. It was an unusual romance, which surprisingly, I found myself interested in. But the cliches did deter my enthusiasm slightly.
Overall, I wasn’t blown away by this book. I felt a slight breeze and that was it.

I loved this book! Exciting and entertaining! The characters were fantastic. I loved them! It was so well written and the plot was extremely intriguing. Everything about this story was absolutely fabulous. I loved every minute of it and I couldn't put it down. Now the long wait for part 2....

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fantastic world building and intriguing plot. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Data falls in love! I mean, sure, he's a 'mech' and not an 'android', but same difference here. This novel explores self-awareness, humanity, and the dangers of dogma in a tightly-wrapped, sweet space-apocalyptic-future romance.

Noemi is determined to die, as she has convinced herself that her life has value only in sacrificing it for what she has been told is a better cause, and for those she believes to be better people. Abel is resigned to die, as he is convinced that it is his mech lot in life. Of course the two of them meet, and enemies-by-definition become something more as they travel the Loop and learn more about humanity and themselves in the process. Their respective emptinesses are filled with unexpected friends, discoveries, and disappointments.

While there were topics that felt glossed over a bit too abruptly, such as Esther's relationship with her family and significant other, and the sudden relevance and history of Darius Akide, the ending was hopeful in many ways without being a cliffhanger or an obvious plot for the next book(s).

Well-written/edited and concise. Definitely an author and/or series to follow.

I kind of got Defy the Stars on a whim. I got one of those emails from NetGalley that was all like, "READ NOW for the first 500 members!" Those emails always make me panic.

Normally, before I get anything from NetGalley I put it under heavy consideration.

- I read the synopsis like 8 times to make sure I really really REALLY want the book.
- I see if any of my friends have read it already.
- I deeply consider whether I'm ready to read the book NOW (I don't like accepting ARCs to read later).

But when I get those "read now for first 500" emails, I panic. I'm afraid they're going to go so quickly that I need to decide RIGHT THIS SECOND. So all logic and planning goes out the window and I just have a split second to decide.

I guess because of that, I went into Defy the Stars with two things on my mind:

1) I was wary because I rushed into it.
2) I had already forgotten much of the synopsis since I blazed through it so quickly.

Then, in the first few pages, religion kept popping up unexpectedly (a lot of "the word of God" and stuff like that). I'm not a religious person and don't particularly enjoy reading about it, so this worried me. I was wondering if I unknowingly stumbled onto a religious book.

But I decided to keep going and see what the book had to offer... and it blew me away! It soared passed any of my expectations. And honestly, it ended up being EXACTLY what I wanted to read in that moment. (And if you’re curious, the religion bits died down and weren’t a huge part of the book.)

I had just finished Illuminae (LOVE LOVE LOVE) and was desperately waiting for my order of Gemina to arrive. I was hungry for more sci-fi. Not only was Defy the Stars great sci-fi, but it was also surprisingly similar to Illuminae. Not in a copy cat way, but in an, "If you liked Illuminae you'll really love this next" kind of way. The presentation is TOTALLY different (if you've read Illuminae you know how crazy unique it is), but the premise is similar: space travel, space warfare, artificial intelligence, robots, virus, other planets. Very, very cool.

I loved the technology, the space travel, the main character, the adventure, the conflict.. It was all SO GOOD and SO INTERESTING! I adored it! I can't wait to read more. ♥

Definitely recommend a thousand times over if you're into sci-fi and/or loved Illuminae!

Actual rating 3.5. First, I am not the biggest sci-fi fan in the world, so there was a lot of wording I was bored with. The characters, however, I loved! Noemi is strong and awesome, and Abel is funny even when he isn't trying to be. At first he seemed very robotic which makes sense because he is a mech, but he starts to really grow as the book progresses. There was a lot of action that I liked, but I still would rather read a fantasy book any day.