Review: Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray
Narrator: Nate Begle, Kasey Lee Huizinga
Series: Constellation #2
Published by Hachette Audio on 2018-04-03
Age Range: 14+
Length: 481 pages
Length: 10 hours and 45 minutes
Listening Speed: 2x
Reviewing Audiobook, eBook from Audible, Library
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2025 Audiobook Challenge, 2025 Beat the Backlist, 2025 Library Love

This is the thrilling and romantic sequel to Defy the Stars from the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Lost Stars and Bloodline.

An outcast from her home -- Shunned after a trip through the galaxy with Abel, the most advanced cybernetic man ever created, Noemi Vidal dreams of traveling through the stars one more time. And when a deadly plague arrives on Genesis, Noemi gets her chance. As the only soldier to have ever left the planet, it will be up to her to save its people...if only she wasn't flying straight into a trap.

A fugitive from his fate -- On the run to avoid his depraved creator's clutches, Abel believes he's said good-bye to Noemi for the last time. After all, the entire universe stands between them...or so he thinks. When word reaches him of Noemi's capture by the very person he's trying to escape, Abel knows he must go to her, no matter the cost.

But capturing Noemi was only part of Burton Mansfield's master plan. In a race against time, Abel and Noemi will come together once more to discover a secret that could save the known worlds, or destroy them all.

In this thrilling and romantic sequel to Defy the Stars, bestselling author Claudia Gray asks us all to consider where--and with whom--we truly belong.

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray is the exciting sequel in the Constellation which features a soldier and mech working together to save the galaxy. It’s been several months since Noemi’s adventure across the galaxy to find a way to save her home planet of Genesis. She’s been treated as an outcast since her return, and she feels more lost now than she did traveling in space with Abel. Abel has taken the Damocles ship and renamed it Persephone. He hired a couple of humans and has adopted the Vagabond life, traveling across the galaxy and working odd jobs, keeping himself away from his creator who wants to erase him. But then word reaches him that Noemi is on Earth and the reasons are dire.

Noemi had really come into her personality and what she believed in by the end of book one. She knew that Genesis was her home, and she would die to save it, but only if it was required. She delivered a way to prevent mass casualities, but her home world is questioning her, punishing her for abandoning her post and not reporting to a senior officer first. Now Earth has launched a bioweapons attack, infecting the entire planet with Cobweb, a nasty virus that kills a third of those who contract it. But this time it seems stronger, more lethal. Noemi is instructed by the council to cross the Genesis Gate and deliver their surrender, but once she does, mechs are waiting for her to bring her Burton Mansfield, Abel’s creator, disrupting her mission and any chance she has of saving Genesis.

Abel is traveling around the galaxy with Zayan and Harriet, two Vagabonds he and Noemi met in book one. Together they are working odd jobs and traveling the galaxy. Abel has become more human with his realization that he loves Noemi. He misses her, a constant ache in his chest. He hopes one day that he can make the necessary connections to return to Genesis and help them stop the war that has been raging between their planets. But when Burton Mansfield contacts him, and he has Noemi, Abel’s plans are thrown off course. He is given only one option: surrender himself and Noemi lives. If he doesn’t arrive within 48 hours, Mansfield will kill Noemi.

I loved this installment. It is just as exciting as the first and plot-driven. The plot moves at a break-neck pace. Told from alternating POV, we are given a glimpse at what is happening with both Abel and Noemi until they are finally back together. Noemi has been kidnapped by Mansfield to lure Abel back so that he can transfer his consciousness into Abel, effectively killing him. While she was willing to die for Genesis if necessary, she will die for Abel. Being a mech, Abel is able to make plans and think on the fly much better than a human. He devises a way to save Noemi, but doesn’t realize what that may cost.

Overall, I really enjoyed Defy the Worlds. Abel and Noemi are a force when they are together. I love how simple and complicated their relationship is. On a new planet, with enemies on either side of them, they must find a way to survive and save Genesis. Thrills and romance abound! If you are a fan of the series, sci-fi, or looking for a new read, I highly recommend it.

Audiobook Note: I switched to listening around the 30% mark. I had listened to book one on my re-read and decided I liked the narrators enough to find an audiobook copy of this one as well. Both bring life to Noemi and Abel. Highly recommend this format if you enjoy listening.

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