Holy shit... this is so freaking good. 
 This is me right now: 
 I'm totally surprised and delighted by how much I loved Defy the Stars. The only other book that I've read of Claudia Gray's was A Thousand Pieces of You and I wasn't really a fan of it. But since life is funny sometimes, I happened to meet Claudia Gray so I bought Defy the Stars and she signed it so I decided to give it a twirl since the blurb sounded so cool. Then I read the first sentence and I was so hooked it was crazy. 
 "In three weeks Noemi Vidal will die - Here, in this very place. Today is just practice." 
 It bears repeating: Holy shit... this is so freaking good. 
 It's rare when a book can sustain such even pacing. Defy the Stars has a plot that will have you one moment at the edge of your seat in suspense and at other moments comfortably snuggled in your chair smiling at the heartwarming moments and laughing at the hilarious ones. The gist of the plot is that there are several colonized worlds that people live on and Earth is basically a big jerk who has them all under their thumb. Noemi is from the planet Genesis which has taken a hard stance against Earth and has declared independence from them. Abel is a "mech" or "cyborg" out of lack of a better term created by Burton Mansfield of Earth. There are 25 common models of mechs named accordingly from B - Z in this universe and Abel is the sole "A" model. He is a mech beyond all other mechs and is so sophisticated that he has formed a full-fledged consciousness or a "soul" as Noemi refers to it. Noemi and Abel work to overcome their mutual prejudices and team up to help save Genesis from further attacks from Earth. In doing so, they travel to all the other worlds and meet all sorts of different and quirky people. There's a resistance building against Earth and maybe if Genesis combines forces with the resistance, then the colony worlds may have an actual chance at standing up to Earth. Because let me tell you... Earth is up to some shady shit! Along the way both Abel and Noemi learn a great deal about themselves and love and what it means to truly be human. 
 "As a mech it is pleasant, if ironic, to be told you have a kind heart." 
 Even if this was just about Noemi and Abel just growing as individuals and none of the diabolical Earth plots were involved it still would have been incredibly compelling. The characterizations are so nuanced and at times even subtle that they act like and feel like real people. There's also the moral dilemma about what it is to be human. Abel is a mech whose brain can think its own thoughts and he can have real emotions so the nature of his existence is in flux. Thus the existential crisis at the heart of Defy the Stars is the familiar one of figuring out who you really are and what your place in the universe is. In his growing consciousness, Abel realizes that he has fallen in love with Noemi which is something he wasn't even sure he knew he was capable of. It felt like the organic conclusion to the journey they were on together and a romance didn't feel forced in the least. It just kind of came about naturally between them. Even though their origins are entirely different, they both find a kindred spirit in each other. Both of them have felt cast aside and unwanted for so long that when they realize that they truly don't feel alone when they are together it forms the solid foundation of a lasting friendship. And from there they found their way to each other's hearts. I mean... this relationship will probably be rather difficult considering Abel is still a mech and Noemi is still a human so there are some pretty obvious obstacles in considering those two facts. Also Noemi doesn't really know if she "loves" Abel but I think it's obvious that she at the very least cares about him deeply. But I have nothing but hope for them to work it out. I want them to be together so much!!! 
 I loved everything about Defy the Stars and the only thing that has me bummed out is that I have to wait another freaking YEAR for the next, and final, book to come out! A FREAKING YEAR! Abel and Noemi are definitely characters I'm going to think about from time to time and wonder about what they are up to. Claudia Gray has created such an amazingly complex universe with all kinds of different walks of life for these characters to live in. It's so intricate that it makes your imagination soar with all the possibilities because these places and people feel real. I can't wait to see what will happen next! 
 It bears repeating one last time: Holy shit... this is so freaking good.