**This ARC review originally appeared on my blog, She Dreams in Fiction** 
 I have been a fan of this genre for as long as I can remember. Give me a fantasy book and I'm happy as a lark. When I saw the opportunity to read Defy, I had to jump at it! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy I had the chance to read this great debut novel! Sara B. Larson has definitely become an author I eagerly await more from. 
 Alexa Hollen, our kick butt heroine, is definitely a character to watch out for. She's strong, loyal, brave, selfless and is just an all-around good person. I can't even begin to imagine having to keeping my true self secret, let alone the fact that I'm a girl! In the very beginning, Alexa and her twin brother lose their parents in a horrifying act of sorcery. In their kingdom, when children are orphaned, boys are enlisted to train as soldiers and girls are sent to "breeding houses." Ugh. Just thinking about the horror of that idea gives me shivers. Anyway, to save his sister from such a bleak fate, Alexa's brother, Marcel, comes up with the idea to chop off her hair and pass her off as his twin brother. Having trained with her father and brother in sword-fighting since she was little, Alexa - now Alex - is no novice and quickly climbs the ranks to be part of the Prince's own guard. But as she becomes unbeatable in swordplay and archery, her adolescent hormones start to surface big time, making things very difficult. It's getting harder and harder to hide the girl in her, as she starts to notice not only a fellow guard, Rylan, but Prince Damian as well. Oh man, talk about trouble! 
 Along with our leading lady, I really enjoyed the side characters. I didn't even mind that there was a love triangle - maybe because I really only saw one guy for her. The other guy just kind of seems like an extra, so I don't think the triangle was necessary. Anywhoozle. I very much like Prince Damian. He comes off as so vain and apathetic and, well, he's kind of a jerk. As those who know me will attest, these are not traits I like in a guy. So why has Damian become the first book guy I've fallen for in 2014? Well, there's more to him than what's on the surface. I am most definitely not going to spoil it, but I will say that I loved finding out more about him. The other part in this love triangle is Alex's longtime friend and brother in arms, Rylan. Rylan is a super sweet guy, which we get to see from the get go. I really do like Rylan, but we don't see too much from him. In my opinion, he not only takes a backseat to Damian in the romance department, but also in the story. I do hope we get to see more from him in future installments of this series, though! I can see him becoming a favorite as well, eventually. 
 The baddies in this novel are truly evil. I mean, seriously... who sends young girls off to breeding houses to be raped over and over again in order to provide more soldiers for the bloodlust king's stupid war?! I am most grateful that we were saved from reading multiple scenes or any horrific details. The mere idea of this is terrible enough without having to read all about it and, as I'm known to do, visualizing everything I read, whether or not I want to. Eesh. Other than that, and some scenes of violence - which, honestly can't be avoided when there's a bloody war going on - this book is quite clean. Hats off to our fearless and talented author for pulling that off so well! 
 I thoroughly enjoyed diving headfirst into Defy! The pacing never seemed to lag or be too fast. The writing just flowed so effortlessly and was so engaging, I didn't even realize I was already getting near finishing. I didn't want to let go yet! Though the ending was tied up nicely enough to be a standalone, I'm happy to know there's another book coming next year. Being able to revisit these characters is something I will look forward to immensely! Over all, Defy is an imaginative, fantastical adventure led by a strong, independent young woman... and I loved it!