Ignite (Book #2 of Defy Trilogy)Author: Sara B. Larson
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 2014
Pages: 304
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: In the kingdom of Antion, peace has at long last been restored. Now that King Hector's reign of terror is over, the newly crowned King Damian, along with his most trusted guard, Alexa, must focus on rebuilding Antion and reclaiming the hope of their people. But the wounds of the past are no as easily mended as Alexa and Damian had hoped. And to further complicate matters, Alexa still harbors a secret love for Damian, a love she refuses to acknowledge for the sake of Antion, and for the sake of the king himself.
When new threats to the kingdom surface--including an assassination attempt on Damian--blame is cast on the once-friendly nation of Blevon. Alexa knows things are not what they seem, however, and once again the fate of her country hangs in the balance. Will Alexa be able to protect her king and find the true enemy before it's too late?
Filled with romance and treachery, magic and violence, this stunning sequel to Defy whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.
My review: The nations, Antion and Blevon, have at last made peace. With the crowning the new king Damien of Antion, the country can now find hope and happiness. King Damien and his bodyguard, Alexa, can now focus on their goals of rebuilding the country. However, it seems that the peace between nations does not last. Trouble soon arises and it points to Blevon. Alexa must find ways to keep the peace between her country and to save her king.
Alexa is an admirable heroine. She is definitely stronger than she was in the last novel. She is a tough fighter that can easily defeat most people in combat. She is very inquisitive and is impatient and she demands answers on the most. Alexa is also selfless. She is not afraid to die for those she loves. In this sequel, Alexa is more mature and she must make hard choices. She is often sad in this novel and full of pain because she is often alone in this novel. Because of this, Alexa is definitely not a damsel in distress. Through her trials and obstacles, Alexa must use her strength, intelligence, and courage in order to save her country and protect those she loves.
Overall, this book is about friendship, choices, and sacrifice. The message of the novel is that love overcomes all obstacles. This book was a fast-paced riveting read. It will captivate the reader from the very first page. It is a page-turner that is filled with mystery and suspense. It has romance, political intrigue, danger, action, magic, and friendship. I did feel that the world-building is still not developed enough because it does not really go into details about the country and their surroundings. However, I did feel that the characters have made vast improvements from the first novel. They are definitely more mature and wiser. This novel could be read as a standalone because there is a lot of background information so that the reader who did not read the first novel would not get lost. Still, I recommend you reading Defy first, so that you can experience this journey with the main character from the beginning and empathize with her emotions-- her pain, her triumphs, and her accomplishments. It is hard for a sequel to be better than the first novel in the series, still I feel that Ignite has greatly surpassed Defy. This novel was an entertaining read. I found the villain in Ignite to be more interesting than the villain in Defy because it was stronger and not so easily defeatable. Unlike the last novel, Ignite ended in a cliffhanger. After reading this novel, I am eagerly looking forward to reading the novel in the series. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in fantasy, action, and romance, and for anyone who is looking for strong heroines that are as tough as Katniss Everdeen.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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