Defy | The Blades of Acktar #3

Leith crumbled to his knees beside Blizzard’s head, hands shaking. “I’m so sorry, Blizzard. I’m so sorry I brought us here.” He pressed his forehead against the base of Blizzard’s shoulder. He couldn’t go on. He was as spent as Blizzard. He’d have to see Renna again in Heaven, because he wasn’t going to see her again on Earth.
He’d tried, but Harrison Vane was right. No one survived the Waste.

Defy by Tricia Mingerink is the almost-conclusion to the Blades of Acktar series. It ties up many loose ends—quite spectacularly—but leaves a few things unresolved for the fourth book. Spoilers for previous books ahead.

Plot

Now that all of Nalgar Castle knows of his betrayal, Leith Torren must flee into the Sheered Rock Hills to escape the pursing Blades. He heads to Eagle Heights, the Resistance base, with the last remnant of the Acktarian Resistance.

Renna, left behind at Nalgar, learns to flourish. She finds courage in God and seeks her imprisonment’s purpose—though it might not be what she expects. Her newfound bravery will be tested more than once in such a dark place.

Torn away from her sister, Brandi is determined to rescue Renna, even if Leith won’t. Her resolution catapults her into a world of trouble, and takes her too places she would have never expected.

The story jumps between these three characters’ point of view, exploring each one’s growth and experiences. I enjoyed the large part of Defy that was from Brandi’s view; it provided some deep insight into her character that previous book don’t show.

Characters

Once again, I won’t recap the characters because they remain the same as Dare and Deny. However, Renna’s personality has changed significantly since the end of Deny, and she is no longer scared of persecution or standing up her for faith.

Defy delivers a deeper look at King Respen—his motivations, his past, and his personality. Mingerink crafts such an intricate villain out of him, a true model for writers to follow. He’s evil, yes. But you understand where he’s coming from, and through Renna I even felt sympathy for him.

Theme & Content Warnings

Leith, Renna, and Brandi all have their own arcs in this story. Leith struggles to trust his and Renna’s lives to God; Renna has a “flat arc,” that is, she doesn’t change but changes the world around her; Brandi overcomes doubts about Christianity.

I admire how Mingerink finds Bible stories and verses to go with many of the book’s events. The lives of Daniel and David are referenced often and give the character’s strength. Leith related to Paul in that both were mistrusted by Believers.

The violence in Defy remains on the same level as the other books. A few battle scenes contain much death and blood. But it’s never glorified; characters are always sad at the violence that happens.

There’s also the romance subplot with Leith and Renna, which in my opinion is overdone, but it’s never inappropriate.

Overall

Anything else I could say to complement the book would be repeating from previous reviews. It’s suspenseful, intense, the characters feel real, the theological inclusions are impressive.

If you liked Dare and Deny, Defy will give you the perfect conclusion to the story. Though a fourth book continues with the loose ends and wraps it up further.

And as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!