Review : Deliverance by C.J Redwine

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Deliverance (Courier's Daughter #3)
Author : C.J Redwine
Publication Date : August 27th 2013
Publisher : Harper Teen
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Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One.

Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.

Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.

But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?

Personal Thoughts

This is one of my favorite dystopian/fantasy series. I was at the same time, excited and really nervous about reading this final book in the trilogy. Even though this was a satisfying conclusion, I was still sad to have to say goodbye to these characters who have undoubtedly managed to snag a spot in my heart.

After the dramatic and cruel ending of Deception, I needed to be back with these characters. For about 80% of the book, Rachel and Logan were separated. While the die-hard romantic in me was not very pleased by that, I have to admit that these two needed the separation because they needed to grow without the presence of the other. Growing was exactly what both Rachel and Logan did. Rachel will always be one of my favorite heroines. She was bold, fiesty with a dash of vulnerability. She is one of those characters who grew throughout the trilogy, and she developed the most in this book. I was incredibly proud of how much she had come through since the first book. In Deliverance, Rachel also managed to channel her guilt and anger over the multiple deaths in a positive way and to hence, become an even stronger character. She was also a character who was beyond independent and was smart when it came to the decisions she made. Logan too needed to mature more in this book, especially given the circumstances he found himself in and I couldn't help but cheer on him. He has always been a sweet and responsible young man and that hasn't changed one bit. We knew from book one that Logan was very intelligent, but his intelligence and strategic mind really shone through in Deliverance. These were two main characters that you can't help but root for because of their personalities. The Defiance series also has a terrific secondary cast who are as well developed as the primary characters. It's very rare to have the secondary characters play a pivotal role as the main characters as in this series.

The Commander, the main villain, in Deliverance was still his twisted, manipulative self. We get to know more of his back story and while it was heartbreaking, it didn't forgive all his sins and didn't wash out all the blood his hands were soaked in. We also had another character who deceived both Rachel and Logan in the previous book who was even scarier this time around. He was the kind of villain you couldn't help but hate because of how cold-blooded and terrible he was. The villains in Deliverance were truly cruel villains who made my blood boil and my spine tingle in fear. The plot was, as expected, action-packed with lots of shocking revelations being made. I'll admit that it did seem to slow down towards the middle, but I was honestly so invested with these characters that the lagging middle didn't bother me as much. This was a bloody and gruesome finale which ultimately culminated in a climatic battle that was not only emotionally draining, but also satisfying in every way, especially with my OTP being back together. While Rachel and Logan were not physically together for most of the book, there was absolutely no denying the strength of their emotional bond. These two were perfect for each other and what I've always loved about them is how they make each other stronger in multiple different ways.

There is honestly nothing else I can say about this brilliant series other than, read it right away, especially if you're a fan of strong characterizations, swoony romances and solid fantasy world building. The Defiance trilogy is not a trilogy I will hesitate to recommend to readers.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Deliverance.