Constellation Series Review

On this page, find all of my reviews of the three books in the Constellation series, by Claudia Gray. Each review begins with a brief overview of the book's content (with a publisher-supplied blurb), before diving into my review. 

Claudia Gray is the New York Times bestselling author of many science fiction and paranormal fantasy books for young adults, including the Firebird series, the Evernight series, the Spellcaster series, and Fateful. She's also had a chance to work in a galaxy far, far away as the author of the Star Wars novels Lost Stars and Bloodline. Born a fangirl, she loves obsessing over geeky movies and TV shows, as well as reading and occasionally writing fanfiction; however, she periodically leaves the house to go kayaking, do a little hiking, or travel the world. She will take your Jane Austen trivia challenge any day, anytime. Currently she lives in New Orleans. You can find her online at ClaudiaGray.com. 

*These reviews and their shorter counterparts can also be found on my Goodreads page*

Defy the Stars

She's a soldier. Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She's willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel. He's a machine. Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that's begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination. Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they're forced to question everything they'd been taught was true. Fast-paced, romantic, and captivating, Defy the Stars is a story about what it means to be human, about deciding what you truly believe in, and about finding your place in a dangerous world. 

Claudia Gray is a master storyteller, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to read Defy the Stars, the first book in a trilogy about adventure, love, and humanity—in space. If you love stories that are a bit out of this world, while still remaining grounded in relatable characters and exciting adventure, then Defy the Stars should definitely be your next read.

The world building in Claudia's books are spectacular. There are just enough details at the beginning of the book to ground you to the world and to the characters' motivations, but not so many that would overwhelm. I felt very tied to Noemi's and Abel's understandings of their worlds, and as they traveled together, I enjoyed how the threads of those understandings started to come undone. With each Gate the two jump through, and each planet they land on, more is revealed about the world that simply wouldn't have been known otherwise. Through both world building details, the characters' adventures on these planets, and characters introduced from each planet, readers learn all about Genesis, Earth and the rest of Noemi's and Abel's world.

Character is a huge part of Claudia Gray's stories. Noemi and Abel couldn't seem more different on paper, and indeed they don't get along at the beginning of their acquaintance. Noemi and Abel were characterized incredibly well, both through their understandings of each other, and themselves. Throughout the story, and all the crazy adventures, they both act in character. Yet, they both also experience growth as they encounter different obstacles. Gray's characterization of Noemi and Abel is where the true heart of the story lies, especially as the story is about humanity and human nature. Gray nails that with main characters Noemi and Abel. 

Defy the Stars is a science fiction story, and one of the main characters is a machine, but the entire novel revolves around humanity and the true meaning of being human. Gray explores this theme expertly. There's compassion and care, as well as a deep examination of the horrors and atrocities man commits. Noemi's and Abel's world views are both extended through their travels, as usually happens, but they both also act on these new understandings, for the betterment of the world. I love how Claudia Gray is able to balance so much in her stories—world building and characterization all while making sure the theme remains front and center. 

Defy the Stars is a powerful story, and was an addictive read. I am definitely thinking about diving into the next one, so maybe stay tuned for more reviews. Until then, you can find Claudia online at ClaudiaGray.com. 

Defy the Worlds

An outcast from her home. Shunned after a revolutionary journey through the galaxy, Noemi Vidal dreams of traveling through the stars one more time. And when a deadly plague spreads across her planet, she gets her chance. It will be up to her to save her people . . . if only she wasn't flying into a trap. A fugitive from his fate. Abel believes he's said good-bye to Noemi for the last time. After all, the entire universe stands between them. Or so he thinks. But when word reaches him that Noemi's been captured, Abel knows he must go to her, no matter the cost. Fighting for their lives in a race against time, Abel and Noemi will come together once more to discover a secret that could save the known worlds . . . or destroy them all. In this thrilling and romantic sequel to Defy the Stars, bestselling author Claudia Gray asks us all to consider where—and with whom—we truly belong.

The second book in the Constellation series is just as action-packed and romantic as the first. With the conversation pivoting slightly towards belonging, identity, and loyalty, Claudia Gray crafts yet another story that is so powerful as it is out of this world.

What Claudia Gray does really well is write books with strong themes. In Defy the Worlds, there is no doubt that the characters are focused on belonging (either to other people or specific worlds), identity, loyalty. I love how each of these themes were looked at individually, while also combining to make this such an addictive story. Noemi and Abel each had their own questions about themselves, and the world around them, to answer in order to figure out their purpose. I found this to be an incredibly compelling way to tell a story, so I was engrossed the whole time I was reading.

Noemi and Abel are separated at the end of Defy the Stars, and it feels inevitable that they have to meet back up again in Defy the Worlds. I love how the book felt divided into two parts: how Noemi and Abel are going to meet up again, and then, once reunited, what their action plan is to save the world. Of course, it's more nuanced than that, because it's Claudia Gray. Nonetheless, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Noemi's and Abel's paths to cross again, and then again anxious for how they would find solutions to the problems presented in the first half.  

Of course, if Noemi and Abel solved all the problems by the end of Defy the Worlds, then the finale Defy the Fates would not exist. At the very end of Defy the Worlds, Abel and Noemi face their most crucial foe, and the one that will define the ending of the series. I felt Gray subtly pulling the strings around the main narrative of this book so that everything would be set up perfectly for Defy the Fates. Don't think I forgot so quickly about everyone left on Haven! I can't wait to see how Abel and Noemi will journey there, and where else in the galaxy they'll go for the conclusion of this story.

Defy the Worlds is a great story and no doubt sets up a thrilling finale. I can't wait to read Defy the Fates. Stay tuned for my review. Until then, you can find Claudia online at ClaudiaGray.com. 

Defy the Fates

Abel only has one mission that matters: Save the life of Noemi Vidal. To do that, he must face the one person in the galaxy who has the means to destroy him. Brought back from the brink of death, Noemi must find her place in a universe where she is utterly unique, all while trying to create a world where anyone—even a mech—can be free. The final battle between Earth and the colony planets is here, and there are no lengths to which Earth won't go to preserve its domination over all humanity. But together, the universe's most advanced mech and its first human-mech hybrid might have the power to change the galaxy for good. 

*I read the British edition of this book, so my review is based off of that edition. I am unable to fully know how different it is from the American edition.* 

The finale of the Constellation series is action-packed, balancing the joyful parts of life with the hardest parts of living it. A satisfying conclusion to the entire series, Noemi and Abel face challenges that closely resemble some of their other situations, but which are tackled in a way that feels new enough because of the stakes, overall making for an enjoyable read.

If the first novel was about humanity, and the second one was about belonging, then the best way to sum up Defy the Fates is identity. After Noemi undergoes an original surgery to restore her life, she effectively becomes the first hybrid human-mech, and has to figure out a new self-identity. On the flip side, Abel is faced with his fate of giving up his body for his creator's conscious. Both characters have to face their own prejudices, doubts, fears, and hopes in order to successfully reunite with one another, and create a galaxy worth living for. I love how this final book tied all the themes of the series together, effectively making this series the most thematically complex set of books I've read in a while, while also remaining upbeat and hopeful in the face of it all. 

Noemi and Abel's relationship faces some of its ultimate tests. As Noemi makes sense of her new body, and Abel faces the fact of his fate, there are some moments of high tension. Personally, I feel like they are resolved rather quickly. One of my favorite parts of the first two books is how Noemi and Abel actually engage in serious, philosophical conversations to form and tighten their connection. There are no such conversations in Defy the Fates, which makes the resolution between them feel a little rushed, and less satisfying than the way they made up in the previous books. Either way, I felt like the relationship between Noemi and Abel was written in such a way that I felt like they were going to be okay after the last page. 

This novel is the most action-packed out of all the previous books. In giving us new battles and fights, there is undoubtably an echo of some of the previous conflicts. While not always predictable, I felt like the action wasn't as exciting, partly because the echo to previous situations. Nonetheless, I liked how all of the action took the characters all across the galaxy, and how each battle and each close call led Noemi, Abel, and the characters to their final stand and happy ending. I didn't feel like any of the action was unnecessary, so the book felt well-paced from this standpoint, and I enjoyed learning the fates of the characters and how they beat the odds.

I absolutely adore Claudia Gray's storytelling, and admire her ability to craft such realistic characters living in futuristic scenarios. I already own the Firebird series, and reading Constellation, has convinced me I might have to return to Marguerite's and Paul's world. Stay tuned for more of my reviews of Claudia Gray's work! Until then, you can find Claudia online at ClaudiaGray.com.