Review: Defiance

Defiance by L.R. Burkard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Defiance, book 3 in the Pulse Effex series by L.R. Burkard, is a high-climactic page turner much like the preceding two books in the series. A young adult novel based on the premise that an electromagnetic pulse from the sun has wiped out all electronics in North America, Defiance follows the lives and struggles of several young people as they fight to survive the changed world they live in.

I loved this series and will recommend it to my 16 year old daughter. It's a great premise to encourage teens to consider what life might be like without phones, electronics, and TV. It also provides a brutal look into what desperation can do to normal people.

The only criticism I would make is that I don't believe that the teens portrayed in the series are given enough credit as far as intellect or maturity in the face of an apocalyptic event. I have been all over the world on disaster relief trips and I can tell you that the teens and children you meet have been through an "instant grow up" occurrence. You don't see the selfishness and boy crazy silliness that is portrayed here. I didn't feel it was fair, to dumb down the characters, especially since the target audience is teens. I would have preferred to have stronger, while still realistic, character and spiritual growth happen over the 3 books.

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