Defy – The Blades of Acktar

In a vain plan to protect the resistance, Former Blade Leith Torren escapes into the Sheered Rock Hills. A land where desert is all you see for miles. Can Leith escape Respen’s vindictive Blades and the Sheered Rock Hills or will he perish? Will he be able to save Renna or will someone have to take Leith’s job as Renna’s protector?

Brandi is determined to save Renna after being torn apart, even if it means defying everything she has been taught.

Renna’s faith starts to waver as she is left alone with Respen. When Respen gives her a give her a life or death decision Renna is unsure what to do. Should she give in to Respen’s demands, which will save her life and many others’, or should she choose to wait on Leith to save her?

---

About the Author:

Tricia Mingerink is in her twenty’s. She is loves reading, writing, and horseback riding. When she is not writing or reading, she will be out pursuing adventures all over the world. She has written two book series called The Blades of Acktar and Beyond the Tales. Both book series will want you longer for more reading material to read.

---

The Blades of Acktar series is back again with Defy. Defy picks up right where Deny ends. Saying I enjoyed Defy is an understatement. This book captured my thoughts for weeks. Every time a had a spare moment my nose was stuck in this book. I lost all sense of reality and often got in trouble because I did not hear my parents calling me. I could not get enough of reading Defy, I practically breathed it in. It was a sad day for me when I ended this book, but I continue to reread this book whenever I do not have a book to read. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading. I lost all sense of time and would often find myself awake at 3 or 4 in the morning enthralled in the pages. It got to the point where every time I was interrupted I wanted to throw my arms up and scream because I was on the edge of my seat and someone needed something from me.

Calling Leith “A Blade saved by the grace of God,” perfectly encompasses the change that we have seen in Leith’s life. He used to be a cold heart killer and now he is one of the most caring people in the whole book. He gives his life, time, and time again to save the people around him. He put himself in harm’s way to save Renna from Vane without a second thought. In Defy, Leith puts himself on destruction’s path multiple times to save everyone else. I love the way Leith’s character develops throughout each book. You start to see how he never really was a cold-hearted kill. He actually is a very caring person.

The character development in these books is to die for. Each character has a back story that is told throughout each book. You also get to see how when a character believes and is saved how their heart is changed. You get to see how they start to put others above themselves and you get to see them realize how foolish they were. I love how Mingerink uses show vs tell. She does not sit her and is like “Leith heart is change.” She writes that he is, “A Blade saved by the grace of God.” I love that about her. I love that the book is not like, “Leith was a blade. Now he is not a Blade. Leith fights Respen.” Books like this put me to sleep but Mingerink does the opposite; she prevents me from sleeping because of how deep into the story I get.

---

After reading Defy these quotes would not leave my mind. They encompassed my thoughts until I started to see how much I connected with the story and its characters. I have faith like Renna, courage like Brandi, and strength like Leith. Each time I travel into the stories I find more ways that I connect with each character.

“When was the last time she’d patiently waited for God’s answer? She tended to make demands of God. Keep her safe. Keep Brandi safe. Deliver them right now. She didn’t take the time to wait for God’s answer, to learn the contentment and strength of patient waiting.”

(Page 66)

“He was blessed. Each blow, each burn, was a blessing raining down from heaven. He didn’t have to doubt his salvation. He’d been counted worthy to suffer for Christ.”

(Page 307)

“When I get to Heaven, I want to remember every sin so I can thank Christ for saving me from each one of them.”

(Page 325)

This Last quote hit me hard. I never before had thought about thanking the Lord from saving me from each sin. I tend to forget most of my sins after I am forgiven. I do not like to dwell on all the bad things that I do because I start to make myself feel like I am less than. When I read this quote, I had to shut the book and dwell on the message that was set before me. Mingerink beautifully puts this in a way that when I reopened my book, I began to thank the Lord for all that he has saved me from.