The Defective by Ryan Jones

The Defective Reviews

• 
  Chelsea Meehan

  “Life is meant to hurt people, it wouldn’t be called life if it didn’t.”
  
  I finished the book a few days ago and I have been trying to come up with a proper review for it. I “met” the author on Instagram, that’s how I discovered her book. The Defective is set in the future, 3017, and the MC Tave is feeling things she shouldn’t. Emotions that aren’t supposed to exist and disrupt you. Ones that are illegal. The few that struggle with these “issues” are known as Defectives.
  
  Though I had my issues with it, there was still a lot to like. Jones does have major talent, not mention she’s been a sweetheart and like a little cheerleader with her support and positive energy--however, I can’t let how great she is as a person influence my review. With that being said, the book is filled with wonderful one-liners and a lot of them I really related to and felt on a deep level. A good portion of the time, I did relate to Tave despite me liking her less and less as the book went on (However, not necessarily a bad thing.)
  
  Now, one of my biggest issues with this book is the lack of world building. There was not enough imagery and background on the world of cyborgs and how they ultimately came to be, supposedly wiping out humans. I still wonder and wish I knew how mechanical they are. What about all the other places in the world? Did people fight tooth and nail to stop it from happening? And so on. That was the main thing that almost had me give it a lower rating.
  
  The other biggest issue was the romance. I did have a discussion with Jones early on before I realized how much romance took place. No, it is not explained in the synopsis and despite that, I expected some, maybe even a lot and I wasn’t mad about being “misinformed” as some people might call it. But, as it went on, I got way more romance than anticipated. It seemed like that was the main topic, not a second or third main topic, the main topic when it seemed like the book was going to be centered around mental illness/mental health and how the world there was wiping all of that away. Then again, I did love love love Glenn. What a friggin cutie. And when Tave did struggle with her emotions, her anxiety and such, it was very well written.
  
  The ending, I don’t know how I feel about it. I saw a few things coming but the action and build up wasn’t poorly done. Just seemed abrupt in a way though the characters took their time getting to that position.
  
  Again the one-liners are something I loved. Here are 2 out of many many good lines:
  
  “I fall asleep with a storm of thoughts pouring drops of worry into my mind. I’m drowning and I don’t know how to swim, not in these waters.”
  
  “I was made for humanity and all its twists and circles.”
  
  Jones does have her way with words and it’s the reason why I’m disappointed in the lack of mental health talk. I really thought it was going to be focused more on that and I can tell that Jones could’ve had some really good insight and had really good things to say about the topic.
  
  The pacing was good for the book. I just needed more explanation on the cyborgs, all around on the whole them coming to be and such as I said earlier. Lack of information and clarification made it hard to fall completely in love with this book because I was just couldn’t stop questioning what was what.
  
  All in all, it was a quick and easy read. Many times I was confused and questioning the whole world in this book. While other times I had to close the book and just question people and how our minds work as a whole--in the best way possible, a lot of what Jones wrote resonated and it very important and relevant. Jones also did a lot of diving into love and how a heart, both a human and a Defective’s heart can be very wild, untrustworthy, and confusing. But that you should follow what it says, take a stand and stick up for yourself and the ones you love. We are meant to break and heal, feel good and bad and all that is in between. It isn’t going to stop (or rather it shouldn’t) and that IS ABSOLUTELY OKAY. You and your feelings are valid, listen to them. Respect yourself and others and never apologize for your emotions. Just reach out when you’re struggling.
  
  Thank you to Ryan Jones for putting so much of her soul into her debut novel. The Defective was definitely an interesting read on a very cool topic. I am glad I read it and I recommend you check it out for yourself. (I do hope the sequel will clear some of these issues I have up.)
  
  I’m also looking forward to getting my hands on any other book Ryan Jones’ writes.
• 
  Olivia J

  *3.5 stars*
  
  I agree with basically everything that Chelsea Meehan said in her review. The concept behind this book was amazing! I was hyped to dive into a unique revival of a dead genre. However, it is important to know that this book does have a lot of romance in it, which isn't really indicated in the synopsis. Aside from that, I'm a total Glave shipper. #GlenDeservedBetter
  
  The writing was also really awesome. There were some very impactful lines, and the use of figurative language was creative and unique. While the plot was never boring, it almost moved too fast, and several plot elements could have used more development. Overall, The Defective came to a startling conclusion, and I'm looking forward to more!
• 
  Lily

  I loved this book.
  
  The premise was unquie and engaging. It was kind of scary at times when you thought about it too hard. Is this what could happen to our world? Will we end up cyborgs with a government who want to suppress emotion because they think we all feel too much?
  
  It made me realise how much I really love the dystopian genre! Whilst there wasn't excessive world building I personally feel like there was enough to gauge what was happening in main character Tave's life and the world around her. There was some backstory about how the world really came to be like it was in the book but I feel it would have been nice to include a few more elements of history.
  
  One of the strong points of this book is I think the descriptions of emotions. I could especially feel Tave's emotions and admired how strong and independent she was as a character. I also really liked the training scenes (won't say much as I don't want to spoil anything) and different characters which were brought in to the plot. Although I did feel at times some characters could have done with a little more development.
  
  The writing flowed well. There was enough metaphorical language weaved in but not too much that it was excessive (we all know my feelings on overusing metaphors...) It was so easy to read and immerse myself in. I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. There was enough happening in each chapter to grip me throught out. There were heartbreaking moments as well as beautiful. I especially liked the dramatic parts towards the ending which got my heart racing.
  
  One part that I wasn't so keen on was the heavy romance, but that's just because of my personal preferences. I'm not much of a romance genre reader. However, I do think the romance side did contribute well to the plot as it is a book essentially surrounding the theme of how some cyborgs are 'Defective' and feel more than they should.
  
  All in all, a great read and what I needed to get out of a reading slump. If you like dystopian/sci-fi fiction with some romance, I would recommend this book for you!
• 
  Dana Bowman

  My first read through I remember loving this book! But as I've dived into more and more books with complex world building, I wish this had a bit more to it.
  While I understand that Tave is a cyborg so learning comes easy, I wish it had shown more time studying and showing us cyborg anatomy and how their bodies work and think those details would have come to play towards the end when it is mentioned there is a serum that can change a cyborg to human. Just small details that would have spaced out the pacing more.
  Pacing just seemed too fast, she doesnt have to study much to be a doctor, she instantly falls in love with Glen. Everything happens very quickly. I think her figuring out that shes defective could have happened gradually, it sounds as if she starts to feel when she meets Glen via the prologue and Chapter 1. More time spent in everyday life and feeling odd little things here and there.
  I'm also not much for love triangles, but they're ok if done well. I feel like it is insta-love with Glen, then with Rhys she says she learned to live without Glen, but they had only been apart maybe a few weeks? That's not very long. Again with pacing.
  Then! She decides to not decide between Glen and Rhys and goes with someone completely different! While that is somewhat annoying, I do like that it goes in a different direction that just a regular love triangle. But I think Glen's death would have meant more had they stayed together or worked things out a little better. I do think Tave meshed best with Larac. Which I guess worked itself out in the end!
  And there were a few things that could have been edited better.
  I rated this much higher my first read because I was SO excited for Ryan publishing her book! So I was a little biased. :/ and if it were me, I'd want honest opinions as much as it hurts me to write this! But I still really enjoyed the book! Don't get me wrong! But after my reread, the pacing and world building could have been done a little better. 🤷‍♀️ I can't wait for the next book!! ❤
• 
  Janey Merry

  I’m listening to Halsey’s “Gasoline” while I write this review, and I’m feeling a similar vibe between the two.
  A few lyrics that follow the theme of Jones’s novel:
  Are you insane like me?
  Been in pain like me?
  . . .
  And all the people say
  You can't wake up, this is not a dream
  You're part of a machine, you are not a human being
  . . .
  I think there's a flaw in my code
  These voices won't leave me alone
  Well my heart is gold and my hands are cold
  Are you deranged like me?
  Are you strange like me?
  . . .
  The song and Ryan Jones’s "The Defective" both take the perspective of an inhuman being with human feelings.
  
  I’ve been a fan of Ryan for a long time. I think she was one of the first book bloggers I followed when I began using Instagram.
  Her novel combines sci-fi and romance which are two of my faves! It’s like chocolate and peanut butter. They’re good on their own, but COMBINE them to get something magnificent.
  
  Now, to break the book down into pros/cons:
  Pros—I love how Ryan writes the characters’ emotions. Very lifelike. As a reader, I felt what they felt. Great immersion quality.
  Romance & trysts galore!
  Just the right amount of heartstrings pulled. I can’t handle too much sadness in my stories, but Jones found that fine line of drama to heartbreak.
  Cons—Tave (the main character) seems to hop from one man to the next fairly quickly. Like, commit girl!
  The story is set in the future of 3017, and sometimes I felt transported to a scene akin to "The Giver" or "Fahrenheit 451" with all the emphasis on uniformity and facades. BUT, I craved a little more description of the human world to explain how they’ve survived for so long.
  Warning: the novel does end on a HUGE cliffhanger, so I’m anxiously waiting for Ryan to write the sequel!
• 
  Brittney Kristina

  I really enjoyed this book! The moment I picked it, I was sucked in and finished it within a few days. Ryan does an exceptional job with hooking the reader and telling a story.
  I will say that there was quite a lot of romance and a few f-bombs and other curse words. I'm fine with this (and actually quite enjoyed the romance!) But, this isn't really written anywhere. Just make sure you're okay with cursing and descriptive romance before picking up this book.
  Otherwise, it was a fun read! I'm a lover of all things dystopian. I can't wait to read more from Ryan, whom I met online and is so sweet and talented.