Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)

Aug 09, 2012 Raeleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, received-as-gift, 2012, sexy-cover

WELL IT'S SAFE TO SAY I'M EXCITED TO READ THIS

PRETTY AWESOME, I MUST SAY.

Here's my video review! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJqkrW...

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Sep 16, 2011 Phoebe added it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, intergalactic-academy-reviews

Atmospheric Analysis: I wasn’t too fond of Glow‘s stark, subtle cover at first, thanks in particular to the obvious stock image of the girl in the porthole that forms the letter “O.” But in reading, it grew on me–it captures the book’s darkness and claustrophobia well.

The American cover is a huge improvement over the UK version, which features a cartoonishly photoshopped face. I mean, how big is that girl’s forehead? What happened to her chin?! Cool idea (and I dig the font embellishment), awful...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Sita Sargeant rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, young-adult, teen-romance, reviewed, dystopian, favourites, love-triangle, nl

I have been trying to gather my thoughts on this book. So it has been written over a few nights (not just one) so be warned when reading this review. It may not make any sense.

HOLY SHIT! No other words. This book was that amazing, this has got to be, hands down one of the best dystopia novels that I’ve read in ages. I’m still trying to gather my thoughts; I am just blown away by the amazingness of this book.

I actually put off reading this for a while. I mean I had it; I just wasn’t bothered to...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Bernardo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, coverlust, dark-and-grimy-and-grungy, the-glorious-shelf-of-fabulousness, loved-it-to-bits, orgasming-so-hard-i-can-t-even, perfection, the-feeeelings-are-drowning-me, ya, in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-squeal, favourites

Full Disclosure: This book was given to me on a GR giveaway. So thanks GR!

I honestly didn't expect this. I really didn't. On the back of the book, it's written in huge letters that this is the most riveting series since Hunger Games, and that's not true in the least.

This book beats Hunger Games to a bloody, motionless pulp laying on the ground with its limbs positioned in odd, wrong angles. I mean it. I does.

Glow (don't let the cutesy name fool you, there's craziness to go around in this book) s...more Full Disclosure: This book was given to me on a GR giveaway. So thanks GR!

I honestly didn't expect this. I really didn't. On the back of the book, it's written in huge letters that this is the most riveting series since Hunger Games, and that's not true in the least.

This book beats Hunger Games to a bloody, motionless pulp laying on the ground with its limbs positioned in odd, wrong angles. I mean it. I does.

Glow (don't let the cutesy name fool you, there's craziness to go around in this book) starts with Kieran and Waverly, two teenagers aboard the spaceship called Empyrean, whose mission is to traverse space to New Earth from the old, dying Earth they left behind. Whilst crossing a nebula, however, they're attacked by the other ship that left Earth a year before them, the New Horizon. They kidnap all the young girls, including Waverly, and kill some people in the process. It falls to Kieran and to Waverly to fix the whole situation, kilometers away from each other in deep space.

That synopsis up there makes no justice to this book. Really, the story is so engrossing and the characters so interesting there's never a moment of boredom. You think you know who the bad guys are, how it's going to end, what's going to happen, but turns out you're wrong. It's not that there were twists, properly speaking. I don't know, some people may think of the shifts in the plot as twists, but they were so subtle and fluid I just saw them as the new destination the narrative was taking.

I think you can safely say that a book is well written when you hate the characters the writer meant for you to hate, feel for the ones the writer wants you to feel for and when the plot is so intense you're capable of being enthralled even when nothing action-y is happening. This is the case here, only there's a catch when it comes to knowing which character to suspect: you can't know for sure. Some characters go through life changing ordeals throughout the book that changes their outlook on life, and that also changes their attitude and the way you think of them.

Also, I thought it was really interesting how Amy Ryan approached the subject of a self proclaimed messiah. Such character wasn't some religious bigot before, nor did he think he had insight into God's mind, but after spending a month starving, the voice he heard in his head, the one that at first was his parents telling him it'd be ok, then was his girlfriend's telling him she'd join him again turned into a faceless voice. A voice that told him he'd be ok, that promised him freedom and everything he wanted. Surely, then, it must've been the voice of God. Except wasn't it just a voice in his head caused by prolonged starvation? I think this was a genius approach to the matter, and although I won't comment further so as to not cause any religious debate, let's just say I agree fully with this book.

Anyway, no matter what you take away from this review, bottom line is: pick this book up now and read it. Seriously. You're going to love it. ~~The voice in my head told me so.~~

What? Nothing. Did you say something?

I didn't...(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-action, alternating-povs, annoying-love-triangle, cliffhanger-ending, cover-lust, own-a-dtb, pan-macmillan, review-copy, ya, postcard-from-outer-space, reviewed-in-2012

I rated Glow somewhat higher than I normally rate this type of books, due solely to the incredibly strong emotional impact it had on me. Some of the characters in it might prove forgettable in time, but I will never forget the pressing, claustrophobic feeling it left me with.
I’ve read a few reviews in advance and I was prepared to be unsettled by it, but nothing could prepare me for this story in which people, every last one of them, were monsters, usually hidden behind a very pleasant façade....more I rated Glow somewhat higher than I normally rate this type of books, due solely to the incredibly strong emotional impact it had on me. Some of the characters in it might prove forgettable in time, but I will never forget the pressing, claustrophobic feeling it left me with.
I’ve read a few reviews in advance and I was prepared to be unsettled by it, but nothing could prepare me for this story in which people, every last one of them, were monsters, usually hidden behind a very pleasant façade.

When, decades ago, two identical ships were launched into space on a mission to find New Earth and settle, everyone thought their chances of survival were pretty much the same. After all, the only difference between them was the religious conviction of their respective crews.
Weaverly and Kieran belong to the first generation of children born on the Empyrean – the ship with a non-religious crew. They are both fifteen and thinking about getting married – in their circumstances, children are always welcome, no matter how young the parents. They have their lives planned out for them and they’re happy with the way things are going. But the New Horizon crew hasn’t had as much luck. They haven’t been able to procreate at all, which means their crew is fairly old and they are pretty desperate. Their solution is to attack the Empyrean and steal all their girls, nearly destroying the ship in the process. Suddenly, Weaverly and Kieran aren’t even on the same ship and each of them is dealing with a different set of disasters.

The name Weaverly seems like an odd and unfortunate choice, especially for third person narration. Since Ryan seems to harbor a strong dislike for personal pronouns, it’s used in almost every sentence, and, being a mouthful, it clogs the natural flow of sentences and makes the already thick narrative even harder to read. That is, writing-wise, the only objection I really have. Amy Kathleen Ryan showed unusual skill and control.

Because so many awful, hateful things happen in it, Glow is a hard book to like. There is no real warmth between the characters, nothing even remotely positive or hopeful, just violence, horrible moral choices and more violence. One couldn’t exactly call Kieran a hero, not by any stretch of the imagination, and the same goes for the rest of the characters. They behaved exactly as one would expect people in such an isolated environment to behave: they have deviated drastically from moral and ethical standards of society.

Faced with a crew made up entirely of rebellious boys, Kieran decided to lead them through a religion he pretty much made up on the spot. The ease with which this decision was made and the way those boys accepted it was incredibly creepy and eye-opening. Their sudden faith in Kieran was alarming, and the speed with which this cult of personality arose staggering.

There are many more things that unsettled me and kept me awake at night, but writing about them would give away too much of the plot. It’s best to go into this book knowing very little about it. Fortunately, I have the sequel, Spark, on hand, but I’m not brave enough to read t right away. My poor little heart needs a lengthy break.

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Jul 25, 2011 Hayden Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, arc, won-it, blurred-opinion, ending-sucked, mega-awesome-cover, own-it, series-kind-of-dropped

I graciously received GLOW from a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, and the book was provided by the publishers, St. Martin's Press! Thank you all for this wonderful opportunity!

Actually, this is closer to three-and-a-half stars, but I don't do half stars, so it's four.

There are some books out there that are completely clear in their intentions, whose characters are completely either good or evil, whose plot is simple enough to be easily understood. Let me tell you know that GLOW is not one of t...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Christy (Love of Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley, favorites

Here's the thing, the books that I absolutely LOVE the most tend to be the hardest for me to write about or discuss. Glow is no exception to this, but I'll do my best. And I'm just going to admit it - this is now a favorite of mine.

First of all, I hate comparing books to one another, especially those by different authors. But I am going to compare something about Glow to The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins knows how to end a chapter, meaning they ended in a way that made me want -no, more like nee...more Here's the thing, the books that I absolutely LOVE the most tend to be the hardest for me to write about or discuss. Glow is no exception to this, but I'll do my best. And I'm just going to admit it - this is now a favorite of mine.

First of all, I hate comparing books to one another, especially those by different authors. But I am going to compare something about Glow to The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins knows how to end a chapter, meaning they ended in a way that made me want -no, more like need- to read the next one, and the next one, and the next - I couldn't stop. This is exactly what Glow did for me. There wasn't one point in the entire book that allowed my mind to wonder or bored me. I hung on every word.

Two ships, the New Horizon and the Empyrean, are headed to New Earth to inhabit a new world. Unfortunately, the affects of deep space has caused infertility issues among both ships. However, those on the Empyrean discovered a "cure" for the infertility and were able to conceive children to continue the population. But something goes horribly wrong aboard the New Horizon - the "cure" sent by the Empyrean sterilizes the women, taking away any hope of conceiving future generations for New Earth. Was this done on purpose or just a terrible accident? Either way, the ''captain" of New Horizon decides to take drastic measures to ensure the ship's survival and fulfill their mission.

Waverly is a 15-year-old girl who was one of the first born aboard the Empyrean, she feels that there is more to her life than simply expanding the population. When disaster strikes, it falls to her to become a leader and to make sure the girls are safe. Kieran is a 16-year-old boy who is expected to become the next captain, and happens to be in love with Waverly. But can he become the leader the ship needs when the time comes? Not only are these two main characters well written, but the supporting characters are well done, also. The author did a wonderful job at developing all of them. They were complex - making some hard to flat-out love or hate. There were characters who were awful, but after finding out more about them and the situations, it was easier to understand why they were behaving certain ways or held certain beliefs. And sometimes it's the people who you don't like who turn out to be the biggest allies.

There was so much that I loved about Glow, and I really, really, really hope people don't try to compare this book to Across the Universe. That would be like comparing Star Wars and Star Trek - just don't do it. Though they're both really good books - they are their own thing. So saying that I highly recommend this book would be an understatement. I am already dying for the next installment of Glow, and this one hasn't even been officially released yet!

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Aug 09, 2012 Mandee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, pan-macmillan, sci-fi, ya-lit, dystopian, i-have-a-copy, male-pov, review-on-the-blog, favourites

I hadn’t heard much about Glow until I requested Spark and realised it was the sequel. I don’t read a lot of sci-fi or books set in space but I decided to give it a go, despite the mixed reviews I’d read.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is the first book in the Sky Chasers series. Waverly and Kieran were born aboard the Empyrean, a space ship that left Earth forty two years ago, bound for New Earth. Another ship, New Horizons, left a year before their ship and should be way ahead of them but for the pa...more I hadn’t heard much about Glow until I requested Spark and realised it was the sequel. I don’t read a lot of sci-fi or books set in space but I decided to give it a go, despite the mixed reviews I’d read.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is the first book in the Sky Chasers series. Waverly and Kieran were born aboard the Empyrean, a space ship that left Earth forty two years ago, bound for New Earth. Another ship, New Horizons, left a year before their ship and should be way ahead of them but for the past few days it’s been in the same nebula as their ship, just hovering beside them. Apparently our Earth was heavily polluted and is chaos so these ships were filled with humans who were told to procreate and start a civilisation on New Earth. They should have another forty five years to go before they arrive.
Then the Empyrean is boarded in an attack by the crew of the New Horizons ship. The girls are taken and some of the adults are killed. The boys are left behind, as well as some adults, while they deal with the sabotage in the engine room which could lead to a fatal situation.

Right from the beginning I was drawn into Waverly and Keiran’s story and the book is written from their point of view. I couldn’t imagine being born in space, never having walked on solid ground, stood under the sky or breathed in fresh air. But they seem quite happy, as do the rest of the inhabitants on the Empyrean. They live a lovely lifestyle, growing and harvesting crops, holding festivals and living peacefully. In contrast the attack is brutal, they don’t keep their guns handy, so they have to no way to defend themselves and were completely unprepared.

Waverly is a fantastic heroine and so easy to like. She’s one of the eldest girls at fifteen, and has been dating Kieran for ten months, he wants to get married and soon. He also hopes that she will adopt his religion, even though he and his family are in the minority as the Empyrean is a secular ship. Waverly is hesitant, she has no desire to start having babies, even thought she’s expected to have four, and doesn’t say yes when he proposes. Once they are kidnapped, she is looked upon as the leader of the girls and she doesn’t believe a word Anne Mathor says. She’s the captain of New Horizons, but is referred to as Pastor, not Captain. New Horizons adopted a religion (I’m going to assume some form of Christianity) and Anne took over when the previous Captain died. Life on New Horizons is different, there are no children as their attempts to have children failed and Waverly is instantly suspicious of their plans for the girls. Waverly and two other girls, Sam and Sarah, agree that they need to find a way to escape and I was proud of them for not giving up.

Kieran is stuck on the Empyrean. He doesn’t know where his parents are as some of the adults took off in a shuttle, hoping to rescue the girls. He tries to take charge but another boy, Seth, has other plans. Seth has always liked Waverly and there is tension between the two boys. I have to say at first I liked both Kieran and Seth but my opinions on them wavered throughout the story; both are capable of being quite harsh and often do things to suit themselves. I thought I was finally going to side with Kieran but towards the end he takes a bit of a turn, starts hearing what he assumes is the voice of God and starts preaching just like Anne on New Horizons, convinced that he knows God’s thoughts and that religion is the only way to keep their spirits up and in keep them in order.

There was so much action in this book, it was fast paced and kept me intrigued the whole way through, with things going differently to how I assumed they would. I did have a few qualms, it’s hard to believe that a space ship would be so easy to attack, the crew from New Horizons had no problems breaking in and because the ships are identical, they knew the layout and how everything worked. There was obviously more going on regarding Captain Jones of the Empyrean, which Anne alludes to and I would have liked to find out more about that. We also never get a good description of what happened on Earth, mostly this is because the adults on board the Empyrean don’t like to talk about it, leaving Waverly and Kieran in the dark. We also have no idea where New Earth is. I want to know who discovered this planet and why it was decided upon to be their destination.

The girls are thrown into a horrible situation on New Horizons, and I was a bit creeped out by what I thought was going to happen. It was terrible, but not as bad as I’d expected. In this world, girls are prized because they are needed to procreate, with no say in the matter and I instantly thought of the way humans farm animals in the same way, breeding them to suit their needs, which to me is just as creepy and disgusting.

Overall I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Glow and am really looking forward to starting the sequel as soon as possible.

Glow is a thrilling space ride that also takes a look at the dynamics of humans living together in isolation. It should appeal to fans of sci-fi but I’d recommend it to all YA fans, whether you're into sci-fi or not.
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Dec 03, 2011 Stacey (prettybooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-after-university, dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic, read-in-my-twenties, young-adult-fiction

Glow captured my interest from the very first page. It’s the sort of book that will make you miss your stop if you’re reading it on public transport (always a sign of a good novel, I think). I’ve never read anything quite this science fiction-y before; I’ve never, ever read anything that takes place on a spaceship. I had wondered whether I’d find it difficult to believe but I was thoroughly impressed. The spaceship setup is stunning. It is very well constructed and detailed, and I could easily i...more Glow captured my interest from the very first page. It’s the sort of book that will make you miss your stop if you’re reading it on public transport (always a sign of a good novel, I think). I’ve never read anything quite this science fiction-y before; I’ve never, ever read anything that takes place on a spaceship. I had wondered whether I’d find it difficult to believe but I was thoroughly impressed. The spaceship setup is stunning. It is very well constructed and detailed, and I could easily imagine this enclosed fictitious society up in space. While I have absolutely no idea whether Amy Kathleen Ryan is accurate when she’s talking about hulls and shuttles, it sounded pretty authentic to me.

As for the plot, it’s not as romance-centric as suggested by the cover tagline and the synopsis. It had been described to me as ‘The Handmaid’s Tale set in space’ and I did get that from the novel, which has the dystopian aspects of ‘control over reproductive rights’, fundamentalist religion and being held captive. This is a very loose comparison, however, and I’m by no means saying that Glow is the YA version of The Handmaid’s Tale. Nonetheless, it was extremely enjoyable. The novel switches between two viewpoints: Waverly and Kieran.Waverly is a strong-willed character and I found her to be much more interesting than her counterpart. I’d personally even say she was a strong feminist character, which I think is important to note. I also felt like there was an underlining ‘liberal’ vs. ‘conservative’ debate in the story.

Even so, I did have two small problems with the book, which is why I cannot give it the full five star rating (I really wish I could). The first is that I thought the story got a little slow in the middle when it stays on Kieran’s perspective for a few chapters. I kept wishing it would switch back to Waverly’s perspective. I think this is partly to do with my second concern, which was that in certain parts, the story and the characters could have been a lot more emotional, especially the situation with Waverly and the girls. I sometimes felt like the characters just shrugged and carried on with their day after what I believe was a horrific event. This did not impair my enjoyment of the novel too much but I think it would’ve been much more dramatic if we’d had more feeling from the characters.

Overall, Glow encompasses genres that are extremely popular right now: a splash of dystopia, a hint of post-apocalyptic Earth, a slight love triangle, and interesting science fiction. I’m that glad I had the opportunity to read and review Glow. I’m only sad that it has a massive cliffhanger and I really wish we did not have to wait so long for the second book in the new Sky Chasers series.

Thank you Macmillan Children’s Books for sending me this book to review!

Dystopian or Not Dystopian? Slightly dystopian, mostly science fiction(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fantasy-sf, arc, young-adult

This book is not perfect - there were a couple of places that were sparse and could have done with a bit more fleshing out. The book is fairly short so it wouldn't have made it too long.

But, this book is nearly perfect otherwise. An original, twisty plot (yes, there are similarities with other books, but Ryan has done something really unique with old tropes), two marvelously compelling characters, and a lot to say about human nature.

It was painful to read at times, but that's because Ryan is su...more

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May 04, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: better-than-expected, i-hate-infodumping, the-decent-shelf-of-meh

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten!

Another sci-fi book. For some reason, I keep picking them up despite my apathy for the genre. Perhaps I was hoping Glow would be the one to really impress me and make me like sci-fi. (Or maybe I was reading it solely because an ARC of its sequel was coming. Yeah, that sounds right.) The plot grabbed me and didn't let go, but in all honesty, I can't respect a sci-fi novel that grossly violates Newton's first law of motion.

To be fair, Glow started off with a...more

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Aug 02, 2011 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, sci-fi, first-reads-arc, dystopia-or-postapocalyptic, series-ongoing, reviewed, 2011-reads, 2011-reviews, coverlove, arc, you-call-it-love-i-call-it-hormones, to-infinity-and-beyond, pure-entertainment, actiontastic

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog

Glow is set in the semi-distant future, when mysterious circumstances have made "Old" Earth practically unlivable and humans can barely survive, much less thrive. In order to save the species, two inter-galactic ships, The New Horizon and the Empyrean are the only hope of the colonists and Earth to cross the galaxy to find, settle and repopulate a new home. One ship, the New Horizon, consisting of the more religious/Christian settlers and left a year...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog

Glow is set in the semi-distant future, when mysterious circumstances have made "Old" Earth practically unlivable and humans can barely survive, much less thrive. In order to save the species, two inter-galactic ships, The New Horizon and the Empyrean are the only hope of the colonists and Earth to cross the galaxy to find, settle and repopulate a new home. One ship, the New Horizon, consisting of the more religious/Christian settlers and left a year before Empyrean. While the latter spaceship launched after with a more multicultural/politically varied aspect to the passengers, the differing views and launch times keep each ship an island, with no communication passing between the populations of each ship.

Told in the third person perspective, the narrative of the novel jumps between two main characters, usually after a stretch of chapters in the same POV. Those two are Waverly and Kieran, two of the first in-space live births, two of the upcoming generation, slated to take over in time and continue to "New Earth". Because these young people are two of the first humans born in space, and thus supremely important to the mission of Empyrean, they are the crux at which this book hangs. In order for both ships to successfully navigate for all the space and time needed, each ship had to supplement its original workforce: children of the current crew would be needed to run the ship after their parents. When the New Horizon cannot successfully reproduce, they attack their sister ship, kidnapping all the young-women. I loved the premise of this plot - it's original and striking in its creepiness. There's a genuine feel of desperation often in Waverly's dialogue and thoughts, which is to be expected, but it's handled well; building successively every time the narrative shifts to Waverly's POV. The split narrative of Waverly/Kieran/girls/boys is a brilliant move for Ryan's storytelling: each side carefully balances between the fast-paced action and more cerebral plotting.

Though I hate the new trend of constant comparisons to The Hunger Games (The most riveting series since The Hunger Games! is sprawled across the back blurb [AND THIS IS NOT A DYSTOPIA]), I think that readers who enjoyed Katniss' ferocity and determination will have a similar reaction for Waverly (I don't have the problem with her name that a lot of reviewers seem to have. But I read a lot of fantasy so maybe my weird-name tolerance is high.) Both are young-girls who no "powers" to speak of; only their wits and resourcefulness can help them. Both are strong young-women who don't rely on a man to save them or rescue them; Waverly's independent and so determined she doesn't even contemplate just waiting or hoping for the best blindly. She's a determined, clever and resolute without being overbearing or controlling: all things I love in a female protagonist. The word that srpings to mind for this character is brave. The focus is never on how Waverly looks, but completely on how she thinks, what she does. Though Waverly, like Katniss Everdeen, suffers from the Mysterious Missing Parent Syndrome so popular in today's teen literature, the mystery of what happened to her father is a subplot that caught my curiosity almost as much as the main story. Waverly herself is a strong character; she commands attention when she's on the page in any chapter.

The other main character, that of Kieran Alden: wonderboy, future Captain and Waverly's love interest, wasn't nearly as interesting to me. Though he seemed mostly fleshed out and internally conflicted (understandable as a member of one of the only religious families on Empyrean) this character never connected with me. He is seemingly perfect (though not a Larry Sue [or whatever it is for male characters]) but his personality came across as hollow and insincere. Even when he's at his most "human" - making mistakes, breaking down - he is remote and cut-off character. Maybe that is because he's always in charge, in control; I just didn't root for him the way I normally would. When the (inevitable) love-triangle rolled along I couldn't even pick a team: Team Seth or Team Kieran. Both are passably flawed and virtuous; neither is as compelling a protagonist as Waverly. Another possible reason for my distaste for pretty much all the men in the book is their collective attitude toward women and young girls. The atmosphere feels possessive, controlling and calculating whenever a young woman is mentioned. Several slight allusions to past problems with the male population throughout the novel furthered this distaste and apprehension.

With dividing the two ships into religious/non-religious crews, the author has set the stage and tension within the first twenty pages of the novel. The subtle hints and allusions of the characters themselves make abundantly clear that the differences between the two ships (and their respective crews) are both problematic and ambiguous. Though the author takes considerable time and care to both demonize and humanize each side of the religious debate, the reader is left with the relevant question, "Does religion hurt? Or does it heal?" The leader of the New Horizon is an excellent villain and symbol: a pleasant face, calm demeanor masking the horror inside a Pastor's machinations and mind. On the Empyrean, the symbol of that ambiguity-in-power is that of the Captain: supposedly beneficent and kind, but possessed of the same chilling attitude as most of the males on board. Another interesting dichotomy is the reaction of the two main characters: Kieran tries to boldly run the show from the outset and the results are mixed. Waverly, quietly and carefully, resists from the shadows and bides her time.

Some of the actions of the religious ship New Horizon (the kidnapping itself, the murders, attempted brainwashing, the egg-harvesting, the imprisonment of crew from the Empyrean) are egregiously horrible and disgusting... until later on when more sides of the tale are told (and those are not all favorable for the erstwhile population of the Empyrean). No side is perfect; no side is innocent in this deep-space drama. There are several dark, unsettling undertones to this novel - when the girls are stolen, the parents of the rest of the ship are locked away from the remaining boys. Those boys devolve into a more bestial, harsh rule; several critics have hearkened their actions to those in The Lord of the Flies, with a more military bent. The comparison rings true: the boys self-determined leadership is cruel and harsh, almost murderous. Though it was an interesting and fresh idea, I was never as completely involved with Kieran, Seth, Arthur as I was with the stolen girls. The girls story arc over on the New Horizon was completely different, but so disturbing I thought about it even when I was not reading the novel.

The ending is not final and complete (it is a series after all); several important threads are left hanging, characters left in limbo, etc. I fully intend to keep reading; the mystery of the exodus and colonization, who to believe/trust, Waverly's father's accident, reaching the final destination.. these are all compelling storylines I'm eager to read already and it's technically not even a published novel yet. Quick, easy to read with a GREAT hook, Glow is more than worth checking out. Ms. Ryan's inventive writing sucks you in before the first chapter is out, and then the mystery and tension does not let up.

[won in a firstreads giveaway!](less)

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Oct 07, 2011 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2.5/5

GLOW is dark.

Glow is so very unexpectedly dark, but that aspect only really kicked into gear sometime around 61% Frankly, I am not a fan of the writing in this one; things just took too much time. However, it's the twists and turns that had me covering my mouth in shock/ repulsion.

While sixty plus percent was a lot to go through before things got interesting, I have to emphasize just how dark things got. There are people isolated, people drugged and violated... all acts done because of some...more

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May 11, 2012 Alexa marked it as didnt-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, first-reads, gave-away

Just won a copy through GoodRreads. Can't wait to read it!

edit: So I started Glow, and it's pretty interesting. Better than expected. :) But I think I started it at the wrong time. So, I'm going to put it on hold for now because I have other books I want to get to first & I don't believe I'm in the mood to read an ARC right now. I hope to continue it in a few weeks.

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Mar 30, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-post-apocalyptic, ya, ya-romance, science-fiction

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan is another dystopia YA novel that is promoted as the next Hunger Games but this is a bit of a stretch. They are both YA dystopia novels with young people resisting cruel authority, and of course, there is the love triangle. Using the comparing books analogy, I say it is Lord of the Flies meets The Handmaid's Tale.

Two ships of colonists leave Earth for a better life among the stars. There is much we don't know about the how and why these colonists were chosen to leave b...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Trudi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, love-triangles, just-ok, reviewed

Oh, why did I believe the lie that this book could possibly be like The Hunger Games? With a cliff hanger at every chapter, and a love triangle that had you holding your breath? No! It's all lies I tell you! *feels betrayed*. I say the truth, right on the back of the book, it says so. In all caps may I add.
Maybe if that stupid statement on the back hadn't been there, maybe, just maybe, I would of given it more of a chance...but, sadly, without The Hunger Games on the back of the cover, enticing...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a difficult review to write. I am certain this book will be controversial and an intriguing work for book clubs. Rarely does an author engage so much of the reader's cerebral cortex in Young Adult Literature. Which really makes it that much more enjoyable to read a book steeped in so much philosophy and symbolism. On the other hand, the depth is not so immense that a reader could not just ignore the philosophy and symbolism and simply enjoy a good book.

Really you have four parts of the...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Arlene by: Street Corner Booker - ARC Tour Flannery

Shelves: arc, read-2011, young-adult, sci-fi

I’m not quite sure how to rate this book so for now I’m going with 3 nebulous stars.

Glow is a futuristic SciFi thriller set deep in space where two colony spaceships, the New Horizon and the Empyrean, search for New Earth. These competing sister spaceships engage in a galactic battle against each other as they try to ensure their survival. Aboard the Empyrean, Waverly and Kieran are separated during this war and become tangled in a web of lies and deceit ultimately having them question who they...more I’m not quite sure how to rate this book so for now I’m going with 3 nebulous stars.

Glow is a futuristic SciFi thriller set deep in space where two colony spaceships, the New Horizon and the Empyrean, search for New Earth. These competing sister spaceships engage in a galactic battle against each other as they try to ensure their survival. Aboard the Empyrean, Waverly and Kieran are separated during this war and become tangled in a web of lies and deceit ultimately having them question who they can trust, including each other.

There were aspects of Glow that I really enjoyed, such as the SciFi element that I’ve recently realized I can be a huge fan of. I also liked the pacing of the story and the suspenseful scenes that never really felt drawn out. The whole galactic war theme can be pretty intense especially when Ryan infuses crafty twists and turns that leave the reader doubting which players in this battle they can trust.

However, there were elements of the story that had me wanting to jump ship. Is it just me or did anyone else feel claustrophobic when reading this book? The setting was so vivid that at times I actually felt closed in! I never got that feeling when I was reading Across the Universe, but with Glow it felt like the walls were caving in, which was frustrating at times but possibly intentional… who knows??

In addition, I have to point out that I felt the story became preachy towards the end. I didn’t like feeling that once I was drawn into the story, suddenly a hidden agenda was revealed. Whether it’s for or against cult type following and fanatical preaching, I’m not a fan of storytelling with hidden motives. I really didn’t care for that, but thankfully that was only towards the end of the book.

Lastly, the violence towards the girls and what the protag went through while captive on the New Horizon made me sick. I didn’t like how that was played out and once she was violated I felt removed from the story and didn’t really want to reengage fully after that. I’m just not a fan of that type of drama. (view spoiler)

Overall, I think Amy Kathleen Ryan had a good concept. With the exception of a few elements, I have to say I was entertained and drawn in. I think fans of AtU will find this a good series to check out.

Thank you Flannery for touring this with the Street Corner Bookers! :)
(less)

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May 12, 2012 Abby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I start this review, be warned. I read Insurgent AND The Princess Bride (two books which I consider masterpieces) right before this book, therefore this review may be a little harsh. But I believe this book warrants some harshness.

1. Intelligent and Heroic Heroine: NOPE
Sure, Waverly supposedly fulfills the new trend in YA, which is intense, kick-butt, troubled heroines, but I didn't get that from her. The depth needed to pull that off just wasn't there. I couldn't and didn't connect with...more

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May 03, 2012 Rachel Hartman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2.5 stars.

All right, I'm not getting anything else done, and a nap seems to be eluding me, so here goes.

I had a devilish hard time reading this book. I just couldn't connect with the writing at all. I found it extremely dry and explain-y, and my mind would wander any time there wasn't dialogue. Which was, ah, most of the time.

Now I have to say: I think this is my fault too, and not just the book's. Sometimes a writing style just doesn't connect with my thinking style, and that isn't anybody's fa...more 2.5 stars.

All right, I'm not getting anything else done, and a nap seems to be eluding me, so here goes.

I had a devilish hard time reading this book. I just couldn't connect with the writing at all. I found it extremely dry and explain-y, and my mind would wander any time there wasn't dialogue. Which was, ah, most of the time.

Now I have to say: I think this is my fault too, and not just the book's. Sometimes a writing style just doesn't connect with my thinking style, and that isn't anybody's fault. I really need characters to connect to, and 3rd person omniscient keeps you at arm's length. That said, it's good for much of what she was trying to do, which is action.

I am probably in a minority here, but I tend to skim action. I find it blindingly tedious. Especially when it isn't even human action but somebody piloting a shuttlecraft into the airlock, or bullets whizzing around. *snore*

Much of this book just wasn't my thing. The parts that MIGHT have been my thing kept feeling muted and truncated. For example: (view spoiler). I came very close to putting this down for good many times because I just wasn't feeling it.

Absurdly, everything that came in the book's "Epilogue", I found much more interesting and compelling than what had gone before. Trauma changing people? PTSD reaction to religion? Philosophical implications of what Kieran has been up to? Sign me up!

And then, of course, the book was done. Huh. Will I read the next one? Dunno. Maybe, if I read some reviews that convince me we're getting inside the characters a bit more, and not just scraping our shuttlecrafts across the hard metallic surface of the world.

(O hai, cold meds! You make such good metaphors!)(less)

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Sep 03, 2011 Goldengirl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So here’s the thing about GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan: for the first 200 pages it kind of blows. And then a weird thing happens in the last 100 pages and it becomes a pretty fun read. I know that’s confusing but that was my experience with it.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s the gist of the story:

Kieran and Waverly are two teens in love on the Empyrean, a spaceship bound for a New Earth. Pretty soon after the story begins a sister spaceship, the New Horizon, stages a coup on the Empy...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sent-for-review, read-in-2011, young-adult, dystopian-fiction

Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Glow is a fast-paced, energetic and stomach-plummeting ride through the galaxy that dragged me into its orbit and refused to let me go. I was finished with this book before I even looked up, gobbling the entire story before I even realized I was reaching the end.

Glow, the first in a new series, is being likened to The Hunger Games -— a novel I read years ago and loved. While I don’t think Glow has the emotional punch of Suzanne Collins’ stellar series, I can definitely see th...more Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Glow is a fast-paced, energetic and stomach-plummeting ride through the galaxy that dragged me into its orbit and refused to let me go. I was finished with this book before I even looked up, gobbling the entire story before I even realized I was reaching the end.

Glow, the first in a new series, is being likened to The Hunger Games -— a novel I read years ago and loved. While I don’t think Glow has the emotional punch of Suzanne Collins’ stellar series, I can definitely see the similarities in terms of pacing and plot. Ryan drops us right into the action in Glow, successfully creating an entire universe for us without any of the boring world-building I sometimes associate with dystopian novels. We’re given enough puzzle pieces to understand what’s happening here, but not so much that nothing is cloaked in mystery.

In fact, mystery shrouds everything in Glow, keeping readers antsy and on edge. We don’t know who to trust or despise, who to love or fear. The enigmatic but dangerous leader of the New Horizon, Anne Mather, is a character that is both reviled and pitied. At various points in the novel, I struggled with whether to trust or hate her -— though Waverly never faced that uncertainty. Our lead is steel-spined and, like Katniss Everdeen, a young woman called upon to shoulder so much burden at such a young age. And, despite everything, she handles it well.

But Waverly lacked the dimension of Katniss -- or much dimension at all. I respected her and felt for her, but I never felt like I was really inside her head. How did she really feel about Kieran, for instance? His proposal within the first few pages of the book should have been a life-altering moment, but I didn’t feel the emotional weight of the question. As Waverly became immersed in the battles waging between the Empyrean and its sister ship, I knew that she was desperate to be reunited with him . . . but felt like I had little evidence of that. It was lots of telling and not enough showing. I didn’t know if she actually loved him or just felt safe with him, especially after losing her father at a young age. But as this is just a first book, I’m imagining that will be explored in detail down the road.

My overall feelings for Glow are very positive, however. Even though I wasn’t as close to Waverly (or Kieran, or Seth) as I would have liked, I found this book impossible to put down! There are plenty of unanswered questions in Glow and opportunities for back stories to be explored, which makes me eager for a publication date -- but I can’t find one. And that makes me itchy.

Fans of dystopian reads and young adult fiction will find a fascinating, quick read in Amy Kathleen Ryan’s first novel in the Sky Chasers series, and the religious overtones of the book were very thought-provoking. I won’t go off on a tangent regular the secular versus religious vessels and how eventually everyone seems to switch roles, but that’s definitely a major theme of the book. Read it and see where you fall.(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Empyrean is one of two space ships headed for New Earth. Their mission is to repopulate the human race and begin a prosperous new planet. They have been travelling for years, and the first generation of children to be born in space are entering their late-teens, and are almost ready to start marrying and procreating.

Kieran and Waverley are just such a couple. Sixteen-year-old Kiernan is the ship’s ‘golden boy’ – the first baby born after years of infertility; he is the product of intense gen...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Patti Loves FAB Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, sci-fi

Earth is quickly reaching it's expiration date, and two ships have been sent to repopulate another planet many light years away. Waverly and Kieran are the oldest of the first generation of children to be born on the Empyrian after many years of infertility, and as such are expected to marry and procreate soon. While Kieran is completely on board with this, Waverly is not so sure this is the direction she wants her life to take.

As the story opens, Waverly and Kieran are looking out the window of...more Earth is quickly reaching it's expiration date, and two ships have been sent to repopulate another planet many light years away. Waverly and Kieran are the oldest of the first generation of children to be born on the Empyrian after many years of infertility, and as such are expected to marry and procreate soon. While Kieran is completely on board with this, Waverly is not so sure this is the direction she wants her life to take.

As the story opens, Waverly and Kieran are looking out the window of the Empyrian at something that's got everyone talking: The other ship. The New Horizon is supposed to be way ahead of the Empyrian, and until a few days ago, it had not been visible to them. Kieran, as the oldest of the new generation, has been working with the ship's captain for many years, and he knows the captain is worried and suspicious. Then, members of the New Horizon's crew forcibly take over the Empyrian, killing most of the adults and kidnapping the female children.

My thoughts:
Glow is a fabulous Young Adult Sci-Fi adventure that will keep you turning pages until you get to the very last one. And then you'll turn it over and start reading it again. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, Ms. Ryan pulls the rug out from under you and you're left wondering how the heck that happened.

The girls are taken to the New Horizon, where they are quickly brainwashed into believing they've been rescued, when in reality they've been stolen. The captain of the New Horizon, Anne Mather (Pastor Mather, as she is called), is a woman I love to hate: she's using religion to keep the population of the New Horizon under control. She is a gifted communicator and she's convinced everyone on board that her way is best for everyone; that it's God's will that they succeed and must do so at any cost: God helps those who help themselves. Waverly immediately sees through the spin but is rendered helpless to fight; Maher has total control. It is in Mather's dealings with Waverly, though, that the author keeps us on our toes: Mather brings up specific, reasonable doubts about the actions of the captain and crew of the Empyrion, forcing Waverly to realize fears she's been hiding from herself about what's going on aboard the Empyrion.

While the New Horizon is full of religious zealotry and is an experience of nightmarish proportions for Waverly and the girls, things on the Empyrion are not so rosy. The only adults on board the ship are either dead or stuck in the engine room, slowly dying of radiation exposure. Kieran attempts to take over command of the ship, but Seth, another teen on board, convinces the other boys that Kieran is responsible for the deaths of most of the adults and is going to get the boys all killed as well. From there it devolves into a Lord of the Flies-type situation, becoming less about survival and more about who's in control.

I won't give away spoilers, but Ms. Ryan manages to build a spectacular love triangle into the background - Waverly's doubts about her future with Kieran merge with unexplored past feelings for Seth. Again, she keeps the reader guessing: Does Seth take after his father and have an axe to grind with Kieran, or is he just a sweet guy who sees his chance with Waverly and is taking it? Is Kieran in love with Waverly, or is he doing his duty to the ship and humankind?

The end of Glow leaves me hanging, wanting more - I have no idea where Ms. Ryan is going to take me but I cannot wait for the rest of the journey. There are some fabulous new authors emerging on the YA scene right now, and Ms. Ryan is definitely part of that group - she has the ability to capture the reader's imagination and twist the plot to keep the reader involved and continually switching sides about who's the hero and who's the villian.(less)

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Sep 14, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...

This science fiction book will definitely catch the readers' interest. Glow is an interesting book, it addresses several odd issues that many people will never consider-for instance, if you are fertile, should you be required to provide eggs for non-fertile women? This book will require the reader to actually sit down, think, and digest the novel.

The main characters, Kieran and Waverly, act as guides for the reader throughout the novel. The book is told in...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am only half way through this book, and simply cannot put it down. It's a young adult, and I would not normally pick it up, except a friend suggested I read it. It starts out so well, and just gets better and better. I finally had to put it down at 5 am to get enough sleep to finish it this morning! It's a Sunday morning, good thing, or otherwise I would be tempted to call in sick....:)

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May 08, 2013 Llalania rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fizzler, sci-fi, teen-angst, would-not-make-it-through-writers-g

I wanted to like this book. It had an interesting premise, something original that had a great deal of potential. That alone got this book two stars instead of just one.

So much potential and yet it was just so badly executed. I saw a lot of complaint about the third person perspective but I have to respectfully disagree that the perspective was at fault for the emotional disconnect. There are plenty of excellent, deeply immersive characters written in the third person. This book suffered from a...more I wanted to like this book. It had an interesting premise, something original that had a great deal of potential. That alone got this book two stars instead of just one.

So much potential and yet it was just so badly executed. I saw a lot of complaint about the third person perspective but I have to respectfully disagree that the perspective was at fault for the emotional disconnect. There are plenty of excellent, deeply immersive characters written in the third person. This book suffered from a whole hell of a lot of tell with no show in sight. It also fails to use sentence length to help convey emotion, keeping the long wordy sentences for the introspective parts and the short, sharp sentences for the action, high emotion parts. The author fails to seed important details throughout the narrative, resorting to info dumps and swaths of unnecessary exposition.

And the characters themselves annoyed me. I don't mind dark fiction, in fact I love some really dark fiction, but for me to like it, my main characters have to be likable. There has to be something redeeming about them, be it their heart, humor, intelligence, pick something, anything that I can like. Waverly was just flat while I had actual contempt for Kieran. The boy was just stupid and while this might be considered more 'realistic', I don't read fiction to follow normal people around unless they are about to reveal that they have something extraordinary within them that is about to surface and save the day. That's sort of the point for me.

I'm also not a fan of the kind of darkness we see in this book. While I do agree that people don't have to be taught to be bad, that we naturally gravitate to less than exemplary behavior, that doesn't mean we are all deplorable bastards. And pretty much everyone in this book was a deplorable bastard with very little motivation or provocation for that being the dominant personality trait. The boys reactions to their situations make the least sense to me in this. They pretty much all turn against Kieran and I don't know why. It wasn't mentioned early, or shown, that he was disliked, but when we get right down to it, Seth doesn't have to work too hard to get everyone to hate him. Did he have no friends at all? That part baffled me.

And then we get to the parts that made me say "What? Now way!" out loud. The first, and least spoilery example would be when they flushed the dead crew out the airlock. Excuse me? Are you honestly telling me that in the middle of outer space, in a ship that has already lost some air that you are going to: A, waste more air while you, B, waste organic material? There's no way to recycle dead bodies on that ship? No one ever dies? So you guys flush banana peels and chicken bones out the airlock too? You aren't on a planet anymore, this isn't a military ship that is going to go dock at the next space station, this is a self sustaining colony ship, those things are like gold in the deepness of space and there WOULD be a system in place to deal with that stuff. And it wouldn't be in engineering.

So, I wasn't impressed. I would say steer clear of this book, there are plenty of other, better book that look at humanity with a more balanced eye that are written far better. Armour comes to mind, if you can get past the middle of that book, Speaker for the Dead and the rest of the Ender series, The Madness Season, This Alien Shore, Freedom's Landing, etc.(less)

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Apr 01, 2013 Tessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

En commençant ma lecture je n’étais pas tout à fait sûre de ce sur quoi j’allais tomber et même si mon avis est mitigé car j’ai trouvé le récit un peu mou, j’ai adoré le concept que nous propose l’auteure.

Très vite, on commence à apercevoir un côté très glauque de l’histoire quand on aborde le sujet de la survie de l’espèce, de la reproduction donc et surtout des femmes. Ou plutôt des enfants de sexe féminin. Là on commence à se demander jusqu’où est prêt à aller l’être humain quand il ne pense...more En commençant ma lecture je n’étais pas tout à fait sûre de ce sur quoi j’allais tomber et même si mon avis est mitigé car j’ai trouvé le récit un peu mou, j’ai adoré le concept que nous propose l’auteure.

Très vite, on commence à apercevoir un côté très glauque de l’histoire quand on aborde le sujet de la survie de l’espèce, de la reproduction donc et surtout des femmes. Ou plutôt des enfants de sexe féminin. Là on commence à se demander jusqu’où est prêt à aller l’être humain quand il ne pense qu’à sa propre personne.

La religion est pas mal abordée et au premier abord j’ai eu un peu peur que l’auteure prenne ce biais pour montrer ses convictions personnelles mais finalement, on comprend vite son cheminement. Ce thème est donc en soit « utile » à l’histoire et on perçoit aussi mieux les craintes de Waverly par rapport à ça.

Les deux héros masculins, Kieran et Seth, sont vraiment difficiles à cerner. A un moment, on est plus du côté de l’un puis finalement on change d’avis pour ensuite ne plus trop savoir à qui se fier, du moins pour ma part. C’est d’ailleurs un des éléments qui m’a aidé à percevoir le fait que Waverly est un peu seule dans sa bataille, qu’elle est seule aussi à avoir les pieds sur terre et à se rendre compte de ce qui se passe dans les vaisseaux.

Waverly une héroïne non pas attachante mais dont le cheminement est bon et logique et donc on a envie de continuer à la suivre. Elle n’est pas parfaite mais elle se soucie des autres au péril de sa propre vie et en un seul tome on comprend à quel point elle a mûri parce qu’elle n’avait pas d’autres choix que de prendre les choses en main.

Ce livre est aussi une bonne réflexion sur le genre humain et sa façon d’agir. Tout d’abord le fait que dans ce récit on ait dû quitter la Terre pour l’espace montre déjà à quel point nos agissement sur la nature se sont retournés contre nous. Ensuite, on peut apercevoir les différentes catégories du genre humain: il y a ceux qui sont trop terrorisés pour prendre réellement part, ceux qui sont prêt à l’entraide peu importe les conséquences et ceux qui peuvent commettre les pire atrocités pour leur bien être personnel.

Au final, c’est un récit assez mature et parfois dur à lire, surtout quand on prend conscience de l’horreur que peuvent cacher certains agissements. Même si on commence vite à avoir une idée de ce qui se trame, l’auteure réussi à nous surprendre et à pousser encore plus loin le vice. Un avis mitigé par contre car j’ai trouvé le récit un peu long au bout d’un certain temps mais pour une fois, j’ai quand même très envie de connaître la suite tellement je suis intriguée…(less)

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Dec 21, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In an attempt to preserve the human race, two spaceships – the Empyrean and the New Horizon – were launched into space to colonise a new planet deep in space, deemed New Earth; everything appears to be going swimmingly towards the end of the mission, until the first launched ship, the religious New Horizon slows down in what the Empyrean assumes is an attempt to meet up earlier than planned; except it’s not for a rendezvous – it’s to attack their allies and kidnap the girls, thus separating pare...more In an attempt to preserve the human race, two spaceships – the Empyrean and the New Horizon – were launched into space to colonise a new planet deep in space, deemed New Earth; everything appears to be going swimmingly towards the end of the mission, until the first launched ship, the religious New Horizon slows down in what the Empyrean assumes is an attempt to meet up earlier than planned; except it’s not for a rendezvous – it’s to attack their allies and kidnap the girls, thus separating parents from children, friends from friends, brothers from sisters and boyfriend from girlfriend, including newly-engaged-couple Waverly and Kieran – will anything ever be the same?

Glow was very gripping, although I didn’t like the way the cliffhanger at the end was done, as it was obviously concocted to make you buy the next book, Spark. I found the plot to be pretty original, and full of great twists, along with being very beautifully written, although it is extremely dark. We’re treated to a third person narrative which switches between Waverly and Kieran’s point of view, although I felt a bit detached from the characters it was still excellently done, and Waverly’s viewpoint was far more interesting to me. It had a few minor flaws, as it dragged a bit in places (especially at first), I felt certain aspects could have been fleshed out further, Waverly and Kieran’s romance could have been made more of, and I didn’t like the offhand cancer comment on first page but on the whole, it was extremely enjoyable.

I’m the first to admit that I don’t know the first thing about space and space travel, so I haven no idea how accurate Ryan’s detail is, but it seemed to make sense to me, and the regular scientific language used also helped to make it more authentic and shows that Ryan has clearly done more than a fair amount of research.

Glow is unusual in that it’s a Young Adult book that is intelligent, philosophical, symbolic, believable, makes you think, where nothing is black or white, and it’s an excellent, highly recommended read.(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Lark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hmmmm... Interesting angle. Small population of people escaping earth. All characters are imperfect in important ways. While I don't need characters to be only black or white, there's a Whole lot of grey here. Waverly gets to be innocent and unsuspecting : her emotions/actions were well-done. Kiernan is bright, nice, in love with Waverly, and utterly incompetent in an emergency. Seth - is gorgeous, very bright and quick thinking, loves Waverly (of course - could there be any other way to write a...more

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Dipiction of Religion/Atheism and Morality in "Glow"	15	126	May 02, 2013 03:17pm
Nothing but Readi...: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan - Start Date July 22	78	37	Aug 01, 2012 09:08am
ARC Giveaway of GLOW	1	31	Jan 02, 2012 09:05am

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Glow (Sky Chasers #1)

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