Book Shelf: Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Blurb from Goodreads.....


Review:

I’m in all directions with this book. There were times when I felt myself really engrossed in this tale, especially around the middle when this seemed really interesting, but for the most part I found myself heavily detached from the characters and in turn, the story.
The writing itself was flawless. I can’t fault it. This book was well written, detailed, descriptive and the storyline was something I haven’t read about before, even in a sci-fi book, however it still fell short in my eyes. It seemed to drag on at times and lacked the ability to keep my attention. That being said, there were a few moments where I was captivated completely and didn’t want to stop reading, but for the most part I was bored at times.

While I couldn’t help by feel outraged over everything that happened to the children in this book, especially the girls, there was just something that kept me from getting sucked in and feeling it completely. I was shocked at the ways in which these girls were violated in this book. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but I must point out that they were not raped, however to me the choices they had taken away from them and what they had done to them was still a strong violation of their rights. Personally, I can’t imagine going through what they did and I was angry for them as I read this book.

It took me a while to warm up to Waverly, but when I did I found it did actually like her....if only a little bit. I liked that she didn’t believe the lies she’d be told and that she continued fighting through everything. She had an inner spirit and a fire inside her. Kerian on the other hand was a completely different story. I know as the male lead he’s going through a lot too and we’re supposed to like him, but try as I might I just couldn’t. He grated on me and I couldn’t feel anything but annoyance towards him. I found I just didn’t care for him and dreaded the moments when he was a focal point. I didn’t care much for some of the other characters either. Honestly, I don’t know what to think of Seth or him and Waverly, or anything like that. They’re just all so messed up. I found I liked the fight and spirit of many of the side characters more than the main ones and the character I liked the most doesn’t make it (not naming any names) so that spoiled things for me.

While this book wasn’t my cup of tea, it still held some good parts within it and there are plenty of people who see to adore it. I can't guarantee I'll read the sequel, but I think sci-fi lovers and fans of Beth Rivis's Across the Universe will love it and I can see Glow being a hit with sci-fi fans in general.


Rating: *** stars
Source: ARC from Pan Macmillian (Thanks guys!)
Format: Paperback ARC
AU Release Date: October 2011
Expected AU Price: $19.99
Recommend: For sci-fi fans
Recommend borrow or buy: Borrow
Cover: It's very pretty!
Read sequel/continue with series: Undecided as of now.....