Nice Girls Read Books ? Book Reviews & More on Young Adult Fiction

Review: ?Glow,? Amy Kathleen Ryan

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Title: Glow (Sky Chasers #1)
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Published: October, 2011 by Pan Macmillan
Thanks: Pan Macmillan, AU
Pages: 307
My Rating: ?
Purchase: The Book Depository

A ship heading for New Earth is halfway through its incredible journey across the galaxy. On board, sixteen-year-olds Waverly and Kieran are part of the first generation born in space.

They are in love. They believe their future is written in the stars. They have never seen a stranger before?

? until the day they are wrenched apart and suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives.

Final Thoughts: I drew a lot of comparisons between Glow and Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Though this book has some strong points and good moments, I would recommend the latter by Beth Revis if you only had to pick one sci-fi YA series to read. Glow fell short in a lot of ways and apart from one character I felt oddly unattached to anyone or anything during my reading experience.

First of all, I have to say that this is a dual-narrative. We hear from both Waverly and Kieran and their vastly different experiences aboard the Empyrean and the New Horizon. The voice changes about every five or so chapters and I guess it was necessary for the reader to engage in each scenario, but I definitely enjoyed Waverly?s portions of the book moreso than Kieran?s.

I won?t beat around the bush ? I really disliked Kieran and found the relationship between him and Waverly to be seriously lacking. The book promotes the romance between the two, even saying on the front cover of my copy: ?Her heart will determine the future?, but I found little that actually tied them together. The two had no chemistry and their ?relationship? took a backseat to the dangers and adventures described in Glow. I couldn?t help but wonder why a seriously strong character like Waverly saw anything in Kieran. She herself even wondered at times ? especially toward the end, and I don?t blame her. I definitely didn?t want the two to end up together.

Let?s talk about Waverly. She was the only character (other than Samantha ? I liked her, too) that I felt I connected with in some way. Everyone else annoyed me to no end, or felt like they served no purpose, but Waverly was something special. Perhaps the only reason I enjoyed Glow in the slightest was because of her. I really admired her strength and courage, and her determination not to back down and give-up when she knew something was wrong. I?m not sure I could have even finished the book without her.

I?m not a huge science fiction fan, so when space ships and whacky contraptions and gadgets come into the mix I?m usually wondering whether I should even bother or not. With Glow, I found myself struggling. At the start of the year I read Across the Universe by Beth Revis and was astounded how fun sci-fi could be, and how UN-BORING it could be to read! Unfortunately Glow reminded me of my initial hesitations in delving into the sci-fi.

There wasn?t exactly anything WRONG with the book, it?s just that it wasn?t for ME. I?m sure lots of people will jump in and enjoy it, but personally it felt a little too detached for my liking. There wasn?t any relationships I was cheering on, and things just kept taking a turn for the worst plot-wise? I didn?t see any conceivable solution for the characters, so I almost gave up right then and there. When things happened to people (particularly Kieran) I found myself not caring much, so pages were left unturned until I could pluck up the courage to open the book again.

Glow is the first in a new series, but I don?t think I?ll be reading the rest. Sure I want to know ?what happens next?, but I?m not too invested that I?ll stick it out through another book or two. I?ll probably just satisfy my curiosity by reading some reviews or spoilers when the time comes.

Recommended to: People who won?t draw comparisons between Across the Universe and Glow will probably enjoy it more than I did.

Source: http://nicegirlsreadbooks.com/review-glow-amy-kathleen-ryan/

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