Book Review: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Published by: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 29th September, 2011
Source: Thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia

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.

My Review:

In one sentence: Glow is an out of this world love story that takes you on a fast paced thrill ride.

I know some of you are reading the synopsis thinking spaceships, sci-fi, that is so not your thing but Glow isn't just for sci-fi fans.  It definitely will appeal to fans of paranormal or dystopia reads with it's great blend of romance, adventure and suspense.  I know that with other sci-fi reads I have struggled with the world building but this is an effortless read that you become quickly absorbed in.

I loved that the action happened less than 50 pages in and from there on in it was a completely pulse pounding read.  Every page seemed to be full of excitement and suspense.  Although some events in the story seemed a little bit too convenient and hard to believe.  But despite that I think the plot and the world Ryan has created is the strength of this book.

Glow is told in two points of view, Waverly and Keiran.  I am a big fan of dual narration especially when it works well and flows seamlessly into each other and it definitely did in Glow.  Without it I think I would have been lost as Waverly and Keiran were apart for majority of the story and it really helped give you the complete picture of what was going on.

Waverly is a compelling character.  Mature, strong, a fighter and most importantly likeable.  I love that she doesn't give up easily and isn't afraid to ask the hard questions.

However with Keiran I struggled to get a real sense of who his is.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed his point of view, it provided plenty of heart-stopping moments, but at times I felt his character was a little inconsistent.  I also felt this way about Seth another important character.  Sometimes they were nice honorable guys but the next minute they were being cruel and heartless.  This may have been just because of their world was falling apart around them but I felt a little confused.  I look forward to figuring them out in the next book.

Overall, Glow was a gripping and intense start to this series.  I can't wait to see what happens next.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Romance: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

For more info:  Visit Amy Kathleen Ryan's website.