Review: Glow 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.

*So I ended up getting 2 ARC copies of Glow and I am getting a Hard copy as well! But that is not the point lol :) . So on to the review !*


     Right from the beginning I got hooked into Glow. Maybe it might just be my love for sci-fi or the fact that I loved Ms. Ryan's writing style. Some books try to switch points of view from character to character but aren't very successful, buy Ms. Ryan was able to use the technique and mold it into an effective story. There was a strong plot, and the climax was intense...like it should be. You will be surprised for sure when reading Glow.
     With the many pluses in the book, there were also somethings I couldn't look over. The whole idea of the story felt deja-vu ish. I don't know why but the idea of re-settling on a new planet and then attacks and problems felt so common to me. Or maybe it was me thinking movies but I felt a lot of deja-vu while reading Glow. There was also the fact that the characters really irked me. But the way he changes in the book kills him for me. I don't want to spoil it so not saying how or why, but it kills it for me.
      1) Kieran was a great character truly. He was lovable, compassionate, and was an amazing leader. But the stress he had gave me stress...I don't need anymore stress. Otherwise he may have been my favorite character out of the whole book. He handled situations somewhat, and he was an admirable character.
      2)Then there is Waverly. She is your typical heroine- Strong, powerful, and willful female. She was a great character overall but I felt she didn't develop. She stayed the same, a very static character.
     3) And lastly Seth, the bad boy. I did like Seth, he was tormented, good looking and what not. But he was so cruel. That made him seem like the bad guy, evil- unlikable. Surprisingly I think in the next installment I will like him a lot more.
     Though I didn't love the characters, the books was action packed and very fast paced. That was the best part, the book didn't drag. Overall Glow was not bad, but not the best either. To be honest it felt like a mash up of Across the Universe by Beth Revis and Bumped by Megan McCafferty. I would give this book a 3.5/5 overall. I suggest lovers of Sci-Fi you will enjoy the book.

~Fishy >O