Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

YA/Science Fiction
Rating: 5 Stars

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.

First Thoughts: This is my official, first ever, physical ARC. I entered to get it and they never told you if you won or not, they just sent it. So getting it in the mail was a complete surprise to me. I was going nuts for at least 3 hours after I opened it. So anyway, I was nervous at first because this book is about space. I'm not a big space story fan. The cover is beautiful in a simple way. I really love it. They synopsis (from Goodreads.com) is what had me worried. I love the synopsis but it screams "SPACE STORY!!" (Had to do that, it's kind of funny. Go ahead you can laugh at me.)

Writing Style: This is the kind of third-person writing I love. They stick to one person at a time and show clearly when they change it up to someone else. I was never confused who was talking, I never had to reread it to be sure or understand. It was fantastic! Everything just fit. I could feel everything and there were many points that I was like (and almost yelled out) "I can't believe that just freaking happened!."

Characters: Waverly is basically a normal teenage girl. She loves a boy but of course she doesn't know if she is in love with him. Well that is until she was without him. She is strong and brave and she is someone other girls can connect with. Kieran is completely blind as a bet. Not in the literal sense, though. He is the spoiled teenager who is blind to the things around him because he is stuck in this little fantasy of a life. He is the golden child and the adults treated him as such. I don't think he is all bad, even in the end. He is stuck in that world of his and doesn't realize what it looks like.Seth, I have to say I want to hate him but like him at the same time. He was wrong for what he did but then again maybe the facts in his head were right. You never know, do you?

Final Thoughts: I have never loved a space story like this one. This is such an intriguing book. It's not like anything I have read before and I am kind of sad I have to wait for the next one. This book isn't even on sale yet so it's even longer of a wait for me. I can't wait though. This book is amazing and all I have to say is you better be reading it when it comes out September 27th. You will definitely not regret it. Well, I can't say definitely because some people actually hate space stories and might hate it. But still, this book is amazing!