Book Review: Glow

Glow (Sky Chasers #1)

By: Amy Kathleen Ryan

Published By: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: September 2011

Page Count: 307

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC received through Amazon Vine UK

Audience: Young Adult - Science Fiction

This story is set in space, about 50 years after two space ships launched from a dying Earth with colonists for 'New Earth'. Halfway into their journey, the most pressing thought on everyone's mind is keeping the human race going to avoid extinction and populate New Earth. Initial fertility problems have pressurized the issue so much that Waverly and Kieran, the oldest of the next generation at 15 and 16, are expected to marry and begin doing their part for humanity. 

The plot unfolds with the introduction of the second ship's crew, who never fixed their fertility issues, and as such, have no children and no future. This is where the real drama sets in, and it happens early on in the book to create a real sense of pace in the novel. Waverly and Kieran become separated, and each has to deal with the consequences of being the eldest child in a society where, as children, they were doted on and never pushed too far. 

I found elements of the plot similar to the end of Outside In by Maria V Snyder, and I think that this is actually a good complementary read. You are never quite sure who the "bad guy" is because everyone has a compelling story waiting to win you over. There are things which happen to both main characters that are disturbing and challenge them, and it is very interesting to see how they grow and adapt. I also enjoyed comparing how societies form and build themselves to maintain purpose, which was explored quite a bit here. 

I did sit up late into the night to finish this book, in a single sitting, and I'll look forward to the sequel as there is a lot left to get from this concept. There were a couple of things which annoyed me about this book though: I was attracted by the title, but it has no relation to the events of the book which is just a little annoying, and finally, I became seriously irritated by the number of times "Waverly" was written. I knew who the passage was about, and it seemed to crop up every other sentence... it's a small thing which perhaps other readers wouldn't notice but, like a dripping tap, if you do notice it will probably annoy you! As the copy I read was an ARC, there is the possibility that this will have changed in the final print copy, and I really hope that is the case!  

Summary:

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.