nelli_lakatos's review against another edition
5.0
I love how these book ends in a cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the final book in the Sky Chasers trilogy to find out what gonna happen next.
I read the first book in last year September so I was really exited to finally continue this trilogy and I loved it, Seth is my absolute favorite character.
I read the first book in last year September so I was really exited to finally continue this trilogy and I loved it, Seth is my absolute favorite character.
thems0kitty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
laurieelaberge's review against another edition
5.0
Ce tome 2 de la série est fantastique. Il y a plein d'actions et d'éléments inattendus. Je détestais Seth pour mourir et j'adorais Kieran, mais mes sentiments pour ces deux personnages ont complètement basculés dans ce livre. Le style d'écriture d'Amy Kathleen Ryan m'impressionne. Elle a écrit cette série en rajoutant plein d'informations techniques concernant les vaisseaux et utilisent des mots recherchés. Parfois, j'en oublie que les personnages ne sont que des enfants pour la plupart, car les mots employés sont tellement riches. La religion est moins abordée dans ce deuxième tome, ce qui est bien. Comme cela, on met l'emphase sur d'autres thèmes.
neenor's review against another edition
3.0
So earlier this year I received my first book from a publisher, and guess what it was? Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, the first installment to the Sky Chasers series. I was instantly hooked, as I said back in my review in January, so as soon as this came out, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
The series revolves around three teenagers: Waverly, Kieran, and Seth. It is set in the future, aboard one of two sister ships, called the Empyrean and the New Horizon. Whilst flying through a nebula, making communication difficult, the New Horizon snuck up on the Empyrean and killed the majority of the adult crew and stole all the girls off of the ship. It was up to the young boys to rescue the girls, as well as a few captive parents that are still alive. After a few difficulties during the rescue mission, the girls are back, but tension is high, especially between the three teenage leaders. And after things start to go mysteriously awry on the Empyrean, they are about to begin a whole new journey - one they never thought they'd have to go through.
Firstly, I've got to say I still love the premise. I've always been intrigued by dystopian novels, and how a range of different authors portray the Earth's future very differently. Although I think there are a few others out there, this is the only dystopian series I have read that also includes some sci-fi elements. Being a bit of a space geek, I love that the story is situated on two unknown space crafts travelling through some unknown galaxy - the characters know their homes through and through, but the reader doesn't, so it's like discovering a whole other world. And in a way, I suppose it is. I like the continuation of the storyline from the previous novel (beware spoilers from here on in!), and that although they do have the girl's back, it hasn't solved everything - there is still mourning and worry and mistrust and rebellion. It's a civil war happening on a lone spacecraft between a bunch of kids who honestly don't know what they are doing. Anything could happen, and I think this opened up a lot of possible storylines throughout the book, and perhaps the rest of the series.
The characters I wasn't so keen on. Out of the main three, I suppose I've always liked Waverly. She's a proper heroine - she never goes crying to some guy when she's scared, she doesn't back down from a fight, she doesn't let down her guard; she's always ready to fight, ready to stand up for what she believes is right, no matter what the consequences, and for that I think Ryan has created an amazing main character. She may make mistakes, but you can't help but like her because she's strong - Ryan's written her so that she reacts to situations in a way that is believable. I can't give her enough credit for that.
Now onto the boys. I'm a bit undecided about what to say. In Glow, I loved Kieran and hated Seth, full stop, end of. Seth was violent and aggressive and angry and cruel - Kieran was tortured and was brave, and tried to keep a ship full of children together during a time of crisis. However, in Spark it was like their personalities had swapped overnight; now I love Seth and hate Kieran, and I'm totally confused by it. On one hand, Seth has still got all that aggression under wraps - but as I read more of the novels, I began to understand why he did what he did, and I actually began to sympathize with him. He was always the bad guy in Glow, but now I suppose he's a slightly misguided hero, of some kind? Kieran, on the other hand, is an absolute prat. I can't describe how much I hate him. But also, I admire Ryan for how she has characterized him. All the children are going through a hard time; they're having to do jobs that no child should ever have to do. Kieran is their leader, unofficially or not, and a lot of stress has been weighted on his shoulders. Sure, he reacts like an idiot, and is so stupid it's crazy. But I think Ryan has made him react in the correct way considering his situation, so despite my loathing, he is a good character.
Overall, I am fond of this series. Sometimes, Ryan's gruesome descriptions had me cringing, but again, they were good; they were realistic. As I've said many times, it takes a lot of talent from an author to get readers to physically react to a book, so I take my hat off to her. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment, Flame, and I hope to see a lot more of Waverly and Seth (Team Seth for the win!) and a lot less of Anne Mathers. Roll on June 2013!
The series revolves around three teenagers: Waverly, Kieran, and Seth. It is set in the future, aboard one of two sister ships, called the Empyrean and the New Horizon. Whilst flying through a nebula, making communication difficult, the New Horizon snuck up on the Empyrean and killed the majority of the adult crew and stole all the girls off of the ship. It was up to the young boys to rescue the girls, as well as a few captive parents that are still alive. After a few difficulties during the rescue mission, the girls are back, but tension is high, especially between the three teenage leaders. And after things start to go mysteriously awry on the Empyrean, they are about to begin a whole new journey - one they never thought they'd have to go through.
Firstly, I've got to say I still love the premise. I've always been intrigued by dystopian novels, and how a range of different authors portray the Earth's future very differently. Although I think there are a few others out there, this is the only dystopian series I have read that also includes some sci-fi elements. Being a bit of a space geek, I love that the story is situated on two unknown space crafts travelling through some unknown galaxy - the characters know their homes through and through, but the reader doesn't, so it's like discovering a whole other world. And in a way, I suppose it is. I like the continuation of the storyline from the previous novel (beware spoilers from here on in!), and that although they do have the girl's back, it hasn't solved everything - there is still mourning and worry and mistrust and rebellion. It's a civil war happening on a lone spacecraft between a bunch of kids who honestly don't know what they are doing. Anything could happen, and I think this opened up a lot of possible storylines throughout the book, and perhaps the rest of the series.
The characters I wasn't so keen on. Out of the main three, I suppose I've always liked Waverly. She's a proper heroine - she never goes crying to some guy when she's scared, she doesn't back down from a fight, she doesn't let down her guard; she's always ready to fight, ready to stand up for what she believes is right, no matter what the consequences, and for that I think Ryan has created an amazing main character. She may make mistakes, but you can't help but like her because she's strong - Ryan's written her so that she reacts to situations in a way that is believable. I can't give her enough credit for that.
Now onto the boys. I'm a bit undecided about what to say. In Glow, I loved Kieran and hated Seth, full stop, end of. Seth was violent and aggressive and angry and cruel - Kieran was tortured and was brave, and tried to keep a ship full of children together during a time of crisis. However, in Spark it was like their personalities had swapped overnight; now I love Seth and hate Kieran, and I'm totally confused by it. On one hand, Seth has still got all that aggression under wraps - but as I read more of the novels, I began to understand why he did what he did, and I actually began to sympathize with him. He was always the bad guy in Glow, but now I suppose he's a slightly misguided hero, of some kind? Kieran, on the other hand, is an absolute prat. I can't describe how much I hate him. But also, I admire Ryan for how she has characterized him. All the children are going through a hard time; they're having to do jobs that no child should ever have to do. Kieran is their leader, unofficially or not, and a lot of stress has been weighted on his shoulders. Sure, he reacts like an idiot, and is so stupid it's crazy. But I think Ryan has made him react in the correct way considering his situation, so despite my loathing, he is a good character.
Overall, I am fond of this series. Sometimes, Ryan's gruesome descriptions had me cringing, but again, they were good; they were realistic. As I've said many times, it takes a lot of talent from an author to get readers to physically react to a book, so I take my hat off to her. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment, Flame, and I hope to see a lot more of Waverly and Seth (Team Seth for the win!) and a lot less of Anne Mathers. Roll on June 2013!
_tabae's review against another edition
4.0
Ich habe eine ganze Weile gebraucht um wieder in die Geschichte hinein zu kommen, da es schon einige Zeit her ist, dass ich den ersten Band der Reihe gelesen habe aber sobald das überwunden war hat mich die Story wieder gepackt. Die Geschichte der Empyrean und der New Horizon, der Kampf einer Reihe verwaister Jugendlicher gegen eine Horde gottesfürchtiger Gläubiger unter der Herrschaft einer gewaltbereiten Theokratin, um ihre verbliebenen Elternteile zu retten...Erscheint aussichtslos und wirkt es auch auf der letzten Seite noch und man fiebert dem Finale entgegen.
Alles in allem empfehlenswert allerdings hat es aufgrund einiger kleiner Mankos nicht für 5 Sterne gereicht :)
Alles in allem empfehlenswert allerdings hat es aufgrund einiger kleiner Mankos nicht für 5 Sterne gereicht :)
silodear's review against another edition
2.0
This book was much more annoying than the first in the series. It was violent in really gory and unnecessary ways and the plot was a little flat. I'll still likely listen to the final chapter once it's out on "tape". Despite it's flaws, I remain compelled enough by the story line to listen to it on my commute.
karen_k77's review against another edition
4.0
So I finally got around to reading the sequel to Glow, and I must say, it didn't disappoint. At all. Right off the bat, I want to point out that this is a great book.
Its strength lies in its characters and their progressions. Waverly and Kieran return as narrators, and Seth is also added as a narrator this time around, and I am pretty satisfied with all three of them. Waverly ended up traumatized and broken at the end of the last book, Kieran ended up with immense power as well as religious fervor, and Seth ended up in prison after ruling as dictator. I wanted to see what would happen, who would turn out to be good, who would turn out to be evil, what would happen between all of them. And boy, was it loads of fun.
Waverly just might be my favorite. She's our heroine, but she's not some strong, inherently good ideal of a girl, she's a real human being with faults and weaknesses and also incredible strength. It was watching Waverly swim in and out of her inner savagery that made me remember how interesting flawed characters are. Darkness is an intense thing to have inside of you, and Waverly had plenty of it. She made both good and bad decisions, which for me meant that she carried most of the book's philosophical tendencies: Amy Kathleen Ryan's story is about human folly, and how it can pass from side to side. War isn't about good and evil, it's about humans seeking revenge and violence when they are subjected to it themselves. I'm rambling, I know, but it would take hours for me to write about how much I love that, and I'm struggling to put it concisely. Let's just move on. I love Waverly and all she represents, leave it at that.
Kieran was just as interesting as he was in the first book. I expected him to stay the bad guy for the entire novel, especially since he was drowning in paranoia right before our eyes. But at the end, he was the one I started agreeing with, despite the fact that he's a grade A jerk, and it just reinforced what I've already pointed out: there aren't any good or bad characters, just good or bad decisions. So watching Kieran collapse under his delusions and also stand strong against adversity was fascinating to watch. I am still really excited to see where he goes.
Seth was a bit difficult for me to get used to. I like the loner types, don't get me wrong, but he was a complete douche in the first novel. And since we didn't get his perspective, we didn't get to see any of his rationalizations. We just saw what he did through Kieran's eyes, and Kieran hated his freaking guts. And while I can believe the explanations he gave during this book, months after the fact --that he was scared, acted irrationally, that he's also got a darkness inside of him that leads to violence-- it was difficult to reconcile the somewhat kind, good dude in Spark with the absolute tyrant of Glow. But I liked him nonetheless. I want to see what happens to him.
Ryan did a good job not only with these three characters, but also the secondary characters. Arthur, Sarek, Sarah, Alia, etc. etc. They all had pretty distinct personalities, and they contributed to the story line. It wasn't just the Kieran/Waverly/Seth show. I loved that. The diversity and detail add a lot to the story, and the world it's set in.
The plot was still pretty good. Subterfuge, sabotage, political unrest among children, many of whom haven't even gone through puberty. It's all....fascinating. Interesting. Every other word I've already used. The action is decently written, the characters' thoughts and emotions are well represented, and Ryan's prose is pleasant if not memorable. I enjoyed all of those things, even if they didn't excite me like the characters did.
Needless to say, I liked Spark a lot. I am excited to read Flame. More than excited. I hope it carries on the tradition and ends the trilogy in a way that satisfies us all.
Its strength lies in its characters and their progressions. Waverly and Kieran return as narrators, and Seth is also added as a narrator this time around, and I am pretty satisfied with all three of them. Waverly ended up traumatized and broken at the end of the last book, Kieran ended up with immense power as well as religious fervor, and Seth ended up in prison after ruling as dictator. I wanted to see what would happen, who would turn out to be good, who would turn out to be evil, what would happen between all of them. And boy, was it loads of fun.
Waverly just might be my favorite. She's our heroine, but she's not some strong, inherently good ideal of a girl, she's a real human being with faults and weaknesses and also incredible strength. It was watching Waverly swim in and out of her inner savagery that made me remember how interesting flawed characters are. Darkness is an intense thing to have inside of you, and Waverly had plenty of it. She made both good and bad decisions, which for me meant that she carried most of the book's philosophical tendencies: Amy Kathleen Ryan's story is about human folly, and how it can pass from side to side. War isn't about good and evil, it's about humans seeking revenge and violence when they are subjected to it themselves. I'm rambling, I know, but it would take hours for me to write about how much I love that, and I'm struggling to put it concisely. Let's just move on. I love Waverly and all she represents, leave it at that.
Kieran was just as interesting as he was in the first book. I expected him to stay the bad guy for the entire novel, especially since he was drowning in paranoia right before our eyes. But at the end, he was the one I started agreeing with, despite the fact that he's a grade A jerk, and it just reinforced what I've already pointed out: there aren't any good or bad characters, just good or bad decisions. So watching Kieran collapse under his delusions and also stand strong against adversity was fascinating to watch. I am still really excited to see where he goes.
Seth was a bit difficult for me to get used to. I like the loner types, don't get me wrong, but he was a complete douche in the first novel. And since we didn't get his perspective, we didn't get to see any of his rationalizations. We just saw what he did through Kieran's eyes, and Kieran hated his freaking guts. And while I can believe the explanations he gave during this book, months after the fact --that he was scared, acted irrationally, that he's also got a darkness inside of him that leads to violence-- it was difficult to reconcile the somewhat kind, good dude in Spark with the absolute tyrant of Glow. But I liked him nonetheless. I want to see what happens to him.
Spoiler
Especially after he stayed behind on a dying ship, what the hell? Self-sacrificing or just stupid?Ryan did a good job not only with these three characters, but also the secondary characters. Arthur, Sarek, Sarah, Alia, etc. etc. They all had pretty distinct personalities, and they contributed to the story line. It wasn't just the Kieran/Waverly/Seth show. I loved that. The diversity and detail add a lot to the story, and the world it's set in.
The plot was still pretty good. Subterfuge, sabotage, political unrest among children, many of whom haven't even gone through puberty. It's all....fascinating. Interesting. Every other word I've already used. The action is decently written, the characters' thoughts and emotions are well represented, and Ryan's prose is pleasant if not memorable. I enjoyed all of those things, even if they didn't excite me like the characters did.
Needless to say, I liked Spark a lot. I am excited to read Flame. More than excited. I hope it carries on the tradition and ends the trilogy in a way that satisfies us all.
sydofbee's review against another edition
4.0
Oh dear God. Anne Mathers is certainly up there with literary figures I want to see dead sooner rather than later. She feigns innocence well enough but I'll tell ya: She's neck deep in this shit. I guarantee it.