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kmc3050's review against another edition
2.0
2. Meh, this whole series is pretty bad, but this book was better than the first. I am not sure how any of the people are going to survive long enough (and reproduce) to make it to New Earth.
zoesnicholson's review against another edition
4.0
It's time to grow up. You might want some showdown like in the storybooks, but this is not a storybook. This is war. And war doesn't have a happy ending. Not for anyone.Dare I say it, this manages to be even more incredible than its predecessor [b:Glow|10174795|Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)|Amy Kathleen Ryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312847982s/10174795.jpg|15073624], which is an accomplishment in itself. With the second installment in the Sky Chasers trilogy, Amy Kathleen Ryan writes another wonderful and haunting story that will undoubtedly linger in your mind for quite some time.
Waverly has managed to escape the New Horizon and return to her home ship, the Empyrean, where she's reunited with her fiancé Kieran. But all the adult passengers of the Empyrean are being held captive on the New Horizon, and if they're to be rescued Waverly and the rest of the remaining children risk losing everything.
With this series, Ryan doesn't merely write about characters. She writes about people. This series is essentially a huge psychological study about the effects power, greed, and love has on people; and it transfers in such a thought-provoking and chilling way. No character in this series is completely good or completely evil, they all float somewhere inbetween, with questionable motives and intentions.
We say that YA dystopians are simple and full of brainless action, and yet, once again, Ryan proves that statement false. Spark manages to remind me why I so love this genre: she takes a current political trend and manages to turn it into an eerily plausible and thought-provoking futuristic situation.
And the result is incredible.
readinginthegarden's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars!
This series just keeps getting better and better. There’s always that fear that the second book will never be as good as the first, but I had no worries here at all. Just as intense, emotional and exciting as the first. Kieran is just slipping more and more into being a complete arsehole. Waverley is slowly slipping into anger which is totally normal.
I hate how some of characters are judging her for the way she is reacting. I love that her character is developing. After what happened to her you cannot expect her to bounce back and feel no anger or frustration. She wants revenge and she doesn’t really care how she gets it. She hasn’t completely lost her morals. I think the way she Is acting is mild compared to some people or even myself would react. Seth is becoming more and more likeable but I can’t help feel he just falls into the bad boy trope. I hope he becomes less one dimensional in the finale.
I haven’t read a book series like this in a hot minute. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time while reading. You feel everything the characters are feeling. Their frustrations and at some points utter rage. You feel the injustice which is happening to the characters. I can’t wait for them to get revenge but most importantly I want a happy ending for most, if not all of them. I’m curious to know what’s going to happen with Waverley. Can’t wait to read the finale!!
This series just keeps getting better and better. There’s always that fear that the second book will never be as good as the first, but I had no worries here at all. Just as intense, emotional and exciting as the first. Kieran is just slipping more and more into being a complete arsehole. Waverley is slowly slipping into anger which is totally normal.
I hate how some of characters are judging her for the way she is reacting. I love that her character is developing. After what happened to her you cannot expect her to bounce back and feel no anger or frustration. She wants revenge and she doesn’t really care how she gets it. She hasn’t completely lost her morals. I think the way she Is acting is mild compared to some people or even myself would react. Seth is becoming more and more likeable but I can’t help feel he just falls into the bad boy trope. I hope he becomes less one dimensional in the finale.
I haven’t read a book series like this in a hot minute. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time while reading. You feel everything the characters are feeling. Their frustrations and at some points utter rage. You feel the injustice which is happening to the characters. I can’t wait for them to get revenge but most importantly I want a happy ending for most, if not all of them. I’m curious to know what’s going to happen with Waverley. Can’t wait to read the finale!!
abwright's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book more than the first book. Think Lord of the Flies on a spaceship. I'm emotionally and physically exhausted for these kids. It's disturbing that there are no clear-cut bad guys, just people trying to survive in disturbing circumstances. I need a bad guy to emerge in the next book to reconcile everyone's decisions and to blame someone for all the deaths.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
This wins major points for addressing all the issues I had with [b:Glow|10174795|Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)|Amy Kathleen Ryan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312847982s/10174795.jpg|15073624]. This is really one of those series where it would be best to sit down and read them all in a row (if they were all out yet). Glow left me frustrated with a few things - I didn't click with either of the main characters, and there was a boatload of ambiguity about how people were acting and why. Was I supposed to be siding with Waverly or Kieran? And what about Seth?
While I still didn't completely click with any of the main characters in Spark, I certainly found myself less frustrated. More of the characters' personalities were falling into place, and we got more of Seth's perspective to help explain his behavior. Of course, the plot also continues to thicken, which again gave the book a brisk pace and plenty of action. I also became more accepting of the ambiguity - maybe I was just in the right mood for it this time - and I really appreciated the way Ryan doesn't let the characters be 'good' or 'bad' - they're all somewhere inbetween, and increasingly aware of their own flaws. Nicely done, very nicely done.
I'd recommend this series to teens (and some middle-schoolers) who are interested in space travel, or who like morally complex stories that also have plenty of action.
While I still didn't completely click with any of the main characters in Spark, I certainly found myself less frustrated. More of the characters' personalities were falling into place, and we got more of Seth's perspective to help explain his behavior. Of course, the plot also continues to thicken, which again gave the book a brisk pace and plenty of action. I also became more accepting of the ambiguity - maybe I was just in the right mood for it this time - and I really appreciated the way Ryan doesn't let the characters be 'good' or 'bad' - they're all somewhere inbetween, and increasingly aware of their own flaws. Nicely done, very nicely done.
I'd recommend this series to teens (and some middle-schoolers) who are interested in space travel, or who like morally complex stories that also have plenty of action.
shereadsbookssometimes's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book after Glow. And is set after Waverley's return to the ship.
Waverley is obviously violated and then she realises Kieran has changed and their engagement is off ( so much for true love). She then falls for Seth the guy that held he ex-fiancé captive and tortured him- does she just lead to trouble? Then you find out that she let a fugitive on board and I have to say I felt sorry for her she had to leave her parents behind watched her best friend die and is now being blamed for being a traitor.
Kieran well he's evil. He tricks all his 'followers' by reading religious speeches written by the person who held all the girls captive and still has all of the parents. He then has a meeting with the wicked witch herself the bargain about getting the parents back over a cuppa'. Really glad that him and Waverley split up.
This book is a great sequel I cannot wait to read the next one maybe Waverley and Seth with become a couple? *hint* *hint*
Waverley is obviously violated and then she realises Kieran has changed and their engagement is off ( so much for true love). She then falls for Seth the guy that held he ex-fiancé captive and tortured him- does she just lead to trouble? Then you find out that she let a fugitive on board and I have to say I felt sorry for her she had to leave her parents behind watched her best friend die and is now being blamed for being a traitor.
Kieran well he's evil. He tricks all his 'followers' by reading religious speeches written by the person who held all the girls captive and still has all of the parents. He then has a meeting with the wicked witch herself the bargain about getting the parents back over a cuppa'. Really glad that him and Waverley split up.
This book is a great sequel I cannot wait to read the next one maybe Waverley and Seth with become a couple? *hint* *hint*
anniemariek's review against another edition
3.0
Why do publishers have to change the style of covers in the middle of a series?* It annoys me to no end, because I take pride in the streamlined look of my bookshelf (I organize by height...), and this just makes everything look uneven. We don't need to encourage inconsistency in books!
Anyway...
Time for another episode of Lord of the Flies, spaceship edition!
After reading Spark, I have one question: Was Amy Kathleen Ryan trying to make Kieran and Waverly likable? Was I supposed to even care about them them?
That's two questions. I lied. But really, how am I supposed to care about this story if two out of three point of view characters fall into near-sociopath territory? (Seriously, here's a list of sociopathic traits. Kieran and Waverly display far too many of these.) This is my stumbling block for this book. This is why I had trouble bringing myself to care.
I understand that Kieran and Waverly have been though more than a person should have to go through. Because of this, they have become either hardened and unfeeling, or anxious and depressed. For comparison purposes, let's talk about Bobby Pendragon, another sci-fi main character. He goes through five times the trauma that Kieran and Waverly see (Sky Chasers has two books so far. Pendragon has 10. Do the math). And yet...instead of becoming a sociopath, he sticks to the quest. He grows more and more determined the more struggles he goes through. He remains likable and retains his morals and sense of goodness.
I can't bring myself to care about characters who, instead of retaining their core of morality, turn heartless. Waverly tortures a guy, which is horribly unneccesary. She lost a lot of points for that, with me. Then again, she regained some of those when she was kind to Seth. More people need to stick up for Seth.
Seth was the main reason I enjoyed reading this book despite my dislike of Kieran and Waverly. Seth is the one to watch for in this series. He's the only character I really connected to, the only one I cared about. He's also been through a lot, but did he lose his humanity? No. That's why I like him.
Despite the sociopathic main characters, this story still interests me. It makes me a little mad, too, but I still want to know how it ends. I'll be sticking around for the next book, if anything just to see if Waverly and Kieran ever become likable again.
Similar Books: It's got the spaceshipy-ness (technical term, there) of Inside Out, or A Confusion of Princes, and has the no-adults aspect of Variant and the darker no-adultness of Gone.
*This just furthers my notion that I need to start my own publishing company. Our covers will be friendly to both genders (ie. the dress thing is out the window forever and ever unless our cover model is Max Klinger), and they will stay consistent throughout a series. We will edit our books, for goodness' sake. We will publish stuff that's actually original, and we won't merge with Random Penguin House or whatever it is now (or the HarperShuster or whatever that is quite possible...yep, they've been talking about it. Can anyone say monopoly?). We won't Fifty Shades-ize or vampire-ize anybody's book. And we'll have a giant portrait of J. R. R. Tolkein in our main office. Who is with me on this?
Anyway...
Time for another episode of Lord of the Flies, spaceship edition!
After reading Spark, I have one question: Was Amy Kathleen Ryan trying to make Kieran and Waverly likable? Was I supposed to even care about them them?
That's two questions. I lied. But really, how am I supposed to care about this story if two out of three point of view characters fall into near-sociopath territory? (Seriously, here's a list of sociopathic traits. Kieran and Waverly display far too many of these.) This is my stumbling block for this book. This is why I had trouble bringing myself to care.
I understand that Kieran and Waverly have been though more than a person should have to go through. Because of this, they have become either hardened and unfeeling, or anxious and depressed. For comparison purposes, let's talk about Bobby Pendragon, another sci-fi main character. He goes through five times the trauma that Kieran and Waverly see (Sky Chasers has two books so far. Pendragon has 10. Do the math). And yet...instead of becoming a sociopath, he sticks to the quest. He grows more and more determined the more struggles he goes through. He remains likable and retains his morals and sense of goodness.
I can't bring myself to care about characters who, instead of retaining their core of morality, turn heartless. Waverly tortures a guy, which is horribly unneccesary. She lost a lot of points for that, with me. Then again, she regained some of those when she was kind to Seth. More people need to stick up for Seth.
Seth was the main reason I enjoyed reading this book despite my dislike of Kieran and Waverly. Seth is the one to watch for in this series. He's the only character I really connected to, the only one I cared about. He's also been through a lot, but did he lose his humanity? No. That's why I like him.
Despite the sociopathic main characters, this story still interests me. It makes me a little mad, too, but I still want to know how it ends. I'll be sticking around for the next book, if anything just to see if Waverly and Kieran ever become likable again.
Similar Books: It's got the spaceshipy-ness (technical term, there) of Inside Out, or A Confusion of Princes, and has the no-adults aspect of Variant and the darker no-adultness of Gone.
*This just furthers my notion that I need to start my own publishing company. Our covers will be friendly to both genders (ie. the dress thing is out the window forever and ever unless our cover model is Max Klinger), and they will stay consistent throughout a series. We will edit our books, for goodness' sake. We will publish stuff that's actually original, and we won't merge with Random Penguin House or whatever it is now (or the HarperShuster or whatever that is quite possible...yep, they've been talking about it. Can anyone say monopoly?). We won't Fifty Shades-ize or vampire-ize anybody's book. And we'll have a giant portrait of J. R. R. Tolkein in our main office. Who is with me on this?
operasara's review against another edition
4.0
Spark is the second book in the Sky Chasers series. The last book ended with the kids on the ship alone and their parents being held hostage on the other ship. This book takes off where the last book ended with Kieran having a major power trip and refusing to listen to reason while Waverly and Seth tries to save the ship which is in major trouble due to Kieran's refusal to listen to anyone.
I found myself speeding through this book, there was just so much going on. The characters however were a little too black and white. I found myself getting so upset at Kieran who seemed so stupid that you could hit him in the head with something and he'd refuse to acknowledge that anything was there while Waverly was always right and always had the right answer. There were several great twists and turns with the mystery and the ship and the politics between the two ships kept me interested.
Appropriateness: There was no adult content in this book although it was very violent. I would recommend this book to readers 13+
I found myself speeding through this book, there was just so much going on. The characters however were a little too black and white. I found myself getting so upset at Kieran who seemed so stupid that you could hit him in the head with something and he'd refuse to acknowledge that anything was there while Waverly was always right and always had the right answer. There were several great twists and turns with the mystery and the ship and the politics between the two ships kept me interested.
Appropriateness: There was no adult content in this book although it was very violent. I would recommend this book to readers 13+
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
3.0
No lengthy review because the truth is, I had a very hard time getting through this since I wasn't in the mood for it. Then I put it down for a long time, lost it, restarted and didn't regain the momentum I had from the start.
That said, it's a strong second book in a trilogy in terms of writing and character development, and my initial feelings of ambiguity about all three of the major players continues strong. And I'm still glad it's not clear what, if any, "choice" Waverly will make romantically. If anything, she got even stronger in this volume, even if at times her choices were questionable (love good flaws).
That said, it's a strong second book in a trilogy in terms of writing and character development, and my initial feelings of ambiguity about all three of the major players continues strong. And I'm still glad it's not clear what, if any, "choice" Waverly will make romantically. If anything, she got even stronger in this volume, even if at times her choices were questionable (love good flaws).