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writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Let me start by saying Glow is dark and thought provoking and colored throughout with shades of grey. I would say the book was part Lord of the Flies and part religious cult set in space.
There are characters that I thought I liked and then wasn't sure. Namely the two love interests. One does something that is going to be very difficult to redeem himself from. In the end I decided that I didn't like either one of them. Out of all of the characters in the book the girls are the only ones I liked throughout the whole story.
I'm intrigued to find out what the author is saying about religion here. This book deals with religion taken to the extreme. There are self-appointed religious figures and cult leaders today and throughout history that I can think of who use their words to manipulate others into following them. Some of them do it for money and some of them do it for power. As a religious person myself I am often repelled by people like this. So we have a character like this in this book, but later when another one of the characters starts hearing what seems to be the voice of god I began to wonder...is she going to explore that there is a difference in people who appoint themselves as voices of god and those who really are called of god? And how would anyone be able to tell the difference? So was the author saying all religion is corrupt, or just the zealots? Really it’s too soon to tell after reading this first book in the series.
Overall it was an intriguing book and I think I will read the next one because I want to know how or if the author is going to answer all those questions.
Let me start by saying Glow is dark and thought provoking and colored throughout with shades of grey. I would say the book was part Lord of the Flies and part religious cult set in space.
There are characters that I thought I liked and then wasn't sure. Namely the two love interests. One does something that is going to be very difficult to redeem himself from. In the end I decided that I didn't like either one of them. Out of all of the characters in the book the girls are the only ones I liked throughout the whole story.
I'm intrigued to find out what the author is saying about religion here. This book deals with religion taken to the extreme. There are self-appointed religious figures and cult leaders today and throughout history that I can think of who use their words to manipulate others into following them. Some of them do it for money and some of them do it for power. As a religious person myself I am often repelled by people like this. So we have a character like this in this book, but later when another one of the characters starts hearing what seems to be the voice of god I began to wonder...is she going to explore that there is a difference in people who appoint themselves as voices of god and those who really are called of god? And how would anyone be able to tell the difference? So was the author saying all religion is corrupt, or just the zealots? Really it’s too soon to tell after reading this first book in the series.
Overall it was an intriguing book and I think I will read the next one because I want to know how or if the author is going to answer all those questions.
rakesrogues's review against another edition
3.0
A thrilling space adventure that is often compared to Beth Revis’s Across the Universe, GLOW is a thought-provoking science fiction novel that is a great addition to the young adult genre. I love science fiction and I’m really happy that it’s finally – albeit, slowly – gaining popularity in YA. I read a bit of mixed reviews from GLOW so I wasn’t expecting much, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.
I really love the theme of religion in GLOW. I’m not a very religious person, but it definitely made me think of the impact of religion in a society. Religion is important to the plot of GLOW but one does not have to be a religious person to enjoy the book. Religion was the deciding factor that determined which ship a person ended up in: the Empyrean (non-religious) or the New Horizon (religious). GLOW made me think of why religion starts, what it does for a society, and why it is important and sometimes necessary. GLOW isn’t preachy at all, and it definitely gives insight to both positives and negatives for religion.
My major complaint with GLOW is the characters. I thought that the premise was interesting and the plot was engaging, but I had a hard time enjoying the story because I felt disconnected to the characters. I think my problem was the fact that I didn’t know who to trust. GLOW is written in third-person, alternating between Keiran and Waverly. I usually blame my disconnection with the characters to the point of view, but not in this case.
Keiran Alden is technically supposed to be the protagonist, but couldn’t sympathize with him. I felt that as the first born on the Empyrean, he had lived a much more privileged life than the others, and I just didn’t like that about him. It’s not his fault, of course. On the other hand, I really wanted to like Seth. I like his interactions with Waverly, but I didn’t understand how he could be so mean. I sympathized with his character, but I didn’t understand any of his actions. I do like Waverly’s character. She might not be physically strong, but she’s mentally fit. She’s clever and I love that she is determined never to give up.
GLOW‘s audiobook is narrated by Ilyana Kadushin and Matthew Brown. Like the novel, the two voice actors alternate narrating the story. Since the point of view is third person limited, the narrators are not exactly the “voice” of the characters. However, the story itself provides many opportunities for the actors to portray Keiran and Waverly’s voices through the dialogue. Both Kadushin’s and Brown’s narrations are rich with emotion.
One complaint, however, is that the amount of characters in GLOW makes it difficult to differentiate between one voice from another. Brown does alter his voice slightly in between characters during a conversation, but sometimes it is hard to tell when one character stops speaking and when another responds. Furthermore, as much as Waverly is my favorite character, I did not like the way she was portrayed in the audiobook. Just from the way she talked, I couldn’t help but feel as if she sounded a bit dumb. I thought that when she was first introduced by Brown in the first chapter of the audiobook that it was just because it was read from Keiran’s perspective, but that wasn’t the case. In the following chapter, Kadushin similarly portrayed Waverly in that manner. She sounded less confident and unsure of herself than I first imagined her to be.
The premise of GLOW was fantastic, and I can actually see myself continuing the series. There are many questions left unanswered in GLOW, but the ending wasn’t very much of a cliffhanger so I felt satisfied upon completion. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of science fiction. As to whether or not the print or audiobook version is better, I think I would have to go with the print version this time around. I think audiobooks work a lot better from the first person perspective.
If you really want me to compare it to Across the Universe, I’ll say this: I’m not a fan of Across the Universe and I definitely enjoyed GLOW a lot more. Predictability-wise, there were some things that I didn’t see coming. Romance isn’t that big of a deal as it was in Across the Universe which was great. GLOW has a lot more meat to it because it actually made me think.
I really love the theme of religion in GLOW. I’m not a very religious person, but it definitely made me think of the impact of religion in a society. Religion is important to the plot of GLOW but one does not have to be a religious person to enjoy the book. Religion was the deciding factor that determined which ship a person ended up in: the Empyrean (non-religious) or the New Horizon (religious). GLOW made me think of why religion starts, what it does for a society, and why it is important and sometimes necessary. GLOW isn’t preachy at all, and it definitely gives insight to both positives and negatives for religion.
My major complaint with GLOW is the characters. I thought that the premise was interesting and the plot was engaging, but I had a hard time enjoying the story because I felt disconnected to the characters. I think my problem was the fact that I didn’t know who to trust. GLOW is written in third-person, alternating between Keiran and Waverly. I usually blame my disconnection with the characters to the point of view, but not in this case.
Keiran Alden is technically supposed to be the protagonist, but couldn’t sympathize with him. I felt that as the first born on the Empyrean, he had lived a much more privileged life than the others, and I just didn’t like that about him. It’s not his fault, of course. On the other hand, I really wanted to like Seth. I like his interactions with Waverly, but I didn’t understand how he could be so mean. I sympathized with his character, but I didn’t understand any of his actions. I do like Waverly’s character. She might not be physically strong, but she’s mentally fit. She’s clever and I love that she is determined never to give up.
GLOW‘s audiobook is narrated by Ilyana Kadushin and Matthew Brown. Like the novel, the two voice actors alternate narrating the story. Since the point of view is third person limited, the narrators are not exactly the “voice” of the characters. However, the story itself provides many opportunities for the actors to portray Keiran and Waverly’s voices through the dialogue. Both Kadushin’s and Brown’s narrations are rich with emotion.
One complaint, however, is that the amount of characters in GLOW makes it difficult to differentiate between one voice from another. Brown does alter his voice slightly in between characters during a conversation, but sometimes it is hard to tell when one character stops speaking and when another responds. Furthermore, as much as Waverly is my favorite character, I did not like the way she was portrayed in the audiobook. Just from the way she talked, I couldn’t help but feel as if she sounded a bit dumb. I thought that when she was first introduced by Brown in the first chapter of the audiobook that it was just because it was read from Keiran’s perspective, but that wasn’t the case. In the following chapter, Kadushin similarly portrayed Waverly in that manner. She sounded less confident and unsure of herself than I first imagined her to be.
The premise of GLOW was fantastic, and I can actually see myself continuing the series. There are many questions left unanswered in GLOW, but the ending wasn’t very much of a cliffhanger so I felt satisfied upon completion. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of science fiction. As to whether or not the print or audiobook version is better, I think I would have to go with the print version this time around. I think audiobooks work a lot better from the first person perspective.
If you really want me to compare it to Across the Universe, I’ll say this: I’m not a fan of Across the Universe and I definitely enjoyed GLOW a lot more. Predictability-wise, there were some things that I didn’t see coming. Romance isn’t that big of a deal as it was in Across the Universe which was great. GLOW has a lot more meat to it because it actually made me think.
narteest's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't have much of an opinion on this book. It was a little confusing. But well I'll just have to read the next to find out what happens. Despite my bored flipping of the pages, I am interested in seeing what happens next.
kasiej's review against another edition
4.0
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, the first installment in the Sky Chasers Series, made my stomach do flips in ways that I didn’t know was possible.
Imagine for a moment, that you’re witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. Not just any train, a passenger train. There is nothing you can do to help or change the outcome, only watch as each car is smashed into the next creating one giant heap of wreckage. This is how I felt reading this book, painfully glued to each word.
Glow was dark, tragic, and unbelievably epic.
Warning; Spoilers Somewhat...
Now why must the chapters be named? I keep seeing this and it’s really starting to irritate me. Some of the titles are basically little spoilers for each section.
(¬_¬”)
The events that unfold are bitter sweet. It’s fantastic how gripping each moment is, but at the time same, it’s brutal. You can tell the author already had the entire trilogy mapped out for this series. At least, I hope she does since the entire first book left me emotionally drained. I felt like I was watching ASPCA commercials back to back.
Religion was a heavy topic throughout the book. I am not religious. I do respect all religions and those that follow them. To each their own. How the author brought religion and it’s influence into the story was brilliant. It provides each side with positives and negatives, allowing the reader to interpret the conflict it creates.
I give the author credit for a work such as this that forces you to feel so deeply. I battled between 4 and 5 stars for couple days before I finally decided on 4. I withheld the final star because the of character interaction and the ending.
Predictable and anticlimactic. After all of the cruel things they went through the ending was a bit disappointing. At about 60% I realized I knew exactly how this would end and then it did.
Well I’ve already picked up Book 2, Spark. Book 3, Flame is out early next year. This first chapter has definitely set the series up and I will absolutely be finishing it. Something good has to happen to these kids eventually right? Right?!
Imagine for a moment, that you’re witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. Not just any train, a passenger train. There is nothing you can do to help or change the outcome, only watch as each car is smashed into the next creating one giant heap of wreckage. This is how I felt reading this book, painfully glued to each word.
Glow was dark, tragic, and unbelievably epic.
Warning; Spoilers Somewhat...
Spoiler
The first thing that caught my attention when I started reading was the multiple POVs. I love that. Each 3-4 chapters were viewed from either Waverly or Keiran. This style had an interesting twist. It brought a different feeling since a few of the segments over lapped each other in time. This helped keep up the suspense since you wouldn’t find out what happened to one or the other until the author backtracked to their version. However, I really wish I could have seen a bit of Seth’s POV.Now why must the chapters be named? I keep seeing this and it’s really starting to irritate me. Some of the titles are basically little spoilers for each section.
(¬_¬”)
The events that unfold are bitter sweet. It’s fantastic how gripping each moment is, but at the time same, it’s brutal. You can tell the author already had the entire trilogy mapped out for this series. At least, I hope she does since the entire first book left me emotionally drained. I felt like I was watching ASPCA commercials back to back.
Religion was a heavy topic throughout the book. I am not religious. I do respect all religions and those that follow them. To each their own. How the author brought religion and it’s influence into the story was brilliant. It provides each side with positives and negatives, allowing the reader to interpret the conflict it creates.
I give the author credit for a work such as this that forces you to feel so deeply. I battled between 4 and 5 stars for couple days before I finally decided on 4. I withheld the final star because the of character interaction and the ending.
Predictable and anticlimactic. After all of the cruel things they went through the ending was a bit disappointing. At about 60% I realized I knew exactly how this would end and then it did.
Well I’ve already picked up Book 2, Spark. Book 3, Flame is out early next year. This first chapter has definitely set the series up and I will absolutely be finishing it. Something good has to happen to these kids eventually right? Right?!
taylorlaine2413's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the characters and all the twists. I suspect the next one will make just stop at parts and sya "Woah, I did not see that coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
katpavlikova's review against another edition
1.0
Ta knížka je strašná, hrozná, nechutná, odporná, nepochopitelná.. Nelíbí se!
1,5 z 5 hvězdiček -_-
1,5 z 5 hvězdiček -_-
melindabruce's review against another edition
4.0
Glow is not your typical science-fiction -- it was really surprising. I knew the premise going in was that it was about two Earth ships colonizing another planet and one attacks the other, which sounded intriguing. There is quite a bit more to it than that though... it has a lot of depth. There is an enormous emount of political drama, both amongst the adults of the New Horizon and the boys of the Empyrean and emotional relationships shift and sway, evolving and changing throughout the book. I finished the book very quickly because it was hard to put down. The only criticism I do have comes at the very end of the book: the last two chapters made me cringe -- so much so that I'm not sure I want to read the second book, and that makes me sad, because I really enjoyed Glow!
*I received this book for free as part of Goodreads' First Reads program.
*I received this book for free as part of Goodreads' First Reads program.
kirstenrose22's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this, despite its flaws - the writing is sometimes weak (too much telling, not enough showing!), there are some small gaps that made no sense, and the characters aren't as developed as they could be. But it's solid scifi, and bad bad things happen, and there is a certain amount of twisty plot-ness that keeps you just slightly in doubt of who you can really trust. (Those are all positives, BTW. In case it isn't clear.) I will definitely read the sequel to this.
bluehound's review against another edition
3.0
won a copy through GoodReads. It was entertaining but not a great book by any means. The characters were wonderful and the plot great but how everything happens is awkward and not entirely believable. That was my only complaint for the book. I just didn't believe that a few teenagers could escape from a spaceship and save the day. Then find their way to the other spaceship while not having any experience. Until that point the book was good after that it went downhill. I think this would be a great book for teens under 14 and was probably written for them. But for an adult, it has a long way to go.
crystalstarrlight's review
3.0
Bullet Review:
Thank you Nemo for your recommendation that I not sell this book and stick it out. I may not have read the physical book, but it made me want to pick up the audiobook, and while I didn't adore this to pieces, I did enjoy myself quite a bit.
The long and short of it is: this book is incredibly dark but worlds better than most of the offerings you will find for Young Adults. Characters are realistic, there is some decent world-building, and the story is intriguing, if incredibly dark and for (IMO) the 16+ set. (Stealing underage girl's ova for an infertile population? The question of whether religion is evil because it is religion?) I would rate this better than the other scifi offering floating the cosmos, Across the Universe.
Will I continue? My first instinct is to say no. I have loads of other books that need wading through, the story is mostly wrapped up (though plenty of room for expansion - thank GOD no cliffhanger endings!!), and honestly, I am not that enthused about reading a book where people are bad because they have religious beliefs, not based on their personal moral codes. My mind could change tomorrow, but today, I'll probably not finish the series. That doesn't mean this trilogy is bad, just that I have no personal desire to finish.
3.5 stars and recommended if you want a darker, meatier scifi.
Full Review:
Waverly and Keiran are 15 and 16 respectively, the oldest children on a ship headed for a new Earth. Problems start to arise when the second ship of their convoy, the New Horizon, appears and whisks away the girls (including Waverly). Keiran and Seth, the pilot's angsty son, must try to keep the boys alive and the ship running (withOUT adults), while Waverly discovers a nasty secret on board the New Horizon, led by Pastor Ann Mather.
I almost gave up on this one and would have were it not for a Goodread's friend's encouragement to keep it. So I found an audiobook (I read those faster) and added it to my 2014 challenge to weed through my huge TBR stack. I am really glad I listened to her advice, because this turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. In fact, it's a LOT better than most Young Adult offerings. To show why I liked it (and how it's better than most YA), please follow me with a nice list.
How "Glow" Succeeds Where Other YA Fails:
1) Teenagers act like teenagers. Waverly, Samantha, Felicity, Keiran, Seth, and more act like teenagers. They are afraid, smart, angry. They want their parents around to tell them that things will be okay. They want and do have sex. They can be brave when they need to be, but they also need to know that someone loves them. And some of them want to explore the world and NOT get married to the first set of abs their eyes set on.
2) The romantic triangle does NOT dominate the story. There is a Romantic Triangle, those hideous creatures that make me run in terror. But here, it doesn't make me cringe at all. Why? Because the author gets it; she understands the purpose of a Romantic Triangle isn't to dominate the story. It's in the distant background - something the characters think about when they don't want to think about how sh!tty life is. It also includes wildly different characters, none of whom are perfect. THIS IS HOW YOU DO ROMANTIC TRIANGLES, PEEPS.
3) The world doesn't fall apart when you gently poke at it. I'm not asking for a world in a Young Adult soft scifi novel to stand up to adult questions like, "How does the economy work?" and "How can the ship get to the nearest star so quickly?" I'm just asking for a bit more attention to detail than "Look outside, there are STARS!" No, the science isn't going to stand up to scrutiny, but at least it isn't going to fall apart on me as I read. Again, it's all about Willing Suspension of Disbelief.
4) The story is more than just romance at its core. I know this is closely tied to #2, but let me explain. This story is about survival: survival of the boys in the ship, survival of the girls, survival of the human race on these ships. We also have a really compelling discussion about the place of religion - when does it become bad? Is it always bad? Can it ever be good? Keiran gets invigorated from adhering to religion, while Waverly (suffering from the evils of religion personified in Ann Mather) flees from it. In my reading, neither are wrong and neither are right. (Though it could be argued that you are supposed to side with Waverly who thinks all religion is cultish and bad - understandable based on her horrific experience on the New Horizon.) Compare this with 90% of YA out there, which is generic "I want to love X, but I can't" or "I am super speshul, which boy should I fall in love with".
There is a lot to enjoy about this book, particularly if you want something meaty to discuss. But I don't think I'll continue.
Reasons Why I'm Probably Not Going to Continue This Series:
1) As a mildly religious person, I hate to see every religious person painted as a bad guy. Religion doesn't make a person evil; PEOPLE make themselves evil. Religion can give people an excuse to be horrible people (Westboro Baptist, anyone?), but you can't make a blanket statement saying "All people who believe in X are bad". (Unless you are Anne Rice, apparently...)
2) While this book was better than most YA, it wasn't compelling enough to make me want to seek the end.
3) I have SO MANY books in my to-read pile, and I don't own a copy of the sequels.
4) I wasn't a fan of Keiran, nor of the boys' story to survive on the Empyrean.
5) I thought it rather creepy and dark that the girls were violated as they were. Also, isn't it strange how they are wanted for their reproductive values and no more? While the boys fight to survive on a ship without adults who know what they are doing, the girls must fight to keep from being sexually violated. On one hand, it says a LOT about our society; on the other, couldn't we have a story where BOTH boys and girls must face the "Lord of the Flies" scenario, instead of shoving the girls into the stereotypical "We need you to make da babehs"?
This is not to say the book is bad; in fact, if you have a hankering for Young Adult scifi, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. And maybe one day when I have my to-read pile under control (HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!), I'll come back to this trilogy. But for now, I'll leave this series pleased, entertained, and enriched. 3.5 stars.
Thank you Nemo for your recommendation that I not sell this book and stick it out. I may not have read the physical book, but it made me want to pick up the audiobook, and while I didn't adore this to pieces, I did enjoy myself quite a bit.
The long and short of it is: this book is incredibly dark but worlds better than most of the offerings you will find for Young Adults. Characters are realistic, there is some decent world-building, and the story is intriguing, if incredibly dark and for (IMO) the 16+ set. (Stealing underage girl's ova for an infertile population? The question of whether religion is evil because it is religion?) I would rate this better than the other scifi offering floating the cosmos, Across the Universe.
Will I continue? My first instinct is to say no. I have loads of other books that need wading through, the story is mostly wrapped up (though plenty of room for expansion - thank GOD no cliffhanger endings!!), and honestly, I am not that enthused about reading a book where people are bad because they have religious beliefs, not based on their personal moral codes. My mind could change tomorrow, but today, I'll probably not finish the series. That doesn't mean this trilogy is bad, just that I have no personal desire to finish.
3.5 stars and recommended if you want a darker, meatier scifi.
Full Review:
Waverly and Keiran are 15 and 16 respectively, the oldest children on a ship headed for a new Earth. Problems start to arise when the second ship of their convoy, the New Horizon, appears and whisks away the girls (including Waverly). Keiran and Seth, the pilot's angsty son, must try to keep the boys alive and the ship running (withOUT adults), while Waverly discovers a nasty secret on board the New Horizon, led by Pastor Ann Mather.
I almost gave up on this one and would have were it not for a Goodread's friend's encouragement to keep it. So I found an audiobook (I read those faster) and added it to my 2014 challenge to weed through my huge TBR stack. I am really glad I listened to her advice, because this turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. In fact, it's a LOT better than most Young Adult offerings. To show why I liked it (and how it's better than most YA), please follow me with a nice list.
How "Glow" Succeeds Where Other YA Fails:
1) Teenagers act like teenagers. Waverly, Samantha, Felicity, Keiran, Seth, and more act like teenagers. They are afraid, smart, angry. They want their parents around to tell them that things will be okay. They want and do have sex. They can be brave when they need to be, but they also need to know that someone loves them. And some of them want to explore the world and NOT get married to the first set of abs their eyes set on.
2) The romantic triangle does NOT dominate the story. There is a Romantic Triangle, those hideous creatures that make me run in terror. But here, it doesn't make me cringe at all. Why? Because the author gets it; she understands the purpose of a Romantic Triangle isn't to dominate the story. It's in the distant background - something the characters think about when they don't want to think about how sh!tty life is. It also includes wildly different characters, none of whom are perfect. THIS IS HOW YOU DO ROMANTIC TRIANGLES, PEEPS.
3) The world doesn't fall apart when you gently poke at it. I'm not asking for a world in a Young Adult soft scifi novel to stand up to adult questions like, "How does the economy work?" and "How can the ship get to the nearest star so quickly?" I'm just asking for a bit more attention to detail than "Look outside, there are STARS!" No, the science isn't going to stand up to scrutiny, but at least it isn't going to fall apart on me as I read. Again, it's all about Willing Suspension of Disbelief.
4) The story is more than just romance at its core. I know this is closely tied to #2, but let me explain. This story is about survival: survival of the boys in the ship, survival of the girls, survival of the human race on these ships. We also have a really compelling discussion about the place of religion - when does it become bad? Is it always bad? Can it ever be good? Keiran gets invigorated from adhering to religion, while Waverly (suffering from the evils of religion personified in Ann Mather) flees from it. In my reading, neither are wrong and neither are right. (Though it could be argued that you are supposed to side with Waverly who thinks all religion is cultish and bad - understandable based on her horrific experience on the New Horizon.) Compare this with 90% of YA out there, which is generic "I want to love X, but I can't" or "I am super speshul, which boy should I fall in love with".
There is a lot to enjoy about this book, particularly if you want something meaty to discuss. But I don't think I'll continue.
Reasons Why I'm Probably Not Going to Continue This Series:
1) As a mildly religious person, I hate to see every religious person painted as a bad guy. Religion doesn't make a person evil; PEOPLE make themselves evil. Religion can give people an excuse to be horrible people (Westboro Baptist, anyone?), but you can't make a blanket statement saying "All people who believe in X are bad". (Unless you are Anne Rice, apparently...)
2) While this book was better than most YA, it wasn't compelling enough to make me want to seek the end.
3) I have SO MANY books in my to-read pile, and I don't own a copy of the sequels.
4) I wasn't a fan of Keiran, nor of the boys' story to survive on the Empyrean.
5) I thought it rather creepy and dark that the girls were violated as they were. Also, isn't it strange how they are wanted for their reproductive values and no more? While the boys fight to survive on a ship without adults who know what they are doing, the girls must fight to keep from being sexually violated. On one hand, it says a LOT about our society; on the other, couldn't we have a story where BOTH boys and girls must face the "Lord of the Flies" scenario, instead of shoving the girls into the stereotypical "We need you to make da babehs"?
This is not to say the book is bad; in fact, if you have a hankering for Young Adult scifi, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. And maybe one day when I have my to-read pile under control (HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!), I'll come back to this trilogy. But for now, I'll leave this series pleased, entertained, and enriched. 3.5 stars.