wildflowerz76's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I was interested and it was a very quick read. But from the beginning, I just felt like I'd read this before. Repeatedly. There didn't seem to be a whole lot new in the story. I always appreciate with religious corruption is brought to light and it might be interesting to read where this goes, but I find that I'm not interested ENOUGH. So, this was okay, but I didn't love it.
aj113's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reanimatedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Futuristic novel about planet Earth being uninhabitable and the population leaving to recolonise another planet. A story about hardships, adapting, generational differences, love, friendship and life changing events. Somewhat similar to Lord of the Flies in parts. The story flows well and the action keeps the pace up in places.
thomcat's review against another edition
1.0
I think what bugged me most were the testimonials - this is definitely *not* the "next Hunger Games".
In summary: two ships are in space, bound to colonize "new Earth" after an environmental collapse. One ship has very religious types, the other a more secular mix. Long-term space travel has caused sterility in both ships; the secular solves the problem and a party from the religious ship attacks and captures all female children. Most of the adults die in this attack, leaving only the male children.
So the secular ship experiences a "Lord of the Flies", while the females on the religious ship experience oppression and violation. Specific quibbles include:
1) Bad science fiction
2) A Muslim character on the secular ship (and he is the most sympathetic of the story)
3) A direct appearance by God
This is the first book of a series. It barely stands alone, and that only if you skip the Epilog. The main female character is written well enough; the main male characters are caricatures of power seekers. I had no idea what message about religion the author was trying to convey, and have no desire to read more books to find out. While this is young adult and *some* bad science fiction could be excused (I'm looking at you, Hunger Games), this book is over-the-top.
In summary: two ships are in space, bound to colonize "new Earth" after an environmental collapse. One ship has very religious types, the other a more secular mix. Long-term space travel has caused sterility in both ships; the secular solves the problem and a party from the religious ship attacks and captures all female children. Most of the adults die in this attack, leaving only the male children.
So the secular ship experiences a "Lord of the Flies", while the females on the religious ship experience oppression and violation. Specific quibbles include:
1) Bad science fiction
2) A Muslim character on the secular ship (and he is the most sympathetic of the story)
3) A direct appearance by God
This is the first book of a series. It barely stands alone, and that only if you skip the Epilog. The main female character is written well enough; the main male characters are caricatures of power seekers. I had no idea what message about religion the author was trying to convey, and have no desire to read more books to find out. While this is young adult and *some* bad science fiction could be excused (I'm looking at you, Hunger Games), this book is over-the-top.
emilymahar's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorite genres to read, besides dystopian and fantasy would have to be sci-fi. This was a mix of both dystopian and sci-fi, so I ended up being thrilled to read this one!
Waverly, Keiran and Seth are the three main characters in this book. I really liked Waverly as a person, and I liked reading about her. One thing that made this book a little more sci-fi and a little less dystopian was the lack of romance. There was a hint of a love triangle between the three main characters, but there wasn’t much. I’m hoping that there will be more in the next book.
There was lots of action throughout the book, and I like how it switched points of view every few chapters. I thought that the story was interesting, and that it was something different that I haven’t really read before. At some points it did slow down and get a little boring, but the parts where that happened were very minimal.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I have to add one thing: TEAM SETH! :)
Waverly, Keiran and Seth are the three main characters in this book. I really liked Waverly as a person, and I liked reading about her. One thing that made this book a little more sci-fi and a little less dystopian was the lack of romance. There was a hint of a love triangle between the three main characters, but there wasn’t much. I’m hoping that there will be more in the next book.
There was lots of action throughout the book, and I like how it switched points of view every few chapters. I thought that the story was interesting, and that it was something different that I haven’t really read before. At some points it did slow down and get a little boring, but the parts where that happened were very minimal.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I have to add one thing: TEAM SETH! :)
kmc3050's review against another edition
2.0
2. Alright, not that great. I had high expectations but this one was a bit of a let down. Not to mention that the main characters sound like eight year olds instead of teens. I'll see where it goes, though.
zoesnicholson's review against another edition
4.0
Some say that dystopian YA stories are filled with constant, mindless action scenes. And, to an extent, I agree. Yet, Glow managed to prove me wrong because it is anything but a mindless, action-packed story. It is intense, scary, and eerily plausible. This is the kind of book I want to give to everyone who thinks dystopian YA has no depth and has run its course.
Earth is failing. Food is scare, water is hardly fresh, global warming is finally getting payback. In an effort to save themselves, hundreds of people board a spaceship - the New Horizon - in a last-minute mission to the depths of space to inhabit a "New Earth."
Little do the passengers and crew aboard the New Horizon know that the sister ship sent alongside them, the Empyrean, is planning a deadly attack on them.
Our protagonist, 15-year-old Waverly, is one of the members onboard the New Horizon when it is attacked. Waverly is one of the most realistic protagonists I've ever read about. She is not perfect, but her thoughts and her reactions are so realistic and genuine. The things she goes through are terrifying, yet her optimism and hope make it impossible not to root for her.
The side characters are also incredible. None of them are black or white; they are all various shades of gray. Their intentions and their motivations make sense and are realistic. It's fascinating - eerily so - to see how strong and effective a little dose of power can be and how much it can do.
Glow is not an easy read. It tackles a bunch of taboo subjects, almost to the point where it's hard to read. Yet, once you get through it, it will prove worthwhile. This is not just another YA dystopia. It's a warning about terrifying power can become when it's put in the wrong hands. It's a reminder that people aren't always good or evil, but somewhere inbetween. And more than that, it's an eerily plausible and thought-provoking view of the future.
supera710's review against another edition
3.0
I won Glow in a goodreads first reads ARC giveaway. It took me awhile to want to pick up, since the synopsis is pretty vague, but after the 2nd chapter, I was pretty hooked. The earth is pretty much destroyed, so a couple ships take off for space to reproduce and wait until they can get back to "new earth" to repopulate and live like humans are supposed to. The ships are way beyond what Star Trek ever could be, with farms, fields, you name it. Well, Kieran and Waverly are the two main characters that are to be married, and are trying to fight to save themselves, as well as the ships population. It got a bit churchy for me at one point, but I still really liked the book. On the back cover, someone compared Glow to The Hunger Games. I have yet to read the Hunger Games series (gasp! I know!) but from what I've heard about it, I think Glow is on the same level, and can't wait for the 2nd in the series to come out.
bcca's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Goodreads for a copy of this book and also to the publishers! I was extremely excited to win a copy of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first, it sort of reminded me of Across the Universe, however, that is where the similarities ended for me.
Without giving away any spoilers, I appreciated the particular twist to this story. I enjoyed Waverly, even if I couldn't totally relate to her. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first, it sort of reminded me of Across the Universe, however, that is where the similarities ended for me.
Without giving away any spoilers, I appreciated the particular twist to this story. I enjoyed Waverly, even if I couldn't totally relate to her. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
p0laris's review against another edition
3.0
The back cover of the book says: "...the most riveting series since The Hunger Games." Maybe I was expecting a bit more because of this, but I don't think it is that comparable to The Hunger Games. The only comparison I can make is that of Waverly and Katniss. Waverly is a quick-thinking, intelligent girl, who goes through some tough trials in the book. Other than that I can't compare the two, as they are entirely different books. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Glow does have some very good qualities that originally made me want to give it four stars. The characterizations are gripping and intense. Amy Kathleen Ryan gets down to the nitty gritty of real human nature and psychology with these characters. Each is continually changing in during the book, due to the circumstances they face. Characters who start out weak become strong, and others who start out strong become broken. Good guys are really bad guys, and bad guys are really good guys, and some remain a mystery. There are heroes, anti-heroes, and villains, and you will have no idea which is which until the end. It's a complex set of characters, and seriously well-done. Temperature raised for this, alone.
Sadly, it didn't work for me and a I think a big part of the reason is because the book is written in third person, and it isn't very descriptive, either. I felt detached from everything. These characters experienced deep, unsettling, emotions, and I felt hardly any of them. We are told (not shown) that terrible things are happening, and they are feeling these emotions, but I wasn't able to picture any of it, let alone feel it.
For me, reading is about feeling things I wouldn't normally feel, and going places I wouldn't normally go. When that doesn't happen, I can't connect with the book. Sadly, it didn't happen with this book.
There were a few more things that didn't sit well with me: the huge clashing of church and secular thinking, and the lack of any change in vocabulary, although this is supposed to be hundreds of years into the future. Modern idioms are all the same, even though some of them relate to things that these characters never would have seen or heard of before. I realize this is kind of vague, but I don't want to get into describing things this far from the release date.
Overall, I was entertained by the mix of characters and was interested enough to finish the book. There was a very sweet scene towards the end that almost had me in tears, and it was a huge redeeming factor for me, especially because the author chose that scene instead of another (more typically-used) scene. I know this doesn't make sense (here I am being vague again), but it will if you read the book.
I can see how this book will appeal to a lot of readers. The story is interesting and adventurous, and while it didn't work for me, I definitely recommend it to those who love science fiction. There's a lot of space travel and talk of space-related things, like the effects of velocity on gravity...a dream for the sci-fi lover. But don't plan to read this for the love story aspect (it's not a huge part of the book). Read it it for the travel into space, the shocking look at the best and worst of human nature, and for the answer to what happens when a two groups of people who have been alone in space for a long time meet.
This review was originally published on my blog. See it at: The Reading Fever.
I was provided with an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Glow does have some very good qualities that originally made me want to give it four stars. The characterizations are gripping and intense. Amy Kathleen Ryan gets down to the nitty gritty of real human nature and psychology with these characters. Each is continually changing in during the book, due to the circumstances they face. Characters who start out weak become strong, and others who start out strong become broken. Good guys are really bad guys, and bad guys are really good guys, and some remain a mystery. There are heroes, anti-heroes, and villains, and you will have no idea which is which until the end. It's a complex set of characters, and seriously well-done. Temperature raised for this, alone.
Sadly, it didn't work for me and a I think a big part of the reason is because the book is written in third person, and it isn't very descriptive, either. I felt detached from everything. These characters experienced deep, unsettling, emotions, and I felt hardly any of them. We are told (not shown) that terrible things are happening, and they are feeling these emotions, but I wasn't able to picture any of it, let alone feel it.
For me, reading is about feeling things I wouldn't normally feel, and going places I wouldn't normally go. When that doesn't happen, I can't connect with the book. Sadly, it didn't happen with this book.
There were a few more things that didn't sit well with me: the huge clashing of church and secular thinking, and the lack of any change in vocabulary, although this is supposed to be hundreds of years into the future. Modern idioms are all the same, even though some of them relate to things that these characters never would have seen or heard of before. I realize this is kind of vague, but I don't want to get into describing things this far from the release date.
Overall, I was entertained by the mix of characters and was interested enough to finish the book. There was a very sweet scene towards the end that almost had me in tears, and it was a huge redeeming factor for me, especially because the author chose that scene instead of another (more typically-used) scene. I know this doesn't make sense (here I am being vague again), but it will if you read the book.
I can see how this book will appeal to a lot of readers. The story is interesting and adventurous, and while it didn't work for me, I definitely recommend it to those who love science fiction. There's a lot of space travel and talk of space-related things, like the effects of velocity on gravity...a dream for the sci-fi lover. But don't plan to read this for the love story aspect (it's not a huge part of the book). Read it it for the travel into space, the shocking look at the best and worst of human nature, and for the answer to what happens when a two groups of people who have been alone in space for a long time meet.
This review was originally published on my blog. See it at: The Reading Fever.
I was provided with an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.