A review by karen_k77
Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan
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.