Book Review: Glow

Title: Glow
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 4

Synopsis (via Goodreads): What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue? Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them... Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth. But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Review: I started to read Glow during one of my lazy days tanning in the summer sun and I found it hard to get into. Although the first chapter explained various things that need to be known to understand the book later on, it felt slow. Unfortunately, setting it down wasn't a hard thing for me to do. When I wasn't so busy, I started to read it again. All of a sudden, things got really interesting and the plot took off from there. 

Right on the back of the book it states: "Pulse- pounding and addictive, Glow begins the most riveting series since The Hunger Games." After finishing the book, I realized Glow had many similarities to The Hunger Games. 1) Kids fighting for their lives. 2) Love triangle- Katniss, Gale & Peeta; Waverly, Seth & Kieran. 3) Dystopian society. You thought Panem was bizarre, try visiting the Empyrean or New Horizon. Amy Kathleen Ryan gave readers an amazing picture of what the characters were experiencing on the shuttles travelling in space. It was a new experience for me, reading a book involving space, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Every page had a twist or turn, it felt like I was riding a roller coaster. I had no idea what was going to happen next and there was no way I would be able to predict the next event unless I read the last page first. (Don't worry- I didn't). Romance wasn't the focal point in this novel, if that isn't obvious enough. I found myself scrunching my nose when there was a love scene between Waverly and Kieran simply because I couldn't see them together. Their relationship seemed fake and their feelings were weak. I'm not a huge romantic in the first place, but I was more than excited to get on with the story and the action. 

As I read the epilogue, I felt as if there was going to be a solid closure on the story. I was wrong. Now what do I have to do? Read the second novel in the series. I think it's safe to say I had no clue Glow was part of a series, but now I can't wait to read on.