Spark

Sky Chasers #2

by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end...

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Space, Fantasy, Fiction

309 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2012

About the author

Amy Kathleen Ryan earned her MA from the University of Vermont, and her MFA from The New School in New York City.

Amy only reviews books she thinks are excellent.

Proud to be included in this list of classic science fiction titles: https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2015/0...

Follow her on TWITTER!!
https://twitter.com/AmyKathleenRyan

Website:
http://www.amykathleenryan.com

Reviews

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Unsettling, grim, nerve-wracking, action-packed, frightening, riveting, enthralling, intelligent, fast-paced, claustrophobic, eerie, appalling, passionate… Any one of these words can be used to describe Spark, and yet, not even all of them put together come close to explaining the all-consuming thrill ride that is this book. Amy Kathleen Ryan achieved something not many authors can: Spark is one of those highly adaptable books that can be read one way by a younger audience, and completely differently by someone older. Behind the exciting story are layers and layers of psychology and current issues that can be discussed for hours on end.

Spark picks up exactly where Glow left off. The girls are back on the Empyrean, but all they did by returning was replace one religious tyrant with another. Kieran is leading the ship with sermons, lies and deceptions, and not even his ex fiancé can stand in his way. Weaverly has more enemies than she can count, both on Empyrean and the New Horizon, and Seth has lost everything when Kieran took over.

She’d been through too much. Some part of her had snapped. Her humanity had gone on hiatus, and what was left behind was her animal instinct: kill, hurt, maim, survive.

There are no heroes in Spark. Each of these characters exist in a moral gray area, and Kieran, who started out as a classic hero in Glow, turned into something entirely different. The most frightening thing about him is his firm belief that he is right, that he is being led by God and that, as God’s chosen vessel, he can do no wrong. Weaverly and Seth are confronted with the impossibility of reasoning with someone like him while still trying to find the remnants of the person he used to be.

What makes Spark truly stand out is that Amy Kathleen Ryan doesn’t hide behind the age of her characters. She refuses to adapt, embellish or gloss over the ugly facts. There are some truly selfless and kind secondary characters because there have to be – there always are in life - but the leaders, our protagonists, are all power-hungry and selfish to the core. There’s nothing even remotely good in Kieran Alden anymore, and Weaverly Marshall is on the verge of insanity, crazed by her need for revenge. Oh, sure, Seth Ardvale had a change of heart and came to understand the error of his ways, but all that got him were a couple of fractured ribs and a place in the brig.

She’d known fear before, of course, but this terror at the end of her life had been new. It hollowed her out, debased her, turned her into nothing more than airless lungs and bloodless brain. A gray cloud had crept into the borders of her vision and a voice inside her had screamed, I’m dying! I’m dying now!


And the situations they’re in are even more dangerous than last time. In Glow, the crew was fighting an external enemy and the disaster was of much bigger proportions, but that somehow made it less personal. In Spark, the kids of the Empyrean are mostly fighting each other, and as it turns out, there’s nothing more dangerous or cruel than a group of young people left to fend for themselves, especially when the kids in question are motivated almost entirely by revenge. Survival takes the back seat in Spark. Kieran and his crew are willing to sacrifice almost anything to get their parents back and inflict revenge on the crew of New Horizon.

Spark is obviously not for the faint-hearted. It gave me food for thought but, quite frankly, these aren’t things I enjoy thinking about. Who knows how any of us would behave in such conditions?
Extra brownie points go to Amy Kathleen Ryan for achieving the impossible and getting me out of my reading slump. Hurray!

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 otherworldly stars out of 5!

After not really loving Glow earlier this year, I went into the sequel with zero expectations. I started it thinking I'd be able to fit in a few chapters here and there, that I could put it down if I wanted to. But I was completely wrong!

Spark was amazing from beginning to heart-stopping end! It picks up right where Glow left off, with all of the kids stuck on the spaceship alone, trying to reunite with their parents who were captive on another ship.There's a little bit of deception, a lot of secrets, and enough mistrust to last a lifetime. It all makes everything on the Empyrean even more intense.

I was so invested in this story that I found myself yelling out loud. When bad things happened, I curled up in a ball and prayed for the best. And when Kieran did something ridiculous, I imagined hitting him over the head with a stick. Repeatedly.

(Seth was my favourite character, so everything Kieran did to him just made me so angry!)

My heart ached for Waverly. Everyone wrongly blamed her for abandoning their parents, even though none of them would've made it out alive if she hadn't done what she did. She had to live with everyone's hatred and guilt everyday, but she still stayed strong and more clear-minded.. She was fifteen like I am, but I could never imagine being as strong as her!

Actually, the whole cast continued to blow my mind. Over and over again, I reminded myself that they were just kids — that the oldest on the space ship was sixteen years old, and yet somehow they were surviving. They were intelligent and sneaky when they need to be, yet despite their brilliance, it was easy to see how real they were as kids. It was all believable.

With an intensely unpredictable storyline and characters I couldn't stop rooting for, Spark was an amazing installment to the series that sure sets the bar high for the next! :)

BUY or BORROW?: I would recommend this book whether you liked Glow or not! It was absolutely worth the sleepless night I got from wrongly believing it wouldn't be that addicting! ;)

(Original review at Mimi Valentine's YA Review Blog)

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After Glow ripped my heart out, leaving me an emotional wreck, you’d think I’d have been a little more hesitant to crack open the spine of Spark. Not at all. I dove into this novel the first chance I had and refused to emerge until it was over, its last page taunting me with its promise of the “thrilling conclusion” to come Summer 2013. (Needless to say, that last page is a liar as Flame releases January 7th, 2014. I still cannot believe it had the audacity to throw into my face the fact that I still need to wait two months to find out what happens to these characters…two months!) Despite the stunning non-ending of Spark, leaving us on the precipice of immense change for the characters we’ve grown to hate and love, this vicious cliffhanger did, in no way, diminish my love for the novel as a whole. Avoiding Middle Book Syndrome spectacularly, Spark proves to be even more of a mind-fuck than its predecessor ever was.

A month after the events of Glow, Seth still remains a prisoner in the brigs, Kieran the unlawful and un-elected Captain of the Empyrean, and Waverly the girl who left the adults behind on the New Horizon. Although the girls are finally back on the Empyrean, the tension has only escalated, causing Kieran to accelerate the rate of the ship and make frantic contact with Anne Mather to negotiate for the release of their parents. Then, a strange explosion occurs on the Empyrean, freeing Seth from his prison and making him the most obvious suspect. As the crew members soon discover, though, there is a New Horizon terrorist aboard the Empyrean. If that weren’t terrifying enough, Kieran has become consumed by his hunger for control, assuming the role of a dictator Waverly despises and vehemently opposes. As the Empyrean slowly tears itself apart from the inside, will they ever get the adults back? Or are they doomed to fall to the New Horizon…again?

While the events of Spark never take place on the New Horizon, it is a scarier novel for it. Waverly, expecting to be safely back home on the Empyrean, finds her fiancée a changed man and the girls she worked to rescue an ungrateful lot. Thus, suffering under the trauma of her experiences on the New Horizon, the psychological damage slowly begins to grate. While Waverly attempts to create a democratic system of government aboard the Empyrean, lashing out at Kieran’s dictator behavior and vouching for the innocence of Seth, the vessel of the Empyrean becomes a battleground to win supporters. Team Waverly or Team Kieran?

In many ways, this is a political struggle. It is evident to the crew that there will no longer be a wedding between Waverly and Kieran, but choosing between both stubborn individuals is a trial as well. And in politics, nothing is quite fair, just as corruption – of morals, of policies, of people – is at large. Moreover, the savageness of these children comes to light as they slowly destroy one another, their “leaders”, and their hope of survival. It is a brutal, horrible mess, reminding me of what the Hunger Games would have been like if, instead of arrows and knives, the weapons were vitriol and sarcasm. Ryan never bothers to shield her younger audience from these atrocities – which is refreshing. All too often, the plot or scope of a novel will demand difficult decisions that are withheld for the sake of the genre or marketing schemes, but Ryan never hesitates to unearth these realities.

While Waverly is fighting her own inner – and outer – battle, struggling to take some control of a ship where Kieran rules, all while trying not to break down and lose her sanity, Kieran becomes increasingly unstable. Although he is still quick-thinking and intelligent, the religion he raises and his biased policies make him our new “villain.” Of course, there still remains so much gray matter when it comes to Kieran. We know what he’s been through and in an effort to contain hundreds of people – and meet their expectations – he resorts to cruelty. None of the situations these teens are placed in are easy, which make the tough decisions they take all the more plausible – and even forgiving. It is a double-edged sword, one that is difficult to think through. Are there even any villains on these ships anymore? I don’t know, which is both a scary thought and an intriguing one.

While Seth never had a voice in Glow, he does in Spark which is an essential – and smart – tactical decision. As each of these perspectives remains in the third-person, there is no trouble discerning them from one another and I found Seth’s musings to be most interesting. After all the mistakes Seth committed in Glow, I find he is perhaps the most sane and morally correct individual in Spark. Unlike Waverly, Kieran, or the masses of secondary characters, he doesn’t seek to undermine, overthrow, or regain power. Instead, his sole goal is to redeem himself in the eyes of the Empyrean crew and, in particular, Waverly. While the romance in this novel is contained – easily – within a handful of lines, the affection Seth feels for Waverly is palpable, especially as it is in stark contrast with Kieran’s feelings. Although the relationship between Seth and Waverly is subtle, practically non-existent to a large degree, their friendship and understanding goes a long way.

Spark is not a romance, but the small inclusion of true fondness hidden under all the savagery of these survivors was a pleasant glimmer of hope. Even the few tight friendships, the slow build-up of trust, and even the growth – psychological growth that led to a greater understanding of oneself – was written with feeling. While Spark is a more political, thought-provoking installment than its predecessor – and a stronger novel to be sure – this series as a whole is flawless, despite the flaws of its cast. I adore Ryan’s exploration of ambiguous morality throughout these books and for perhaps the first time, I truly cannot predict a single event in Flame. Will everyone continue to turn against one another, or will they finally band together? Who knows? After all, humanity has never been predictable.

You can read this review and more on my blog Ivy Book Bindings.

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Under normal circumstances i would have loved Seth but somehow the fact that everyone thinks that Kieran is a dictator changed my view. I am totally for justice and because of what Waverly thought about Kieran based on what Seth said pissed me off and also the fact that she thought that he was acting like Anne.

What annoys me the most is Waverly didnt trust Kieran. She decides that Seth is not evil but she doesn't realize that the reason Kieran turned into what he is, is because of Seth. How would she feel if someone locked her into a jail for no good reason and basically starved her, and how would she feel if everyone gave false statements about what happened to save their own asses.

It's really depressing knowing that Kieran acted like this only because of his fear of something like that ever happening again (in my opinion at least). What Seth did to him left a permanent mental and physical scar (he mentions that he is still weak from his experience months afterwards). Despite trying to maintain his position as head, Kieran really did care about his people and he loved them. Seth and Waverly may not have been his favorites but can you blame him? Waverly accused him of being the bad guy and he freaking loved her, she broke his heart. Seth wanted to kill him.

I wonder how its going to be like in the next book, but seriously I think its obvious she will be with Seth, but hey Kieran deserves a happy ending, he has gone through hell and right in the end he saw that his mom was basically a puppet. I would totally be pissed if Kieran didnt get his own happy ending because he deserves it.

[Crystal Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can not tell you how EXCITED I was to read Spark. My good buddy Rob and Macmillan can attest, I was emailing him weekly to see if the epub version was ready yet. I was so happy that the day I received it was the same day I was finishing another book (I'm not sure if I could have waited.)

I loved Spark, not quite as much as I loved Glow (I was unable to put Glow down) but it was still really good.

It seemed to me to be a bit of a transition novel. I can't wait to see what happens in book 3.

If you haven't read Glow yet, make sure you pick it up, read it and are ready for when Spark becomes available in stores.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to see where the story goes!

[Braiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I left Glow completely stunned and confused – there I was for the entire book despising Seth, then the entire ship gets flipped on its head and I’m unaware of who I should have been hating all along. Authors who are able to transform your perception of a character within a few sentences are rare; Amy Kathleen Ryan is one of those. This continued on into the sequel, Spark. For a good portion of the book I despised Kieran more and more as the pages flicked by and liked Seth in Spark more than I did Kieran in Glow. Ryan just has a knack for writing fantastic characters no matter their ability to instill love or hate in you.

If he ever did get out of here, he’d show her he could be a good person. It didn’t matter that he could never have her. He just couldn’t stand the thought of her thinking badly of him. And maybe, just maybe, he could help her, too. Because whatever had happened to her on the New Horizon had pulled her downward, bent her back, hollowed out her eyes. If he could see her again, he’d take nothing from her. He wanted nothing. He just wanted to help—be a friend.

The above quote from Seth just presents the transformation that occurs in him within the first couple of chapters from his POV… but I must say, it felt like Ryan has two different styles of writing for two groups of characters: those that we are made to side with and like and those that we are meant to dislike and wish would see the light – or just die. This was probably why I liked Seth more than Kieran in Spark, but if that logic is bizarre from your view then it must be something else. Having liked Seth more than Kieran I should have enjoyed Spark more than its predecessor, but that wasn’t case; maybe I would have if I reread Glow with a different perception, knowing where book two was going. Both books are equally as good, the first focusing more on religion, the second more on politics – and both involve ceaseless morality dilemmas, which I think in Spark was upped the ante. The morality really showed all sides and complexity of the characters making them dimensional however much I thought there were characters labelled as good or bad for the reader.

I go on and on about characters but they are the ones that drive and provide you with the twists and turns in the plot; they are unpredictable in their actions and behaviour. Even new additions to the story are unpredictable and have meaning to what they do/have done. It’s best to keep you’re emotions locked up because hate can go along way with such a book as this. However I give you permission to harness that hate for the end of the book because it leaves you on a cliffhanger that will have you regretting picking up this book so early from book three. I am eager to see what Ryan is able to do next in book three and I am positive that it will be better than both book one and two.

[Sabrina Ye · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars.Well,at least this one is kind of entertaining compared to the first book 😂

[Šári · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nemám slov!! <3

[Bern · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I'm not trying to get too deep or too emo-brooder here, but if you think about it, everybody kinda sucks in a way or another. I say this not because I'm trying to start some Freudian discussion on the depths of the human psyche, but because for once it actually pertains to what I'm about to say next (everybody quiet, lest I lose my train of thought and this all becomes useless):

All the characters in Spark can be some serious douchebags when they want to. Seriously. They'll torture, threaten, overthrow and God knows what else whoever comes in between them and their survival, and yet except for Kieran - whom I dislike intensely because I happen to loathe religious zealots - and some of his brainless followers, I loved every single character in this book. I feared for them, cheered for them, laughed when some of them tasered terrorists' balls and felt all sorts of emotions while engaged in reading Spark.

I don't like doing synopsis when I feel like they won't be fair to the amazingness that the book was, so I'm just going to copy paste the synopsis GR has, as it is obviously quite fitting:

Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end...

Here I urge you: go read this series. Like, now. This has romance, sci-fi, political intrigue, action and suspense, so if for some mad reason you feel like Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers series isn't for you, well, you can go stand in the corner with the rest of the drama lovers - I hear you guys have a lot of fun squeeing over John Green and Nicholas Sparks (not that I have anything against them, they're both sexy specimens of writers and all, their books are just not my type).

Spark had me turning pages faster even than Glow, and I can't wait to see what happens in Flame *squeals out*

Insane-Obsessive-Compulsive-Shipping-Time!

Sometimes, you have so much fun with a book you just feel like shipping everyone with everyone else. Here's a moment I take to make up relationships that sorta-kinda make sense inside the story, but that would never happen in a billion years without a slight nudge from lil' ol' moi:

Seth and Harvey - Seth is one sexy recovering sociopath, and his first action upon beginning his 12-step program was carrying Harvey all the way up the endless stairs to where he could get treated after someone bludgeoned him in the head. Hundreds of pages later, Harvey acts all coy around Seth, sending him shy smiles and other stuff that obviously mean he's so infatuated with Seth he can barely stop himself from imploding with pent-up passion. Oh, Harvey also tells him he's "too damn good-looking". See? This is so not wishful thinking of me!

They would both work because: Well, duh, did you not read anything I just said? They can barely keep their hands off each other!

Seth and everything else, ever (including inanimated objects) - Three words: sexy. recovering. sociopath. Admit it, you just felt the Earth swoon.

Waverly and Sarah - Both these gals spent some quality time alone in the brig after Waverly refused to leave Sarah to rot alone there, even if just for a day. Did they spend their time playing poker or did something racier occur? The world may never know...

They would both work because: They went through some pretty screwed up stuff together, what with having their eggs stolen from them at the same time and all. I hear that makes for exquisite bonding time.

And last but not least...

Kieran and Sarek - I don't really like Kieran (stop aiming shoes at me, I'm done reasserting that now, ok?) but he did declare his love for Sarek. He didn't mean it that way, of course... Or did he?

They would both work because: Kieran sucks, so maybe he'll find someone to love and endure him on Sarek. Poor, poor little Sarek, if that is the case.

[Amber (Books of Amber) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Glow when I received it for review last year, and I adored it. I remember being slightly put off at the beginning because the characters lived in such a strange society, where teenagers could get married and everyone accepted and even pushed it. Because babies are important on a spaceship, y'all.

Anyway, this review will contain spoilers for Glow, because Spark is a sequel and I can't contain myself. In any case, go and read Glow if you think it sounds like your sort of thing. Like I said, I personally loved it, although it's definitely not for everyone due to the themes involved.

On with the Spark review...

Was anyone reading my status updates on Goodreads? If you are following me on my personal twitter account, then your whole timeline would have been filled up with my tweets as I read the last fifty pages of this novel. IT WAS AWESOME. And I went a little crazy.

Spark picks up where Glow left off, with the girls back on the right spaceship but the adults still on the other one after being kidnapped. Kieran is still leading the ship (boo!) and Waverly is trying to lose herself in her new job as a mechanic. Seth was still in the brig, but someone lets him out and he turns into a runaway. As much of a runaway as you can be, that is, on a relatively small ship.

If you've read my review of Glow, or have spoken with me about the book, then you'll know that I DESPISED Kieran in that book. He was the worst. And he still is. I still absolutely hate him, and I don't think anything could change that. He's still as controlling as ever, and he is NOT fit to be a leader because he makes such stupid decisions, and yet he wants to be in charge. Idiot. POWER HUNGRY MORON. Ehem. Yeah, I don't like him at all and I want to throw him off the ship so he suffocates out there.

Waverly is as awesome as ever, though! I love that the author wrote her to be affected by her time on the other ship, because that's not something you just get over overnight. She's a badass, though, and definitely one of my female characters. She has MAJOR issues and flaws, which is also awesome because it means a) character growth and b) lots of interesting scenes.

I also love Seth. I despised him at the beginning of the first book, but he really grew on me towards the end of it and I've come out of this one absolutely worshipping him. Well, not quite. But I do think he's an awesome character. Again with the flaws thing. I adore the character growth he's been put through, and there is still potential for me. He really came a long way in this book and EEP. I love him. Surprisingly, he has become the most level headed out of the three main protagonists.

Is the third book going to be the final one? Because at the end of Spark it says "Check out the third book in the series at such-and-such a date", but it didn't say "the third and final book". Does anybody know?

If it IS the final book and this is just a trilogy, then I really hope that minimal amounts of time are spent talking about Waverly's love for Kieran. Because no. I don't like it, and really she should be well over him by now because he's an ass.

This book is action packed, and while some found the pacing to be a little off, I thought it was fantastic. It reached its peak at about 65% - 70% of the way through, like most books do, and then shit just gets crazy.

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I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS RIGHT NOW AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU GUYS

IN SHORT:
- KIERAN IS STILL AN ASS, THAT IS NEVER GOING TO CHANGE
- WAVERLY IS A HBIC
- SETH IS AWESOME AND IS CLEARLY GOING TO BE THE HERO IN BOOK THREE BECAUSE HE'S THE BESTEST
- I AM A SOBBING MESS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THAT ENDING
- IT WAS WRITTEN FLAWLESSLY
- FOUR FOR YOU, AMY KATHLEEN RYAN
- YOU GUYS ARE SO LUCKY YOU DONT FOLLOW ME ON MY PERSONAL TWITTER ACCOUNT BECAUSE I JUST HAD A MAJOR BREAKDOWN
- I DONT THINK THAT BREAKDOWN HAS FINISHED HAPPENING
- I AM NOT OK RIGHT NOW
- NOT
- OKAY
- GET ME BOOK THREE
- DEAD

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FULL (AND HOPEFULLY MORE COHERENT) REVIEW TO FOLLOW SHORTLY ONCE I HAVE CLIMBED UP TEN STORIES TO FIND MY OXYGEN

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So. Yes. If you can't tell already, then I do recommend this book. *happy dance* And now I just have to wait for book three.

[Tara Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a worthy sequel to Glow, it surpasses the first book in the series in plot, character realism and development , and in theme. The action is surprising and suspenseful, the romance is downplayed and believable, and the story is like a roller coaster ride.

The themes remain the same but more deeply explored, especially in the dynamics between Kieran and Seth. They steal the show in this book, especially Seth as we finally get to spend some real time in his head. He's a compelling narrator, self-deprecating but not obnoxiously so, funny at times, but always clever and complex. Kieran really begins to grow as he reexamines his choices and his situation. Waverly takes a back seat to them, but the way she deals with her trauma, and then finally how she shocks the reader and herself with the results, bring her back to the forefront.

Ryan's style manages to be fast-paced and readable enough for her age group, but she doesn't skimp on the details or the complexity. She is not afraid to hurt her characters, or to help them. You won't expect what's coming next.

Not to be missed, this is already a favorite of this year.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I'm writing this review before I've even written one for Glow. I make a lot of sense.)

Are you ready for a book that's lighthearted, feel-good to the brim, cup runneth over with kittens, puppies and stickers that say meow and paw princess, and ends on a happy note?

Well find another book, bitches, because this isn't it.

In Spark, you get none of those things, instead, you get a down payment for the carnage and chaos that will be sure to envelop Flame, the next (and possibly last and most likely batshit bonkers) book in this series. But I'm not here to talk about Flame (unless Amy Kathleen Ryan would like to send me an ARC *wink wink /eyelashes get stuck together because those long things should never be winked/*). I'm here to talk about S P A R K / C H I S P A / 火花 / 불꽃 / شرارة / picture_of_me_in_my_backyard_flinting_a_rock_and_expressing_glee_at_that_SPARK.jpg

One month after the events of Glow, the characters continue to evolve into people beyond what their young ages should ever have to experience (nbd).

Spark finds Kieran grasping to power and using religious mandate to justify, to himself, why he should be the sole leader of the Empyrean. After having tasted the Kool-Aid and rejecting it because it's lime instead of cherry flavored (food coloring only does so much. Nice try, K), Kieran's support base has eroded and the only kids who attend services now are the ones obsessed with tambourines, creating models of baby Jesus in the manger with regurgitated french toast, and the kids who have discovered data dots with Kid Rock and ICP music videos on them and decide they need God in their life to get over it. Even Kieran's trusted aide-de-camp, Arthur, is beginning to see the writing on the wall: Kieran's hungry leadership style will not be compatible with his moral system.

Waverly isn't having a blast either. You'd figure the girl who took a bullet to save her fellow captives would be honored with a parade with a wonky looking yet well-meaning float in her image, a procession of handsome, well-mannered (yet DTF) eligible bachelors, and free banana pancakes for the rest of her lyfe but no. While the older girls have Waverly's back and are G4L, most of the younger girls have drunk the lime flavored Kool-Aid and LIKED IT and the blame for the failure of bringing their parents back is pinned on Waverly.

The division between her and Kieran only increases as Kieran fits into the Anne Mather mold more and more. As time goes on, this spurs her into action leading to some of the tensest and most political scenes of the series so far.

Seth, (one more person, I'M NOT DONE YET, stop rushing me ogm) now persona non grata, takes advantage of mysterious circumstances which allow him to escape the brig. On the lam from Kieran and his adjuncts, Seth finds himself Public Enemy #1 when he's accused of committing crimes he didn't commit. You're probably thinking, "um, what are you talking about, Seth was conniving and ruthless when he commanded the Empyrean, how could he not be committing crimes left and right, Kathryn Bigelow has even signed on to make the movie about his eventual death." It turns out the brig is good for a lot of things other than keeping borderline sociopaths separated from the general public, starvation diets, and allowing for a place for Seth to write his own personal Mein Kampf; it allows for self-reflection. Which, I might add, Seth has done a lot of, and it shows because qurlfrend has simmered down and is stealthily stomping around the Empyrean like a disgraced Dolce & Gabbana model. What end is in store for Seth??? Read Spark. Find out for yourself. Go on. I'm right here. I'll wait. *drives off as soon as you turn around*

--

One of my favorite things about Spark (and this series) is how the characters continue to be unnervingly convincing.

Kieran, for example, is fascinating (though still an ass) to watch because his speeches so mirror (even down to the mannerisms) those delivered by modern day televangelists. Also fascinating are the secondary characters; Marjorie, for example, assigns blame on Waverly over the failed rescue of their parents. Though Marjorie is misguided in her hate, she cannot help being affected by the traumas she has endured. And once again, Anne Mather shines, not because she's a shining paradigm of grandmotherly love, hair braiding skills, and democratic leadership, but because underneath her antagonism, there is a woman afraid that everything she has done for the survival of her ship will have been for naught and nullified with the thing she dreads most of all, being considered the first war criminal of New Earth.

It's the staggering dimensionality of the characters of Spark and the tight plotting which continue to make the series so incredible. And these are the things I'll miss once the series comes to its conclusion.

Now about the final moments of the bewk:

Waverly going down to the brig to save Seth / Waverly clinging to consciousness and using all her might to get there / the general feeling that she could actually die / Seth being the one to save her in the end / the general feeling that they could BOTH die / Sarah & Sarek / Seth staying behind on the Empyrean

ALL THESE THINGS GAVE ME FEELINGS.

[Baj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating - 4.5
Really really enjoyed this! Withholding my half a star just because full 5 stars are for books of HP and HG proportion. But this is a very well-done series IMO, and it really makes you think. Recommend to sci-fi peeps that enjoy very character-driven space stories.

[Rayane · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 estrelas para as cenas finais

[VaultOfBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

By Amy Kathleen Ryan. Grade B+.
When I received the book in the mail, I was quite excited to read it. For the cover itself had held me hostage; I found it captivating and entirely brilliantly designed. But I wasn’t aware of the fact that it is the second book in the Sky Chasers series. So, obviously when I started the book it was as if I had skipped a good half of it and had a lot of trouble making sense of what was going on.

Spark
Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?
In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end…

The book is about two ships which are headed across the universe toward the New Earth (it is after our present Earth becomes a desolate desert, practically incapable of sustaining life). Two of our main characters, Seth and Max, are released from prison. Seth knows that they were set up for the sabotage aboard the ship. When it is discovered that someone from the New Horizon may have stowed away, Waverly, our female protagonist, is accused of allowing the enemy on-board and Seth is accused of helping her. Time passes and the Empyrean is no closer to rescuing the adults from the New Horizon. But terrorist attacks, murder, and distrust are now all over the place. Waverly copes with mechanical problems on the machinery just to avoid the accusatory stares of the others who blame her for their parents being left behind when they escaped.
Everyone wrongly blamed her for abandoning their parents, even though none of them would’ve made it out alive if she hadn’t done what she had. She had to live with everyone’s hatred and guilt everyday, but she still stayed strong and more clear-minded at the painfully young age of fifteen. I felt pity for her, and was immensely impressed by Ryan’s characterization.
Talking about the characters, I think all the characters have been described deftly but after a while Seth became my favourite. Since everyone hates him, and he admits of doing cruel things, I have to assume that Kieran was the hero in the first book. However, I still think Seth was the most level headed character in the whole book. And I really hope he is the hero in the next book.
Kieran, unfortunately, wasn’t as likable. He has no conscience, he is too controlling and takes stupid decisions. More than the safety of the people on the ship, he wants to safeguard his position as the Captain. Apart from this, I have to hand it to the author that she has come up with an ingeniously creative plot, and the characters make for a fresh change. They are not perfect, but so humanly flawed that you can empathize with them.
Overall, I really liked the story line and the characters and the easy flow of the story. Ryan’s writing style was commendable. The book is a real page turner and neither the story nor the characters are predictable, especially in the end. I highly recommend the book to YA lovers. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.


Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 Glow, 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.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars



Review to come

[Shelleen Toland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook. There is a lot of emotions. Friendships lost and made. Lives lost. Trust issues between friends and between enemies. I can not wait to start the next book.

[Jennifer Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me mad.

If you read the first book, you already know the premise of this story and where it left off with Kieran, Seth and Waverly. You know why the New Horizon attacked, you know what they wanted with all the girls from the Empyrean (nope, not a girl band or fashion advice) and you know what lengths Waverly went to to escape and to rescue the adults who were kidnapped along with the all the other girls.

You also should know what happened on the Empyrean with the boys, while the girls were living through their enforced baby machine drama, which is good because I don't want to summarize all of that.

I have just one overwhelming feeling about this book and it is anger. I got so mad, gripping the pages, that I crumpled the paperback edges (I have a soft cover Advance Reader copy instead of the hardback that you see in the store) as I feverishly whipped through the chapters. I'm not sure that I've ever gotten this ticked off over a book, I'd blame it on my monthly, but it's the wrong time, this story just pushed my buttons, all of them!

Here, in no real order of importance is what made me spark with rage:

1. Blame - There's a lot to go around and no one's immune, not least of all Waverly. But the fact that so many of the kids on the Empryean blame her for not rescuing their parents is absurd and wrong, the girl got shot on her way back to the shuttle, one second later and she'd have died. Disgusting graffiti pops up in the corridors as many of the kids lump Waverly in with everything else that goes wrong on the ship. Arrgh, people being unjustly accused always rubs me the wrong way, but being blamed for not getting their parents out (throws arms up in exasperation!), well, it makes me doubly mad.

2. Kieren - He was a sweet golden boy in the first book, a real helpful eagle scout type but this time around he is super different. There is still Kieran, hardworking and detail oriented, but he's arrogant enough to believe that his decisions are always best and that everyone should defer to him because he's fated to lead them. With his weirdy religious cult following him around, it isn't surprising that in this vacuum of real evaluation, he believes he's being objective and just, especially when he starts to hate on Waverly and even has her arrested for daring to speak out against his decisions.

3. Seth - All the time in the brig has led to a lot of introspection. He can't go back in time to change things, but he knows he has to try to change his future, it's just that no one will give him a chance. Worst of all, tragedy is looming and the one person who could help avert it will not listen to him, not even a tiny bit and he has some seriously important info. So amidst his wallowing, there's a terrible sense of urgency, he has to succeed with this one thing or so many others will die.

Don't read past this point if you don't want to read spoilers.

SERIOUSLY! JUST DON'T.

4. Jacob - the stowaway with the heart of a determined serial killer. Once the saboteur is revealed, you'd think there'd be a denouement, 'Oh golly, Seth, I'm so sorry that I thought you were working with this creepy dude, lets start a bromance now.' But capturing Jacob ends up not accomplishing much of anything but to create a futher rift between Kieran and the elected council led by Waverly.

5. Or my number one reason to get royally mad: Anne Mather. When Kieran flies over to the New Horizon to negotiate a peace and trade for release of the hostages with Mather, I hoped this might be the end of the violence. Wow, so so wrong, because I forgot one inescapable detail about Mather; she's freaking evil! She's also totally smart, like Sherlock Holmes, an evil Sherlock (I guess that would be Dr. Moriarty) and she has a plan that totally trumps the one that Waverly came up with to free the hostages. The way she invites Kieran onto the ship, with music, a feast and applause, was hideously wrong and Kieran rightly recognized it for what it was, a ploy to keep him off balance. She honestly seemed to think a cup of tea with a few cookies would smooth things out.

I guess in the end that's what really burned me, Anne Mather and her henchmen seem to think that a 'oh, sorry about murdering your parents and nearly destroying the only home you've ever known, we good now?' is enough to set the scales back to equal.

I can't wait to read the next book, I have so many unanswered questions. I wonder if I'll be mad about it too.

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at www.devastatingreads.blogspot.com
I really enjoyed Glow, the first book in this great sci fi series. It's hard for me to get my sci fi these days, so this series is one I'm really excited about. So I finally got my hands on Spark and was super happy to continue the story. I wasn't expecting some of what happened in this book, and once again, Ryan leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end. Normally cliffhangers really upset me. I don't like unresolved stories. Starting a story in medias res is fine, but finishing it like that is not in my books. But this time, the cliffhanger ending didn't upset me because Ryan leaves the story at a breaking point so while I am on tether hooks for the next book, I'm not left with a huge feeling of things being left unresolved.

So what are these star trekkers doing in Spark you ask? Well, being kick ass for one thing. Growing for another.

Waverly: I'm really surprised by this character. She showed a great deal of strength and intelligence in the first book. She was hero! But I guess since she wasn't in crisis mode, some of that slipped away from her. I found her more insecure in a way, which is understandable since everyone is blaming her for not being able to bring the parents back to the Empyrean, but some of her actions surprised me. However, by the end she seems to back to her strong kick ass self and I'm hoping that she will continue to be a leader.
Kieran: Have I mentioned how much I hate this guy? I hate this guy. I really, really do. He's a horrible leader because he's more concerned with controlling his people than leading them. It's obvious (and understandable) that he's very afraid, and not ready to be a leader, but I can't ignore the fact that he wants to ignore all of the laws that govern this community for his own selfish ends.
Seth: My true hero. Team Seth all the way! Now, what he does at the end of the book is beyond stupid, but it is what a leader does. He's brave and I think he might save the day for everyone.
Anne Mathor: I don't care what she says about not knowing about the stowaways, I don't trust her. She seemed a lot more vulnerable in this book than before, but honestly, I think it's all a manipulation.
Sarek: He's more of a secondary character, but I found him very compelling. Kieran at least had the good sense to chose level headed, honest people to be his most trusted officers. Even exhausted and worried about his father, Sarek remains in control and does what needs to be done.
Arthur: Another secondary character I found compelling. And I'm glad he appears to be questioning Kieran as a leader. I'm hoping he and Waverly will be the leaders of the kids on the New Horizon.
Tobin: Again, a secondary character I found really compelling. The fact that someone so young should assume the role of doctor without proper training or anything, and self teach himself is awing. His dedication was inspiring. I hope to see more of his character.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed we didn't find out more about Captain Jones. What we do find out is that Anne Mathor seems to at least to have been telling the truth about him being responsible for the people on the New Horizon not being able to have children of their own. But then, considering that Waverly had never liked him, and that Seth seemed to think his father was in on something with the Captain, this isn't surprising. I just suspect there's more going on than has been revealed yet, so I'm curious.

The love triangle wasn't really built on at all, which didn't surprise me. I was hoping we'd have a tad more romance, but while Waverly and Kieran decide that they can never get married (thank God!), nothing much else happens other than Seth deciding that it no longer matters to him that he's not good enough for Wavelry. And telling her. I sense pursuit in the future ;)

Eagerly waiting for the next book!

Favourite Quotes

"You get yourself killed, Seth Ardvale, and I'll never forgive you! You arrogant son of a b*tch!"

Waverly watched them leave, then turned to Seth, who stared at her wide eyed, as if he'd never seen her before...Later, that night, when she couldn't sleep, she understood what she felt was deep, irrevocable shame. Seth had seen the whole thing.

"This whole antisocial thing you got going? It gets old."
"You seem to like it well enough."

She stared at him, open mouthed, speechless for once. So he kissed her.

4 glittering stars

[Kim Ammons (youthbookreview) · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Review of the entire trilogy***

4.5 out of 5 stars (for each one)

I read the first book of this trilogy, Glow, last year, and it was a book that grew on me more and more as I looked back on it. I reread it recently so I could finish the trilogy, and I wasn’t disappointed.

So we have two massive ships on their way to New Earth: the Empyrean (where the main characters live) and the New Horizon. The New Horizon should be way ahead of the Empyrean (they left a year earlier), but everyone’s talking about how they can see the New Horizon just up ahead. We also find out in the first chapter that there are no children on board the New Horizon (there were fertility issues on the Empyrean for years, but they solved them, and now the oldest young adults on board are 15 and 16 years old). Suddenly the New Horizon attacks and kidnaps all of the young girls on board, leaving all of the boys to run a damaged ship with most of the adults dead or gone.

These books are gripping, and they aren’t cookie cutter at all. That’s one of the reason I love them so much; I couldn’t ever quite predict what would happen next. Let me warn you, though, that they get fairly dark (mostly the first one, in my opinion). A lot of things are alluded to rather than explicitly shown, but there’s lots of talk of assault in various forms, and lots of people die. I gave my husband a short summary of the first one and all he said was, “Jesus…”

But these books are also just really freaking good. Everything is a moral grey area. All of the characters are morally grey throughout all three books, villains and heroes alike, and I really appreciate how deeply fleshed out every single character is. They’re all very real. I felt myself constantly changing my opinion of the characters because every scene had me empathizing with different sides.

The second book in particular, Spark, is an amazing political drama; I couldn’t believe how entertained I was throughout that whole book. Very little action, but the intrigue was fascinating. The third one, Flame, might have been my least favorite, just because the first half is a little slow and I don’t know if I believe the way that characters choose to deal with situations in that book. It comes across like it wants to read as a great game of political strategy, but it felt a little forced and unreal to me. Still, the trilogy as a whole was just so freaking well done and captivating.

I'm rounding up to 5 stars for each of them, but I can’t quite explain why I feel like a 4.5 star rating is more appropriate than 5, because these books hit all my buttons. I've added them to my Favorites shelf as well my “books I want to own” shelf (I’m very picky about what books I own–I’m more of a library reader). They feel just about (but not quite) perfect to me, and I highly, highly recommend them to pretty much everyone.

(Cross-posted on Youth Book Review)

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)
[Gotta throw in some Bolin love ;)]

Bolin pretty much sums this one up for me. I loved this book, it was REALLY good. I'm just a bit confused because if I recall correctly... I absolutely hated the first book.

Possible reasons why this might have changed:

1. Either the author completely changed her writing style, character development, plot structure, etc (which I highly doubt)

2. Or I was having a severely bad day the day I finished Glow (which if I remember correctly I did in fact break my 2nd kindle the exact moment I finished reading).

Alas, I'm pretty sure it's the latter.

I don't recall much from the first book (and it didn't help that the sequel did not catch up the reader on what happened in the first book) except that there was some sort of fertility issues on the spaceship and they ended up abducting the girls from the companion ship and stealing their eggs. Besides that, zip, nada. I didn't remember anything else. In fact, I was so close to re-reading the first book but because I had rated it so low, I thought, why bother, I'm probably not gonna like this book either... yeah, I was wrong.

Back to this book, great! All the characters were believable and man oh man, that ending. Wah! This love/hate relationship with cliffhangers of mine is gonna kill me. I was so excited when I saw that the next book would debut Summer 2013 only to find out the release date was moved to January 2014. GRRRRREEEEEAAAAAATTT.



Heres to half a year's wait for the next book... ='(

Seth. Kieran. Seth. Kieran. We all know Seths the guy for Waverly. And even though I know that she will choose someone next book (seeing as they have to repopulate the new-Earth), I'm kind of hoping she stays single. Waverly's character transitioned so much and I think she needs to learn about herself first and foremost. I do not recall her character as obstinate nor as someone who stands up for herself (at least not in the beginning of book 1) and Waverly definitely goes through some majorly traumatizing events that alters her whole persona. I'm rooting for this girl, as screwed up as she's getting.

No longer a passive girlfriend? Kieran dumps her. Way to man up Kieran.
Kieran had me at my witts end. He kept doing everything wrong and for the wrong reason. I must find the intruder before Seth does or else they'll worship him and not me. Hmm here's a thought, how about finding the intruder BECAUSE HE'S KILLING THE CHILDREN ON YOUR SHIP??!?! Hopefully he realizes that he needs to grow up, especially now that they are stuck on the New Horizon with Anne Mathers as the leader .

Good book. I might just re-read the first book (because I'm seriously doubting the validity of my review on it)

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to go back and look at my review of Glow because I remember being completely sucked into it, but I had it in my head as being a very weird read. Once I read the review it seemed very much like the review I'll have for this one, only I think I was even more sucked into this second book than I was the first.



I have all sorts of mixed feelings about the characters, but that's actually a reason why I like it so much. These kids are thrown in this horrific situation and they go a little crazy. They are scared and they are angry, and they don't really know what to do. All of them seem to make mistakes over and over again and I dislike them all at some time or another. But like I said in my review of the first one, these are mostly good kids, they just have to deal with things they shouldn't have to, and make decisions that are extremely difficult. Unfortunately it takes a bit for them to learn from their mistakes.

In this book I'm pretty firm on which male character I like the best. Of Seth and Kieran, anyway. I really feel we got a better feel for their real personalities. But the joy in this series is that you really never know how things will go in the future. Perhaps I'll change my mind again. And this one had a good mix of Kieran, Waverly and Seth's point-of-view. I liked the mix, to see it from so many sides.

This was an easy book to fly through for the simple fact it was constant action and impossible to put down. I had to know what was going to happen next! I also liked that this book gets the emotions going. Mostly anger and frustration, but also seeing how some of the side characters really stepped up and were awesome, they turned into real heroes while some completely became insane and kept making stupid choices.



I'm generally not a sci-fi gal (love fantasy, but sci-fi, not so much) but there are a few series that really pull me in, and this is definitely one. It's different, and it has some weirdness (mostly having to deal with religion, which I'm just not exactly sure what I think of) but I like it. And I like that feeling of really getting immersed in a world and characters. This book definitely did that for me. The end was a bit of a cliffhanger, but it kind of seemed like a good spot to quit. Well, maybe I would have liked another chapter added on. But as it was it worked good and I have to say that I am dying to get my hands on the next book!

You can find this review and others like it on my blog at http://www.candacesbookblog.com

[Roberto Mattos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of a trilogy called Sky Chasers. First book (Glow) was very entertaining, and this second book is even better. But this second book cannot hold by itself. You need to read the first book to know what happened in order to understand the situation as it is presented.
This is a very well written book, telling us the continuation of the story of an expedition headed to the new earth in a far away galaxy. Two spaceships (New Horizon and Empyrean) are traveling to this new world. One of them (Empyrean) solved the problem of procreation on space while the other (New Horizon) claims sabotage when receiving the information about this solution, that prevent their females to produce eggs. This causes a major conflict between the two spaceships, ending up New Horizon kidnapping of all the girls from Empyrean to steal their eggs and implant them into the women of their ship. The story here resumes when the girls manage to escape from New Horizon in a shuttle with the help of some of their crew, but have to leave behind some of their parents that are still alive and are prisoners in that ship. When Waverly and the other girls return to the Empyrean, she found that only the boys survived the initial attack and there are no adults in the ship and everything is not as it used to be. They make their plans to overrun the other ship and try to rescue their parents, but they soon realize there is an intruder from the New Horizon inside their ship and they need to deal with this new situation. Also there is a proposal for a peace treaty from the New Horizon that increase their hopes of rescuing their parents.
Brilliant overall, you have all the ingredients to captivate the attention from the beginning and you really start cheering for your personal heroes. You have the love triangle, you have traitors, heroes, greedy people etc, that guarantees the success of the story. All characters are developed further in this second book, showing their good and dark sides. My only complain is that the third book of this trilogy will take a while to be published.

This is a page turner and a must have in the permanent library of any science-fiction lover.

This book was published by St. Martin's Griffin in July 2012 and Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this book for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me begin by saying that I read GLOW, book 1 of this series, last summer and I enjoyed reading it very much. I was concerned that I wouldn't remember what happened in GLOW, but the book jacket in Spark gives a really good summary and when I began "Escape" (the first chapter in section one of the book), it was like I had just finished reading the first book. It put me right back where I was when I finished GLOW.

The female character Waverly was unable to save her parents from the New Horizon spaceship in book 1. So when she goes back to the Empyrean she really has a lot of guilt to deal with because she blames herself for not finding a way to help her parents. On top of that when Waverly returns to the Empyrean and sees that Kiernan has seemingly changed and seems to be like a religious fanatic who becomes cult-like in how he tries to prepare all of the kids for what they need to do in order to continue on the Empyrean with all the challenges they now have. Not only that but he has thrown Seth into a prison cell.

Seth has really taken a brutal beating from Kiernan and Waverly has compassion for Seth. So when Seth escapes, Kiernan blames Waverly for that, adding to how she feels to blame for things gone awry.

I am amazed at what strong characters Ryan has developed in this series. While the series is a bit difficult to read because of how the children are so mistreated and used for the adults' own selfish reasons, it still is a series that I couldn't put down. "Watching" these young people problem-solve and deal with life on their own is very revealing. Waverly has conflicting feelings regarding both Seth and Kiernan, and the reader has a difficult time figuring out which boy is truly the one in the right, if either.

The author writes a well-developed plot that had me sitting on the edge of my seat at times. There are twists and turns, which I thoroughly enjoy. At times my heart was racing and I was unable to decide how I felt about some of the ways they handled problems. The end of the book totally left me saying, "WHAT? Oh no! When does book 3 come out?" And to answer my own question: not soon enough!

Recommendation: I think everyone should read this series. It really is very good!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm admit, I was nearly fulled sold by the first book in this series: Glow. By the time I read it, I was sick of everything trying to say that it's the next Hunger Games. I was ready to move on to something new and original, and I just didn't get that with Glow. Rather than being a dystopian novel, Glow was more of a traditional science fiction story aimed at teens -and it just fell flat to me. So, why did I even pick up Spark in the first place? In part because I had the opportunity to review it, and there were a few small things about the first book that did interest me, so I thought why not?

I'm so glad I did.

Just about everything that made the first book average had been fixed here. It felt like all the time that went into exposition in the first book wasn't needed here, so author Amy Kathleen Ryan has able to build on her story and characters that really took Spark to the next level.
After escaping from a life of being a baby maker, Waverly has been reunited with Kieran. But with all the adult gone, the kids are left to fend for themselves, and Kieran has become a strong leader aboard the Empyrean -and not the Kieran that she once knew. Tensions start to rise between the two, and Waverly finds herself siding with Seth, a perceived enemy whose is accused of sabotaging the ship. It's up to Waverly to find out what's really going on aboard the ship.

The writing in Spark just flowed much better than in Glow. The characters had much stronger personalities and are much more multi-faceted here, and the plot was infused with great action that kept me flipping pages. Most importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Kieran and Waverly experienced honest conflict in their relationship that felt realistic -unlike in many teen novels there days that lack real relationship conflict (or any relationship conflict at all). I really felt like Spark dealt with more adult issues than Glow, and is, overall, a stronger novel.

If you were on the edge about Glow, try out Spark, it'll surprise you.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls are back on the Empyrean. Their parents still being held captive on their sister ship, the New Horizon. Waverly Marshall is living day by day, trying to come to terms with her own failure, the stares of derision from the other girls and boys, and worse Kieran’s leadership methods remind her too much of Ann Mathers. The members on the Empyrean are rocked to their core when an unexplained explosion knocks them off course, bringing them closer to their breaking point.

Spark, the second book in Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Sky Chasers’ trilogy, is action-packed and again filled with unsurmountable questions regarding humanity, leadership, and doing what is right when everything just seems too wrong.


The events from the previous book had left the characters in a dangerous and precarious situation. The whole world is literally against Waverly, and I don’t know how she survives. Kieran is continuously increasing the speed of the Empyrean, causing the remaining members on the ship to have serious side-effects.

The power struggle between the three characters – Waverly, Kieran, and Seth – feels so real and the tension rises off the page. I really liked that Ryan gave each character a good amount of page time, allowing the readers to look into their thoughts and actions (and get frustrated along the way).

Lots of stuff is happening and as a result the characters are forced to react and develop in their own way as well. There are so many different challenges coming their way that it makes you wonder, which road they’ll take and whether it’s the best decision.

That is something that I love so much about this series. It’s a large group of people traveling through space and they not only have to determine what’s right for the moment, but they’re essentially making history and fostering the environment that will come to be on New Earth (their space destination).

I can’t wait to read the next installment.

[Wendy Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of the first book, Glow, Waverly had returned to her spaceship, the Empyrean with the girls, but was unable to rescue their parents from the New Horizon ship. Now, Waverly spends her time repairing farm machinery and not talking to anyone. She feels bad enough about not succeeding in rescuing their parents, but the kids blame her too.

Kieran has taken command of the ship as Captain and seems to be doing an okay job, but he doesn't like to share in the power. It's his way or no way. He also thinks that everyone should attend his prayer lectures. He's stowed Seth in the brig and hasn't even had a trial for him. He's guilty for mutiny and that's that. When he finds out that Seth has escaped, he blames Waverly.

Kieran has the whole crew believing that Seth and Waverly are working together to take over the ship. Seth investigates on his own, as he can staying hidden, and with some clever ideas, convinces Kieran that there is a stowaway from the New Horizon on board, intent on sabatage.

When the Empyrean takes some direct hits, Kieran knows he must work quickly to rescue their parents or he will lose his position. He hates Seth and Waverly and is determined to prove they are in cahoots with the enemy. Waverly is torn between her old relationship with Kieran and her friendship with Seth. Who is right and who will save them all before it's too late?

Spark is a thrilling page-turner that kept me enthralled. I love the attention to detail and the characters. The world-building is easy to envision and really brings the story to life. Some of the situations are nail-biting and others having this reader curious to how the author would maneuver the characters as the plot twisted and turned. What I didn't like was the huge cliff-hanger at the end!! Now I must wait months to find out what happens next. Don't miss this one - I loved it!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars.

Spark is book 2 in the Sky Chasers series. There will be spoilers from Glow (book 1).

I think if you enjoyed Glow then you will probably also enjoy Spark. Spark has three narrators: Waverly, Kieran and Seth. In Glow Kieran and Waverly were engaged. But by the beginning of Spark they are no longer on good terms. Kieran is acting like the Captain. Seth is being punished.

It's definitely an interesting YA love triangle. Because in Glow We had Kieran and Waverly as the "couple". And Seth did some very bad things. But now when Spark starts Seth is repentent and Kieran is acting crazy.

In Glow, the girls were taken by force to the New Horizon (other spaceship going to New Earth). They ended up escaping (led by Waverly). But they had to leave their parents behind. In Spark we see that many of kids on the Empyrean blame Waverly. And she is not in a very good place.

I enjoyed the dynamics between those on the ship. And I liked seeing the plans to get their parents back.

And of course there is the villain, Anne Mather (leader of New Horizon). What an unlikeable woman pretending to be nice!

I definitely enjoyed Spark. And the ending had me wishing for book 3. I like it when a book ends leaving me wanting more. My one complaint is that the print for this book is too small/hard to read.

If you enjoyed Glow then definitely check out Spark. Very good read!