Glow

July 11, 2011
In this futuristic thriller, first in the Sky Chasers series, humanity's fate will be determined by two warring colony ships, en route to a new home. Ryan (Zen and Xander Undone) immediately throws her heroes into action as the New Horizon attacks the Empyrean, with little warning or mercy. Soon, most of the Empyrean's adult crew are dead or missing and its girls and young women kidnapped, leaving an untrained, unready band of boys to repair and take command of the ship. Aboard the New Horizon, 15-year-old Waverly learns that she and the other girls were "rescued" to help the infertile women of the ship birth a new generation, and she immediately starts planning her escape. On the Empyrean, her 16-year-old boyfriend, Kieran, jockeys for control against the charismatic but treacherous Seth, dividing the makeshift crew. While Waverly's self-reliance, determination, and inner strength make her a heroine to remember, Kieran's struggle does little to paint him in a positive light. There's plenty of action and adventure, but the book's overall strength is marred by a blatant antireligion theme, which may put some readers off. Ages 12âup.

April 15, 2011

When preserving the human species through deep-space colonization, fertility is both currency and curse. 

Everyone expects wedding bells for Waverly and Kieran, the eldest of the first generation conceived in space during the Empyrean's multi-decade mission to colonize New Earth. Waverly's hesitations about golden-boy Kieran—and curiosities about Kieran's broody rival Seth—are tossed to the wayside when an ambush leaves all of them navigating a deadly nebula of lies, schemes and misinformation. While Waverly launches a careful resistance as a captive of Pastor Anne Mather's childless ship the New Horizon, Kieran and Seth butt heads in an escalating contest for leadership over the distressed Empyrean. Waverly's initiative and intellect ensure that even as a prisoner she is far from a damsel in distress. Ryan sets Kieran and Seth apart from standard love-triangle anchors through emphasis on their well-matched flaws. The split narrative gives enough breathing room for a balance of introspection and high-stakes action. Along the way, hints of the older generation's secrets are tossed out but not resolved, leaving the protagonists unsure of whom to trust and readers unsure of whose side to take.

Desire to find out which of the proactive characters' bold moves end in disaster will leave readers clamoring for the next installment of this space saga. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from September 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-The spaceship Empyrean is the only home Waverly, 15, and her boyfriend Kieran, 16, have ever known. Everything changes when their sister ship, New Horizon, attacks unexpectedly and takes all the girls hostage. Right away, Waverly is skeptical of the outwardly sweet, religious leader of New Horizon, Anne, who tries to convince the girls that they were taken from their home for their own protection. Waverly sets out to reveal the lies and corruption beneath Anne's facade and daringly attempts to save herself and the rest of the girls. Meanwhile, the Empyrean is struggling to survive since most of the adults were killed in the attack. Kieran takes command of the ship, but loses power when the boys begin to believe that he is untrustworthy. He fights to regain control, but when reinstated to power, his religiously themed leadership style looks disturbingly similar to Anne's. Ryan has created a fascinating and thrilling story that is sure to captivate teens. The themes of survival, morality, religion, and power are well developed, and the characters are equally complex. The author has also created a unique and vivid outer-space setting that is exciting and easy to imagine. This gripping first installment is difficult to put down, and successfully sets the stage for the rest of the series.-Elizabeth C. Johnson, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, WA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011
Grades 7-11 With Earth no longer viable, two pioneer spaceships have been on the road for yearsand have more than 40 to go before arriving at their goal. The two spaceships are complete habitats, raising crops and families to prepare for colonizing New Earth. On board, the families have grown, and the first generation is nearing marriageable age. Unbeknownst to those on the Empyrean, all the women on board the other spaceship, the New Horizon, are sterile. So the New Horizon stages an attack and kidnaps all the girls, from 16-year-old Waverly to the youngest toddler, to harvest their eggs. Ryan's depiction of religionthe charismatic but evil Anne Mather, of the New Horizon, is clearly Christianexplores the differences that can exist between the content and implementation of faith. Told in alternating viewpoints by Waverly and her fianc', Kieran, this swift-moving epic is filled with plot twists and enigmatic characters. Although it lacks the dimension of Orson Scott Card's more philosophical science fiction, fans of the Hunger Games series will zip through and clamor for the next installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)