Character Interview with Kieran (Played by the author, Amy Kathleen Ryan) from Glow and a Giveaway!

Hey guys! Today I welcome author Amy Kathleen Ryan who will be answering questions for my favorite character from Glow, Keiran! Enjoy!

Benji: Hello Kieran, how's life aboard the Empyrean?

Kieran: Considering we’ve got a reactor leak and the entire crew wants to kill me, it’s been better. Thanks.

Benji: You're one of the few religious families on the craft, how has that affected you as you've grown up?

Kieran: My family and I have always been more religious than most people on the Empyrean, but we’ve also been mostly quiet about it. My faith is something I’ve always carried inside of me, though I can honestly tell you that I’ve always yearned for a way to express it. Now that the Empyrean is in strong need of a religious leader, I have that chance.

THE NEXT ANSWER CONTAINS A SPOILER, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK SKIP TO THE NEXT QUESTION

Benji: Would you rather have never been attacked but have Waverly "dumped" you or have been attacked but have Waverly still in love with you?

Kieran: Considering the loss of life aboard the Empyrean during the attack, I think I would do almost anything to bring them all back. Even if it meant Waverly and I couldn’t be together. I think she’d be willing to make the sacrifice herself.

Benji: Now on to something lighter, what's your favorite leisure activity?

Kieran: I like taking walks around the ship. I like running into people and talking to them, or helping out with random chores. My favorite places to go are the abandoned places no one else ever goes, like the mushroom room, or the observatory. I like to be alone where I can think.

Benji: Do you have a favorite book?

Keiran: I’m partial to Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stephenson. But I am also a big fan of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

Benji: Have anything to say about the new book you star in, Glow?

Kieran: Just when you think you know what to expect, you’ll find out you were wrong. I certainly did.

Benji: Thanks so much for taking some time off the busy life of the Empyrean, have anything you'd like to add?

Kieran: Nice to meet you Benji. Thanks for the interview.

Author Bio: Amy Kathleen Ryan earned an MA in English Literature at the University of Vermont, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School Creative Writing for Children Program in New York City. She is also the author of two widely acclaimed young adult novels, Zen and Xander Undone and Vibes.

Thanks so much for Stopping by Amy! Now onto the giveaway fun...

Amy and her awesome publishers have offered up three copies of Glow to giveaway on the site. The Giveaway ends September 22nd at Midnight, Pacific Time. The giveaway is open to US and Canada only, sorry guys. The enter fill out this form! Best of luck to ya!

Glow (ARC)

Today I have an ARC review of a book that came out yesterday -- Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.

Summary: 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.

Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games, and promises to thrill and challenge readers of all ages.

My review: I really enjoyed this book, just going to say that first thing. The book starts with two sixteen year old lovers on their way to "New Earth" some 40 years or so after earth has turned to ruins. And somebody (we never quite found out who) decided to have people take tests and those who got the highest scores would have the opportunity to get on one of two spacecrafts (one for those who are religious, one who aren't) on a 50+ year trip to New Earth so the human race can survive.

This book had no back story. After about 10 pages in it's just "Wholly BEEP, we're under attack." We had no idea who the attackers were, nothing about why the ship was traveling in space and what their mission was. The back story just comes in fragments throughout the novel. And though I like books that get right to the action, I need a back story. Especially in dystopian novels like this. I need to know exactly what happened to society.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book! I like a lot of action in the novels I read, and boy, does Glow have a load of fast-paced, totally cool, futuristic action sequences. Though I say that books aren't all about the action, it's most certainly a highlight for this book. Ryan makes the action scenes really intense.

Another thing I loved about this book was Ryan's writing. It flowed along nicely and had a sort of a "Hunger Games meets Star Trek" feel to to it.

This book left me hanging at all the right moments. I'm waiting breathlessly for more and won't rest in until I get some! I don't normally read sci-fi but I made an exception for this book, and boy am I glad I did!

5/5

Cover Comments: I like the simplicity of this cover, nice black background too.

Teaser Tuesday 9/13

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” lines from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away, you don't want to spoil the book for others!

This week's teaser is from:

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

And the teasers are:

1. "Our ships are so ugly," Waverly said. "I've seen pictures, but in person..."

"I know," said Kieran taking the spyglass from her. "It looks like it has cancer or something".

2. The other sping hung in the sky like a pendant, silver in the ether light cast by the nebula.