tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post7082989386697017997..comments2024-03-28T02:25:35.338-04:00Comments on Small Review: Book Review: Glow by Amy Kathleen RyanSmall Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-7249753507395938372011-10-06T19:37:39.292-04:002011-10-06T19:37:39.292-04:00This one sounds like it does the dystopian side of...This one sounds like it does the dystopian side of things really well. Love it when the author writes it so subtly that it gets under your skin and you're agreeing with things you wouldn't normally for a moment O_O <br /><br />Also, "Lord of the Flies: In Space (and Less Dull)" >> LOLLLLLLLLLLL! I hope it beats out Lord of the Flies, because I disliked that book :Ddanyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947267082874389487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-1095824680640766852011-09-30T21:09:44.500-04:002011-09-30T21:09:44.500-04:00Dazzling Mage, The character behaviors were fascin...Dazzling Mage, The character behaviors were fascinating. Horrifying, but fascinating :)<br /><br />Cialina, Haha, right? Totally LotF: Space Edition :P Well, I HOPE we weren't supposed to necessarily like any of the characters, because I sure didn't!<br /><br />Christina, Aw, thank you :) Yeah, dystopians seem like they're here to stay, at least for a little while longer. Realism is lacking in a lot of them, but I was really surprised at how realistic the character actions were.Small Reviewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-84489446558726400332011-09-30T15:43:40.554-04:002011-09-30T15:43:40.554-04:00"Ok, I can see where you're coming from. ..."Ok, I can see where you're coming from. <br />Wait, no, YOU ARE TOTALLY INSANE!!!"<br /><br />HAHAA. I love reading your reviews so much!<br /><br />"The fact that these people can leech under my defenses and make me consider their perspective even for a moment is a testament to Amy Kathleen Ryan's genius presentation of the opposing sides. This is how you make a dystopian!"<br /><br />Sounds good 'cause dystopian's definitely not going away for a while.<br /><br />Also, re: "I'm not sure if I can say I like Glow because I was appalled by so many of the characters and so much of what was happening," I think this just makes me want to read the book more. Realism is often lacking in dystopias, and that can get really annoying.<br /><br />Thanks for the review!! This one has been on my TBR pile for a while :).Christina Reads YAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14937783114868207494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-74865395145848933032011-09-29T17:48:32.765-04:002011-09-29T17:48:32.765-04:00OH MY GOD. It's like you read my mind. I total...OH MY GOD. It's like you read my mind. I totally agree that it's like Lord of the Flies in space!!! <br /><br />And also, I never thought of the fact that I shouldn't necessarily like any of the characters. That makes me feel better that I couldn't really connect with any of them. :)Cialina at Muggle-Born.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15149012619221886587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-83217504446261662692011-09-29T14:48:05.700-04:002011-09-29T14:48:05.700-04:00I'm not sure about space dystopians, but I'...I'm not sure about space dystopians, but I'm fascinated with character behaviors now! Awesome review.Dazzling Magehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00995885360211848837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-79036884316847396392011-09-27T20:52:06.055-04:002011-09-27T20:52:06.055-04:00Ruby, Haha, well, I was a Kieran hater from the st...Ruby, Haha, well, I was a Kieran hater from the start, so I may be biased there. I don't think religion made him go off the deep end because I think he was already there! Religion just gave him a new outlet for his crazy. :P <br /><br />Religion was also a positive thing for all of the boys who were losing hope. And all of the people on board the other ship (excepting Mathers. Mather? I don't remember now). It gave them all hope and a direction when they were lost and depressed. Their leaders might have misused it, but the "regular people" found comfort in it in a way that I don't think was negative. (The messed up actions of some were more driven by survival than religion, I thought).Small Reviewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-43235162232411218892011-09-27T20:27:46.182-04:002011-09-27T20:27:46.182-04:00Small, I gotta say I disagree with you on the reli...Small, I gotta say I disagree with you on the religious aspect. I felt that the book was passing judgment on religion. I'm not a religious person, but it bothered me that religion seemed to send Kieran off the deep end.Rubitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14929614007516530129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-48425920069298823862011-09-27T20:04:51.660-04:002011-09-27T20:04:51.660-04:00A Canadian Girl, I would be so interested in seein...A Canadian Girl, I would be so interested in seeing what you think of it. The actions and motivations of the characters seem to be really contentious among reviewers. <br /><br />Aylee, Yes, <i>exactly</i> like with the characters in Fury. You should totally give this one a try! The writing style isn't usually something I like either, but the action and everything sucked me right in. I'd say...give it until after the first section. You should know by then if the writing will be a problem or if you're sucked into the story enough to ignore it.Small Reviewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-63450343535204069442011-09-27T18:00:37.056-04:002011-09-27T18:00:37.056-04:00Ah, I had to realize the same thing about the char...Ah, I had to realize the same thing about the characters in Fury (that you're not supposed to like them) before I started to like the book. It's hard to take, I know, but I can appreciate a regular everyday character sometimes too.<br /><br />I know I would like the action, the dystopian world, and how the author treats religion but I also know that I would not respond well to that writing style. So much so that I'm ambivalent on whether I want to give this one a go. Ultimately, it depends on finding time for it among all the other books that I need to read, and I just don't see that happening. Thanks for the helpful review though!Ayleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07639250102446794830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-82157332385283417082011-09-26T23:14:02.654-04:002011-09-26T23:14:02.654-04:00Oddly enough, your review has me leaning towards t...Oddly enough, your review has me leaning towards the give it a try. While the overall story seems like it wouldn't necessarily appeal to me, plenty of action, characters behaving realistically and you starting to buy into the characters' way of thinking sounds pretty attractive.A Canadian Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-83741144747030285232011-09-26T22:52:00.843-04:002011-09-26T22:52:00.843-04:00Alison, This is very "functional" writin...Alison, This is very "functional" writing, if that makes sense. It really was hard to get over not liking the characters, but I really was into the story. I'm still thinking about it even now. <br /><br />Alex, A ton of emotions! Or, thoughts. Glow really made me think about all sorts of things. Kieran will totally drive you nuts then! <br /><br />Stephanie, Thank you! I'm really curious to see what you think of it. I tend to like POV changes (if done well), but I think it worked well here. It really helped show a ton of different sides, which made me think even more. <br /><br />Belle, You might not like this one then. It's not a light and happy book and the characters are all awful. But it's very action-intense and everything moves very quickly. <br /><br />Rummanah, Haha, ooh if just my review makes the characters seem annoying, just wait until you meet them! SO annoying! This would make a really good book for a review comparison. I hope you do suggest it :)<br /><br />Heather, The religion plays a HUGE part. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more often. Don't read this one when you're down though. It's NOT a happy book. <br /><br />Sierra, It's a little like watching a car accident that's horrible to see but you can't drag your eyes away from it either. I'm curious to see what you think of it. It is very different from what you tend to read. <br /><br />Jen, I'm so glad you liked my review :) Ha, you are so right about dystopians. This one is <i>another</i> "We need babies!!!" dystopians, but I think the explanation as to why they need them is a lot more believable here than in some other recent books. The characters were awful, but even with that reading was a breeze for me. I think because of the super fast pacing. <br /><br />Leanna, Me too! I agree, I think the characters responses were all very believable. That's one of the things I liked the most about Glow. So many dystopians lately have characters that just don't act the way I think people would act, but Glow seemed very realistic to me. Even if they lived in our world, I think most people would have responded to the initial crisis in the way the characters did. So while I'm being all Ms Judgypants about their poor responses, I'm also not in the middle of a high-stress crisis like they were. :P<br /><br />T.B. Yes! I love it when dystopian worlds are suitably BAD. Glow definitely is, but it isn't bad in the overblown caricature way either. Can't wait to see what you think of it!Small Reviewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-35233151099295466852011-09-26T19:47:32.623-04:002011-09-26T19:47:32.623-04:00Yay, I'm glad you liked this one! I can't...Yay, I'm glad you liked this one! I can't wait to get a chance to read Glow! I'm glad that this one makes you feel repulsed and disgusted by the dystopian world/society. That's exactly what I love about dystopians and how I want them to make me feel. I'll be looking forward to feeling that in Glow :) Awesome review Smalls!T.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12326693692811570135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-53744192188804130212011-09-26T19:16:37.178-04:002011-09-26T19:16:37.178-04:00I was quite pleasantly surprised by this one - it ...I was quite pleasantly surprised by this one - it kept me interested throughout and I really wasn't sure that it would - I'm not one for Sci-Fi and I do not like religious themes in books. This was interesting, though.<br /><br />I actually thought the characters reactions to the situation was quite believable (for those characters). Remember - they've never seen a stranger - they've never experienced any wrongdoings or evil, so it worked for me in that way.Leanna Ellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-67908423970817689602011-09-26T17:35:52.595-04:002011-09-26T17:35:52.595-04:00I don't know, Small. It sounds like a book tha...I don't know, Small. It sounds like a book that I'd have to work to finish. It does definitely sound like a dystopian where the plot and characters are totally insane, because lets face it, so many of the thoughts in dystopians are insane. I have this book on my shelf and I have plans to read it. I will, however, go into it very skeptical. Loved your review, Small. You always hit on all the points and let me know exactly what I'm getting without spoiling anything.Jen (@ Jens Book Closet)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02339586413882184139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-67454663540408712862011-09-26T15:48:48.132-04:002011-09-26T15:48:48.132-04:00Hmmmmm.... I'm...interested. A bit unsure, b...Hmmmmm.... I'm...interested. A bit unsure, but I think I'll give it a try. It seems quite a bit different than something I'd normally like. But I've been wrong before...<br />Great review!Sierra Abramshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09330264859252593838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-19874176947616712792011-09-26T13:21:58.073-04:002011-09-26T13:21:58.073-04:00I have this one to read, but your review is the fi...I have this one to read, but your review is the first one that has ever mentioned religion in it. But then your reviews are usually more in depth than most. So thank you for such an in depth review. I might put this one a little further down on the review list.<br /><br />HeatherBURIED IN BOOKShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205451716054533728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-85218590649396312652011-09-26T12:30:00.121-04:002011-09-26T12:30:00.121-04:00I'm still on the fence with this one, Small. J...I'm still on the fence with this one, Small. Just by reading your review, I can't help but get irritated by the characters. I think I might wait and read other reviews before venturing into this one. I may just request this one for the review comparison. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.Rummanah Aasihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12119402559076729383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-28152965931191739972011-09-26T04:00:50.195-04:002011-09-26T04:00:50.195-04:00Oooh I'm not sure if this one is for me. Not r...Oooh I'm not sure if this one is for me. Not really into books with characters I can't relate to, or with religion as a major theme. Though maybe I should give it a try.Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02191122506568430650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-25450022614536425542011-09-26T02:22:39.231-04:002011-09-26T02:22:39.231-04:00Sweet! I have an ARC of this sitting on my shelf, ...Sweet! I have an ARC of this sitting on my shelf, but the mixed reviews made me hesitant to pick it up. Your review is so detailed, though, that I'm definitely going to push it up on my list. I'm especially glad that the POV changes work smoothly -- I find that a lot of authors can't grasp how to work these switches and, more often than not, I'm left feeling annoyed. :P<br /><br />Great review!Steph (Poetry to Prose)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14747170006709274911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-90157575608977916332011-09-26T01:36:08.825-04:002011-09-26T01:36:08.825-04:00Sounds like you got many complex emotions about th...Sounds like you got many complex emotions about this one!<br />I've heard it was good, I kind of like the bare bones writing thing you mention but I'm a bit of a character girl too, and people who melt under pressure drive me nuts. LOL<br /><br />I think I'm going to put it in the maybe pile since it got a high rating anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955420282479112508.post-81073367949339133102011-09-26T00:34:29.140-04:002011-09-26T00:34:29.140-04:00Sounds good. I like bare bones writing. I'm a ...Sounds good. I like bare bones writing. I'm a character girl also and I know it's hard to get into a book if the characters do stupid things. Glad you stuck with it.Alison Can Readhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17908868606441539344noreply@blogger.com