Book Review: Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Spark (Sky Chasers #2)
Author:  Amy Kathleen Ryan
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin, 309 pages
Publication Date:  July 17, 2012

From Goodreads:
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...

Review:**SPOILERS FOR GLOW, SKY CHASER'S #1**
The book starts a month after the first book ends.  Seth is still in the brig, Kieran is running the ship, and Waverly is basically on her own.  A lot of the kids on the ship blame her for leaving the parents on New Horizon, so she is trying to keep her head down.  She and Kieran have grown apart and barely speak.  Waverly just doesn't trust him anymore and thinks he is starting to become like Anne Mather (who is a piece of work).

I still loved Waverly, but things are just getting darker, if that's even possible.  She is spiraling to say the least and finding out that she is capable of horrific acts.  I love that we finally get Seth's POV.  I really wanted to get inside his head in the last book, and this time we get a lot more information about him, his thoughts and motivations.  It definitely makes him a much more sympathetic character.  Kieran...ok, here is what I wanted to do to Kieran most of the time in the book:

The characters in this book are growing and changing, and not always for the better.  I do like that Amy Ryan has created very complex people who don't always deal with adversity in the best way.  Sometimes it's hard to remember how young these kids are and what they're having to deal with on a daily basis.  I mean Tobin, how old is he, like 14 at the most?  And he's having to be the ship's doctor.  There's mistrust, power struggles, danger, and many twists and turns.  This book is grim.  Nothing ever seems to work out for these guys, and, just like Glow, it's a very intense book. Definitely recommend and I cannot wait for the last book in this exciting series!

Posted by:  Pam