Review: Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: Audiobook

Synopsis 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...

Book 2 in the Sky Chasers series
*Contains spoilers from the first book!*

I think I liked this book even better than it's predecessor Glow. It's very clever and constantly thrilling.

This book starts exactly where Glow left off. With the adults dead, injured or held hostage on the other ship it is up to the kids to captain the Empyrean under Kieran's leadership. With the government of the ship still in uncertain hands, and the discovery of an unknown saboteur on board, the state of the Empyrean is fragile.

But as Kieran's methods of control and leadership start to remind Waverley of Ann Mather's dictatorship on the other ship she grows more and more hostile to Kieran, and starts to confide more in Seth, who feels the same way about Kieran. Although I don't agree with a lot of his decisions, I did feel a little bit sorry for Keiran who is just trying to do what he thought was for the best in an extremely difficult situation.

Waverly is a character that I just want to give a hug to. She is very easy to like, and to feel sympathy for. She does let herself get too wrapped in her own grief and guilt over what happened to her mother, but at the same time she is still very independent and strong and just gets on with things, and I liked that about her. She still wants to do the right thing, despite everything, and if she disagrees with Kieran she will tell him!

What I love most about both the books in the series is that the perspective is always shifting. There is always some new story and some twist or big revelation. We see so many different angles and hear from so many different viewpoints that it's difficult to know who exactly the bad guys are. What is the truth? What actually happened? Who do we feel sorry for?!?!

The two ships are at war with each other and the lives of the characters in the book seem to be balanced on a knife edge. The story is very intense and emotional. All three of the main characters- Waverly, Keiran and Seth go through such a character development with everything that is put upon them, and this made for a lot of interesting scenes.

Set in a spaceship headed through space, this book still felt real to me, because it is essentially a story about ethics, political struggles, and the loves and lives of such great flawed and likable characters. It was constantly gripping. This book is exciting and clever and really plays on your emotions. It ends on an absolutely devastating and shocking cliff-hanger, so of course I want book 3 now!

(Book 3- Flame is due to be published June 2013)