[REVIEW] Flame – Amy Kathleen Ryan

Amy Kathleen Ryan
Flame (Sky Chasers, Book 3)
Macmillan (US: 7th January 2014; UK: 16th January 2014)
Buy (US Kindle Edition) Buy (US Hardcover) Buy (UK Kindle Edition) Buy (UK Paperback) Buy (CA Kindle Edition) Buy (CA Hardcover) Buy (Worldwide Hardcover) Buy (Worldwide Paperback)

My history with trilogies is that usually the first book is the best. In the case of Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Sky Chasers, the third book is the best. Which fills me with such delight, because it means the author’s skills have IMPROVED over the course of the series – just the way writing should be.

With the two earlier novels, the three lead characters were very annoying. That’s gone here in Flame – Waverly, Kieran, and Seth are more concerned with staying alive and the wellbeing of their parents than they are about relationship dramas.

In the earlier installments Anne Mather seemed like a cult leader, but here she’s just a political figure – and there’s more political intrigue in store. Will Waverly and Kieran commit perjury? It’s Mather and her crew versus the church elders, and neither team is ideal to lead.

What I’ve most loved throughout this whole series is the marvellous setting, complete with nebula. This is science fiction the way it should be: more about actual SCIENCE, rather than military/war/invasion. And there are medical issues all the way to the end.

I was all set to rate this five stars, until I got to the final chapter. It’s not labelled as an “epilogue”, but we all know what it is. The more this last chapter continued, the more disappointed I became.

Less is more, authors. You don’t have to tie every knot – you can leave something up to the reader to decide for themselves. Better to leave something unknown, rather than erase possibility. I still heartily recommend this series to anyone willing to try it. Just go without that final chapter.

7th January 2014 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Lissa Price
Enders (Starters, Book 2)
Random House Delacorte (US & CA: 7th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael – teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations – Starters who can be controlled and manipulated. With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn’t want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life – but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena’s memories, too…and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? No one is ever who they appear to be, not even the Old Man. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her.

Jennifer Rush
Erased (Altered, Book 2)
Hachette (US: 7th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is trying to make sense of the memories resurfacing from her old life. At the same time, she’s learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam’s rules: Don’t draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back. Then a figure from Anna’s childhood reappears. Is it a Branch setup, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Uncertain of where her loyalties lie, Anna must fight to learn the truth – before she is betrayed again. Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased?

Amy Kathleen Ryan
Flame (Sky Chasers, Book 3)
Macmillan (US: 7th January 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have been scattered, and their home ship destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn’t go as planned, and now they’re at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemies on the New Horizon, trying to find a way to survive. Kieran has been pulled under Anne Mather’s wing, but is she really trying to make peace, or just using Kieran to build her own power? Meanwhile, Waverly is taken in by a mysterious old man who wants to help her bring Anne Mather down – but the more Waverly cooperates with him, the more dangerous her position is, and the more at odds with Kieran she becomes. Seth’s situation is even worse. After setting out from the Empyrean on his own, with only a vague strategy to guide him, he is a fugitive aboard the New Horizon. He’s doing what he can to challenge the power of Anne Mather, but he’s badly hurt, and getting sicker. All the while, unknown to him, the terrorist Jacob is making plans of his own. Will Seth ever see Waverly again? Will his health hold out long enough to help her topple their enemies? And will Waverly find a way to unite with her friends before they all fall?

4 New Covers (Graves, Ryan, Seles, Williams)

January 2014 Releases

Done with December 2013 Releases? Here are January 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

8 New Covers (Brody, Lunetta, McGarry, Quinn, Ryan, Stolarz, Worth, Yovanoff)

5 New Covers (Aguirre, Barnes, Harrison, Littlefield, Ryan)