Book Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Summary: The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.







Release Date: February 2015
Age Group: YA, Dystopian
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Reviewed By: Maryn

Review:
When trackers invade her home in the mountains, Aya is taken away from everything she's ever known, and thrown into an entirely new society where women are considered property.

The first part of The Glass Arrow was very slow paced, and uneventful. I wasn't hooked until a third of the way into the book. Simmons spent so long explaining how the society worked, and it all mattered very little to the plot; however, if you love world-building, you feel differently and love that part.

It was very refreshing to not have to deal with a forced love triangle, like in other dystopian books. The love story was so adorable and Kiran was such a likable guy.  The best part of the book for me was that it was believable. Aya had to rely on her strength and intuition to solve her problems, unlike characters in other dystopians that magically solve their problems because they are somehow different than everyone else.

I'm sad to hear that The Glass Arrow is a standalone story, because there's so much more I wanted to know!  The end of the book did however make up for the slow start, and I was on the edge of my seat for those last few chapters.

Overall, I liked the book a lot, and I'm so sad to hear that it won't be a series! Please reconsider Kristen! P.L.E.A.S.E. I am invested and the stage is set.