The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons (Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Metaltown, Pacifica
Published by Macmillan on February 10th 2015
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Once there was a time when men and women lived as equals, when girl babies were valued, and women could belong only to themselves. But that was ten generations ago. Now women are property, to be sold and owned and bred, while a strict census keeps their numbers manageable and under control. The best any girl can hope for is to end up as some man's forever wife, but most are simply sold and resold until they're all used up.Only in the wilderness, away from the city, can true freedom be found. Aya has spent her whole life in the mountains, looking out for her family and hiding from the world, until the day the Trackers finally catch her.Stolen from her home, and being groomed for auction, Aya is desperate to escape her fate and return to her family, but her only allies are a loyal wolf she's raised from a pup and a strange mute boy who may be her best hope for freedom . . . if she can truly trust him.The Glass Arrow is a haunting, yet hopeful, new novel from Kristen Simmons, the author of the popular Article 5 trilogy.
How I Became An Author
Oh hello! I’m so glad you asked this question. Becoming an author was basically the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I knocked out a book, sent it in, BAM. Done. Welcome to the world of publishing. No big deal.
Oh wait. That’s not how it went. At ALL. It was more like this:
- Had Great Idea!
- Sat down and typed for 6 months.
- Hooray! Finished book!
- Agents? What are those? What do you mean I can’t just give it to a publisher? Don’t they know I wrote like a million words.
- Crafted letters to agents. Sent them out. Waited by mailbox like a puppy dog.
- WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T WANT TO READ IT? (All rejections)
- Cried. Ate cake. Swore off writing.
- Had Great Idea!
- Sat down and typed for 6 months.
- Finished book! Hooray!
- Wrote letters to agents (feeling much more hopeful). Waited by mailbox.
- Accepted more rejections.
REPEATED ABOVE 2 MORE TIMES, ADDING MORE CAKE AND MORE TEARS AND MANY, MANY MORE REJECTIONS.
- Had Great Idea!
- Went ahead and started crying before typing began.
- Finished book. Wrote letters. Contemplated not sending them and just eating cake in some lonely hot tub somewhere.
- Sent letters. Found hot tub. Cried over soggy cake.
- Got call from agent who expressed interest. Assumed she was lying. Agreed to make revisions. And then more revisions. Months of cake-eating passed. Continued to believe this was a huge cosmic joke.
- REPRESENTATION OFFERED BY AGENT.
- Book sent off to publishers.
- Editor liked it. More revisions ensued. Nine rounds of edits later, Article 5 was ready for publication.
- Cried happy tears. Ate happy cake.
Yeah. It was something like that. Thanks, ladies!
Erin’s Thoughts
The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons has been staring at me since we got it in the mail but I had to make myself wait to read it. Partly because of my list of books that had to get read but also partly because I know Simmons can write great swoony boys and strong females and I wanted to be able to sit and enjoy every little bit of it without interruption.
At its core, this is a story about survival but I thought there was so much more to it than that. Aya and Kiran have to learn to trust and no matter what, both are loyal to their friends and family and both really just want to do what they can to protect them. In addition to the actual story, Simmons has brought to life this world that I would definitely not want to live in but could imagine based on the descriptions she gave me.
So…the story. Aya has been living in the wild (outside the city walls) with her family and has basically been hiding because she lives in a world where females are captured and sold to the highest bidder and she knows she never wants to be in that position. Unfortunately something happens to change everything for Aya and when she is captured and taken inside the walls, she is taken to a facility where the girls are “prettied” up and put up for auction. I loved how Simmons brought me into these situations and I was able to view them from Aya’s point of view – they were horrifying but definitely brought the situation to life as a reader.
Every month Aya does what she can to avoid the auction block because her hope is that someday she will come up with a plan to get out and return to her family. When she ends up in solitary again, she sees a new driver over at the stables. One night he crosses the river and sits with her (Drivers are mute), Aya decides to name him Kiran. While Kiran doesn’t talk, he is smart. He knows what goes on around him and adapts. One night of sitting together turns into almost a month and they begin to form a friendship and although Aya does all the talking, they become close.
When Aya can’t get out of the auctions any longer, she is purchased and eventually sent away from the facility, Kiran, and her wolf. She also finds herself at the home of the mayor because his son thought she was funny so he wanted her. UGH…right? The only thing I will say about this part of the story is that Amir was creepy and all I could picture was this kid – I mean, I couldn’t live with him either!
At its core, this is a story about survival but I thought there was so much more to it than that. Aya and Kiran have to learn to trust and no matter what, both are loyal to their friends and family and both really just want to do what they can to protect them. In addition to the actual story, Simmons has brought to life this world that I would definitely not want to live in but could imagine based on the descriptions she gave me.
So…the story. Aya has been living in the wild (outside the city walls) with her family and has basically been hiding because she lives in a world where females are captured and sold to the highest bidder and she knows she never wants to be in that position. Unfortunately something happens to change everything for Aya and when she is captured and taken inside the walls, she is taken to a facility where the girls are “prettied” up and put up for auction. I loved how Simmons brought me into these situations and I was able to view them from Aya’s point of view – they were horrifying but definitely brought the situation to life as a reader.
Every month Aya does what she can to avoid the auction block because her hope is that someday she will come up with a plan to get out and return to her family. When she ends up in solitary again, she sees a new driver over at the stables. One night he crosses the river and sits with her (Drivers are mute), Aya decides to name him Kiran. While Kiran doesn’t talk, he is smart. He knows what goes on around him and adapts. One night of sitting together turns into almost a month and they begin to form a friendship and although Aya does all the talking, they become close.
When Aya can’t get out of the auctions any longer, she is purchased and eventually sent away from the facility, Kiran, and her wolf. She also finds herself at the home of the mayor because his son thought she was funny so he wanted her. UGH…right? The only thing I will say about this part of the story is that Amir was creepy and all I could picture was this kid – I mean, I couldn’t live with him either!
So…there isn’t much more I can say about the rest of the story without giving anything away so I’m pretty much going to say….get the book!! This is a fantastic story that has action, swoony parts, creepy parts and lots of action. Also, the characters are well-developed and the world building was great! If you are in the mood for a dystopian, definitely check this one out.
—Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
5 Copies of Glass Arrow and Bookmarks by Kristen Simmons.
1 Winner will receive a Signed Copy of The Glass Arrow and Bookmark.
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