Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: February 10, 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: Trade

Pages: 336

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Summary (from the back of the book):

To be free means to be hunted, and there aren’t many of us left…

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 consensus 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.

I really enjoyed this book! I wanted to read this one because I saw that a lot of other people were reading it or had read it and also it has a pretty cover. I didn't even know what it was about until it was in my hands and I read the summary. I'm so glad I got my hands on it! It was my first Kristen Simmons book, but definitely not my last! I should be receiving Article 5 in the mail soon and I am VERY excited now.

The characters in this story are all so wonderful! The main character, Aya, is a 16-year-old girl who lives in the mountains with her family until one day she is captured by Trackers and brought into the city to be auctioned off. She is strong, brave, and determined as hell to get out of there and go back to her family to make sure they're safe and they never end up where she did. 

Kiran is the silent Driver who befriends Aya while she is serving her month long solitary confinement stint outside near his barn. He strikes me as selfless and adorable. He risks everything to help her escape and return to her family.

Daphne is Aya's half friend from the Garden who winds up stuck with Aya and Kiran when they escape. She is kind of really rude and stuck up at first, but she eventually gets over it and becomes a much more pleasant character.

Brax is the wolf the Aya raises from a pup and faithfully comes to snuggle her every night when she's stuck outside in solitary. He's her protector and friend and he's got a big personality!

Romance is not the main focus in this book. There's a cute little romance brewing in this story, but the main love story in this book is about Aya's fierce love for her family. She would risk everything for them just to make sure they're safe. They are the reason she tries EVERYTHING in the book to escape the Garden.

I liked that the main focus of this book isn't to save the whole world and free everyone. The only goal that Aya has in this book is to save herself so she can save her family. It's a more realistic goal. I liked that. This story seems to me to be an exaggeration of what is kind of happening in our world today.

Let's see... what didn't I like about this book?

Salma. I didn’t like her. 

Since the goal was only for Aya to escape and keep her family safe, the ending is very satisfying. It's hopeful and kind of open like anything could happen now. I like that.

I’d give this book 5 stars. I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this one!