Originally reviewed on my blog, Not Yet Readhttp://www.notyetread.com/2015/02/rev...Women are propertyThe Glass Arrow features a dystopian society where women are property and the female population is kept under control by a census where female babies are put to death whenever the census gets too high.O no, not I! I will survive!Aya, named Clover by her captors is a 16 year old survivor of the wilds. She was born and raised in the wild and was captured by trackers and sold to a facility called The Garden where women are housed and sold, usually for breeding rights so that the man purchasing will hopefully get a baby boy from the transaction. Afterwards its common for the women to be turned back into the facilities to go through the process all over again. Purity is highly valued and fertile women from the wilds even more so because women from the city seem to have infertility problems. The tone of this book is dark and heavy when it comes to the theme of abuse, sexism and sexual assault.Aya is determined not to be sold and tries time and again to escape the facility. The other girls in the Garden all seem to accept the way things are which is a tad unsettling for me, and even more so for Aya. Her latest plan to avoid auction day lands her with 30 days in the solitary yard where she meets and befriends a young man, Kiran who is a member of the lowest class in society which doesnt speak. Its interesting to see the progression of their friendship during this time but ultimately another auction day quickly approaches and ends up with her sold.Slow growing friendship that becomes something moreMany romances in young adult are of the instant variety. Thankfully this one was most definitely not. Aya has trust issues and heck, issues with the idea of any man getting close to her in a physical way. So right there we have a big hurtle to overcome between these two. I loved the way their relationship was done and how it was so unlike many of the YA romances Ive read in the past. It was not overwhelming, indeed to me it wasnt even really a romance so much as a deepening of friendship and trust that would someday grow into more.But if trust was a thing you could hold in your hand, I would give mine to you. Id let you have it forever and never ask for it back.Sounds questionable to meUltimately, I waffled on believing and not believing the premise of this dystopian society but in a way thats a good thing because it really provoked quite a bit of thought and discussion afterwards. It is also however much of what kept me from enjoying The Glass Arrow more. The world building felt too vague and some of the background history kept prompting questions and disbelief on my part. I assume this could have been our world but even if it isnt historical basis isnt adequately given for why women ended up being considered so vile that a population control census needed to be enacted. Even if a large number of men wanted this I think the overall population of both men and women would still be able to overpower the ones that wanted to bring such craziness about. Moving through the story I had to forcibly swallow my disbelief and that was not easy to do. Granted women have always had a rough go of things all over the world and in some places today are still treated beyond poorly. Yes, some countries even kill female babies because male children are more desirable. So, the overall premise is believable when I look at it from those perspectives and yet I still dont know why I had such a hard time swallowing it. Perhaps its because I believe that if a country ever moved forward away from that I doubt they would move backwards towards it, which is what I feel happened in the case of this society that women werent always treated that way but now they are and the reasoning given felt flimsy.Just a girl getting by in the worldMost young adult dystopian or even fantasy books tend to pit the heroine against the entirely of that society or some strong governing force. While here we have a little bit of that, it is delivered not as Aya trying to conquer and overthrow that force but simply survive and escape it. I have to give it to the author on this point that I did not expect it to go in that direction and was pleasantly surprised by it. If youre looking for a dystopian read that is a bit different in that respect and has a solid relationship built on a slow building of trust then The Glass Arrow may be what you are looking for.actual rating 3.5 stars

Whats a glass arrow? she asks without turning around.Once, a long time ago, when the grass was grazed too thin and the game was scarce, Fox and Deer sang to Mother Hawk for food to end their families suffering.She flew down from the sky with an arrow made of green glass and told them that shed give it to the winner of a race across the country. Fox thought the race was a waste of time and went to the lowlands in search of food. So Deer ran the path Mother Hawk had chosen alone. Into the mountains, across the sky, and back down into the valley. When he was through, Mother Hawk gave him the arrow to do what he would. He gave it to Fox, who placed it in the bow, drew back, and pierced Deer through the heart. Deers blood seeped into the ground, and from that place grew enough grass to feed his family for generations. But Fox and his family starved. Why didnt the deer just kill the fox?A deer cant live off a fox, I say, quoting my ma. But a family can live off one sacrifice for a long time.This book is about sacrifice, about finding strength to fight for your freedom and family, about real heroes. I love strong female lead, MC from this book was exactly this type of a girl: she is strong but also she knows when she can win a fight and when she can't, she is royal and also she is just a girl - no super powers, no kick ass strength - just survival skills. All this makes Aya even more believable and helps you connect almost instantly with this character.Ive been locked up one hundred and seven days.Thats one hundred and seven days of meal supplement pills crammed down my throat, skin scrubbings, and whippings.Thats eighteen fights Ive won, six escape attempts Ive failed, and nine runs in solitary.Thats four auctions, three Ive managed to avoid.Tomorrow is number five, and Im not going, even if it means taking down the Governess herself. Im not getting sold. Not now. Not ever. This book was brutal. We are thrown abruptly into this world of men's dominance, where women are hunted down and locked till they bought by some rich Magnate and then bred like animals till they produce a boy and then they go to another owner until they used and thrown away. The world building was graduate, we learn through MC eyes how world is today, how crazy it became. I loved mythology, it was interesting - this kind of dystopian future where people forgot a lot of good technology but created a lot of monstrosity instead, there's still technology but it is mostly evil and only rich can use it ( and not for a good deed). The Governess has launched into her speech about how our great country Isor was nearly destroyed by the vicious workings of our ancestors. How simple things used to be, when free women could be trusted to know the value of their place in the shadows. Before greed infected their minds and their hearts and they used their bodies to seduce the very men who cared for them. She talks about how our grandmothers grandmothers tore down the barriers between men and women with their trickery, and destroyed cities with their petulance. How they began to poison their wombs so that they could not bear children, and murdered men with their wicked powers.This is men's version in which women are evil and hunted like witches. But there's also another version. My ma used to tell this story differently. In her version, women walked free and proud. No one owned them. No one hunted them. Their bodies and minds were their own. That was until two Magistrates fell in love with the same woman. Competing for her affection, they turned against each other, forcing other men of power to take sides with them. The Brotherhood began to crumble. A council was called to rectify the issue, and when they learned that she had willingly given herself to both, had her killed. The rules changed then. My ma said it was because the men were scared by their own weakness and how easy it was to succumb to temptation. Women in powermerchants and healerswere accused of using dark magic to gain their status. Girls became the property of their fathers and husbands. And the Magistrate became monsters, making slaves of innocent girls and slaughtering those who stood against them.One woman had infected two men. Two men, the Brotherhood. And the Brotherhood, the whole of Isor.Our MC Aya is not a hero, she is just trying to survive in this cruel world of men, there's no grand plans for saving the world - just herself and her family. This book is also about faith. Aya believes in Mother Hawk - some kind of goddess, but it is not about blind beliefs but about not been alone, believing in something bigger than this cruel world. I pull the stretchy sleeves of my dress over my hands. I know Mother Hawk exists because she does. Because my ma told me she did. Because a long time ago, before scientific tests and Magnates, Mother Hawk gave the first people their reincarnated souls, and the only reason any of us walk and talk and live today is because of that gift.I know she exists, because without her, Im all alone.I can't describe how awful this world is, I can't imagine this cruelty towards your own daughters and wives. The theme of this auction is Elegance. I dont feel elegant. I feel like a prostitute.There's romance in this book. it wasn't big, but was crucial for our MC as she never felt anything for men except disgust, and when her feelings awakened it was confusing for her but also liberating to realize that belonging to someone doesn't always mean been a slave.Though Ive fought it all my life, maybe someoneKirandoes own me. Pieces of me. Moments with me. Maybe I own him too, in those same scattered pieces. And maybe its only the buzzing in my head, but this suddenly doesnt seem terrible at all.The Glass Arrow is beautifully written, MC is amazing strong young woman, I was running with her through the woods, I was running with her from the poisoned city, I was crying with her when friends fell, I laughed with her when family was found again. Read this book because it is good and sincere, because it has everything to keep your attention and to make you see yourself like ordinary human but nevertheless beautiful and unique.We are strong and proud and beautiful and there are not enough stars in the night sky to measure our worth.

Initial Thoughts: Oh what a great ending!! A solid standalone, many claps and cheers from me :) Read the full review @ A Perfection Called BooksI'll admit I was skeptical. How can one write a fantasy novel standalone? Is there enough time for world-building, characterization, and plot development and resolution? Never fear, this book blew away my worries and brought a great fantasy novel that I'm sure people will love.My favorite element of this book is the characterization. I felt they were all fleshed-out and wonderful. I was rooting for all of them. Not only was the protagonist Aya well-developed, but also were the secondary characters. Aya's actions were admirable, and I loved her tenacity. Kiran was a bit of an enigma, but he was so sincere and gentle and a great guy. This is the first Simmons book I've read, and I'm happy to say I'm a fan of her writing. There were twists and turns, things I never saw coming. The writing was great, the style was unique, and I loved all the sentence inversions. It really varied the writing and made it sound pretty and elegant. I grew a bit restless and bored in places, yet overall I was thoroughly engrossed in the story.I was fascinated by the world that Simmons created. It's horrifying yet captivating at the same time. I was hungry for any information Simmons gave us about the world. There were strange gadgets, class systems, history references, fables, and more. I really enjoyed how meticulous and well-developed the world was.The romance was so sweet and yet I'm glad it was a small part of this book. So much of this book is about family which I loved. Aya is trying to get back to her family. She wants to protect them; she wants to see them again. Everything she does in this book is for the sake of her family and returning to them. The romance between her and Kiran was cute and developed slowly and wonderfully. I'm glad it didn't overshadow the motif of family and that it didn't take over the plot. Great execution and great tension. I just wanted to shout "KISS ALREADY!"As far as endings go, I think The Glass Arrow is one of my favorites. It's not concrete, but it's hopeful. It's happy and just what these characters deserve after all the bad things that happened to them.

Just not my cup of tea. But I still adore the cover.

The Handmaids Tale meets Blood Red Road? Sign me up! And unlike most times, I actually agree with that description. The Glass Arrow is a story about a girl living in a terrifying world where women are sold like livestock to the highest bidder. Fortunately for her, she has been raised in the wild, away from it all. Until now she gets caught by hunters and she's shown no mercy. Being a fan of Kristen's Article 5 series, I had high hopes for this one. Even though I didn't absolutely love it, it does have a lot going for it that I think many will enjoy. The world building is what I found to be the book's best quality. We're shown the ins and outs of this cruel world from the beginning, both outside and inside the city. The plot itself, however, is fairly slow paced throughout. We spend a lot of time imprisoned in solitary, brooding, planning, and longing for freedom. While this can get a bit monotonous at times (more on this in a sec), it does allow for some excellent character building. We get to know Aya quite personally - how she thinks, why she reacts the way she does - until she becomes a part of ourselves. She's definitely not flawless, and a couple of times I wanted to scream at her for what she was about to do, but it was easy to put myself in her shoes and understand what led to her decisions. She shows kindness in the midst of cruelty, and that's rarely a mistake. I did struggle for the first half of the book, though. During her imprisonment, Aya does nothing but plan her escape. Her determined attitude makes it easy for us to root for her, however, there are so many failed attempts and botched plans that I began to get frustrated. Combined with the slow pacing, I felt like these instances were nothing but attempts at building excitement, but then went unrewarded. Maybe to mask the fact that we were moving at a snail's pace? Except it only highlighted the lack of progression, in my opinion. Having someone try and fail over and over again is discouraging, and left me feeling annoyed instead of sympathetic or eager.Eventually we do start moving forward. The least 40% or so is full of adventure and excitement and hope and bravery. Our view of this world gets more complex as we delve deeper into the different factions, we meet a few more secondary characters, while learning intriguing twists along the way. A bit of romance shows its head in this final chapter, too, but it's still fairly low-ball so don't expect a very romantically-inclined story at all. It's more about family and survival in a world where death could be a mercy. Fans of survivalist stories are likely to take a liking to this one, as long as you don't mind its unhurried nature. --An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads