BOOK REVIEW: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Synopsis:

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.

My review:

I really really enjoyed this book! I'm happy I chose to pick up this next as it was exactly what I needed to read when I hadn't enjoyed the last two books I'd read. And guess what, it's a standalone! Dun dun duhhhn, finally! A lot of books are dragged out across a trilogy unnecessary I find in YA. 

The first chapter had me hooked straight away with action and the rest of the book did not disappoint. The world was unique and I felt that the more sensitive elements of the story was dealt with really well and there was a good moral to go along with the story. 

The main female protagonist, Aya, was written perfectly, strong with a little bit of sass, she didn't whine about the situations she was in (and she didn't always come out on top like some main characters), just got with it. But she was also shown to have a sensitive side that made her a more realistic character. 

I was disappointed that this book wasn't longer - only because I craved more! The world building was explained great and there wasn't a massive information dump or any weird words that made envisioning the world confusing. I would have liked a bit more depth to the characters other than Aya or to see more of the Driver culture but like I said this is a standalone novel and you can't cram every bit of information in there which may lead to more questions and ultimately other stories. 

This book was just SO easy to read. No love triangles and no people professing their love for one another within a chapter of meeting (For once!) The writing flowed and there was a great mix of fast and slow paced moments and I found that this character reacted more to what was going on around her than getting stuck in her head blabbering on. So many books I've read recently have had long paragraphs, even chapters, of the characters pretty much talking to themselves! It was also nice to have a storyline that wasn't focused on saving the world and was more of an intimate view of a characters personal struggles through a messed up world. 

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and rated  it 4.5/5 stars. I'm excited to read more of Kristen Simmons books to see if the grasp me as much as this one! Big thank you to the author for this book lifting me out of an oncoming reading slump!