Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

February 10, 2015 3.5 stars, Book Review 20 ★★★½

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen SimmonsThe Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons
Published by Tor Teen on February 10, 2015
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

*This book was provided by the Publisher for review. No compensation was provided and all opinions are strictly my own.

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.

three-half-stars

Women are property

The 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 it’s 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 doesn’t speak. It’s 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 more

Many 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 I’ve read in the past. It was not overwhelming, indeed to me it wasn’t 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. I’d let you have it forever and never ask for it back.

Sounds questionable to me

Ultimately, I waffled on believing and not believing the premise of this dystopian society but in a way that’s 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 isn’t – historical basis isn’t 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 don’t 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 weren’t always treated that way but now they are – and the reasoning given felt flimsy.

Just a girl getting by in the world

Most 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 you’re 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.

Stalk me!

Tabitha (Pabkins)

When I'm in the zone I can flip book pages faster than the eye can see - screaming "More Input!" I'm a book, yarn, & art supply hoarding goblin who loves to draw, make toys and craft all sorts of creepy cute things. My current habit is to listen to audio books while I'm arting it up!
Stalk me!

Latest posts by Tabitha (Pabkins) (see all)

Related Posts

20 Responses to “Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons”

    • Tabitha (Pabkins)

      I thought the EXACT same thing when i was reading about the women enslavement thing. Honestly though I know I’ve only read one other recently that it was women who were property – the Archetype Duology. It is realistic but yeah I’d like to see it with men as the ones being enslaved lol.

      I actually think you’d probably really enjoy this one.
      Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen SimmonsMy Profile

    • Tabitha (Pabkins)

      Pretty much enslaved. I mean they are bought and sold as property and have no rights. Essentially enslavement in my mind. I would totally read a book like the one Tammy wants too. It’s what I thought of when I first started reading this – that I want to see it from the other way around!
      Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen SimmonsMy Profile

  10. Faye M.

    Oh, man. I hate it when you can’t swallow the world-building in a story. I get that it’s fantasy, but sometimes it has to seem at least feasible for it to give us that feeling of dread, you know? I’d probably have a hard time swallowing the world-building in this one, too. I’ll still try it though, for the mere fact that so many have loved this one so much! Hopefully I will, too!
    Faye M. recently posted…Random Things in Motion #12: If you had the power to save the world, would you take that responsibility?My Profile

  13. Jan

    I did think of The Handmaid’s Tale when I read about this book. I also read a book 8 or 10 years ago by Wen Spencer called A Brother’s Price about a world where men are the commodity. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t young adult and it wasn’t dystopian. It’s stuck with me over the years. I may have to read this to see how it stacks up!
    Jan recently posted…WoW: The End of All Things by John ScalziMy Profile

  14. Anya

    Gah, I’m not behind, I just read this on my phone and didn’t remember to comment! 😛 And then forgot >.> I think the lack of world building would have driven me nuts! Because as soon as women became scarce, they should become valuable and people should want to have daughters so that they can auction them off at least! Anyway, I’m glad I took your advice and didn’t bother continuing this one!
    Anya recently posted…Does that add to the community you are trying to make?My Profile