Unfortunately I've had to DNF (did not finish) this book. At first, it was entertaining, it had a great beginning, but towards the middle of the book I got bored. But because I wanted to fully finish it for an honest review, I pushed through, I was able to make it a little more than 50% through but I just couldn't get hooked again. The system with the Ancients was confusing, and because so many things were new, I had a hard time remembering every detail. I also had a hard time when all the new hybrids were introduced, I couldn't really retain details of each one which made it hard to understand who was who.
The plot itself is very interesting, especially during this time, the reactions, the development of the syndrome was intriguing, even the twist of it being aliens was handled well. However after Harper gets on the alien base, I had a hard time connecting with the story, and I couldn't really understand each type of alien or how the Ancients came to Earth.
I can imagine that it will be explained further on, but I just can't get through the book, it unfortunate since I was excited to read this one and read more about Harper but I can't seem to see myself picking up and finishing it.

The book was good. Could use a bit more polish but overall was an interesting story. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Being 17 is not easy for anyone but for Harper its even more difficult. She just wants to hang out with her friends, play soccer and maybe get a job. Unfortunately she has a neurotic mother who home schools her, does not let her leave the house and might she be abusive. But now there is the Sleeping Sickness that has wiped out a large part of New York state and even though Harper lives in Reno, Nevada her mom is not taking any chances Harper and her little sister are not allowed to use the internet or phone. Then things get even worse Harper's community goes on lock down and everyone is quarantined to their homes. Harper is home by herself and can not leave her home, she tries but the military is keeping guard. A few days later Harpers entire world changes.
Glow by Aubrey Hadley was a fun story that would suit anyone from Middle School to Adult. The story was well developed and leads you to somewhat of a cliff hanger ending. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to read this ARC of Glow. I am happy to review such a refreshing new book.

Edited to add (04May2020): The publisher contacted me to let me know I had read an earlier, much longer, version of the book. They invited me to re-read and reassess and also asked that I note on the review that my review was based on an older version. TL;DR: The review below is based on an older version of the work, which has since been heavily edited.

Thank you for the opportunity to review Glow: Book I, Potency. How to begin? Oof. Just oof. This is a book I was incredibly excited about. I love sleep, love sci fi, and really enjoy the YA selection of books over recent years. This should have come together to be brilliant and an enjoyable read. Honestly I just couldn't finish it. Partway in I realized I had multiple hundreds of pages to go and it *just wasn't worth the time*. I tried, really I did. When writing it is helpful to remember that sometimes you have to 'kill your darlings'... lots of darlings should have died here. It needs to be about half the length and with a better focus on what's most important to drive the work forward and keep readers engaged. This one is not for me and I won't recommend..

Sad to say, I didn't much enjoy this one. I normally love apocalyptic/pandemic themed science fiction, but this one fell a little flat and felt unbelievable at many points. There are also just far too many details - the book suffered from bloated descriptions in many areas, and info overload about the species that Harper encounters and must learn to live with. It felt more like a highly-detailed movie script (i.e., telling the actors how to behave and dress) than a novel at times. I think it's too long for being the first book in a series, and could have benefited from much sharper editing and more sweeping cuts. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy to review!

Although the plot sounds incredibly interesting, this book just didn't hit it for me. I'm usually a fan of science fiction. But this writing felt off, geared towards Middle Grade rather than YA. Not that I don't mind Middle Grade yet it just wasn't what I was expecting or ... well wanted really.

It was honestly rather dull and every plot point as sort of just rolled into one. Nothing sticks out and even though I finished reading it a few hours ago, it feels like it was a million years ago. Which is sad really. I think the best way to describe this is like an early 2010s Wattpad fanfic. Now, don't get me wrong as some one who was reading and writing fanfics at that time, there are some good ones out there. But there are also some ... not good ones. Ones who don't really know what they want to show off or how to write believable characters or know at lot about plot. Throwing in cliche after cliche because they think it's what people want to read rather than what the author wants to show across. It was just ... meh.

Harper, our main character, very much had OC syndrome. By this I mean the same old Mary Sue type of being perfect yet not perfect - the "I'm not like other girl's character'. She is 17 but acts like a 10 year old.

This could have been a decent book - it has a lot of potential but it feels rushed and underdeveloped - almost as though the author bit off far more than they can chew. 1.5 stars

Musings:

(Before I start this review I have a few things to say about the author. Aubrey Hadley is super sweet. I posted on Twitter about reading the book and how the Quarantine part hit hard during these times. She kindly tweeted at me and let me know that I was reading an older version of the book. She emailed me the new version and was so kind about it. It was one of the sweetest interactions with an author I have had.)

Now for my thoughts on the book:


I can’t really imagine something more terrifying then a syndrome showing up and killing people in mass. Add that with Aliens being behind everything and stripping apart everything you thought you knew about the world and it’s terrifying. Following Hybrid Harper through this novel and seeing how she deals with such a terrifying situation and stays strong is really cool.

What I loved:

The Idea. I liked the back story behind everything. Being a hybrid and growing up believing yourself to be human. Discovering who you are only to realize that if you don’t do something to try and save the Earth no one else is going to.

The light in the dark. This easily could have been a heavy novel. However, Aubrey kept it mostly light. When it hits it hits, but there was decent amounts of reprieve to balance the weight of what Harper is going through.

The contrasts. In the beginning your immersed in Harper’s home life. She’s dealing with heavy emotional abuse from her mom. She’s protecting her sister as much as she can. Then, being captured by beings from another world she must quickly adapt and keep quiet in order to be able to escape and help save as many lives as she can from the syndrome that threatens to end the entire human race. When you go from one part the other you feel like a fish out of water. Which is exactly how Harper feels being taken.



The question of whether or not the earth is worth saving at all. Morality in general is grey. It isn’t black and white. There is so much evil in the world. Being presented with only that evil and earth is better off rotting, but in Harper’s heart she knows that the good in people’s hearts and how much we try to do better makes the earth worth saving. It’s wonderful.

All in all:

I very much enjoyed Glow. It is a wonderful novel well worth the read. I love a good sci-fi and I really enjoyed this one.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review will also be available on *Milky Way of Books*

This book was entertaining but some very creepy moments. There were many ups and downs in the book and although I enjoyed it very much, it didn't keep me as interested as I wanted to.

Oh the mystery is worth it but at least to me, it wasn't enough. But this is still a good book for those interested.

I just couldn't get into this book, honestly. The characters weren't gripping, and I found myself annoyed with them more than anything. The settings were pretty well described, but I found myself wondering at times (like during the Ancient Games) if this was trying to be an other-worldly Hunger Games. I found my attention drifting quite often, and there seemed to be a lot of details that were unnecessary.

This book was received as an ARC from Ruby & Topaz Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was in awe of this book since when I heard about it months ago. The sleep syndrome has returned and Harper only 17 years old, might know how to our this hysteria to an end. Then Harper gets kidnapped by these beings from another dimension. Then she realizes this done is filled with high end technology and it's up to Harper to create a new species that will save her friends, family and the world from the syndrome once and for all. I felt as I was reading this book like I was transported through another realm and along for the ride with Harper. This might be a potential nominee for Battle of the Books.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Glow Book 1, Potency

Author: Aubrey Hadley

Book Series: Glow Book 1

Rating: 1/5

Publication Date: June 16, 2020

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed

Publisher: Ruby & Topaz Publishing

Pages: 420

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The Sleeping Syndrome has returned after a six-month hiatus. This time, it’s popped up in New York, and it’s wiped out an entire homeless shelter. The same night of the outbreak — thousands of miles away — Harper, a seventeen-year-old girl, finds herself face-to-face with a glowing figure in the desert outskirts of her neighborhood.

As the world goes on high-alert from the Syndrome, Harper is kidnapped and taken to the Base of Ki, a massive dome with a sheening white city and fantastic technology … built by beings from another solar system.

There, she must form cross-species alliances to save her friends, family, and the human race before she loses all chance of returning to Earth.

Review: I had to DNF this one. These books is a good example of show and not tell, which is something you shouldn’t do in writing. There was so much that was not going on, that was just being told to me, and not being shown to me. The book was also very boring after Harper got picked up by the aliens and all of my willingness to read it left my body. The book was horribly slow paced and the characters didn’t make sense after awhile. It had a LOT of promise, so idk what happened after the first 100 pages, but I didn’t make it much longer than that. Also, I thought this book already came out but now it’s saying June 16, 2020 so maybe it’ll get better.

Verdict: Not recommend. Needs to be re-editted.

Thank you NetGalley and Ruby Topaz Publishing for providing this galley for review.

It’s refreshing to see a YA Science Fiction book that is not centered around romance. The protagonist serves as a link between two species- alien (Embrotici) and Earth (human), providing a interesting twist on the abduction/invasion genre.

Great themes of human impact on Earth as a species, historical POV, and a satisfyingly detailed and well-developed fiction world. Diversity and inclusion seem relaxed and are a consistent unforced vein throughout. Should consider themes of abuse, body horror and violence (taken from human reality) and inappropriate advances from adult males to adolescent girls, when recommending for younger readers.

Overall a unique, novel take that can serve as a great entry point for new younger readers into sci-fi. Though the pacing and character building is at times uneven, the content is different enough from other books in the genre to maintain momentum. First book in a series, looking forward to what book #2 brings.

Glow Book I, Potency by Aubrey Hadley is the introduction to Harper's story.
Harper is a typical 17 year old teen, stubborn and just growing up. When an outbreak forces the whole population to stay at home, she prefers to go out and play ball with her friends, very mature Harper - -sarcasm.
I read this book on the cusp of CoVid19 and let me tell you, it hit home. In the time of a pandemia, of social distancing and all the other consequences I can't say if this is genius or just bad taste.
I started reading and I was so torn about the story. It took me some time to get into the story, I really didn't like the characters very much from the start and couldn't warm up to them later on. I don't want to point fingers, really I don't. Harper is the perfect anti-hero in a dystopian, post apocalyptic world full of twists and turns. A world where clones, hybrids and ancients exist.
The story ends in a cliffie and continues in Glow Book II.

This book had potential but it took a long time to make any progress in the story. At first I thought we were dealing with a plague, then it was actually aliens and the aliens were rescuing the main character from humans because she is a hybrid. It takes such a long time to make any progress along the point of the story that I got a bit lost.
I didn’t fully agree with the aliens point of view but then I’m human....

The first part of this book really had me interested. I was excited to follow the main character and eager to see the story unfold, but then the story shifted and that's where it lost me. It was difficult to follow and understand the details. Everything I liked about the first part disappeared with a setting shift and character development that I wasn't interested in. I wasn't expected the twist to happen so abruptly and the story got too complicated and overly detailed for me in a way that was tough to follow.

The writing was beautiful, no doubt, but the book just couldn't get its hooks into me. Maybe I'm outgrowing the genre? The characters were just too flat and their problems disinteresting to me. I'm pretty sure at 14/15 I would have loved it, but as an adult it just didn't click.

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The description of Glow Book I, Potency (Glow #1) by Aubrey Hadley involved a mysterious sleeping sickness that keeps popping up in different parts of the world. It also introduces Haper, a seventeen-year-old, who comes face to face with a glowing alien figure. As people in her neighborhood die from the sickness, she is kidnapped and taken to a massive dome in outer space. It is in the dome she realizes she needs to work together with others there to save her family and the world.

It was a great description that hooked me immediately. The story itself did not. I kept putting the book down and reading something else. I cannot pinpoint why. The writing was not "bad" and neither was the story. I just could not connect with any of the characters. I finished reading it and did not invoke the "50-page rule".

I would not read additional books in the series but I would read someone else by Aubrey Hadley. I would like to see if it was the story I did not connect with or the author.

According to Amazon, the release date has been pushed to 6/16/20. Goodreads still lists 2/11/20.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com on its release date.

This book was a great idea. The idea of the sleep sickness and glowing creatures was attention grabbing and intriguing. However, the execution fell a little flat.

An issue I had with this book was that there was so much description. Not that this is a bad thing, but it felt a bit like I was getting all of my information via conversations and not imagery. I did not feel attached to Harper as a character and that's always a big red flag for me. If I don't mind if they die, it's a problem.

It was a bit rushed, but I really do this this author has a wonderful idea here. I'd be willing to read more in the future to see if they change their story telling any!

Very detailed descriptions for world-building and mechanics, however, I found to be too much detail and not enough plot.
The book started off very interesting but seemed to drag on towards the end. Would have benefited from editing out long descriptions and perhaps splitting it into different books.

This book had so much promise but it fell flat.

I loved the premise of the book, I thought the cover was so intriguing and beautiful. From the blurb it seemed like it would be more based around the illness and the affects this had on earth and I think that would be far more interesting. Once she had gone to planet kai it lost it a bit for me. It was like other fantasy books and the end when they escaped was very hurried. There was so much detail about the planet and it was very descriptive yet lacking in a sophisticated plot. It was very obvious what was going to happen next which was a shame.

It seemed like the author was constantly trying to set things up for a next book which meant that the feeling of the book was rushed which was a shame.

I gave the book 3 stars as it would be a 2 but i enjoyed the idea.

Thank you netgalley for giving me an advanced reader copy.