The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons has been staring at me since we got it in the mail but I had to make myself wait to read it. Partly because of my list of books that had to get read but also partly because I know Simmons can write great swoony boys and strong females and I wanted to be able to sit and enjoy every little bit of it without interruption.

At its core, this is a story about survival but I thought there was so much more to it than that. Aya and Kiran have to learn to trust and no matter what, both are loyal to their friends and family and both really just want to do what they can to protect them. In addition to the actual story, Simmons has brought to life this world that I would definitely not want to live in but could imagine based on the descriptions she gave me.

So…the story. Aya has been living in the wild (outside the city walls) with her family and has basically been hiding because she lives in a world where females are captured and sold to the highest bidder and she knows she never wants to be in that position. Unfortunately something happens to change everything for Aya and when she is captured and taken inside the walls, she is taken to a facility where the girls are “prettied” up and put up for auction. I loved how Simmons brought me into these situations and I was able to view them from Aya’s point of view – they were horrifying but definitely brought the situation to life as a reader.

Every month Aya does what she can to avoid the auction block because her hope is that someday she will come up with a plan to get out and return to her family. When she ends up in solitary again, she sees a new driver over at the stables. One night he crosses the river and sits with her (Drivers are mute), Aya decides to name him Kiran. While Kiran doesn’t talk, he is smart. He knows what goes on around him and adapts. One night of sitting together turns into almost a month and they begin to form a friendship and although Aya does all the talking, they become close.

When Aya can’t get out of the auctions any longer, she is purchased and eventually sent away from the facility, Kiran, and her wolf. She also finds herself at the home of the mayor because his son thought she was funny so he wanted her. UGH…right? The only thing I will say about this part of the story is that Amir was creepy and all I could picture was this kid - I mean, I couldn’t live with him either!



So…there isn’t much more I can say about the rest of the story without giving anything away so I’m pretty much going to say….get the book!! This is a fantastic story that has action, swoony parts, creepy parts and lots of action. Also, the characters are well-developed and the world building was great! If you are in the mood for a dystopian, definitely check this one out.

Thank you to Tor Teen for the review copy!