After the New Horizon blew up the Empyrean, Waverly and all the kids from the Empyrean have no choice but to live aboard the New Horizon. Most are reunited with their parents, but they're not the same parents the kids remember. Something has been done to the crew of the Empyrean, cutting off all their emotions, their fear, their worries, their anger. Waverly can't stand seeing her mother like this and she'll do anything to get the real woman back. With the help of a powerful doctor, Waverly plans to bring Anne Mather's reign as captain of the New Horizon to an end. Kieran will also do anything to save his mother and the kids from the Empyrean. Even if that means working with Anne Mather to re-establish peace between the crews. Waverly and Kieran are again at odds and neither can trust the powerful leaders who are asking for their help. For Seth, the risks are greater. He boarded the New Horizon as a stowaway and must remain undetected or be thrown in the brig, but he's severely injured and getting sicker. Can Waverly, Kieran, and Seth do what it takes to save their crewmates, their families, and their friends before it is too late?

FLAME by Amy Kathleen Ryan is a thrilling conclusion to the phenomenal Sky Chasers trilogy. Thought-provoking, fast- paced, and with enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing what will happen to the Empyrean and New Horizon crews, FLAME lives up to the previous novels in this trilogy. The climax manages to take the reader by surprise at the same time that it feels absolutely right for these characters. I highly recommend all three novels, Glow, Spark, and FLAME. As a set, they address human nature's strengths and weaknesses and the determination we all have to survive. The characters are strong-willed, dynamic, and vulnerable. Fans of Orson Scott Card and Suzanne Collins will appreciate the depth of Amy Kathleen Ryan's world and how it reveals society at its weakest and strongest points.