Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

  

    Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads



    

     Title: A Million Suns

     Author: Beth Revis

     Series: Across the Universe

     Publisher: Razorbiill

     Publication Date: Jan. 10, 2012

     Source: borrowed ARC from April 
      at Sim~Sational~Books

    


From Goodreads:

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

I really despise the fact that I have to wait a year in between books in a series. Sometimes it’s almost necessary to re-read the previous book in order to pick up on the little subtleties and nuances…and if it’s not necessary, it’s still advisable. I don’t like books that spend the first half of the book recapping the first novel, but a chapter devoted to refreshing the reader’s memory wouldn’t hurt. Not that Revis didn’t drop reminders…I’ve just read WAY too many books since Across the Universe, and I felt like it took forever to feel like I was on board Godspeed again. Anyway, that’s my problem, but I just had to vent.

That said, I thought A Millions Suns was even better than Across the Universe. First of all, I finally feel some connection between Elder and Amy besides “he’s my only choice because we’re the only teenagers on board this ship to nowhere.” They had passionate arguments, they consoled each other, they even kissed some…in short, they really started to care for each other. It was nice to see the relationship develop gradually, even if the impetus for Amy’s change of heart was others’ misfortune. (And maybe it wasn’t but that’s how it looked to me.)

Amy was still a little whiney with that whole Can we please unfreeze my parents-thing, but she’s definitely matured in the three months since the events of AtU. She’s trying to adjust to life aboard the ship, and she’s reevaluating everything she knows. She may spend the rest of her life on the ship, so she might as well make it home. And the more her thought process heads in that direction, the more she feels drawn to Elder.

Elder was rather surprising. He’s grown even more than Amy has, but he’s had a lot of responsibility thrust upon him all at once. Elder is now Eldest and must maintain order on Godspeed. He tries, but despite his best efforts, he’s undermined at every turn. But he still does what he thinks is right, regardless of whether he has any support. When I read AtU, I pictured Elder as Atreyu…young and ready to fight a battle he was sure to lose. Whereas after having read A Million Suns, I picture him more like Prince Caspian, picking up the pieces of the life he’d known and making something better with them, something better for all of his people. (Side note: I’d love it if Ben Barnes played every male protagonist from my favorite YA books. Yes, definitely Ben Barnes. Yum.)

And then you have the betrayals and in-fighting on the ship. Oh, you thought things were going to get better with Eldest gone? Ha. Haven’t you heard that old saying? Things are going to get worse before they get better. Things are definitely different now, but I don’t know if I’d say better. People who go off their meds suddenly are never the most stable…as is the case for those aboard Godspeed who’d been given Phydus all those years. Some are adjusting, and others…not so much.

I think that was kind of expected, but I found that this novel, unlike AtU, was rather unpredictable and kept me on the edge of my seat once it really got going. There were a lot of noooo’s and oh, frex’s (okay, and maybe some other expletives) shouted while I read through this one. I would definitely say I was shocked at times. Which is exactly what I expected from these books. Across the Universe built the base for the series, and A Million Suns catapulted the story into something truly captivating.

Rating:  

Read More

Labels: across the universe, beautiful covers, beth revis, reviews

In My Mailbox #15

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.




Borrowed:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis, courtesy of the zany April from Sim~Sational~Books


 Purchased:

Um, so Audible was having yet another one of their member sales, and well, you know I can't say no to those, so I ended up with these gems:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - couldn't pass up the deal, need to re-read anyway for Pandemonium
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - already read but heard the audio was awesome
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - need to "read" before seeing the movie
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins - re-"read" is necessary before seeing the movie in March with the sisters I forced this series on (they loved it, too)




What were your spoils from the short week that didn't seem so short?

Read More

Labels: across the universe, audiobooks, beth revis, daughter of smoke and bone, delirium, from book to screen, in my mailbox (imm), the hunger games

TGIF #4

TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads!  In this weekly feature, Ginger poses a question to her followers and then asks everyone to link up at the end of the post, sharing their responses.

  This Friday's Question:

 

Author Block Party: If you could gather a handful of authors to hang out with, who would you choose? 

Hmmm...these questions always seem easy at first glance, but when I actually sit down to type out my response, I find myself inundated with possibilities.  After all, there are a ton of authors that I love to read and stalk online.  But when it comes down to it, these are the ladies that I'd actually want to hang out with:

 
The ever-witty, funny, clever, and uber-talented Maggie Stiefvater.  Her writing is lyrical and her self-made book trailers are phenomenal.  She's a successful writer, artist, and musician...in other words, the package deal.

Libba Bray:  writer-extraordinaire.  Is there any subject this woman cannot write about?  She tackles it all and skillfully so.  But mostly, I'd like to corner her and beg her to continue Gemma Doyle's story.  :-)

I adore Beth Revis' online presence almost as much as her writing.  There are authors that are ostentatious and then there are those that really make themselves available to their fans.  Beth falls in the latter category.

I have to admit here that I haven't yet read anything by Maureen Johnson, though I do have Little Blue Envelopes waiting for me on my Nook.  (And I'm dying to read The Name of the Star!)  But I don't know how I'd make it through the day without the comic relief of her tweets.  And then there's that steadfast way she stands up for anyone and everything she believes in.  How could anyone not love her?



Last, but certainly not least, I would have to invite Hannah Moskowitz along for the ride.  Her writing makes you thoughtful and questioning...and it makes you feel.  She seems pretty open-minded and like she'd be a ton of fun to hang out with.  And, of course, the funny.

So, yeah, pretty much, if an author can make me laugh, they're in.  Which is why it was so hard for me to narrow down my choices.  But I think I did well, especially considering how long the list was when I started...

Read More

Labels: beth revis, hannah moskowitz, libba bray, maggie stiefvater, maureen johnson, tgif