Book Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 386
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Across the Universe, Book 2

*Spoilers for the first book are quite likely*
Life on Godspeed has gone from ordered to chaos almost overnight.  Now that Elder stopped the use of Phydus, the people seem bent on doing nothing.  But when Elder finds out a big secret about the ship, he must try to fix that and keep control of his people.  Amy is trailing secrets across the ship as well and both are trying to figure out their relationship.  Can they solve the problems they are both facing before it is too late?

Things I Liked:
This book did anything but suffer from sequel-itis!  It was interesting and unique and had just the right balance of continuing story and new story to let it flow smoothly.  I loved the way the ship and its inhabitants followed what was a natural pattern - chaos and disarray and rioting from the order that existed before.  Amy and Elder are both conflicted and realistic enough that I wanted to know more about what went on in their heads.  The mystery and plot twists kept me on my toes (though, I had guessed nearly all the surprises and the mystery before they happened - yes even the big one discussed below) and it was just an all-around great read.  Plus, I always adore a book with an amount of space-love equal to my own.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was bothered by two things and these are pretty big spoilers, so don't read this part if you haven't read the book yet:
First, when the Shippers tell Elder the ship is stopped, I was a bit confused; picturing the ship at a standstill in space was hard for my brain, just seems unlikely they would go from moving to not moving, unless they hit something.  Then, it turns out they are in orbit, which actually is NOT stopped.  Could they just not tell the ship was moving or was it just based on them not actually using the engine?  Or, were they just misinformed?  This was never cleared up satisfactorily for me.  Second, one of the big reveals is that they are in orbit around Centauri-Earth, but every time they looked out the windows (which sounds like it happened quite often) they never saw it?  Ok, I can concede that, if they were in a synchronous orbit (ie always the same side of the ship facing the planet) they wouldn't see it, but they would have to see the two suns.  It's kind of hard to miss and the suns would not stay in the same place in relation to the ship!  I'm just not quite believing that, since the planet was pretty much just out of sight from the window that the suns were always just out of sight too.  Ok, so these are probably not things most readers would notice or care about, and they were just things I noticed as I tried to visualize the whole thing using my (albeit somewhat rusty) astronomy brain. *end of spoilers*  And despite these things, I enjoyed the book very much.  Sorry for the rant!

Read-alikes:
Inside Out and Outside In by Maria V. Snyder
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (obviously, read it first)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none 
unless you count "frex"

mrg-factor: none 
kissy kissy

v-factor: ->-> 
a few disturbing scenes, but not graphic at all

Overall rating: **** 

For those who have read it, did those things that bothered me even cross your mind or am I alone? :)  For those who haven't, why not?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis and GIVEAWAY!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Publication date: January 2011
ISBN: 9781595143976
Source: Review copy provided by publisher and LibraryThing Early Reviewers

 

When Amy and her parents decide to go on a mission to a new planet, they must be cryogenically frozen for 300 years.  But Amy is brutally awakened 50 years too soon and finds herself on a spaceship filled with secrets and lies.  She struggles to adapt to this enclosed space where people docilely accept everything the sinister leader Eldest tells them without question.  She thinks she can trust Elder, the next in line for leadership, but in a place where she knows no one and understands nothing, can she really trust him?

Things I Liked:
This book really does have it all.  It's mystery, sci-fi, dystopian, action-adventure and even a little romance.  The story is completely consuming and it caught me almost immediately in its grasp.  There were a lot of twists and surprises that totally reversed how you thought about everything and sometimes everyone!  While I did have one of the major plot mysteries figured out almost immediately, I did not grow bored because there was so much I hadn't figured out and couldn't have guessed.  I loved the way Revis created the atmosphere on the ship - Amy discovers smells and tastes and sights that are so well described that you feel a part of the ship too.  The isolation and struggles of her new life are emotionally overpowering and you can't help but feel the same way.  I was also impressed with Elder and the conflicting and sometimes contradictory way he acted and thought.  It was really a fascinating and fast-paced story complete with interesting ethical dilemmas and a glimpse at a horrifying and beautiful possible future.  

The air hits me like a wall, and I stop a few feet from the door.  It smells processed, cool against my nostrils, just like the air-conditioned hospital.  I'd expected mechanical, industrial-cold air inside.  That air felt natural, because it was just like every other air-conditioned house back on Earth, with that falsely cool, slightly stale feel to it.  But outside...the air is still the same.  This is not air that has ever felt a breeze.  This is air that has been used and reused for centuries.  p 133 of ARC

How can I explain to this girl, who was raised among differences and lack of leadership and chaos and war that this is the way a normal society is run, a peaceful society, a society that doesn't just survive, as hers did, but one that thrives and flourishes as it hurtles through space toward a new planet? p 298 of ARC

Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive? p 354 of ARC 

Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit that there were minor things that nagged at me while reading.  It felt like there were a few minor holes in the plot that I couldn't quite recognize, but that left me doubting some of the events.  Also, I could have done without the Season.  Just saying.

Read-alikes:
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Matched by Ally Condie
The Maze Runner by James Dashner

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few, but mostly there were evolved cuss words

mrg-factor: XX
quite a bit, though most of it is not descriptive

v-factor: ->->
some disturbing images, but not a lot of gore

Overall rating: *****

I was lucky enough to get an extra ARC and I would love to pass it on to one lucky reader! Fill out the form below by next Friday, January 14. US only.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage