#2 in the Across the Universe SeriesPublished January 10, 2012 by Razorbill
3 Stars
Goodreads Review
Godspeed was once 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. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed.
But there may be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision—no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder learns shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a mystery that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier. Their success—or failure—will determine the fate of the 2,298 passengers aboard Godspeed. But with each step, the journey becomes more perilous, the ship more chaotic, and the love between them more impossible to fight.
Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery 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.
Hey guys! Long time no blog! I was out of town for work for two weeks and had no time to blog (sad day for sure). But I'm back and we can return to our regular scheduled reviewing!
Review: More like a 3.5, but not enough to add up to a 4. I ended up liking this a lot more than Across the Universe and I'm actually excited for Shades of Earth. The follow the clues was a cool idea, but I'm not sure it worked in this context because Amy just told Elder everything from the start. However, I enjoyed the build up to the final book (even though I totally called it, like spot on. I'm so smart).
While I really liked the idea of the follow the clues to find the truth treasure hunt plot device, I don't think it worked in the context of this particular story. Amy is told from the start not to tell Elder, that deciding what to do with the information discovered should be her choice alone. But of course she runs to Elder immediately. I felt like this was a missed opportunity to create suspicious and distrust between the two characters which could have lead to some interesting development in their relationship. It also could have given Amy a real chance to grow and act independently. It was also painfully obvious what the secret information was, so there really wasn't much tension while they were trying to figure out the clues. A good idea, but not executed well.
Review: More like a 3.5, but not enough to add up to a 4. I ended up liking this a lot more than Across the Universe and I'm actually excited for Shades of Earth. The follow the clues was a cool idea, but I'm not sure it worked in this context because Amy just told Elder everything from the start. However, I enjoyed the build up to the final book (even though I totally called it, like spot on. I'm so smart).
While I really liked the idea of the follow the clues to find the truth treasure hunt plot device, I don't think it worked in the context of this particular story. Amy is told from the start not to tell Elder, that deciding what to do with the information discovered should be her choice alone. But of course she runs to Elder immediately. I felt like this was a missed opportunity to create suspicious and distrust between the two characters which could have lead to some interesting development in their relationship. It also could have given Amy a real chance to grow and act independently. It was also painfully obvious what the secret information was, so there really wasn't much tension while they were trying to figure out the clues. A good idea, but not executed well.
What did work very well was the dissolution of the Eldest/Elder system and the rebellions that start springing up all over the ship. I felt like this was a great allegory for what is happening in the world today. People who live in poor conditions who are controlled by their government will eventually rise up against the institution, often in violent riots.
Overall I thought that while A Million Suns missed the mark on a few plotting choices, it is a great improvement on the first book, Across the Universe. The writing style was great and the deeper message about mob mentality and the inherent flaws in a dictatorial type of government work really well in the futuristic setting.
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