Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source: Bought

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

Book 2 in the Across The Universe series


This book is so frexing good! (Did'ya see what I did there?) I think that this book might even be better than the first one. And I loved the first book Across The Universe when I read it last year.

You'd think that with all the characters trapped inside a metal spaceship not a lot would be happening- but you'd be wrong! There are constant secrets, mysteries and betrayals, and the whole ship's politics on the verge of a revolution. Things are never what you'd expect and there is always something new going on.

The clever and subtle way that the ship Godspeed is described makes it really easy to clearly visualise as a home/ self- contained town/ community, and made everything feel so believable. You get a sense of the vastness of the place on one hand, but also understand how trapped Amy feels living in this place where she completely stands out and has nowhere to escape to.

I really like the romance aspect of this book because it is not too overdone. Elder knows that he is crazy about Amy, but she isn't too certain how she feels about him- other than valuing his friendship and supporting his leadership. Their relationship is kind of sweet, and they are like best friends who are awkwardly starting to fall for each other.

As part of an ongoing mystery Amy manages to explore hidden and forgotten areas of the ship, which have been modified and changed over the generations, and follows a path of hidden clues through the abandoned corridors and in unread library books. It is the mystery behind this that really drives the story, and gives it a constant sense of tension and a feeling of unease in the unknown. Is there a secret plot? Who is the murderer? Where are the clues leading, and who is leaving them?

The ship is dying and the old system of government is falling apart. People are losing faith and trying to bring about changes, there are disagreements and even crimes. Elder is determined to be a better leader, and it's hard to feel him struggle with the weight of that responsibility, but some of his changes are quite controversial, and everything feels very dangerous.

Amy also wonders if she should wake up her parents- if there is no hope for the ship, and some of these scenes, and the memories of her former life on Earth are extremely emotional. I also really liked that we got a lot more depth and backstory on some of the other characters as well, like Harley and Kaylee.

Aside from all the dramas going on in this book there is also a major shocking revelation about two-thirds of the way through, which completely rocked my expections and left me stunned, and which is going to completely change the course of the series! I didn't see it coming and it blew me away!

This book is completely surprising, heart wrenching and exciting- I'd describe it as a gritty and intense sci-fi mystery. I'm completely hooked and I love this series.
Just... wowza!