A Million Suns

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis
Release Date: January 10, 2011
Razorbill/Penguin
ISBN13: 9781595143983

5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

If you didn't already know that Beth Revis is a genius, you should realize this after reading A Million Suns. I'm always worried with sequels that they won't live up to the crazy expectations I have for them, since I loved the first book so much. But in my (not so humble) opinion, AMS is better than Across the Universe... SO MUCH BETTER. Every little thing that left me feeling unsatisfied with in AtU is dealt with in AMS. LOVED IT.

These characters have been put in near impossible situations, where they're forced to make life altering choices. It isn't easy, and there's very little wiggle room. And you keep asking yourself "can they do this? I can't possible see a way out of this mess!" Maybe there is, and maybe there isn't. Even after reading the book, I'm not so sure myself. Nothing's easy or simple, and morality (like many real life situations) isn't black and white, but rather varying shades of grey.

I know some reviews of AtU mentioned that the chemistry between Elder and Amy really wasn't "there". Well, it's here and it's arrived now. And it's hot (but still, very much appropriate for their age and the age of targeted readers). They both really bloom as characters and individuals, but as friends as well. One thing I really loved is that similar to Ally Condie's Crossed (as mentioned in my review of it), there is the question of how important it is to allow a choice in love. Exactly what does love have to do with choice? Both books come to similar conclusions, but I think it's a fascinating story they tell as they explore this. It really made me wonder whether I truly believed that myself.

And for Harley fans, I can promise you that he's involved in his own way. I was so happy to see this, because he's such an incredible character and definitely a fan favourite.

What we're left with is a heart pounding novel, and I think Revis is absolutely brilly. She actually makes you think and question what you've been presented with as "fact"- both in her books, and in real life as well. One of my favourite things about this series are the number of questions she raises about political theory (intentionally or not), but seeing as political science is my speciality, it's something that I found to be highly recognizable in her books. I think this could be a fantastic discussion starter for teens and adults alike. Revis demonstrates a depth of insight that I find to be rather uncommon among YA books, which I think is going to make Across the Universe appeal to a wider audience as a whole. It isn't just for teens, but adults as well because she has so much to say about human nature and society as a whole. But most importantly, Revis keeps it interesting. There's nothing boring about this one.

I am going to warn you however, that reading this book is going to leave you BEGGING for more. Literally begging.

A special thank you to Penguin Canada for providing me with an ARC, no other compensation received!

Kindred Reads {4}

Kindred Reads is my weekly feature where I recommend similar books. There's a mix of popular books, and fairly unknown authors and indie books as well. This is something that I personally wish I saw more of; after reading a book I enjoy, I often want to read similar books but they can be hard to discover!

These books contain similar elements, whether it's content, writing style, or other themes found in the stories. They are always books which I have read, and I will link to their review if I've reviewed them.

If you like...
Across the Universe by Beth Revis

You might want to read...

Under the Stars by Rebecca A. Rogers

Way back in July, I won a signed advanced copy of Under the Stars by Rebecca A. Rogers who is a self-pubbed indie author. I was thrilled to have won it (because the description sounded great), and I loved reading it even more!

Similar to Across the Universe, Under the Stars is a YA sci fi novel, but doesn't read like a total sci fi with confusing slang and books filled with man-eating aliens (not that all sci fi is bad, as I enjoy it). But Under the Stars is more like a book in a sci fi setting. And it's also filled with political intrigue, and a heroine thrown into a terrible situation.

You can read my five star review here.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

A Long, Long Sleep is one of those books that tends to fly under the radar... and I have no clue why. This is a phenomenal book, also featuring a heroine who's been in a stasis sleep for... well, a long time. It has roots in the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty, but that's about it. The problem for Rose is that she's accidently been in a state of stasis for 50 years. And the world as she knows it is gone, and she's alone. Similar enough to Amy's situation in AtU, but they remain very different stories. The awesome thing about all three of these books is that they feature incredibly strong heroines, who are rather unexpected given the circumstances.

I HIGHLY recommend this to YA readers: and you can also read my five star review of it here, if you would like to know more.




Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? Any others you can think of that you'd add to this list? Are there any other books you'd like me to feature in my "If you like..." post one day?

Across the Universe

Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis
Released: January 11, 2011
Penguin: Razorbill
ISBN13: 9781595143976

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

 I have no idea why I waited so long to finally get around to reading this one, because it was awesome. But the important thing is that I finally picked it up (probably because I have Million Suns ARC so I can get right into the second one... I hate waiting for sequels to come out. I tend to read series all at once) and LOVED it!

Beth Revis accurately captures feeling so well in her writing- the beginning of Across the Universe starts with the cyro freezing process, and it's downright creepy. I was actually squirming in my seat at the descriptions, and it's no wonder Amy felt so frightened by it at 17 years old.

I also find the idea of being frozen in time, only to wake up too far in the future to be terrifying. There's something about it that just feels so... lonely. Even if you're with people, it's like waking up to an entirely different world. Nothing like what you left. So needless to say, I thought the premise of this book was fantastic.

Also, this book is completely filled with twists in turn which make it so much fun! Some of them were expected and fairly predictable, but many others were not. I just didn't see some of them coming. The description really doesn't lie when it says that Godspeed is full of secrets and lies.

I always appreciate books with a good love story, but one that doesn't overpower everything else going on in the book and the interest between Amy and Elder is gradual, and doesn't take their focus away from uncovering as many secrets as they can.

I also loved the ending and how neatly Revis tied up a few less ends, but at the same time she had also introduced some new problems which will easily lead into the sequel. Satisfying endings are a must, but I didn't feel as if everything had been dealt with already so there would need new topics to be introduced in order for the series to continue. Luckily, that isn't the case here.

Across the Universe is, at a very basic level, a mystery whodunnit style novel; the enclosed space of the Godspeed made some parts move a bit slower than I would have liked, but the characters were rich (especially Harley, he was just wonderful) but I'd love to see more development from Elder in the future books.