Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Released: January 24, 2012
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Series: Across the Universe
Source: Bought
Challenge: Speculative Romance, Mystery and Suspense
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.Wow. This book sure packs a punch! I was coming off reading Hallowed, which was a tear-jerker, an emotional beauty. And then A Million Suns took off with suspense and intrigue and suspicions - and action and lots of twists and surprises!
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 build to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.
Amy and Elder have to face impossible choices, they have to unravel a trail of clues, they have to attempt to lead the ship when they are the youngest member aboard. The task they face is daunting, and I love the way they deal with it - not because it's the right way, which many times it actually isn't, but because it keeps a sense of humanity and psychological problems even when dealing with futuristic technology and "philosophical questions." I really like the way we get to see more and more inside their heads, and we get to know them so that by the time they have to face the biggest decisions, we sort of can predict what they'll do - but of course, that turns to nothing when Beth reveals the next shocking secret!
Much more than the characters, this book is great because of the pacing and sheer shock factor. Everything builds and builds and builds, to the point where something is bound to crack - and then it does, and everything explodes! Beth keeps us guessing, but honestly we can't actually guess what she will reveal next.
So this entire book is an up-and-down ride, with very little down - it's one thing after another, and I couldn't put it down!