Book Recap: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Cover Inspection:
This is one book cover that I really love!
Aside from the colors, I think it's sweet
that Amy and Elder are holding hands.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	3.5
Writing	3.5
Characters	3.0
Ending	3.5
Overall Rating	3.5 Superior! (93% to 96%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
The story is still set in the ship, Godspeed.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Like in the first book, the main characters are Amy and Elder. Eldest died, and so Elder is now the leader. However, because he is still young, he is a bit unsure and insecure. Amy, on the other hand, isn't the fearful girl that she was in Across the Universe. In this book, she showed her intelligence, courage, and strength.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
After the death of Eldest, Elder assumed his role. As the new leader of the ship, he stopped the use of Phydus. But this resulted to chaos. The residents of Godspeed are out of control. They are rebelling and wants to depose Elder as they gain individual thought. Orion is still in the picture. Apparently, he left Amy messages regarding the actual status of the ship. Amy then asks Elder to help her with the clues that Orion has left her. Together, they searched for clues to find out the truth about Godspeed.

LOVE:
What I loved about this book is the mystery/find-the-next-clue element of the story. It's quite similar to The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I love those kinds of books. Here, Amy and Elder are always on the look out for the next clue left by Orion. Of course, like in the first book, the writing is flawless, and it will just suck you in. Not only that, but Revis managed to insert philosophical insights in the story, such as Plato's Republic in relation to the ongoing rebellion inside Godspeed. Most of all, I love the twists in this story! I cannot say more regarding this matter as it would surely be a big spoiler. All I can say is that the unexpected twists and turns in Across the Universe is very much present in the sequel.

NO LOVE:
While I still love Amy and Elder, I do not approve of some of their actions. First, I didn't like the fact that Elder is a bit reluctant to assume the role of Eldest. This really annoys me because he had been training and waiting for this all his life, and now that Eldest is dead, he must step up. But he doesn't want to. There were a lot of times that I wanted to slap him silly for not assuming his responsibility. There are about two thousand persons relying on him, and he cannot just set his role aside *snaps fingers* just like that. I am not discounting the fact that he is only sixteen years old, however, when you have been trained for it all your life, you must always be ready to assume the role. Elder was not. Nevertheless, near the end of the story, Eldest did make some very wise decisions, and I do admire him for it. Moving on to Amy, I think that her character is very selfish (at least in this book). I sort of thought that she became rather obsessed with unfreezing her parents, without really minding the consequences it may entail. Plus, unfreezing them would be an additional burden to Elder, who is already conflicted and very much in trouble. I would say that the characters remained to be immature. Hence, I cannot wait to see how they develop (for the better, I hope) in the third book.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Despite the fact that I disapprove of some of his actions, Elder is my favorite. He is very idealistic. I love this about him. He has the whole world (or the whole ship, literally) on his shoulders, yet there is a childlike innocence about him that I cannot help but adore.

FAVORITE LINE:

One of the things I loved about this is Amy's conflict about love and choices...

Just that if I was back on Earth instead of on this damn ship, if I had met Elder at school or at a club or on a blind date, if I had my choice between Elder and every other boy in the world…Would I love him then?
Would he love me?
Love without choice isn’t love at all. 

But then again...

Choice or no, my heart is his.

MUSINGS:
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. And in this book, that responsibility is all on Elder's shoulders. Poor Elder. He stopped the use of Phydus on the people, but his kindness and wisdom was repaid with rebellion. The people were mean, cruel, and unreasonable. They don't want to give Elder a chance. Plus, Elder is also frustrated with Amy. It is pretty obvious that these two are in love with each other. But Amy is in denial, saying that it is not love when one doesn't have a choice. Hopefully... maybe he'll have it all in the final book. All in all, I am very much satisfied with this installment. The twist in the ending was so good, and it made me hungry for the final book.

DOODLES:
Check out the book's website! It shows a floor plan of the whole ship!

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Beth Revis

SIMILAR READS:
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild, unless you count "Frex" and "Shite"
violence: moderate
sexual content: mild to moderate
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 13+