A Million Suns

 Beth Revis

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½

Genre: Science Fiction + Young Adult

After enjoying Across the Universe a little more, I went into A Million Suns with fairly modest expectations. Second books can sometimes lose the spark of the first, especially when the mystery has already been introduced. While I don't think this one quite reached the same highs for me, it still managed to keep me invested. The story takes the foundation laid by the first book and shifts its attention toward bigger questions, and I found myself wanting to uncover the next secret almost as much as the characters did.

Now that Eldest is gone, Elder finds himself in charge of Godspeed, though "in charge" may be giving him too much credit. He's trying to lead a population that has spent generations following orders without question, and the cracks begin to show almost immediately. Amy continues searching for answers about the ship's past, convinced that too much is still being hidden. Orion leaves strange messages and clues to make Amy question many things on the ship.

Soon, Amy finds herself invested in searching for GodSpeed’s history. Every clue seems to point toward another lie, another missing piece, or another decision made long before Amy and Elder ever arrived on the scene. I liked that the story didn't rush to hand out answers but kept lingering in that feeling of uncertainty throughout the book. 

By the final stretch, the stakes have grown well beyond simply keeping order aboard the ship. Trust becomes increasingly difficult to place, and several revelations reshape the characters' understanding of their mission and what may actually await them. Not every twist landed equally well for me, but I was curious enough to keep turning the pages, which is probably one of the book's biggest strengths.

While I enjoyed the first book more, I have to admit that this one kept that eerie atmosphere that made the first book click for me. In this installment, mysteries pile up, giving this story a constant sense of tension. 

Character-wise, I think I grew to like both Amy and Elder more in this installment. They aren't perfect, and that actually worked in the book's favor. Elder, especially, is forced to make difficult decisions without having the unquestioned authority that Eldest once held. Here, there is less control and more chaos, so that gives this book its own identity. 

Now that only the last book is left to finish this trilogy, I’m very curious to see how this series will wrap up. Hopefully, the final book will stay at the same level as the first two books or perhaps better. If that happens, I think this trilogy will have succeeded for me—it means a pleasant surprise.

Key Themes

• Freedom
• Uncertainity
• Lack of Control
• Chaos
• Coming of Age
• Isolation
• Identity
• Hope
• Leadership