"A Million Suns" by Beth Revis [Review] Crónicas de uma Leitora

 Another review from the blog Crónicas de uma Leitora, this time is Mafalda Férias's turn to publish her review! She's also the administrator of the blog Algodão Doce para o Cérebro. You can see the original post here.

Synopsis

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 spaceshipGodspeed. 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. 

Review

This is the second book of the trilogy and the author has finally managed to keep my attention in this serie.

I found the book at a higher level than the first in world-building terms, but the relationship between Amy and Elder took a big step back, because there was not much romance in the book, thus ending up in second plan. I think that the theories and clues about the great secret of Godspeed were very good and I quite liked this story, I felt involved in the mystery. With this dystopian challenge I’m very selective with the readings and the truth is that in all of the dystopias that I've read before, this book doesn’t reach the level of Delirium and Divergent. I’m constantly comparing books and it's something I cannot stop doing.

Although this book isn't what I wanted it to be, Beth Revis managed to maintain a fairly interesting plot, where it is centered in the same place and the pace is slow at the beginning, but it gains some spark until the final pages that take breathtaking speed. It was my favorite part of the book and I look forward to read the third volume with some anxiety. We can finally discover the new planet that was so much promised to us, as we will have the presence of "frozen" including Amy's parents that from now on will have a more active role in the story.

As for the romance between Amy and Elder, hopefully it will get into something more compromising. I know this is a YA book but it doesn't necessary need to be so soft!

As this is the second book of a trilogy and we are in-between the series, it was a reading that pleased me and I think it would be a good acquisition to the Portuguese Publishing Houses.

Myriad by Mona Hanna [Review] by Crónicas de uma Leitora

Today I bring you a Raquel's review, co-author of the blog Crónicas de uma Leitora. You can read the original post here.

 

Myriad

Autor: Mona Hanna

Edição/reimpressão: 2012

Páginas: 102

Editor: Createspace

 

 

Synopsis:

After the tragic loss of his wife and child, Myriad Markwin began tormenting the Royal family of Prentor. For eighteen years, he'd mercilessly killed people in the castle on the Princess' birthday. But this year, he wasn't settling for servants or guards. He was going to kill the Royal family themselves. A group of warlocks and witches was out to stop him, but a young newcomer to them, Kalin, was proving the most trouble...

Kalin has denied his magic for years, but suddenly finds himself in a battle with one of the most powerful warlocks that has ever lived. He has to face up to things about himself he never knew, to try and save the Royal family from murder. With his new friends helping him, and a new love enchanting him, can he stop the coming bloodshed? Will he survive the fight of his life?

 

Opinion:

In a world where magic is forbidden, we met Kalin, who tries at all costs to repress his magical abilities and refuges to understand his own life.
In this search Kalin "stumbles" with Myriad, a super powerful warlock who seeks revenge against the royal family, which has been killing.

I really enjoyed this novel. Involves the search of Kalin, who is trying to control his magical powers, and his relationship with Regina. The novel was created and written  being able to drop the more romantic side of anyone.
Maybe the story is a little cliché, but Mona Hanna can turn it into a very enjoyableand mysterious reading , although sometimes it is predictable what will happen in the course of history. I found myself often linked with Kalin who was 18, and see itself having to face a lot, especially Myriad.
The book was really fast, the whole narrative is basically in a week or two, yet the story is very good and very consistent, did not make me feel that would be hasty, even with only 92 pages.
A written very simple and fluid, with excellent attention to detail and to the action.