Review for A Million Suns by Beth Revis

WARNING
This is the second book in the Across the Universe series. Although this review will contain NO spoilers from A Million Suns by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from the first book in the series.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 10th 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Space, Mystery
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"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."

Review
I’ve experienced a lot of disappointment lately regarding sequels to books that I love. I adored Across the Universe, the first book to this series, and couldn’t imagine how Beth Revis was going to top it so to say I began reading A Million Suns cautiously would be an understatement. But not only did it break my streak of disappointing sequels, I also loved it more than the first book something I didn’t think was possible!

Like Across the Universe, A Million Suns launches into the action straight away with the first chapter revealing a huge twist that changes everything. With this twist revealed the book takes off and continues on this breakneck speed journey with never a dull moment. I read it in its entirety in one evening because I couldn’t put it down and when it ended I felt a little like I’d come off a rollercoaster. My heart was thumping, adrenaline was buzzing, and I was in this sort of awe struck daze as to what I’d just been through. Beth Revis’ books have a certain urgency to them and the high stakes and clever twists make them incredibly fast, thrilling, reads.

The book takes off a few months after the events that happen in Across the Universe and life on Godspeed is very different from how we left it. Elder is now leader of the ship and has made some drastic changes, the biggest being no more Phydus, the mind numbing drug, and no more lies especially those regarding the failing mission to Centauri-Earth. Godspeed is in chaos and with the residents minds clear from Phydus they are free to make their own decisions and in anger at being controlled all this time they want the Eldest system out and an election for a new leader in causing an uprising on board the ship. But when Amy and Elder discover a set of clues left behind from Orion that leads to a shocking truth about the ship the people of Godspeed are going to need their leader more than ever before.

This book like Across the Universe is told alternately through both Amy and Elder’s perspective. I especially enjoyed Elder’s chapters the most in this book because it was so interesting watching him try to navigate his way not only as a new leader but a leader of a ship in chaos. Amy’s chapters were also fascinating to read as she finds more pieces to the puzzle that Orion has left for her which reveals a huge hidden secret about Godspeed. Between the two alternating chapters there is never a dull moment if you’re not with Elder trying to control a failing ship then you’re with Amy on a race against time trying to figure out the next clue to the puzzle. What I loved most is how this books main focus is on the ship itself and the people who inhabit it, for one small space ship Godspeed has a lot of big secrets!

The only thing that disappointed me about this book was that whilst I really liked Amy in Across the Universe in this book I found her a little annoying at times but that alone wasn’t enough to take away from my love for this book. Overall A Million Suns was a fantastic sequel with a mind blowing ending. Beth Revis’ books just keep getting better and I can’t wait to read what promises to be an epic conclusion to this series when Shades of Earth comes out next year.

My Most Popular Blog Posts! (And I Want to Know What Are Yours!?)

The other day on Twitter me and a few other bloggers where discussing our most popular blog posts and it seemed that everyone had a range of different things. It really led me to thinking about what exactly makes a post popular? How much is down to content and how much is chance, date and time and where it’s linked to? I found it really interesting to hear what other bloggers most popular posts are their reaction to them and why they think that is. So Vicki at Cosy Books and I have decided to do this post to share with you our blogs most popular posts. We’d also love to know what yours are as well if you’re a blogger so please feel free to do your own post or if you don’t have time leave a comment with what yours are. We’re also planning a discussion post about this topic so all input would be hugely appreciated!

My Top Ten Most Popular Posts

1.) My most popular post of all time is My First Year as a Blogger Summed Up! A post which has had 3,019 Pageviews but only 5 comments so you wouldn’t think it comments wise! I think this could be my most popular post for a number of reasons, one it was a very popular meme going round at the time, two it has links going to several other blogs, three it features a lot of books and information about blogs and blogging and could be an ideal post to read if you’re looking to start a new book blog. And fourth it has a picture of the Fuentes brothers I mean who doesn’t want to see that right?
2.) In second place hot on the tails of my number one post is Passion Blog Tour: Lauren Kate’s Favourite Luce and Daniel Moments including a scene from Passion and upcoming and final book Rapture! I think the title for this one pretty much speaks for itself. This series is hugely popular worldwide and on the tour I was lucky enough to give readers a sneaky glimpse of what to expect from not only new book Passion but also Rapture the final book. This was also linked up to a lot of places like the books Facebook page and Lauren Kate’s facebook page. Random House did a fantastic job of promoting it and this post still gets a few page views every week to this day!
3.) Third is a review, yay! And it’s for the last book in possibly my favourite series ever Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. I was lucky enough to read this book on embargo before the release date so I managed to get my review up pretty speedy and close to the books release. I think that and the fact that again it’s the last book in a hugely popular series really played a part in the success for this one. But because it was never really linked to anywhere I like to think my actual review and love for that book factors in somewhere too!
4.) Next up is my 1st Blogoversary Giveaway. This was an awesome giveaway (if I do say so myself!) giving away a choice from my favourite books. Again the numerous books mentioned I think had something to do with this posts success and also the fact that it was my blogs birthday and all of my lovely readers wanted to pop over and say congrats! And of course who doesn’t like winning books? Especially when it’s international!
5.) Fifth is strangely a random In My Mailbox post. These always do well on my blog and get a lot of views but I really can’t place my finger on what makes this one so special. I’ve had bigger hauls so I guess this is one of those posts where I just got lucky and a lot of people must have been following IMM that week! I think this is one of those posts that just had to do with timing.
6.) In sixth place is one of my personal favourite posts my Scary, Spooky and Supernatural – Jess’s top pick’s for Halloween! I absolutely loved writing this post and this is another one that still gets a lot of views today! This one was never linked up to anywhere but I think it’s just one of those fun posts that people enjoy and again it recommends a lot of books in one post.
7.) Next is another review this time for Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Funnily enough when speaking to Vicki one thing that we found is that Angel books seem to be VERY popular as they featured in both of our top posts. This one has never been linked to anywhere and I didn’t receive this one for review or get it early. I think it’s just a popular series and hopefully people like the review!
8.) Keeping with the theme for 8th is ANOTHER angel related post this time with a review for Passion by Lauren Kate. Basically what I said above for this one except I did get this one early for review. Further more proof that people seem to really love books about angels!
9.) In at 9th place is another post that I loved writing it’s one of my Random Rambling posts this one talking about My Top 10 Bookish Peeves and Loves. This one isn’t a meme and so isn’t linked to anywhere. It doesn’t even really feature any books or exclusive information so it seems like people just liked this one in general for the content and writing which is a nice thought. I love writing my Random Rambling posts so it’s nice that one of them has made it into my top ten!
10.) And last of all is a post from when I was a newbie blogger and took part in the Book Bloggers Hop. And I think that the reason for this one’s success is purely because it’s a popular meme and like with the IMM post it must have been a very busy week with lots of people taking part!

So that’s it for my popular posts. Make sure you stop by Cosy Books for Vicki’s most popular posts! Again we would LOVE you to take part in this if you too are a book blogger partly for research on a discussion post but mostly because we are nosy! Even if you’re too busy to take part we would love for you to leave your top 3 posts or any thoughts you have in the comments but if you do decide to do a post feel free to leave a link in the comments we would love to read them.

Breaking News!! J.K Rowling’s New Book Deal

Yes. I’m not shitting you my friends. J.K Rowling queen of book land has today announced her plans to write and publish her first novel for adults. Here are all the official, important stuffs that you no doubt want to read…

"Little, Brown has world English rights to the first novel for adults by JK Rowling, the company announced Thursday morning. Little Brown UK publisher David Shelley will serve as Rowling's editor and Michael Pietsch will oversee publication in the US. All other details--title, pub date "and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year." But one important element has been settled: While the world waits for Pottermore and the Harry Potter ebooks, Little, Brown promises they will publish "both in print and ebooks."

Rowling says in the release: "Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life." Rowling was represented by Neil Blair at The Blair Partnership."
- Publishers Marketplace

Wow. I kind of gave up hope that this day would come I mean Jo certainly doesn’t need to write another book after the mammoth success that was Harry Potter, but with all of the Harry Potter films now finished with I think this is a really good time for the next chapter in Jo’s writing life. I don’t mind that her new book will have nothing to do with Harry or that world and that it’s going to be different. I don’t think anything will ever compare to Harry Potter it was a masterpiece, a little piece of real life magic, and that stuff surely only comes around once in a lifetime? So I’m reluctant to compare the new novel not only because they will be so different but also because I really do believe that Harry Potter was a rare and beautiful thing. Instead I’m mostly intrigued to read something new from Jo and to see how she’s developed as an author since writing the Harry Potter books and to as an adult now enjoy an adult book by her, hopefully as much as I did the Harry Potter stories when I was a child. How do you guys feel about this news? As soon as I hear any more info on the title, cover, synopsis etc you can rest assured that I will be all over it and keep you updated! Feel free to fan girl/boy me in the comments, let’s get our celebration on! *puts on the sorting hat and jigs around with a butterbeer*

Review for Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 1st March 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Dance, Self-Discovery
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
''In a crowd of beautiful and talented dancers, how can one girl stand out?

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. She gets to be up on stage in front of adoring crowds every night. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she's moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen. But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn't mind, until a chance encounter in a restaurant brings Jacob into her life. He's cute, he plays guitar and he's offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream or what could be the love of her life...''

Review
Bunheads was such an indulgent read for me, I’m fascinated by anything to do with dance- despite not being a dancer myself- I love watching movies like Black Swan and Step Up, old childhood books like Ballet Shoes, and TV show dancing competitions. I love everything from the beautiful costumes and dramatic make up to the fairy-tale like sets to the art of dance itself. I’ve been to the theatre to watch ballet a few times and every time I get so caught up in the story that the ballerina’s tell with their feet and reading Bunheads was almost like watching one of those dances, it gave me the exact same feeling of enchantment, magic and excitement.

What I loved most about Bunheads was the behind the scenes feel to it. Author Sophie Flack danced with the New York City ballet for nine years before writing this book so she shares with us first-hand information on exactly what goes on behind closed doors and what goes into this kind of profession. Not only did I love reading about our main character Hannah and her friend’s performances but I also loved reading about a dancer’s life off the stage from the extreme and challenging rehearsals to the gruelling training and physio. I found the simplest things like how they get their shoes to fit them perfectly and all the different moves fascinating. The life of a professional dancer is fiercely competitive and I came away from this book with a newfound respect for dancers and the dedication and passion they have for what they do. Despite the gorgeous dresses and fairy-tale’s that they dance to the job is at times anything but glamorous and I loved this insider’s look on the life of a young dancer trying to stand out from the crowd.

Whilst this books main focus is on the world of ballet dancing it also has themes of romance, friendship, rivalry and self-discovery. Hannah is a really interesting leading lady to read about with her conflicting emotions about ballet and her journey as she tries to decide what she wants from life. I also loved the love interest in this book Jacob and wanted Hannah to be with him pretty much from the moment they met! I also really liked Hannah’s best friend Bea who was such a good friend to Hannah and didn’t let the pressures of trying to get noticed come between their friendship.

Overall I thought that Bunheads was a really unique contemporary read. This book made me feel like a little girl again devouring a magical ballerina story wishing all the while that I too could get all dressed up and dance with princes and feel like a princess every night. Sophie Flack captures the magic and beauty of ballet and transforms it to the page flawlessly. This was a gorgeous debut that has made me see the world of competitive dance in a whole new light!

Review for Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale

Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 2nd February 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Family Drama, Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"How can you face your future when your past is a lie? When Rosie Kenning's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntingdon's disease, her whole world falls apart. Not only does Rosie desperately miss her mum, but now she has to face the fact that she could have inherited the fatal illness herself. Until she discovers that Trudie wasn't her biological mother at all ...Rosie is stunned. Can this be true? Is she grieving for a mother who wasn't even hers to lose? And if Trudie wasn't her mother, who is? But as Rosie delves into her past to discover who she really is, she is faced with a heart-breaking dilemma - to continue living a lie, or to reveal a truth that will shatter the lives of everyone around her..."

Review
This book was pitched to me as Jodi Picoult for teens and with Jodi being one of my all-time favourite authors I just had to try this YA equivalent. Now that I’ve read Someone Else’s Life I would certainly agree with that statement, debut author Katie Dale writes an honest and moving account on hard hitting topics such as grief, and Huntington’s disease to name a few in this gripping family drama.

What I loved best about this book is that instead of focusing on friendships and relationships this books main focus is on family in all its glorious shapes and sizes. I found that really refreshing for a young adult book and whilst there was a brilliant love interest for our heroine Rosie in the form of Andy the boy that she loved and gave up as just one of the many sacrifices she made in order to become a full time carer to her mum whose recently died from Huntington’s. What I loved most was the focus on family and the lies we keep to protect those we love.

Katie Dale tackles a wide range of controversial topics and I loved the many layers to this book. Right from the start your thrown this massive curve ball in the plot and as you read on the problems just snowball there are so many twists and turns, the plot constantly changing and developing right until the final pages. I was gripped by the many secrets that make up Rosie’s life and found it impossible to put the book down.

Someone Else’s Life reads as part contemporary and part mystery and so offers something new and different to the YA genre. The book is told from Rosie and a mystery person’s perspective, I found Rosie to be a really strong inspirational heroine and right from the beginning I had a huge amount of respect for her for practically giving up her life in order to look after her mum. I also loved reading from the perspective of the mystery character, for the first part of the book, because I had no idea who they were and I loved trying to suss out the mystery behind that, and once they’re revealed because I found their point of view fascinating to read from and they actually ended up being my favourite character and who I connected with most.

I could talk about how much I loved this book and why all day but because its very mystery orientated I’ll leave it there as I don’t want to give away any spoilers! But if you’re looking for a book that makes you feel ALL THE THINGS you should check out Someone Else’s Life, Katie Dale is certainly an author to watch!