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Children of the Sun
Welcome to Atlas. How far would you go for a second chance?
Summer 1982. Deep in the Adirondack Mountains, over three hundred people live off-grid in a secret community. Atlas is a refuge for broken souls who long for a different life. Founded by the enigmatic Sol, the group now prepares for their final ceremony: the opening of the Golden Door. They believe they will cross to another world, to a new life where their past decisions never ended in tragedy.
James Morrow is a rookie New York City reporter intent on making his name with an exposé of the crazy cult in the woods. He secures an invitation to the camp on the condition he tell the world of its wonders, but James is a sceptic. He's sure there must be more to the mysterious leader and his endgame than his followers have signed up for.
James soon finds there is a darker side to the cult beyond the prayers and yellow robes. A group of children are treated like gods, there are iron strips embedded in the earth, and nobody talks about what's behind the gates of Sol's private sanctuary. As James learns the stories of the members and how they came to be there, he begins to understand the desperate nature of their beliefs - a desperation he knows all too well.
As the final ceremony draws near, James must ask himself: what will it cost them to reach this other life? And is that a price he's willing to pay
Summer 1982. Deep in the Adirondack Mountains, over three hundred people live off-grid in a secret community. Atlas is a refuge for broken souls who long for a different life. Founded by the enigmatic Sol, the group now prepares for their final ceremony: the opening of the Golden Door. They believe they will cross to another world, to a new life where their past decisions never ended in tragedy.
James Morrow is a rookie New York City reporter intent on making his name with an exposé of the crazy cult in the woods. He secures an invitation to the camp on the condition he tell the world of its wonders, but James is a sceptic. He's sure there must be more to the mysterious leader and his endgame than his followers have signed up for.
James soon finds there is a darker side to the cult beyond the prayers and yellow robes. A group of children are treated like gods, there are iron strips embedded in the earth, and nobody talks about what's behind the gates of Sol's private sanctuary. As James learns the stories of the members and how they came to be there, he begins to understand the desperate nature of their beliefs - a desperation he knows all too well.
As the final ceremony draws near, James must ask himself: what will it cost them to reach this other life? And is that a price he's willing to pay
Audiobook
First published May 25, 2023
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About the author
Beth Lewis
5 books345 followersBeth Lewis was raised in the wilds of Cornwall and split her childhood between books and the beach. She has travelled extensively and has had close encounters with black bears, killer whales, and Great White sharks. She has been, at turns, a bank cashier, fire performer, juggler, and is currently working publishing. Her debut novel, The Wolf Road, was shortlisted for the inaugural Glass Bell Award and her third novel, The Origins of Iris was shortlisted for the Polari Prize. She lives in Oxford with her wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
June 2, 2023
In a Nutshell: A test of your patience, this title based on a fictitious sun-worshipping cult story with sci-fi elements! Fab plot, but YA-style writing. I was fascinated and still rolling my eyes almost throughout. The end nudged my rating higher.
Story Synopsis:
Bookish Yays:
✔ The plot begins as a typical insider-reveal into a cult, and then introduces novelties. I simply didn’t not expect sci-fi elements in a cult story, so when those ideas started popping up, my attention was piqued. Also, I assumed that the cult would be a pseudo-Christian one as whatever cult fiction I’ve read seem to highlight biblical fanatics. But this book had a hippie kind of cult, borrowing thoughts from various religions and regions. I am not sure if I liked this, but it certainly was unusual.
✔ The characters are complicated. James’ past involves grief, so it is interesting to see him struggle between his personal feelings for Sol’s promises and his professional approach towards his article. Eve seems determined to reach Atlas, though we don’t know why. Her track is the weakest of the book until the end, when it suddenly offers an unexpected surprise. Root’s character is mostly well-defined, offering us a glimpse into the extent of brainwashing at Atlas.
✔ The author sure has imagination! The plot as a whole should have felt farfetched and impossible, but she makes it sound absolutely plausible.
✔ There are some amazing lines through the book, mostly connected to the handling of grief and the importance of moving on.
✔ The ending, while requiring suspension of disbelief, is still almost perfect. I foresaw a part of the twist, but there was still enough to keep me hooked. The climax doesn’t tie up all elements or offer complete closure, but it gives you enough resolution to be happy with and enough possibilities to ponder upon.
Bookish Nays:
❌ Somehow, a cult book makes me expect many tense scenes, creepy insights, and nail-biting events. This one felt quite tame in comparison. Except for one bizarre scene connected to a physical punishment and a couple of other bizarre practices, the rest of the cultish details were just a little beyond ordinary. There were horrid elements, but they didn't make me feel horrified, which, I think, is a shortcoming of the writing.
❌ James’ and Eve’s tracks get quite repetitive in between. Eve’s arc also contain plenty of info-dumping to help us bridge the gaps in the facts about Atlas and Sol. These elements slow down the flow of her story.
❌ I didn’t get the need to write Root’s track in such a babyish kind of English when everyone around the character spoke English perfectly well. The language used in this arc was simultaneously brilliant and irritating.
❌ The one feature about the writing that irked me the most was the constant and recurring references to anatomical parts. These are usually found in YA novels, so I certainly did not expect them in a story with a clearly adult topic. My heart ached, my eyes rolled, my ears cried, my throat throbbed, my stomach grew queasy, my brain questioned my sanity, and “my insides” almost gave up the ghost on seeing at least one body part mentioned after every few sentences.
(PS: If anyone has access to the digital copy, could you do me a favour and let me know how many times the book mentioned “stomach” and “my insides”? I need to know if my guesses were right. Feel free to report on any other body parts you want to: throat, chest, eyes, ears,… You have an assortment of anatomy to choose from!)
The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 15 hours, is narrated by David Wayman and Kate Handford. Kate Hansford, voicing Eve, is very good. David Wayman, voicing James and Root, is excellent. Narrating Root’s complicated language and emotionally exuberant dialogues wouldn’t have been an easy task, but Wayman handles it competently. If you are an audiobook lover, this would be a good title to try through audio.
All in all, despite my reservations about the YA-style writing, I still liked the plot and was curious to know more. Recommended if you want to try an atypical cult story and wont be bothered by the anatomical bombardment.
3.5 stars, rounding up for the audio version.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ALC of “Children of the Sun”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
1982. Atlas is the home for a secret community hidden in the Adirondack mountains. Led by an enigmatic leader named Sol, the three-hundred odd people are broken souls looking for redemption by preparing for the opening of the Golden Door, an event supposed to happen during the solar eclipse.
James, an ambitious reporter in NYC, wants an exposé on Atlas and Sol. Under the pretext of writing an article promoting Atlas, James reaches the camp with his own hidden agenda. He soon discovers that there are darker secrets and shady occurences in Atlas, with some part of the location staying off limits. As James learns more about the camp and the people, he begins to question if they might be right after all in their quest for salvation.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of three characters: James, Root – a child member of Atlas who, as one of the ‘sunbeams’ is treated differently from the rest of the children, and Eve – a woman desperate to reach Atlas and find Sol.
Bookish Yays:
✔ The plot begins as a typical insider-reveal into a cult, and then introduces novelties. I simply didn’t not expect sci-fi elements in a cult story, so when those ideas started popping up, my attention was piqued. Also, I assumed that the cult would be a pseudo-Christian one as whatever cult fiction I’ve read seem to highlight biblical fanatics. But this book had a hippie kind of cult, borrowing thoughts from various religions and regions. I am not sure if I liked this, but it certainly was unusual.
✔ The characters are complicated. James’ past involves grief, so it is interesting to see him struggle between his personal feelings for Sol’s promises and his professional approach towards his article. Eve seems determined to reach Atlas, though we don’t know why. Her track is the weakest of the book until the end, when it suddenly offers an unexpected surprise. Root’s character is mostly well-defined, offering us a glimpse into the extent of brainwashing at Atlas.
✔ The author sure has imagination! The plot as a whole should have felt farfetched and impossible, but she makes it sound absolutely plausible.
✔ There are some amazing lines through the book, mostly connected to the handling of grief and the importance of moving on.
✔ The ending, while requiring suspension of disbelief, is still almost perfect. I foresaw a part of the twist, but there was still enough to keep me hooked. The climax doesn’t tie up all elements or offer complete closure, but it gives you enough resolution to be happy with and enough possibilities to ponder upon.
Bookish Nays:
❌ Somehow, a cult book makes me expect many tense scenes, creepy insights, and nail-biting events. This one felt quite tame in comparison. Except for one bizarre scene connected to a physical punishment and a couple of other bizarre practices, the rest of the cultish details were just a little beyond ordinary. There were horrid elements, but they didn't make me feel horrified, which, I think, is a shortcoming of the writing.
❌ James’ and Eve’s tracks get quite repetitive in between. Eve’s arc also contain plenty of info-dumping to help us bridge the gaps in the facts about Atlas and Sol. These elements slow down the flow of her story.
❌ I didn’t get the need to write Root’s track in such a babyish kind of English when everyone around the character spoke English perfectly well. The language used in this arc was simultaneously brilliant and irritating.
❌ The one feature about the writing that irked me the most was the constant and recurring references to anatomical parts. These are usually found in YA novels, so I certainly did not expect them in a story with a clearly adult topic. My heart ached, my eyes rolled, my ears cried, my throat throbbed, my stomach grew queasy, my brain questioned my sanity, and “my insides” almost gave up the ghost on seeing at least one body part mentioned after every few sentences.
(PS: If anyone has access to the digital copy, could you do me a favour and let me know how many times the book mentioned “stomach” and “my insides”? I need to know if my guesses were right. Feel free to report on any other body parts you want to: throat, chest, eyes, ears,… You have an assortment of anatomy to choose from!)
The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 15 hours, is narrated by David Wayman and Kate Handford. Kate Hansford, voicing Eve, is very good. David Wayman, voicing James and Root, is excellent. Narrating Root’s complicated language and emotionally exuberant dialogues wouldn’t have been an easy task, but Wayman handles it competently. If you are an audiobook lover, this would be a good title to try through audio.
All in all, despite my reservations about the YA-style writing, I still liked the plot and was curious to know more. Recommended if you want to try an atypical cult story and wont be bothered by the anatomical bombardment.
3.5 stars, rounding up for the audio version.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ALC of “Children of the Sun”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
May 13, 2023
2.5
I am in a minority with this one I see. I gave it 2.5 stars because I finished it, it didn't give me a headache and the narrator was mostly okay, although the voice of Root (for me) was like nails down chalkboard at times. I'll address that first because I could not understand why all the other children/sunbeams spoke perfectly good English but Root spoke in an exceedingly babyish manner despite being the eldest (and no, there did not appear to be any physical or mental reason why).
So to the story which I found overlong, needlessly circuitous and quite irritating a lot of the time. The whole premise of the book that the leader, Sol, has found a way to right the "wrongs" of the past seemed very silly. None of the stories offered up by the people in the "cult" suggested to me that anything they had done had led to their subsequent heartbreak - nobody makes another person do anything unless they've a gun to their head.
The two main protagonists - James and Eve seem intent on going round and round the houses with their stories. If I'd been the editor it would have been a third shorter.
I see that a lot of people loved this book. I didn't. The premise was interesting but, for me, the execution fell short.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of the audio version.
I am in a minority with this one I see. I gave it 2.5 stars because I finished it, it didn't give me a headache and the narrator was mostly okay, although the voice of Root (for me) was like nails down chalkboard at times. I'll address that first because I could not understand why all the other children/sunbeams spoke perfectly good English but Root spoke in an exceedingly babyish manner despite being the eldest (and no, there did not appear to be any physical or mental reason why).
So to the story which I found overlong, needlessly circuitous and quite irritating a lot of the time. The whole premise of the book that the leader, Sol, has found a way to right the "wrongs" of the past seemed very silly. None of the stories offered up by the people in the "cult" suggested to me that anything they had done had led to their subsequent heartbreak - nobody makes another person do anything unless they've a gun to their head.
The two main protagonists - James and Eve seem intent on going round and round the houses with their stories. If I'd been the editor it would have been a third shorter.
I see that a lot of people loved this book. I didn't. The premise was interesting but, for me, the execution fell short.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of the audio version.
November 27, 2023
How far would you go for a second chance?
The year is 1982. The place is somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains. Reporter James Morrow secures an invitation to a secret community, founded by a charismatic man called Sol. More than 300 followers are awaiting the sun ellipse so they can step through the Golden Door, where they will be given a second chance and their past decisions never ended in tragedy.
James can relate. He lost his boyfriend a year ago. That's also partly why he is here. He is looking for a woman called Maria, who he holds responsible for his boyfriend's death. But this is one tight-knit community and nobody is talking. Or James is asking the wrong questions. There are so many that need answers too. Why are a few children treated like they're little gods, with their own special table, and their own special food? Why does the rest of the community not talk to them, or even look at them? Why are there iron strips that give off sparks of electricity embedded in the earth? What is behind the gates of Sol's private sanctuary?
Honestly, I saw the word "cult" and that was enough for me to decide I desperately wanted to read this new Beth Lewis book. Is this a cult though? Sol is first and foremost a scientist. He claims he has found a way to open a door between alternate realities. So while in this reality your child, for instance, has died because of something you did/said/didn't do/didn't say, they are very much still alive in the alternate reality where you opted for another decision. Your second chance at doing the right thing is just around the corner. Each and every one of Sol's member has a story to tell. One moment in time where they made the wrong decision that ended in tragedy and changed their lives forever. I'm sure many of us can relate. So if given the opportunity to step through the door and discover that alternate life ... what would you do?
The reader also meets Root. They are one of the special children and through their eyes you get a little bit of a feel for what goes on in the commune. I use they/them because Root's gender is indeterminable. Root is definitely special, a character to warm your heart from the second you meet them. Root is part of a group of children called the sunbeams and the sunbeams are the most important thing as they are the ones who will open that Golden Door. Just like James, you can never really shake off the feeling that Root and his pals just might be in danger, though.
Lastly, there is Eve. She is looking for the place where the commune used to be. She is desperate to find Sol, to vent her anger, maybe even to kill him. As interesting as her search for clues was, it did always leave me feeling a bit miffed at having to leave the camp, where James and Root were, behind. I was far more fascinated by what was happening there. Far more involved in the characters, and their fate.
The characterisation in this novel is just of a completely different level.Their pain and grief is almost palpable. There were moments where I could feel the tears stinging behind my eyes. The faith they have in Sol is hard to fathom, as it always is where cults are concerned. Why are they so blindly following a man who is so blatantly obviously going to get them killed?
Just when you think you've read all you can about cults, along comes Beth Lewis and turns the whole thing on its head.'Children of the Sun' is so incredibly cleverly plotted and while I had an inkling as to how some things were connected, it didn't matter at all. The setting is brilliant, the characters will just pull you into the story and not let go. Sometimes a chilling tale, but always utterly absorbing and I found it truly hard to put this novel down because I wanted to know what happened to these 300 something damaged souls.
'Children of the Sun' is most definitely another contender for my book of the year. It's a story about belief, and faith, and grief, and whatever the thing is that will guide us through the dark times to find the light again. I devoured it, I loved it, and I definitely recommend it.
The year is 1982. The place is somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains. Reporter James Morrow secures an invitation to a secret community, founded by a charismatic man called Sol. More than 300 followers are awaiting the sun ellipse so they can step through the Golden Door, where they will be given a second chance and their past decisions never ended in tragedy.
James can relate. He lost his boyfriend a year ago. That's also partly why he is here. He is looking for a woman called Maria, who he holds responsible for his boyfriend's death. But this is one tight-knit community and nobody is talking. Or James is asking the wrong questions. There are so many that need answers too. Why are a few children treated like they're little gods, with their own special table, and their own special food? Why does the rest of the community not talk to them, or even look at them? Why are there iron strips that give off sparks of electricity embedded in the earth? What is behind the gates of Sol's private sanctuary?
Honestly, I saw the word "cult" and that was enough for me to decide I desperately wanted to read this new Beth Lewis book. Is this a cult though? Sol is first and foremost a scientist. He claims he has found a way to open a door between alternate realities. So while in this reality your child, for instance, has died because of something you did/said/didn't do/didn't say, they are very much still alive in the alternate reality where you opted for another decision. Your second chance at doing the right thing is just around the corner. Each and every one of Sol's member has a story to tell. One moment in time where they made the wrong decision that ended in tragedy and changed their lives forever. I'm sure many of us can relate. So if given the opportunity to step through the door and discover that alternate life ... what would you do?
The reader also meets Root. They are one of the special children and through their eyes you get a little bit of a feel for what goes on in the commune. I use they/them because Root's gender is indeterminable. Root is definitely special, a character to warm your heart from the second you meet them. Root is part of a group of children called the sunbeams and the sunbeams are the most important thing as they are the ones who will open that Golden Door. Just like James, you can never really shake off the feeling that Root and his pals just might be in danger, though.
Lastly, there is Eve. She is looking for the place where the commune used to be. She is desperate to find Sol, to vent her anger, maybe even to kill him. As interesting as her search for clues was, it did always leave me feeling a bit miffed at having to leave the camp, where James and Root were, behind. I was far more fascinated by what was happening there. Far more involved in the characters, and their fate.
The characterisation in this novel is just of a completely different level.Their pain and grief is almost palpable. There were moments where I could feel the tears stinging behind my eyes. The faith they have in Sol is hard to fathom, as it always is where cults are concerned. Why are they so blindly following a man who is so blatantly obviously going to get them killed?
Just when you think you've read all you can about cults, along comes Beth Lewis and turns the whole thing on its head.'Children of the Sun' is so incredibly cleverly plotted and while I had an inkling as to how some things were connected, it didn't matter at all. The setting is brilliant, the characters will just pull you into the story and not let go. Sometimes a chilling tale, but always utterly absorbing and I found it truly hard to put this novel down because I wanted to know what happened to these 300 something damaged souls.
'Children of the Sun' is most definitely another contender for my book of the year. It's a story about belief, and faith, and grief, and whatever the thing is that will guide us through the dark times to find the light again. I devoured it, I loved it, and I definitely recommend it.
June 26, 2023
Take a trip back in time to 1982. New York City reporter, James Morrow is searching for answers about the death of his boyfriend and he believes the only place he will find them is within the compounds of ‘Atlas’ a cult located in the Adirondack Mountains, with a few hundred followers and led by a man called Sol.
The cult has allowed James within its compound to write a piece on them, on the condition he writes about them favourably and shows the world they are not bad people. He doesn’t let them know the real reason he is there.
The book has many angles and it’s hard to write a review without giving anything away so the above is all I will say about the plot as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.
The story is unusual and is told from four people’s POVs (mainly 3, one comes in near the end) and split into days of the week, plus, some chapters are a recount of something that happened in the past. The writing is superb and you will feel plenty of emotions throughout, plus it will certainly make you think about your life and those close to you.
The plot took me a few chapters to get into it and to be honest, I had to re-read the first three chapters just to make sure I fully understood what was happening. Once I was in though I was gripped. I don’t think I have ever read a book set mainly within a cult before so this was a breath of fresh air for me and an eye-opener.
The Children of the Sun is a novel you need to read slowly to take it all in and to understand what is happening as there is a lot that goes on that isn’t the ‘norm’ in this world. It is poignant and heart-breaking and it will make you wonder why people blindly follow one person as if they are a god.
Overall, a fabulous read that certainly felt original.
The cult has allowed James within its compound to write a piece on them, on the condition he writes about them favourably and shows the world they are not bad people. He doesn’t let them know the real reason he is there.
The book has many angles and it’s hard to write a review without giving anything away so the above is all I will say about the plot as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.
The story is unusual and is told from four people’s POVs (mainly 3, one comes in near the end) and split into days of the week, plus, some chapters are a recount of something that happened in the past. The writing is superb and you will feel plenty of emotions throughout, plus it will certainly make you think about your life and those close to you.
The plot took me a few chapters to get into it and to be honest, I had to re-read the first three chapters just to make sure I fully understood what was happening. Once I was in though I was gripped. I don’t think I have ever read a book set mainly within a cult before so this was a breath of fresh air for me and an eye-opener.
The Children of the Sun is a novel you need to read slowly to take it all in and to understand what is happening as there is a lot that goes on that isn’t the ‘norm’ in this world. It is poignant and heart-breaking and it will make you wonder why people blindly follow one person as if they are a god.
Overall, a fabulous read that certainly felt original.
May 25, 2023
On the one hand this is the story of a cult and the damaged people in it - but it also has a science fiction twist (or, rather, science fantasy, as we will discover). The cult's charismatic leader, Sol, claims that when there's a solar eclipse he will be able to take his followers through a golden door to an alternative universe where their life-shattering bad decisions were never made - and that this is based on science, not woo.
Beth Lewis structures the book in the mode that's popular with a certain type of novel of having each chapter from the point of view of one of a range of characters - in this case, three individuals. There's James, a newspaper reporter who was supposed to be spending just a week in the cult to write it up - but also has an ulterior motive. Then there's Eve, a former cult member who has left and now wants to find their secret location to take her revenge on its leader. And, finally, there's Root, a six-year-old child, one of a number of 'beams', young children brought up half-savage and fed only on a mysterious cake containing metal particles, who will apparently (and sinisterly) be involved in opening the golden door.
It's an impressive piece of writing. Apart from the various backstories, which can be a trifle tedious, both the life in the cult experienced by James and Root, and Eve's story - which is mostly that of an amateur detective, on the brink of running out of money, trying to find out who Sol really is and how to get to the cult's secret location before the eclipse - are highly engaging. There are some oddities in the stories. It's hard to believe James, who is terrified of everything, could ever have made it as a newspaper reporter, while Root has somehow picked up pretty well everything about English but how to conjugate verbs, making his voice feel strangely artificial. Eve's is the persona that is most believable.
However, though recommended to me as 'speculative fiction', which is usually code for 'science fiction that wants to be treated as literary', this is really science fantasy, the genre that combines scientific tropes with a fantasy set of rules, arguably including classics such as Roger Zelazny's Roadmarks, superheroes and the likes of Star Wars. Although there's a scientific starting point here in what seems like the many worlds hypothesis, it lacks the required degree of plausibility. Thanks to some sort of magic energy from the Sun, channeled with a combination of unlikely sounding technology and the beams (though later on it unexplainably works without the beams), we are asked to believe that Sol can somehow pinpoint an alternate universe where all the cult members' key bad decisions were never made, out of all the near-infinite alternates.
Perhaps least scientific is the idea that this magic power from the Sun can only be harnessed at the time of an eclipse - in fact Lewis even acknowledges this towards the end. Eclipses are emotionally powerful and convenient for the plot as they provide an immutable deadline - but they are scientifically trivial. All an eclipse could contribute is in blocking energy from the Sun, which runs counter to the whole idea. But even this isn't the most implausible aspect: that is Sol himself. He was apparently a child prodigy, winning the Fields Medal in his teens and becoming a leading theoretical physicist. The idea that an individual with the personality traits required to be a mathematical child prodigy could also be a charismatic leader of a cult seems extremely unlikely.
Nonetheless, I found Children of the Sun a compelling read - and it has a clever twist at the end. The cult aspect is powerfully described, and Eve's race to get to the site on time is nicely managed. Just don't expect speculative fiction in the sense of literary SF.
Beth Lewis structures the book in the mode that's popular with a certain type of novel of having each chapter from the point of view of one of a range of characters - in this case, three individuals. There's James, a newspaper reporter who was supposed to be spending just a week in the cult to write it up - but also has an ulterior motive. Then there's Eve, a former cult member who has left and now wants to find their secret location to take her revenge on its leader. And, finally, there's Root, a six-year-old child, one of a number of 'beams', young children brought up half-savage and fed only on a mysterious cake containing metal particles, who will apparently (and sinisterly) be involved in opening the golden door.
It's an impressive piece of writing. Apart from the various backstories, which can be a trifle tedious, both the life in the cult experienced by James and Root, and Eve's story - which is mostly that of an amateur detective, on the brink of running out of money, trying to find out who Sol really is and how to get to the cult's secret location before the eclipse - are highly engaging. There are some oddities in the stories. It's hard to believe James, who is terrified of everything, could ever have made it as a newspaper reporter, while Root has somehow picked up pretty well everything about English but how to conjugate verbs, making his voice feel strangely artificial. Eve's is the persona that is most believable.
However, though recommended to me as 'speculative fiction', which is usually code for 'science fiction that wants to be treated as literary', this is really science fantasy, the genre that combines scientific tropes with a fantasy set of rules, arguably including classics such as Roger Zelazny's Roadmarks, superheroes and the likes of Star Wars. Although there's a scientific starting point here in what seems like the many worlds hypothesis, it lacks the required degree of plausibility. Thanks to some sort of magic energy from the Sun, channeled with a combination of unlikely sounding technology and the beams (though later on it unexplainably works without the beams), we are asked to believe that Sol can somehow pinpoint an alternate universe where all the cult members' key bad decisions were never made, out of all the near-infinite alternates.
Perhaps least scientific is the idea that this magic power from the Sun can only be harnessed at the time of an eclipse - in fact Lewis even acknowledges this towards the end. Eclipses are emotionally powerful and convenient for the plot as they provide an immutable deadline - but they are scientifically trivial. All an eclipse could contribute is in blocking energy from the Sun, which runs counter to the whole idea. But even this isn't the most implausible aspect: that is Sol himself. He was apparently a child prodigy, winning the Fields Medal in his teens and becoming a leading theoretical physicist. The idea that an individual with the personality traits required to be a mathematical child prodigy could also be a charismatic leader of a cult seems extremely unlikely.
Nonetheless, I found Children of the Sun a compelling read - and it has a clever twist at the end. The cult aspect is powerfully described, and Eve's race to get to the site on time is nicely managed. Just don't expect speculative fiction in the sense of literary SF.
July 23, 2023
*Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this!*
Give me a book and tell me it’s about a journalist investigating a super weird cult and I will almost burst with excitement, that is until I start reading it and realise I have unwittingly subjected myself to one of the most boring reading experiences of my life. This book was unfortunately not for me.
The first couple of chapters of this were really good, and the premise and initial intrigue I had for the story were so strong. They’re actually so redeeming that I decided to bump this book up an extra star. I really think this is an author who can write really well and keep a reader interested with a juicy plot and complex character dynamics, but it just started to rapidly unravel before my eyes and everything that had been set up in the beginning failed to keep its momentum. I got about a hundred pages into this one before I realised how unbearable finishing it was going to be, I actually had to force myself to keep reading just for the sake of completion.
There are multiple perspectives in this book, and I only cared about one of them. Which means ⅔ of this book was me desperately trying to stay focused just so I could get to a person I actually cared about again. And to be honest with you, this book goes round and round in circles right up until the very end where all is revealed. It just felt really tedious to keep switching narrator but not really have any new information offered to you or anything of interest happen, for something so interesting the author has accidentally turned cults into one of the driest topics I’ve had to read about. It didn’t help that the characters themselves felt really two dimensional and had no personality. One of the perspectives is of a character called Root, who has been born into the cult and is one of the few children living there. For no reason at all, this character speaks in a very broken, baby-style dialect that is honestly so irritating to read. There is no reason for it given, and that character is supposed to be one of the oldest children in the cult. The rest of the children seem to have a much higher intellect and emotional depth and capability in terms of language, which is so bizarre. Root had potential to be such a great addition to the inside voices of the book, but was just cringe to read.
It was also very slow in pacing, which didn’t help my lack of interest. The plot randomly got very convoluted towards the end, and I think it was supposed to have some shocking plot-twist ending to give it a more psychological thriller feel but it really didn't land for me. It just made me roll my eyes. Had I been paying more attention, it would’ve been very predictable how it all played out but I honestly just didn’t care. A lot of it also didn’t really make much sense to me, and again if I had read it with more care for the details I could’ve written paragraphs on why. The set up of the cult and how this leader (who had the charisa and influence of a piece of paper) had even managed to get all of these people to an apparently super secret location only a few people in the world know of, was nonsensical too. And their backstories were not even traumatic enough to warrant their insanity and the fact that they’re completely out of touch with reality, in my opinion.
This was just a big let down. Redeemed only mildly by the fact that it was gay.
Give me a book and tell me it’s about a journalist investigating a super weird cult and I will almost burst with excitement, that is until I start reading it and realise I have unwittingly subjected myself to one of the most boring reading experiences of my life. This book was unfortunately not for me.
The first couple of chapters of this were really good, and the premise and initial intrigue I had for the story were so strong. They’re actually so redeeming that I decided to bump this book up an extra star. I really think this is an author who can write really well and keep a reader interested with a juicy plot and complex character dynamics, but it just started to rapidly unravel before my eyes and everything that had been set up in the beginning failed to keep its momentum. I got about a hundred pages into this one before I realised how unbearable finishing it was going to be, I actually had to force myself to keep reading just for the sake of completion.
There are multiple perspectives in this book, and I only cared about one of them. Which means ⅔ of this book was me desperately trying to stay focused just so I could get to a person I actually cared about again. And to be honest with you, this book goes round and round in circles right up until the very end where all is revealed. It just felt really tedious to keep switching narrator but not really have any new information offered to you or anything of interest happen, for something so interesting the author has accidentally turned cults into one of the driest topics I’ve had to read about. It didn’t help that the characters themselves felt really two dimensional and had no personality. One of the perspectives is of a character called Root, who has been born into the cult and is one of the few children living there. For no reason at all, this character speaks in a very broken, baby-style dialect that is honestly so irritating to read. There is no reason for it given, and that character is supposed to be one of the oldest children in the cult. The rest of the children seem to have a much higher intellect and emotional depth and capability in terms of language, which is so bizarre. Root had potential to be such a great addition to the inside voices of the book, but was just cringe to read.
It was also very slow in pacing, which didn’t help my lack of interest. The plot randomly got very convoluted towards the end, and I think it was supposed to have some shocking plot-twist ending to give it a more psychological thriller feel but it really didn't land for me. It just made me roll my eyes. Had I been paying more attention, it would’ve been very predictable how it all played out but I honestly just didn’t care. A lot of it also didn’t really make much sense to me, and again if I had read it with more care for the details I could’ve written paragraphs on why. The set up of the cult and how this leader (who had the charisa and influence of a piece of paper) had even managed to get all of these people to an apparently super secret location only a few people in the world know of, was nonsensical too. And their backstories were not even traumatic enough to warrant their insanity and the fact that they’re completely out of touch with reality, in my opinion.
This was just a big let down. Redeemed only mildly by the fact that it was gay.
November 26, 2023
Magnificent. A whole new and unexpected twist on the traditional cult story, and characters to more than Root for (😉). Read it now, thank me later.
April 23, 2023
This copy was recieved from NetGalley in exchange for an advance review.
Fast paced, this multi-character thriller takes a deep dive into the mind of a cult in 1980s rural America and looks at the key players involved. Beth Lewis is a skilled writer, capable of weaving the timelines; character journeys and finds a way to get inside the heads of the characters in the cult and why they made that decision well, through the eyes of a reporter following their journey as the book reaches its endgame.
Everything ramps up in a way that questions the reader's perspective on what's the truth and what isn't, the unreliable narrators are chosen carefully by Lewis who has you on tenderhooks - the big theme is wonderfully executed as a result of this and the characters like Root who we meet all have their own perspective and narrative: Root's narration opens with "I running", warped and different from those around them, and we don't truly know why until later in the book.
Children of the Sun feels very easy to read, well polished and crafted with the skill of a veteran thriller writer. I'll be reading more by Lewis as and when she releases them.
Fast paced, this multi-character thriller takes a deep dive into the mind of a cult in 1980s rural America and looks at the key players involved. Beth Lewis is a skilled writer, capable of weaving the timelines; character journeys and finds a way to get inside the heads of the characters in the cult and why they made that decision well, through the eyes of a reporter following their journey as the book reaches its endgame.
Everything ramps up in a way that questions the reader's perspective on what's the truth and what isn't, the unreliable narrators are chosen carefully by Lewis who has you on tenderhooks - the big theme is wonderfully executed as a result of this and the characters like Root who we meet all have their own perspective and narrative: Root's narration opens with "I running", warped and different from those around them, and we don't truly know why until later in the book.
Children of the Sun feels very easy to read, well polished and crafted with the skill of a veteran thriller writer. I'll be reading more by Lewis as and when she releases them.
March 16, 2023
Told through the eyes of multiple characters, Children in the Sun tells of a cult who live secretly in the Adirondack Mountains, led by Sol (the typical cult leader) they are preparing for the Opening of the Door which they believe will take them elsewhere. A reporter is invited to write about them but also has an ulterior motive for being there. This is not quite the novel I was expecting.......I do wonder if an alternate ending would've made it more impactful.
May 3, 2024
I have read a few British books now that are based in America and I still LOL at the things they get wrong that immediately expose them as being British. That being said this book was just on the cusp of being 4 stars but I think because I was lost for a good chunk of the middle part, the ending didn’t justify it for me.
March 25, 2025
All the stars I loved every minute!
April 12, 2025
I've had varying responses to some of this author's previous works. I enjoyed The Wolf Road, but found Bitter Sun so unpleasant that I didn't finish it (though did later do so much skimming of the end just to see how it ended that I probably might as well have done so). This one falls right in the middle. It's much better than Bitter Sun, but I couldn't say I enjoyed the reading experience.
The idea at the center of the book is interesting, but I found the story too drawn out. Maybe part of the issue is that there are three narrators; switching point of view can be an effective literary device, but it has to be used with care, because all too often it seems to bog things down. Just when you get into one thread of the story, perspective shifts, and you lose momentum (or at least I do)—and many times there's one perspective that's more interesting to read, and you find yourself resenting the shift back to the "boring" narrator.
Another problem (for me) was the back-and-forth and round-and-round of the narrators' internal monologues as they try to figure things out. Do they think the other character is bad or good—insane or a genius? Some of that may be just part of maintaining the mystery until the end, but at a certain point I stop caring and just want it to end. Characters who talk or think in endless circles are so frustrating to read! Ultimately, it could have been improved by a more ruthless editor.
Little Nit-Picks (with SPOILERS):
The idea at the center of the book is interesting, but I found the story too drawn out. Maybe part of the issue is that there are three narrators; switching point of view can be an effective literary device, but it has to be used with care, because all too often it seems to bog things down. Just when you get into one thread of the story, perspective shifts, and you lose momentum (or at least I do)—and many times there's one perspective that's more interesting to read, and you find yourself resenting the shift back to the "boring" narrator.
Another problem (for me) was the back-and-forth and round-and-round of the narrators' internal monologues as they try to figure things out. Do they think the other character is bad or good—insane or a genius? Some of that may be just part of maintaining the mystery until the end, but at a certain point I stop caring and just want it to end. Characters who talk or think in endless circles are so frustrating to read! Ultimately, it could have been improved by a more ruthless editor.
Little Nit-Picks (with SPOILERS):
August 8, 2023
The synopsis had me at “cult”.
I was in now to brave the 15 hour audiobook narrated from multiple POVs. I enjoyed the hippie commune meets SCIFI timehopper plotline because it was a quirky take on the more obvious religious cult of the 80s stories we’ve all heard.
Backstories were king in this novel and I really did enjoy the character arc of one of the main protagonists -James. A seemingly obvious small town reporter sent to observe the groups activities and report back on his findings but like any good side plot - James has alternate motives for being in Atlas.
The story picks up it’s pace about two thirds of the way through and I found myself thinking is it going to happen isn’t it going to happen most of the time and the plot twist at the end and tying up of loose ends is very satisfactory for the ending. The last hour and a half of this book piques my interest for me to give it an extra star rating.
I was expecting far more thrills and psychological creeps from a “cult” story but it’s moral dilemmas and moral and though provoking ending more than made up for it.
The audible narration was very good with dual narrators making up for a vast array of characters - I did find Roots character as portrayed as a child ridiculously annoying but I think it was to show how uneducated the children of the cult were- that being said I have given the book 4 out of 5 ⭐️ So it can’t have been that bothersome. Listen for a SCIFI take on a cult classic set in the 80s and stay for the moral dilemmas.
This review was made possible by Houghton & Stodder publishers & NetGalley #ChildrenoftheSun #NetGalley -opinions are always my own
I was in now to brave the 15 hour audiobook narrated from multiple POVs. I enjoyed the hippie commune meets SCIFI timehopper plotline because it was a quirky take on the more obvious religious cult of the 80s stories we’ve all heard.
Backstories were king in this novel and I really did enjoy the character arc of one of the main protagonists -James. A seemingly obvious small town reporter sent to observe the groups activities and report back on his findings but like any good side plot - James has alternate motives for being in Atlas.
The story picks up it’s pace about two thirds of the way through and I found myself thinking is it going to happen isn’t it going to happen most of the time and the plot twist at the end and tying up of loose ends is very satisfactory for the ending. The last hour and a half of this book piques my interest for me to give it an extra star rating.
I was expecting far more thrills and psychological creeps from a “cult” story but it’s moral dilemmas and moral and though provoking ending more than made up for it.
The audible narration was very good with dual narrators making up for a vast array of characters - I did find Roots character as portrayed as a child ridiculously annoying but I think it was to show how uneducated the children of the cult were- that being said I have given the book 4 out of 5 ⭐️ So it can’t have been that bothersome. Listen for a SCIFI take on a cult classic set in the 80s and stay for the moral dilemmas.
This review was made possible by Houghton & Stodder publishers & NetGalley #ChildrenoftheSun #NetGalley -opinions are always my own
April 8, 2023
{AD|GIFTED} I think this will be one of those books that stays with the reader long after they turn the final page. It's haunting, thought-provoking and poignant. The reader goes into this expecting another cult suspense thriller like so many books before but soon begins to question everything they think they know.
As always the prose is beautiful and the different POVs have unique voices, especially Root. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. Best to read this without knowing much about it to get the full effect. Utterly mesmerising and highly recommended.
As always the prose is beautiful and the different POVs have unique voices, especially Root. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. Best to read this without knowing much about it to get the full effect. Utterly mesmerising and highly recommended.
April 30, 2023
It was with great anticipation that I approached Beth Lewis's latest character driven offering, it is utterly gripping, beautifully written, superbly plotted, dark and deeply unsettling, it speaks of having to confront the most challenging of circumstances a person can find themselves in, the bottomless pit of loss, grief, desperation, belief, and of love. It plunges the reader into a subject that gives me the chills and which I find creepy, the nature of cults, I simply cannot imagine myself in any circumstances where I would even entertain the idea of joining a cult, so I am fascinated by those that do. In this non-linear narrative, that shifts from past and present, where nothing is as it appears, it is the 198Os in upstate New York.
Atlas is a organised and hidden community of a few hundred people living below the radar in the woods of the Adirondack Mountains. Under the leadership of Sol, this group of those that are broken are looking for answers, escaping into another type of life, they are planning and looking forward to what they are worked towards, the opening of the Golden Door, their final ceremony. We follow the different threads and characters that go on to interconnect, sceptical James Morrow, a traumatised reporter with his own backstory, wants to establish his reputation by investigating the cult. He obtains access to the cult that claims that people can leave if they want, on the premise he will be writing, informing and publicising the group to the outside world. With unreliable narrators, there are children seen as gods, raising the question what is their role, and we have Eve who has Sol in her sights, what lies behind his public persona? How will it all end?
Lewis writes a captivating novel that kept my attention from beginning to end, packed with suspense and tension, and some surprising twists along the way. As James gets closer to the cult, he begins to understand and relate to the members, with their own specific perspectives, whose lives had hit rock bottom. This is a intelligent, thought provoking, moving and shocking read, of the madness of cults, with skilfully drawn characters, it gives some answers as to what kind of people might find themselves drawn to cults. It is so good that I cannot recommend it highly enough! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Atlas is a organised and hidden community of a few hundred people living below the radar in the woods of the Adirondack Mountains. Under the leadership of Sol, this group of those that are broken are looking for answers, escaping into another type of life, they are planning and looking forward to what they are worked towards, the opening of the Golden Door, their final ceremony. We follow the different threads and characters that go on to interconnect, sceptical James Morrow, a traumatised reporter with his own backstory, wants to establish his reputation by investigating the cult. He obtains access to the cult that claims that people can leave if they want, on the premise he will be writing, informing and publicising the group to the outside world. With unreliable narrators, there are children seen as gods, raising the question what is their role, and we have Eve who has Sol in her sights, what lies behind his public persona? How will it all end?
Lewis writes a captivating novel that kept my attention from beginning to end, packed with suspense and tension, and some surprising twists along the way. As James gets closer to the cult, he begins to understand and relate to the members, with their own specific perspectives, whose lives had hit rock bottom. This is a intelligent, thought provoking, moving and shocking read, of the madness of cults, with skilfully drawn characters, it gives some answers as to what kind of people might find themselves drawn to cults. It is so good that I cannot recommend it highly enough! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
January 8, 2023
I loved this book, though it took me a while to read it. I began, appropriately enough, on a sunny beach in Tenerife - and finished it last night in cloudy London. As with the author's previous book, The Origins of Iris (shortlisted for The Polari Prize 2022), there's a lot to take in – different perspectives and timelines, several back stories and a Big Theme which challenges the reader to constantly question what they assume to be the truth.
Given that this is a novel about a cult, the question of belief is all important. But really it's a book about human frailty, the nature of belief and the stories we tell ourselves in order to cope with life's many challenges.
The first character we meet, James, is running away from a traumatic event, consumed with grief and trying to make sense of this strange world he's been sent to investigate in his role as a reporter.
The next character, Root, is also running - their first chapter begins with the words "I running". But from what? And why do they speak in such a strange way?
Then there's Eve, who's also on a mission, though all we know is that it involves a man called Sol, who's the leader of the cult at the heart of the story.
Lewis draws us into these various interlinking narratives with great skill, until we start to question everything we've been told. The final chapters took my breath away. Like her last book, it left me feeling deeply moved and somehow altered. And like Iris, it features a leading character who just happens to be gay. Definitely one I'll be reading again.
Given that this is a novel about a cult, the question of belief is all important. But really it's a book about human frailty, the nature of belief and the stories we tell ourselves in order to cope with life's many challenges.
The first character we meet, James, is running away from a traumatic event, consumed with grief and trying to make sense of this strange world he's been sent to investigate in his role as a reporter.
The next character, Root, is also running - their first chapter begins with the words "I running". But from what? And why do they speak in such a strange way?
Then there's Eve, who's also on a mission, though all we know is that it involves a man called Sol, who's the leader of the cult at the heart of the story.
Lewis draws us into these various interlinking narratives with great skill, until we start to question everything we've been told. The final chapters took my breath away. Like her last book, it left me feeling deeply moved and somehow altered. And like Iris, it features a leading character who just happens to be gay. Definitely one I'll be reading again.
May 15, 2023
I love stories centered around cults so I was really looking forward to reading this.
The premise of this story is that on the night of the eclipse the people belonging to 'Atlas' led by Sol will walk through a golden door (into an alternate reality) and be able to reunite with the people they have lost in their life.
The story is narrated by three people. Firstly we meet James who is a reporter and is allowed to spend a week amongst the Atlas people, leading up to the Eclipse to write a story for his paper. Whilst there he becomes heavily influenced by the group however.
Next we meet Root who one of the special 'sunbeam' children born in to the group and vital to their success. He has a special diet and the other adults in the group are not allowed to interact with him.
Lastly we meet Eve who is intent on finding the group and seeking retribution from the leader, Sol for ruining her life.
I found this book an immersive and intriguing read. It really kept me guessing! The cult world was fascinating and trying to understand the people that lived within its walls kept me turning the pages. I really couldn't predict how this book would end! Was there going to be a mass suicide of cult members or could there be Science behind the theory? Was James going to join the group or expose them? What was going to happen to Root and the other sunbeams? Each narrator was quite unreliable so it was hard to know who/what to believe!!
There was a great twist at the end too!
Overall an entertaining an original thriller that I enjoyed!
The premise of this story is that on the night of the eclipse the people belonging to 'Atlas' led by Sol will walk through a golden door (into an alternate reality) and be able to reunite with the people they have lost in their life.
The story is narrated by three people. Firstly we meet James who is a reporter and is allowed to spend a week amongst the Atlas people, leading up to the Eclipse to write a story for his paper. Whilst there he becomes heavily influenced by the group however.
Next we meet Root who one of the special 'sunbeam' children born in to the group and vital to their success. He has a special diet and the other adults in the group are not allowed to interact with him.
Lastly we meet Eve who is intent on finding the group and seeking retribution from the leader, Sol for ruining her life.
I found this book an immersive and intriguing read. It really kept me guessing! The cult world was fascinating and trying to understand the people that lived within its walls kept me turning the pages. I really couldn't predict how this book would end! Was there going to be a mass suicide of cult members or could there be Science behind the theory? Was James going to join the group or expose them? What was going to happen to Root and the other sunbeams? Each narrator was quite unreliable so it was hard to know who/what to believe!!
There was a great twist at the end too!
Overall an entertaining an original thriller that I enjoyed!
April 23, 2023
Why are people sucked into cults?
James Morrow is a reporter at the Post. He’d heard about a group who live off-grid and are waiting for the eclipse to occur so that they can return to the people who they’ve lost – through devastating accidents. It had taken a lot of challenging work for James to be invited by the leader of the group – Sol – to visit.
He stumbles into a cult of severely damaged adults who have experienced terrible losses of wives, children, husbands, and lovers. James can relate to the cases as his lover, Tony, was killed in a motor car accident.
Having been told that it was not a cult and that people are free to leave – James finds a different story once he arrives to interview the leader and his followers. What he finds shocking is the group of children living there called names like Root and Leaf. As it gets closer to the eclipse, he realises that the children have been “bred” to play a significant role so that the cult members can “move into another realm.”
Maybe because I’m a loner and very independent, I can’t understand how three hundred people could be sucked into this group. How they can start to feel they’re in a god-like presence and that, thanks to this “god,” they will get to see their departed loved ones once again.
Beth Lewis writes well and with characters well drawn. I didn’t enjoy the storyline.
Rony
Elite Group received a copy of the book to review.
James Morrow is a reporter at the Post. He’d heard about a group who live off-grid and are waiting for the eclipse to occur so that they can return to the people who they’ve lost – through devastating accidents. It had taken a lot of challenging work for James to be invited by the leader of the group – Sol – to visit.
He stumbles into a cult of severely damaged adults who have experienced terrible losses of wives, children, husbands, and lovers. James can relate to the cases as his lover, Tony, was killed in a motor car accident.
Having been told that it was not a cult and that people are free to leave – James finds a different story once he arrives to interview the leader and his followers. What he finds shocking is the group of children living there called names like Root and Leaf. As it gets closer to the eclipse, he realises that the children have been “bred” to play a significant role so that the cult members can “move into another realm.”
Maybe because I’m a loner and very independent, I can’t understand how three hundred people could be sucked into this group. How they can start to feel they’re in a god-like presence and that, thanks to this “god,” they will get to see their departed loved ones once again.
Beth Lewis writes well and with characters well drawn. I didn’t enjoy the storyline.
Rony
Elite Group received a copy of the book to review.
May 25, 2023
Children of the Sun by Beth Lewis is a haunting and captivating novel that defies genre in a way that is both fresh and unpredictable. Set in 1982, the book tells the story of a secret community deep in the Adirondack Mountains, where over three hundred people live off-grid in a refuge for broken souls who long for a different life. The group, led by the mysterious Sol, readies themselves for their ultimate ritual: the unlocking of the Golden Door, which they are convinced will transport them to a new existence in a different realm.
The book is a page-turner that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The characters are vividly painted and laced with Americana, making them both relatable and mysterious. Beth Lewis has a talent for transforming her characters’ noble aspirations into a perilous power that endangers their very existence. The novel is pacy, with the kind of depth and resonance that makes it linger in the reader’s mind long after the final page has been turned.
Overall, Children of the Sun is a dazzling, chilling, moving, and original novel that is sure to captivate readers who are looking for a fresh and unpredictable story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a Stranger Things fan and loves a good thriller or mystery!
Read my review here https://rachelbustin.com/books/childr...
The book is a page-turner that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The characters are vividly painted and laced with Americana, making them both relatable and mysterious. Beth Lewis has a talent for transforming her characters’ noble aspirations into a perilous power that endangers their very existence. The novel is pacy, with the kind of depth and resonance that makes it linger in the reader’s mind long after the final page has been turned.
Overall, Children of the Sun is a dazzling, chilling, moving, and original novel that is sure to captivate readers who are looking for a fresh and unpredictable story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a Stranger Things fan and loves a good thriller or mystery!
Read my review here https://rachelbustin.com/books/childr...
August 17, 2023
✨Book Review Time✨
This is a very different type of book for me to review, and I’m so excited to share my thoughts! I was provided a copy to review, but my thoughts are all genuine☺️
So I was immediately drawn towards this book from the idea of a 1980s cult! I studied psychology at university and was really interested in the cult dynamic 👀 and boy was, I not disappointed. There were very creepy vibes and such an atmospheric feeling throughout the book! The author was very clever in telling the story from different perspectives: a reporter, a past member and a child in the cult - each perspective was so different with the hope of the child, the trauma of the past member and then confusion of the reporter!
There are seemingly supernatural occurrences happening and the book works up to a big event that is coming - The opening of the door. By leaving out information, and failing to fully tell the reader, what the opening is, the author left me on the edge of my seat! I raced through the pages to find out what was going to happen!
This is a real page turner, and I think it would be great for the upcoming spooky season 👻 it would be great for fans of books such as The Outside by Stephen King! I will definitely be looking out for more by @bethlewis.author 🖤
This is a very different type of book for me to review, and I’m so excited to share my thoughts! I was provided a copy to review, but my thoughts are all genuine☺️
So I was immediately drawn towards this book from the idea of a 1980s cult! I studied psychology at university and was really interested in the cult dynamic 👀 and boy was, I not disappointed. There were very creepy vibes and such an atmospheric feeling throughout the book! The author was very clever in telling the story from different perspectives: a reporter, a past member and a child in the cult - each perspective was so different with the hope of the child, the trauma of the past member and then confusion of the reporter!
There are seemingly supernatural occurrences happening and the book works up to a big event that is coming - The opening of the door. By leaving out information, and failing to fully tell the reader, what the opening is, the author left me on the edge of my seat! I raced through the pages to find out what was going to happen!
This is a real page turner, and I think it would be great for the upcoming spooky season 👻 it would be great for fans of books such as The Outside by Stephen King! I will definitely be looking out for more by @bethlewis.author 🖤
April 21, 2023
The narrative of this story about a cult is told between three characters:
James is a reporter invited to witness the great opening of the Golden Door that will allow Sol and his followers to enter an alternative reality to where their lost loved ones are still alive. He also has another reason for being there and a past that could see him possibly joining them.
Eve, is a woman looking for the site of their camp, Atlas. She has history with the cult and wants revenge on Sol.
Root is a young sunbeam who will open the Door along with other specially adapted children who have been brought up isolated from the rest of the group and are fed on a different diet...
As the day of the eclipse nears and the preparations for the opening of the Golden Door approaches the narratives coalesce to a gripping tense climax as you are never quite sure what will happen. James' investigations has him convinced that this is a mass suicide cult, whereas Eve's trail shows that the scientific theory may be true.
There is a clever unexpected reveal towards the end that nicely ties everything up to a satisfying conclusion.
James is a reporter invited to witness the great opening of the Golden Door that will allow Sol and his followers to enter an alternative reality to where their lost loved ones are still alive. He also has another reason for being there and a past that could see him possibly joining them.
Eve, is a woman looking for the site of their camp, Atlas. She has history with the cult and wants revenge on Sol.
Root is a young sunbeam who will open the Door along with other specially adapted children who have been brought up isolated from the rest of the group and are fed on a different diet...
As the day of the eclipse nears and the preparations for the opening of the Golden Door approaches the narratives coalesce to a gripping tense climax as you are never quite sure what will happen. James' investigations has him convinced that this is a mass suicide cult, whereas Eve's trail shows that the scientific theory may be true.
There is a clever unexpected reveal towards the end that nicely ties everything up to a satisfying conclusion.
January 30, 2023
I loved this - I love all things cult/investigative journalism/emotional journeys so from the get go this was always going to be a winner.
Beth Lewis’ writing is so incredibly easy to read, and the way her story telling works with multiple perspectives, timelines, and themes is almost faultless. This was the first book I’d picked up from Lewis, and have now rapidly added anything I could find to my TBR.
As far as the plot is concerned, I was left guessing for almost the entire book - every time I thought I had figured something out, another aspect to consider was added to the mix. This helped create a suspenseful read that compelled you to keep going.
I’d definitely recommend reading this to anyone who found the description even vaguely interesting - I, for one, cannot wait until this is released in May. The physical copy of this will be given a home on my bookshelf as soon as possible.
I initially read this as an arc through NetGalley, and my opinions and views are my own.
Beth Lewis’ writing is so incredibly easy to read, and the way her story telling works with multiple perspectives, timelines, and themes is almost faultless. This was the first book I’d picked up from Lewis, and have now rapidly added anything I could find to my TBR.
As far as the plot is concerned, I was left guessing for almost the entire book - every time I thought I had figured something out, another aspect to consider was added to the mix. This helped create a suspenseful read that compelled you to keep going.
I’d definitely recommend reading this to anyone who found the description even vaguely interesting - I, for one, cannot wait until this is released in May. The physical copy of this will be given a home on my bookshelf as soon as possible.
I initially read this as an arc through NetGalley, and my opinions and views are my own.
May 9, 2023
This took me a long time to get through, I swayed between enjoying it and being a sceptic. Thankfully it seems I’d fallen into a bit of a slump and I’m so glad I stayed with it. I LOVED IT.
Can you see the appeal of joining a cult? Can you imagine the appeal as an investigative journalist to explore a cult and get to the root, or indeed get to know the root? The cult leader a narcissistic professor, and a woman returning to the very cult she escaped as a child? You see why I was sceptical? Yet I was soon hooked, but more than that I wanted the cult leader to be right, I wanted all of the characters to get the second chance at life they so desperately wanted, to overcome the horrific grief and guilt.
The story was beautifully written, the characters captivating and the narration brilliant. There was a massively satisfying twist towards the end that really struck me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.
Can you see the appeal of joining a cult? Can you imagine the appeal as an investigative journalist to explore a cult and get to the root, or indeed get to know the root? The cult leader a narcissistic professor, and a woman returning to the very cult she escaped as a child? You see why I was sceptical? Yet I was soon hooked, but more than that I wanted the cult leader to be right, I wanted all of the characters to get the second chance at life they so desperately wanted, to overcome the horrific grief and guilt.
The story was beautifully written, the characters captivating and the narration brilliant. There was a massively satisfying twist towards the end that really struck me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.
January 9, 2023
Incredibly fortunate to read this prior to publication thanks to NetGalley, I literally couldn't wait until May to read this stunning book so here's my thoughts early.
I'm must also confess to being a massive Beth Lewis fan, as I simply love her earlier work. So it's little surprise that I love Children of the Sun, but I was surprised by just how I do love this book.
The story is told from different perspectives, which draws you into the core of the book. The intriguing, varied characters continue to forge your interest, as the plot evolves and moves in front of you, almost daring you to guess the motives, dangers and outcome. I absolutely failed to guess any of these, which I loved and the ending is a superb culmination of a wonderful novel. The closing fifth of the book is a complete joy, with the final paragraph bring the story closer to the heart. A work of beauty from such a skilled author.
I'm must also confess to being a massive Beth Lewis fan, as I simply love her earlier work. So it's little surprise that I love Children of the Sun, but I was surprised by just how I do love this book.
The story is told from different perspectives, which draws you into the core of the book. The intriguing, varied characters continue to forge your interest, as the plot evolves and moves in front of you, almost daring you to guess the motives, dangers and outcome. I absolutely failed to guess any of these, which I loved and the ending is a superb culmination of a wonderful novel. The closing fifth of the book is a complete joy, with the final paragraph bring the story closer to the heart. A work of beauty from such a skilled author.
January 30, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first Beth Lewis book and I will definitely be looking into her other releases as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Children of the Sun was a truly suspenseful book with multiple POVs which added so many more dimensions to the story. The cult itself had me intrigued from the get go - Who is the mysterious Sol, what is the Golden Door, why does Root speak the way they do? I had so many questions throughout!
I can usually predict an ending, even when there are many twists and many stories like there are in Children of the Sun, but somehow I couldn't predict this ending at all. Actually, this review has felt hard to do without giving too much away!
This was my first Beth Lewis book and I will definitely be looking into her other releases as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Children of the Sun was a truly suspenseful book with multiple POVs which added so many more dimensions to the story. The cult itself had me intrigued from the get go - Who is the mysterious Sol, what is the Golden Door, why does Root speak the way they do? I had so many questions throughout!
I can usually predict an ending, even when there are many twists and many stories like there are in Children of the Sun, but somehow I couldn't predict this ending at all. Actually, this review has felt hard to do without giving too much away!
May 18, 2023
Everyone needs to read this novel!
I don't think my words can do it justice.
Told from three points of view, this gave a great insight to Atlas, its workings and just how it made people feel. One of those points of view meant so much more by the time I'd reached the end - wait for it!
My heart was with Root the whole time.
This isn't your typical story about a cult, this is somehow so much more.
The details, the character progression. It all felt so real, so raw and in a way highly plausible. My fear for those sunbeams was oh so real.
Ending, it was not what I'd expected but it felt powerful and poignant.
Children of the Sun is a story that I'd happily re-read, it really is that good.
I don't think my words can do it justice.
Told from three points of view, this gave a great insight to Atlas, its workings and just how it made people feel. One of those points of view meant so much more by the time I'd reached the end - wait for it!
My heart was with Root the whole time.
This isn't your typical story about a cult, this is somehow so much more.
The details, the character progression. It all felt so real, so raw and in a way highly plausible. My fear for those sunbeams was oh so real.
Ending, it was not what I'd expected but it felt powerful and poignant.
Children of the Sun is a story that I'd happily re-read, it really is that good.
May 18, 2023
Is it possible that parallel universes exist? Would crossing to another parallel of your life give you a second chance? The opportunity to right your wrongs? Be reunited with loved ones you have lost?
James is a reporter in 1980s America and manages to gain access to a cult with a leader who claims that this is entirely possible, but at what cost?
I quite liked the story, but it was far too lengthy and repetitive and towards the end I just wanted to get it finished. The ending was excellent, but because it took so long to get there, it did take the edge off what should have been more of a wow-factor.
3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.
December 25, 2022
4+ stars
Beth Lewis never fails to grab my attention and hold it for every single bit of every single page of her books.
This one was no different, except maybe my expectations were higher, a Beth Lewis book about a cult!!!
It gives voice to some interesting characters, non more so that the unique Root.
It build tension as you ponder the cults beliefs and plans moving forwards.
It gave me a few emotional moments as we neared the end.
It is as always beautifully written, and worth your time, and money.
Beth Lewis never fails to grab my attention and hold it for every single bit of every single page of her books.
This one was no different, except maybe my expectations were higher, a Beth Lewis book about a cult!!!
It gives voice to some interesting characters, non more so that the unique Root.
It build tension as you ponder the cults beliefs and plans moving forwards.
It gave me a few emotional moments as we neared the end.
It is as always beautifully written, and worth your time, and money.
January 29, 2023
I loved this.
Just when you think you've read every take on every story along comes Beth Lewis with her beautiful use of language and intensely gorgeous characters, telling a tale in unique and utterly compelling fashion.
There's a reason this author has been in my no 1 spot in every year she's released a novel. Unless someone somewhere writes the best book ever written in short order, I don't anticipate this year being any different.
Superb and best read cold.
Just when you think you've read every take on every story along comes Beth Lewis with her beautiful use of language and intensely gorgeous characters, telling a tale in unique and utterly compelling fashion.
There's a reason this author has been in my no 1 spot in every year she's released a novel. Unless someone somewhere writes the best book ever written in short order, I don't anticipate this year being any different.
Superb and best read cold.
February 11, 2023
Those of us who the 1980s have an inbuilt distrust of seemingly utopian cult. So it's no surprise that when James Morrow leaves New York to investigate an off-grid group in the Adirondack Mountains, this take a sinister turn.
A well written and engaging read Children of the Sun keeps you guessing.
A well written and engaging read Children of the Sun keeps you guessing.
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