I really love books about cults and so I knew this was going to be a winner, I really enjoyed this book, I ended up reading a physical copy and I could not put it down!

This is a kind of sci-fi novel covering the topic of loss and hope. Can there be more than one reality? Can there be an alternative world where your story can be different, where your losses and mistakes can be redone and where you could be freed from your guilt, pain and shame? At least charismatic Sol claims that this is possible. But is he only a cult leader planning a mass suicide of his followers, or is there more to his claims?

Love, its loss, guilt, shame. The novel deals with these emotions strongly. I confess that the emotional aspect was a bit too much for me, I was sold on the premise of a mysterious cult, so I was hoping for a thriller. But this novel both a human drama based on a chance of impossible hope and even the romance novel, as the star-crossed gay love story of journalist James and his lover Tony is a thread going throughout the whole book.

I´d say the emotional parts are interesting, but there is a bit too much of the heavy stuff and too little of the sci-fi and mysterious parts. The romance aspects prevail towards the end, the story goes straightly into the field of make-believe, but the logical explanations are missing and the sci-fi parts are but forgotten, which is a pity if you ask me.

The narration is fine and it is enhancing the story.

This is an one of a kind book with an original and thought provoking plot. I had high hopes for this book and it didn't disappoint me. The author has written an unique suspense thriller with a cult community at its core. The multitude of narratives seamlessly interlinks with each other while the voices of some characters like Root stand out and haunt us. Beth Lewis perfectly blends science fiction elements with suspense in the plot, thus delivering an intriguing novel. It was a captivating novel that makes the reader question a lot about life. Overall, it was a compelling novel that made me binge read the book. I would definitely recommend Children of the Sun to one and all.

Children of the Sun is told through the eyes of three characters - James, Root, and Eve. James and Root's POVs are narrated by David Wayman who does a great job, especially with Root's character whose chapters are all choppy sentences, spoken in the third person, and full of language that's is specific to being a child raised as a special member of a cult. Kate Handford's portrayal of Eve is also great - her character really comes through as the story moves along.

While this is a cult book...it is also not quite - it never goes as hard as you might expect a cult book to go - which I think adds to the idea that something isn't quite as it seems with the "cult" - Sol believes he is a scientist after all.

Children of the Sun is not primarily a book about a cult - but one about grief and the haunting of your biggest regret - and how we can move on from these (or how we never move on).

Can't wait to read more of Beth Lewis' books!

I really enjoyed this unique story. At times it was too outside the confines of everyday life for me to be able to imagine, but the clever storyline meant it was strong enough to go beyond that. It was told from 3 points of view, a reporter coming into the cult-type situation, one of the children who is a 'sun beam" and suffers elements of neglect as a result. The last is a previous resident trying to make their way back. It's one of those stories where you don't want too miss a trick as it goes on and the narrators do a good job of bringing it to life. Clever, powerful storyline and I'd definitely read more from this author.

Best listen of the week. Fantastic. Really appreciated the plot and how in-depth the author went with character development and descriptive writing. Can’t wait for more from them. 5 stars

In a Nutshell: A test of your patience, this title based on a fictitious sun-worshipping cult 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:
1982. Atlas is the home for a secret community hidden in the Adirondack mountains. Founded 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 reported 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 finds 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, the rest of the cultish details were just a little beyond ordinary.
❌ 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.

A wonderfully written book and the premise of a parallel universe had me hooked from the description alone. Why and how people become involved in cults is a deep dark topic but the author makes it gripping. A real roller coaster of a journey.

The Idea of a story based on a cult premed my interest! I was hooked and wanted to see how it all come together! I’m still not really sure how I felt about it at the end but I did enjoy the ride and the narration was well done.

Loved, loved, loved. This book was very compelling. With the addictive quality of a true crime podcast but much smarter and with lots of heart. Brilliantly written and brilliantly read.

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.

Thank you NetGalley and for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so addictive and had me on the edge of my seat. For cult-fiction lovers: this one's for you! Planning to write an article about the Atlas cult, James immerses himself into the ways of these people who are preparing for the ‘open of the gates’ - which causes him to question everything in his past. What does he want his future to be? What pain lies in his past? Does he want a second chance?

There was so much emotional depth to this, with the narrator playing the many points of view perfectly. The characters were so 3-dimensional, it was as if they were actually speaking to you the whole time. This was a great read and I highly recommend it.

2.5 stars

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.

What would you give to have a second chance?

James is a reporter who plans to write an exposé of an isolated cult he becomes aware of after losing a loved one.

During his time there he begins to fall under their spell, until he realises the barbaric truth and has to decide whether it is worth it.

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.

Such an interesting take on cults and parallel universes. Although this was slightly weird (but what cult isn't) I really enjoyed this, especially the multiple POV's which was really effective as you get to see everything come together at the end. This takes you on a really interesting journey on how far people will go when dealing with grief and the innocence of people/how trusting people can be. I thought this was overall a really great book, perhaps slightly long, but good.

Do you believe that there’s another version of you living their life in a parallel world to ours?

That’s part of what this interesting novel speculates about whilst also satisfying so many people’s obsession with cults - not that you better call them that to their faces 🤣

I loved Origins of Iris so was so excited for this one, but must admit it missed the mark a little bit for me - I just kept expecting something big and surprising to come, but it kind of hummed along. Having said that, I thought it was a beautiful exploration of grief and the madness it can lead us to - I always find the motivations of people who join cults fascinating, and the promise of a world where you can make right your losses is certainly a more understandable one. I also loved the innocence and hope and trust of one of our main narrators, Root, and the relationship they built with James the reporter.

Definitely some interesting ideas, great character development and beautifully written, but as usual, probably too clever for me with its scientific angle 🙈