People of the Sun
Book Two in the Eye of Ra Series
by Ben Gartner
Hi! Have you ever wondered what it’s like to travel back in time? Well, Sarah and John actually can! They go back in time and fix mishaps in history to protect the future. On their latest journey, Sarah and John must stop a well meaning woman named Toci from saving the Aztec people from a murderer named Cortés. Even though saving the Aztecs is the right thing to do, it is worse for the world in the long run.
Warning: This review may contain spoilers from the previous books, so read my book reviews for The Eye of Ra and Sol Invictus before reading this one.
Sarah and John were visiting their Aunt Lorraine in California when they decided to go on a hike. While they were on the mountain, there was a massive earthquake. John and Aunt Lorraine were about to be crushed by a boulder when two people suddenly appeared and pulled them out of the way. They convinced John and Sarah they had something to do with their time travels and whisked them away to a presentation in the future.
There, they saw two people, who looked strangely like their parents, show the audience how to slow time. However, something went wrong and the machine that slowed time sent people in the audience back to different times. Then, the strangers took John and Sarah back to their headquarters and explained that they were John and Sarah’s future selves, that they invented the time machine that triggered the end of the world, and that Dr. Tidewell, Sarah’s future self, had put the machine into the Ra necklace, so they could travel in time.
Slowly, John and Sarah would have to put history back in order because the people sent back in time were changing it. For their next mission, they had to stop a woman named Toci from saving the Aztecs from a murderer named Cortés. While stopping a murderer was a noble cause, it would alter the future, so Sarah and John had to stop her.
Sarah had an idea after they arrived in ancient Mexico. They could go back in time and stop their younger selves from ever traveling back in time in the first place. John didn’t want to do it, but reluctantly agreed. However, when they returned to their present day, John was fading like he never existed and Sarah had a grey streak in her hair. John got them out of there just in time, and they returned to Mexico to continue their mission as was planned.
When they reached the village, they were almost immediately taken captive by Toci’s kids named Ome and Huitzi. Toci had been in ancient Mexico for a while and had become the seer for Motecuhzoma, the leader. They could have escaped but went along with it because it was a direct path to Toci. Along the way, they became friends. However, John, Sarah, Ome, and Huitzi were stopped and taken captive by General Coyote. That night, Toci came, freed them, and took them to a palace.
John and Sarah tried to convince her to come back to her original time, but she wouldn’t do it. Toci says she will never leave because she has a family, and she must do what is right. Toci’s patience soon grew thin, and she took the Eye of Ra necklace from John. Her soldiers then rushed in and captured John and Sarah. John is to be taken with Toci to teach her how to use the necklace, and Sarah is to be kept at the palace, so John will cooperate. Things are not looking good for John and Sarah.
There is absolutely nothing I would change about People of the Sun! It was incredible and I hope Ben Gartner writes another book in the series!
My favorite part in the book is when Ome and Sarah begin to bond, even though Sarah is Ome’s captive. My other favorite part showed how much John loved his sister. However, I can’t tell you about it because it would give too much away.
This book is so unique that I can only compare it to the other books in the series. I seriously recommend you read this book no matter what your age or what genre you like.
Will John and Sarah succeed at stopping Toci, or will the siblings never see each other again? As I always say, read the book to find out!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor - zero being not scary at all and five being majorly scary): 3
“Yucky - Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor - zero having no yucky - lovey parts and five having major yucky - lovey parts: 1
I give this book 5 wands.
People of the Sun is an amazing read that keeps you on the edge of your seat! There are twists that you don’t see coming and surprise you every time. The best part, however, is John and Sarah’s love for each other and how they never give up!
Source: Review Copy
