Monday, February 13, 2012

Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis


Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)
by Beth Revis 

Genre: Science Fiction
Reading Grade: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Source: purchased paperback
Age Rating: 14+

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed. 
 
Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again. 
 
My Review

  • Plot: This one has a mystery “whodunnit” plot which keeps you guessing from beginning to end, so it never slows down nor drags in parts. Amy is a frozen passenger on board Godspeed and is awoken before its scheduled landing on a new planet. The other frozen passengers on board the Godspeed spaceship are being killed seemingly at random, and its up to Amy and Elder to try and figure out who's behind the killings and stop them. Amy's parents are at risk because they are part of the frozen crew. When the killer is finally revealed, it's surprising for sure. I definitely didn't suspect the guilty party.
  • Characters: Amy is just a normal teenager who couldn't bare to be left behind on Earth while both her parents were recruited for a mission to colonize another Earth-like planet with their special skills. She is extremely brave for deciding to go with them, leaving behind her boyfriend and totally normal life. Elder is one of my favorite YA heroes because he actually has a good reason for being so fascinated by Amy. Most boys have seen millions of pretty girls before, but, not Elder. He's been trapped on Godspeed all his life, and has never before seen a person with her coloring (red hair/green eyes), so she looks like an angel to him.
  • Writing: Fabulous writing—composed of short, quick sentences which make you feel like your flying through the story. That's my preference and it works for this type of story.
  • Storytelling: Top-notch. There are so many layers to what's going on, and who's behind those actions, and why they're doing what they're doing. It opens with an unforgettable scene, and closes with a ton of shocking reveals that will leave you riveted.
  • Overall Quality: Very high quality. It's a NY Times best-seller for a reason. Don't worry about not being a fan of sci-fi, if you are not. That won't factor in at all. It's just a great story set on a spaceship—that's all there is to it.
  • Favorite Moment/Scene: When Elder first sees Amy frozen in her pod. He's so mesmerized by her red hair which looks like a flaming burst of color all around her head. He's never seen anyone like her before, and his feelings are portrayed so convincingly.
  • My Score: 5 out of 5 stars. (I love it. One of my favorite books.)


12 comments:

  1. Argh! I have this one on hold at the library because I've been putting off reading it for so long and finally decided to give in. I love a book with many layers, but I just hope it doesnt put me off my own writing be being super amazing!! How cool is the name Elder??

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    1. @Lan: It's excellently written, but I don't think it will put you off writing. Or, just don't let it, anyway.

      Elder is a cool and ironic name for a young guy like him to have, but I'm Mormon so I'm used to young guys being called "Elder." In this case, his actual name is Elder, until he gets a name change to Eldest.

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  2. This one is a wonderful book. I couldn't agree with you more. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. I am looking forward to reading A Million Suns.

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    1. @Sara: A Million Suns is an awesome sequel. You'll be so shocked when you read it!

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  3. I am so exited to read this book! I was just looking at it on Audible last night. I've heard good things about it for a while now. Thanks for the review!

    BTW, just finished Hexed! Loved it! Can't wait to read the next one. I would love for HBO to turn it into a tv show!

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    Replies
    1. @Camille: Go for it! I wonder what it's like to listen to this book because you'll get to hear two voice actors. I hope it's good.

      Glad you loved Hexed. I did, too! I dream of IDC being made into a TV series on HBO, just like you. A lot of fans want that, apparently. We can keep dreaming, right?

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  4. I've heard so many great things about this book/series. I'm not a big SciFi fan, so I'm not sure it would be my thing. But I do intend to try it at some point. I'm glad you loved it.
    Great review!

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    1. @Andrea: Even non-scifi fans would love this book, so don't worry about not liking scifi. It really isn't what you would think. Give it a chance! The sooner the better.

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  5. Glad you liked this one so much. I started it but wasn't in the mood. I would like to pick it back up. I've heard a lot of good things about Elder. Weird name though.

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    1. @Alison: Hopefully, you will get back to this story. It's really good. Elder's name will make sense as you read it.

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  6. I'm looking forward to this one. I've had it forever on my shelf and I need to get to it. At least I won't have to wait long for the second one now.

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    Replies
    1. @Jenny: It's great and you should get to it, soon!

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