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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Okay, one word: Wow. This is going to be a really hard review to explain why I love this book. But here goes.
How I got it: I was lucky enough to win a sighed copy of this from Penguin Teen. Disclaimer: This in no way changed my opinion of the book itself.
Cover: Oh you couldn't ask for a better cover. I mean it's reversible for goodness sake! How do you top that? The outer cover (above) is gorgeous. It's colors and the composition are so alluring. And I think it matches the idea of the story well. The inside cover is blue, pretty, and set up like a schematic of the ship. It's calculating, a little boyish, but still very cool. It isn't glossy like the outer one, though. I don't know if this is how I'm supposed to take it, but I think of the outer one as Amy's and the inner, Elder.
Story: The genre of this novel is a little hard to place. It's a little dystopian, a little sci-fi, a little mystery. There isn't a lot to this book in terms of plot, I think. But, it's got a lot going on, and the book doesn't suffer for it. At first, this book was a little slow for me. I mean literally slow - like it was taking me a long time to get through the first half of the story. There was intrigue and things going on and stuff I wanted to know and I liked the characters but I was just reading slow. Then yesterday at lunch I reached the midpoint and it took off. Last night I decided to get to bed early, and couldn't stop reading. I finished at lunch today.
Now, there are some parts of the plot that I guessed. I knew who was behind the mystery from about 50 pages in and wanted to pound on the book for the characters not getting it. Other things, I kind of got, but not quite. Some things I was shocked by. Even if I knew the "big" thing, the way it turned out was satisfying.
Characters: The characters in AtU were well written. Their voices were distinctive, and I liked the tone and cadence they spoke with. Amy is awoken on a ship and is rightfully depressed about things. She's trying to get used to a life that is alien to her (pun only slightly intended for this book). She was a bit whiny, but it was all understandable and earned, so I wasn't annoyed by it. I just wanted to hug her.
I love Elder. I love how he questions and doesn't question, gets it and doesn't get it at the same. He's a leader and a follower. He's a walking contradiction, and I loved watching him grow throughout the book. I watched him shuck his childishness and grow strong. And I loved every minute of it.
There are some great side characters in this novel. Harley is by far my favorite, with his eccentric and innocent, child-like demeanor. He was truly original. But then there was Victoria who I felt was her own person. Eldest was a fascinating character to watch interact and change with Elder. All these characters felt flushed out and real.
Themes: A big theme of this novel is truth and lies, and I think Revis does a fantastic job at interweaving both throughout the story. She paints this seamless picture for you, then crumbles it before your eyes and builds it back up. I won't give too much away here, but I loved how it ended. It's not your typical romantic ending, and I'll leave it at that.
Writing: Revis' writing is really spot on, down to the littlest punctuation. It all has a point, and it works so well in this world. She did a lot of world building, and her descriptions are just enough to not bore (a mistake that sci-fi authors often make) but is entirely new and exciting. She has painted life upon a spaceship in a very real way - not glorified at all. No, this is not Star Trek. I don't think I'd want to live upon a spaceship because of the problems Revis addresses. And since it's set in the future, I love how their language changes (like I said, realistic). I even caught myself thinking "frexing" at some point today.
Overall: It was hard to decide, but I'm giving AtU FIVE STARS. The writing, the world-building, the realistic picture of a possible life in the future. That blew me away. I liked her down-to-earth (har, har) characters, and I loved the ending. A good read.
How I got it: I was lucky enough to win a sighed copy of this from Penguin Teen. Disclaimer: This in no way changed my opinion of the book itself.
Cover: Oh you couldn't ask for a better cover. I mean it's reversible for goodness sake! How do you top that? The outer cover (above) is gorgeous. It's colors and the composition are so alluring. And I think it matches the idea of the story well. The inside cover is blue, pretty, and set up like a schematic of the ship. It's calculating, a little boyish, but still very cool. It isn't glossy like the outer one, though. I don't know if this is how I'm supposed to take it, but I think of the outer one as Amy's and the inner, Elder.
Story: The genre of this novel is a little hard to place. It's a little dystopian, a little sci-fi, a little mystery. There isn't a lot to this book in terms of plot, I think. But, it's got a lot going on, and the book doesn't suffer for it. At first, this book was a little slow for me. I mean literally slow - like it was taking me a long time to get through the first half of the story. There was intrigue and things going on and stuff I wanted to know and I liked the characters but I was just reading slow. Then yesterday at lunch I reached the midpoint and it took off. Last night I decided to get to bed early, and couldn't stop reading. I finished at lunch today.
Now, there are some parts of the plot that I guessed. I knew who was behind the mystery from about 50 pages in and wanted to pound on the book for the characters not getting it. Other things, I kind of got, but not quite. Some things I was shocked by. Even if I knew the "big" thing, the way it turned out was satisfying.
Characters: The characters in AtU were well written. Their voices were distinctive, and I liked the tone and cadence they spoke with. Amy is awoken on a ship and is rightfully depressed about things. She's trying to get used to a life that is alien to her (pun only slightly intended for this book). She was a bit whiny, but it was all understandable and earned, so I wasn't annoyed by it. I just wanted to hug her.
I love Elder. I love how he questions and doesn't question, gets it and doesn't get it at the same. He's a leader and a follower. He's a walking contradiction, and I loved watching him grow throughout the book. I watched him shuck his childishness and grow strong. And I loved every minute of it.
There are some great side characters in this novel. Harley is by far my favorite, with his eccentric and innocent, child-like demeanor. He was truly original. But then there was Victoria who I felt was her own person. Eldest was a fascinating character to watch interact and change with Elder. All these characters felt flushed out and real.
Themes: A big theme of this novel is truth and lies, and I think Revis does a fantastic job at interweaving both throughout the story. She paints this seamless picture for you, then crumbles it before your eyes and builds it back up. I won't give too much away here, but I loved how it ended. It's not your typical romantic ending, and I'll leave it at that.
Writing: Revis' writing is really spot on, down to the littlest punctuation. It all has a point, and it works so well in this world. She did a lot of world building, and her descriptions are just enough to not bore (a mistake that sci-fi authors often make) but is entirely new and exciting. She has painted life upon a spaceship in a very real way - not glorified at all. No, this is not Star Trek. I don't think I'd want to live upon a spaceship because of the problems Revis addresses. And since it's set in the future, I love how their language changes (like I said, realistic). I even caught myself thinking "frexing" at some point today.
Overall: It was hard to decide, but I'm giving AtU FIVE STARS. The writing, the world-building, the realistic picture of a possible life in the future. That blew me away. I liked her down-to-earth (har, har) characters, and I loved the ending. A good read.
I'm not sure what I feel about this book. I'm not sure I even like it. I think I went through the entire book wondering whether I like it or not. Which seems like an odd way to read a book. If you like a book, you actively read it. You enjoy it. If you don't like it, you either stop reading it or read it as if it's a chore. I kept thinking "Maybe the next chapter will decide it all." The book definitely had an interesting plot, it wasn't like the other dystopia novels I've read. It had a lot of imagination put to it; I don't think I've ever read a book where generations were taught that Hitler was a good guy, despite losing the war. And I've definitely never read a book where people thought Abraham Lincoln's campaign to end slavery meant sending all the slaves back to Africa to create a "mono-ethnic" society. Like, what even? It was weird. Maybe the second book will decide it all!
I don't know if I'm just harder on books than a lot of people, or if I just haven't read any really good books for awhile, but I find myself giving a lot of 2 and 3 star reviews. That's not to say the books are terrible. According to the Goodreads scale, 2 is "it was ok" and 3 is "liked it". I'm going to try going back to more formatted reviews, though, because it feels like nearly every book I read, I have nothing to say. Hopefully it helps.
The Plot: The main female character (I've already forgotten her name) gets frozen, along with her mom and dad, in order to travel to a far distant planet. She is woken up early, and realizes she is alone in a bizarre new world (on the spaceship). She meets Elder, who will be the next new leader of the ship, and together they try to figure out what exactly is going on.
Why I read it: I can't even remember. It's a YA book, and I read a lot of those.
The Characters: I didn't love either of the two main characters. I know Elder was meant to be naive, because he had grown up only on the ship, and was taught certain things since birth, but it didn't make him very endearing to me. I wish there had maybe been more side characters, because I found the two main characters rather dull.
The Setting: There's not a whole lot to explore here, because the book takes place on an enclosed ship. I really wish there had been more. I don't know if it was just me, but there seemed to be a lot more interesting things that could have been going on on the ship.
Who should read this: I'm not sure. Maybe fans of YA science fiction. Although I like that genre, and didn't care for this. Fans of space travel, maybe?
Final thoughts: This looks to be the first in a series, and although I didn't really care much for this one, I think the world could be expanded in interesting ways. I don't know if I would continue on or not.
Cover thoughts: The cover is interesting, but doesn't really tell anything about the story.
The Plot: The main female character (I've already forgotten her name) gets frozen, along with her mom and dad, in order to travel to a far distant planet. She is woken up early, and realizes she is alone in a bizarre new world (on the spaceship). She meets Elder, who will be the next new leader of the ship, and together they try to figure out what exactly is going on.
Why I read it: I can't even remember. It's a YA book, and I read a lot of those.
The Characters: I didn't love either of the two main characters. I know Elder was meant to be naive, because he had grown up only on the ship, and was taught certain things since birth, but it didn't make him very endearing to me. I wish there had maybe been more side characters, because I found the two main characters rather dull.
The Setting: There's not a whole lot to explore here, because the book takes place on an enclosed ship. I really wish there had been more. I don't know if it was just me, but there seemed to be a lot more interesting things that could have been going on on the ship.
Who should read this: I'm not sure. Maybe fans of YA science fiction. Although I like that genre, and didn't care for this. Fans of space travel, maybe?
Final thoughts: This looks to be the first in a series, and although I didn't really care much for this one, I think the world could be expanded in interesting ways. I don't know if I would continue on or not.
Cover thoughts: The cover is interesting, but doesn't really tell anything about the story.
Maybe if the cover and the blurb hadn't promised one thing...and the novel delivered another...I might have liked this more. Or maybe it's because I just read Caitlin Kiernan's The Dry Salvages (another book about a group of people on board a long-flight spaceship being lied to) whose characters are sharper-edged and more compelling.
Or maybe it's because the story itself was Way. Too. Predictable.
And possibly the use of well known tropes and heavy-handed foreshadowing (Yes, we see that Eldest looks like Elder. Yes, we see that Orion looks like Elder. Yes, we see that a cranky, autocratic, mean leader such as Eldest couldn't POSSIBLY have been a leader on the ship without some kind of sneaky coercion...) is what makes many people who are self-professed "not sci fi lovers" like this book.
It's very accessible because the science is mainstream, and the story doesn't leap out and grab you or take a twist down any dark, strange corners.
In a double POV, we alternate between Elder, a budding leader on a generation ship called "Godspeed" winging its way from sol-Earth to a (hopefully) habitable planet. His ship is divided into categories of people: feeders (my my, can we get any closer to calling them sheep?) who make food, mysterious shippers (whom we never ever get to see as characters and thus provide a kind of false herring that I kept waiting to come into play but just petered out) who run the ship, and Elder and Eldest, the leaders of the ship. Elder is assigned the job of researching the three causes of discord/war in human history. Before he gets too far, though, he discovers a cargo of frozen bodies, and especially, one red-headed girl he becomes obsessed by.
The other POV is the red-headed girl, Amy, who was frozen with her parents as colonists. Awakened before her time, she finds herself an outcast/freak as she is the only person onboard who remembers Earth. But somebody is unfreezing more colonists, and leaving them to die, and Amy is frantic to discover the murderer before her own parents become targets.
Elder never appealed to me. He wanted to be a complex character, an awakening rebel with a conscience, ferreting out all the secrets Eldest has kept from him, questioning authority, but nevertheless tempted to use his own authority questionably moral ways. Elder does sneak around, but because Eldest is so obviously horrible, we never get the layer of emotional complexity one would hope for as the tension between his loyalty and affection tugs at his desire to know the truth.
How many times did I read "but Eldest was the man I'd lived with for three years" as the reason he felt conflicted? It just wasn't enough.
And Elder's pubescent sexual obsession with Amy was believable, but it was also kind of creepy. So when Amy reciprocates (at random moments, I'd have to say) it doesn't feel right. I always wanted to tap Amy on the shoulder and say "what do you SEE in him?"
There are some cool ideas in here in terms of dystopian society. The division of labor, the nod to the need for creative/genetic wild cards in order for humanity to evolve. Certainly watching Harley, Elder's "crazy" friend interact with Amy despite his conditioning by the mindless society he grew up in was interesting.
In the end, though, as it always is for me, it comes down to me not caring deeply enough about the two main characters to forgive the somewhat obviously plotted story.
However, due to this kind of mainstreamy feeling, I think many people who aren't science fiction fans might enjoy this book.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Macaroni and cheese. It was fine, cheesy and easy to eat. But nothing special.
Or maybe it's because the story itself was Way. Too. Predictable.
And possibly the use of well known tropes and heavy-handed foreshadowing (Yes, we see that Eldest looks like Elder. Yes, we see that Orion looks like Elder. Yes, we see that a cranky, autocratic, mean leader such as Eldest couldn't POSSIBLY have been a leader on the ship without some kind of sneaky coercion...) is what makes many people who are self-professed "not sci fi lovers" like this book.
It's very accessible because the science is mainstream, and the story doesn't leap out and grab you or take a twist down any dark, strange corners.
In a double POV, we alternate between Elder, a budding leader on a generation ship called "Godspeed" winging its way from sol-Earth to a (hopefully) habitable planet. His ship is divided into categories of people: feeders (my my, can we get any closer to calling them sheep?) who make food, mysterious shippers (whom we never ever get to see as characters and thus provide a kind of false herring that I kept waiting to come into play but just petered out) who run the ship, and Elder and Eldest, the leaders of the ship. Elder is assigned the job of researching the three causes of discord/war in human history. Before he gets too far, though, he discovers a cargo of frozen bodies, and especially, one red-headed girl he becomes obsessed by.
The other POV is the red-headed girl, Amy, who was frozen with her parents as colonists. Awakened before her time, she finds herself an outcast/freak as she is the only person onboard who remembers Earth. But somebody is unfreezing more colonists, and leaving them to die, and Amy is frantic to discover the murderer before her own parents become targets.
Elder never appealed to me. He wanted to be a complex character, an awakening rebel with a conscience, ferreting out all the secrets Eldest has kept from him, questioning authority, but nevertheless tempted to use his own authority questionably moral ways. Elder does sneak around, but because Eldest is so obviously horrible, we never get the layer of emotional complexity one would hope for as the tension between his loyalty and affection tugs at his desire to know the truth.
How many times did I read "but Eldest was the man I'd lived with for three years" as the reason he felt conflicted? It just wasn't enough.
And Elder's pubescent sexual obsession with Amy was believable, but it was also kind of creepy. So when Amy reciprocates (at random moments, I'd have to say) it doesn't feel right. I always wanted to tap Amy on the shoulder and say "what do you SEE in him?"
There are some cool ideas in here in terms of dystopian society. The division of labor, the nod to the need for creative/genetic wild cards in order for humanity to evolve. Certainly watching Harley, Elder's "crazy" friend interact with Amy despite his conditioning by the mindless society he grew up in was interesting.
In the end, though, as it always is for me, it comes down to me not caring deeply enough about the two main characters to forgive the somewhat obviously plotted story.
However, due to this kind of mainstreamy feeling, I think many people who aren't science fiction fans might enjoy this book.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Macaroni and cheese. It was fine, cheesy and easy to eat. But nothing special.
I simply love the cover of this book. It's so pretty!
I am not really into spaceships, so I was a bit hesitant to start this book. However, the first chapter where Amy and her parents are turned into frozen cargo immediately drew me in. The freezing procedure is described in full detail and made me curious about what would happen next.
I liked this book a lot. It's a great mix of science-fiction, murder-mystery, dystopia and a little bit of romance. Although finding out who was the murderer was not a great surprise, the story still had some nice twists and some aspects that I did not see coming. The ending was a bit open, which I liked.
http://www.fragmentsoffiction.com/2011/03/across-universe-beth-revis.html
I am not really into spaceships, so I was a bit hesitant to start this book. However, the first chapter where Amy and her parents are turned into frozen cargo immediately drew me in. The freezing procedure is described in full detail and made me curious about what would happen next.
I liked this book a lot. It's a great mix of science-fiction, murder-mystery, dystopia and a little bit of romance. Although finding out who was the murderer was not a great surprise, the story still had some nice twists and some aspects that I did not see coming. The ending was a bit open, which I liked.
http://www.fragmentsoffiction.com/2011/03/across-universe-beth-revis.html
Alright, alright. I have finally read this book after months of contemplation. And while most of my GR friends raved about this I feel like it was only mildly well written.
The plot is good, cryogenics and all that but come on, the book focused a lot more on the romance. From the moment Elder laid eyes on Amy it was pretty obvious what direction the book would take.
The conflict and the whole "What the hell is happening?" didn't sustain my attention. And I felt that the story dragged in some places (i.e. the mating season). But all in all it was pretty good and I think I might read the next installment.
The plot is good, cryogenics and all that but come on, the book focused a lot more on the romance. From the moment Elder laid eyes on Amy it was pretty obvious what direction the book would take.
The conflict and the whole "What the hell is happening?" didn't sustain my attention. And I felt that the story dragged in some places (i.e. the mating season). But all in all it was pretty good and I think I might read the next installment.
Overall rating: 4 / 5 stars
Lately I have been hearing a lot of people excited about the second book in this series and they kept making it sound good that I gave in and picked up the first, 'Across the Universe.' This story goes back and forth between the perspectives of the two main characters, Amy and Elder, who could not be more different. They are both on a space ship known as Godspeed, but Amy is actually frozen 'cargo' that is to be unfrozen when they arrive at a new planet. The story picks up with Amy is unfrozen early and the craziness that follows as they try to understand the world upon Godspeed.
As of late, I have been really into science fiction for some reason, so I knew this would be something that caught my attention. And it definitely didn't let me down. Revis' world building is amazing in this book, something I really need in a science fiction novel since it usually isn't the typical world setting many books are in. She vividly and realistically describes this world and I felt as though I was on Godspeed.
Another aspect I really enjoyed were the characters, with my favorite being Harley. He was such a fresh character in a world of chaos that I quickly fell in love with his imagination and spunk. I also really liked the alternating views that every chapter had, since it gives the reader insight into more that one character and what their thought processes were.
I loved how even though the characters are just meant to be a few generations past us, Revis still made them so different and unique. The whole concept of The Season was definitely pretty creepy and gross, but I really appreciated how she pulled in societal changes that could possibly happen in this situation.
One of the only complaints I have has to do with the ending. Overall I am okay with it since it is only the first in the series, but did feel as though it was a bit rushed, especially for a pretty lengthy book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to pick up the next one when it comes out! [: And I would definitely recommend giving this a go if you have been thinking about or were on edge about it. It is definitely a great contemporary sci-fi that still manages to touch on social and societal problems.
Lately I have been hearing a lot of people excited about the second book in this series and they kept making it sound good that I gave in and picked up the first, 'Across the Universe.' This story goes back and forth between the perspectives of the two main characters, Amy and Elder, who could not be more different. They are both on a space ship known as Godspeed, but Amy is actually frozen 'cargo' that is to be unfrozen when they arrive at a new planet. The story picks up with Amy is unfrozen early and the craziness that follows as they try to understand the world upon Godspeed.
As of late, I have been really into science fiction for some reason, so I knew this would be something that caught my attention. And it definitely didn't let me down. Revis' world building is amazing in this book, something I really need in a science fiction novel since it usually isn't the typical world setting many books are in. She vividly and realistically describes this world and I felt as though I was on Godspeed.
Another aspect I really enjoyed were the characters, with my favorite being Harley. He was such a fresh character in a world of chaos that I quickly fell in love with his imagination and spunk. I also really liked the alternating views that every chapter had, since it gives the reader insight into more that one character and what their thought processes were.
I loved how even though the characters are just meant to be a few generations past us, Revis still made them so different and unique. The whole concept of The Season was definitely pretty creepy and gross, but I really appreciated how she pulled in societal changes that could possibly happen in this situation.
One of the only complaints I have has to do with the ending. Overall I am okay with it since it is only the first in the series, but did feel as though it was a bit rushed, especially for a pretty lengthy book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to pick up the next one when it comes out! [: And I would definitely recommend giving this a go if you have been thinking about or were on edge about it. It is definitely a great contemporary sci-fi that still manages to touch on social and societal problems.