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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Apart from the mating scenes, I really enjoyed the book it was very interesting the way this world was formed, I think it lacked a bit of character development. I would think that knowing a bit more about both main characters background would have given me as a reader a bit more of a feeling for who they were and why they saw things the way they did. Overall I loved the sci-fi details and the overall concept. I think i will get more books in between this first bookbefore i give the secound a try.
I have seen a lot of really great reviews about this book and it looked really interesting. I was extremely hopeful as this book is YA Sci Fi. I picked this book up at the bookstore and I started reading it and it was really interesting. A strange cast of characters, a spaceship, lies and craziness. But here’s the thing. I read a lot of YA novels because I don’t enjoy reading certain things. Well, there is really one main thing I don’t enjoy reading about and that is sexual assault. I can’t stand it in books. Its one thing if it is mentioned, but it is another thing when they actual begin describing it.
Granted, I did not keep reading long enough to find out if it went into a lot of detail, or how far it went. But I read enough to know that I had to stop reading. Now, I already thought the whole “Season” thing was really weird, but then the assault followed and that was it for me. It is a shame because the story was really interesting. But for me, reading that is an instant deal breaker. Now, this is purely opinion, but it is how I feel about it.
Granted, I did not keep reading long enough to find out if it went into a lot of detail, or how far it went. But I read enough to know that I had to stop reading. Now, I already thought the whole “Season” thing was really weird, but then the assault followed and that was it for me. It is a shame because the story was really interesting. But for me, reading that is an instant deal breaker. Now, this is purely opinion, but it is how I feel about it.
DNF - PG 88
Why?
I admit, I have a very low tolerance for anything skeevy. Especially skeevy in the 'he could be a sexual predator' kind of way - and at the very least, Elder is skeevy. Even if he hasn't hit sexual predator level yet, he's at least plain skeevy.
My eyes devour her body, then drift back to her breasts. The ice is a little foggy there, teasing me, but I can see enough to know they're lush, even if they're frozen, I imagine that if they were warmed up…
This about a frozen, unconscious girl that he'd never seen before. But I pressed on.
The girl's chest moves up and down, but that is the only sign of life she's willing to give. Funny how different her body looks outside the ice. She seems smaller, weaker, more vulnerable. The ice was her armor. I want to protect her now, cover her curves instead of run my fingers over them.
Do you also want to keep her in your basement? It's like he can't decide if he want's to be a rapist or a possessive jackass. (Here, Elder, take both!) But the plot is finally starting to move, so I pressed on - until two pages later.
"I want Daddy," she whimpers, and even though I know that she's more woman than girl, she seems very much like a child now.
… I will wash and never be clean. *Shudder*
If these quotes don't bother you - or you can't figure out what I'm making such a fuss about - by all means, read the book. Now, I'm off to find something that's more feminist than this. ... And less skeevy.
Why?
I admit, I have a very low tolerance for anything skeevy. Especially skeevy in the 'he could be a sexual predator' kind of way - and at the very least, Elder is skeevy. Even if he hasn't hit sexual predator level yet, he's at least plain skeevy.
My eyes devour her body, then drift back to her breasts. The ice is a little foggy there, teasing me, but I can see enough to know they're lush, even if they're frozen, I imagine that if they were warmed up…
This about a frozen, unconscious girl that he'd never seen before. But I pressed on.
The girl's chest moves up and down, but that is the only sign of life she's willing to give. Funny how different her body looks outside the ice. She seems smaller, weaker, more vulnerable. The ice was her armor. I want to protect her now, cover her curves instead of run my fingers over them.
Do you also want to keep her in your basement? It's like he can't decide if he want's to be a rapist or a possessive jackass. (Here, Elder, take both!) But the plot is finally starting to move, so I pressed on - until two pages later.
"I want Daddy," she whimpers, and even though I know that she's more woman than girl, she seems very much like a child now.
… I will wash and never be clean. *Shudder*
If these quotes don't bother you - or you can't figure out what I'm making such a fuss about - by all means, read the book. Now, I'm off to find something that's more feminist than this. ... And less skeevy.
This book was intriguing both as a book and about the explanation in which lead to the events and so forth, I cannot wait to see where the relationship of Amy and Eden will take them
Across the Universe was a decent read. It was fast-paced and intriguing enough that I plowed through it. I predicted most of the major plot twists/reveals well in advance, but I'm still interested in finishing the series.
This book had a few major things going for it:
1. The premise. Girl leaves life to travel 300 years and start a new life with her family. Girl wakes up 50 years too soon. Plot gold right there.
2. The opening scene. I don't know if I've ever been made to feel so strongly about a character so early in a book before. I thought Revis' writing of scenes meant to be poignant was especially strong.
I wasn't exactly expecting the book to be profound or anything, but there were several annoying things that kept this from getting a higher rating.
1. Amy. We started out so well with that first chapter and from there she almost never reconnected with me. I reject the notion that being a Strong Female Character means that you should mouth off to everyone and like, destroy a doctor's office two seconds after you meet him. Almost every major choice she made was irrational, considering that her goals were a) to not get thrown out a hatch and b) to protect her frozen family members.
2. The romance. I hate in general when romances are completely based off of looks, but this one in particular was baffling to me. Elder has only ever known people who look like him. I'm not sure how he was so instantly attracted to Amy. My instinct is that she would've looked weird to him. I would've been into it more had he felt some sort of protectiveness toward her that eventually became friendship and/or attraction.
3.
4.
In conclusion, if you're looking for something a little bit interesting, this is worth a shot. Just don't expect too much from it.
This book had a few major things going for it:
1. The premise. Girl leaves life to travel 300 years and start a new life with her family. Girl wakes up 50 years too soon. Plot gold right there.
2. The opening scene. I don't know if I've ever been made to feel so strongly about a character so early in a book before. I thought Revis' writing of scenes meant to be poignant was especially strong.
I wasn't exactly expecting the book to be profound or anything, but there were several annoying things that kept this from getting a higher rating.
1. Amy. We started out so well with that first chapter and from there she almost never reconnected with me. I reject the notion that being a Strong Female Character means that you should mouth off to everyone and like, destroy a doctor's office two seconds after you meet him. Almost every major choice she made was irrational, considering that her goals were a) to not get thrown out a hatch and b) to protect her frozen family members.
2. The romance. I hate in general when romances are completely based off of looks, but this one in particular was baffling to me. Elder has only ever known people who look like him. I'm not sure how he was so instantly attracted to Amy. My instinct is that she would've looked weird to him. I would've been into it more had he felt some sort of protectiveness toward her that eventually became friendship and/or attraction.
3.
Spoiler
The attempted rape scene. For one, I have no idea what that brought to the plot. We already knew the people were sex-crazed. That was clear. For another, it was a little too contrived. Oh, Harley is reluctant to leave her and warns her to be careful (as an amusing side note, I totally thought he told her he was going back for his pants and was very confused until he whacked someone with an easel) and now there are creepy rape men following her. And even though she runs through a wheat field at random, Harley totally manages to find her right in the nick of time! She's upset about it for a hot minute, and then it is totally forgotten for the rest of the book by everyone. I was also kind of skeeved by the Harley suicide at the end. "We will be sad, but we will totally accept this suicide because he saw nothing to live for and apparently we also see nothing he could have lived for. Cool."4.
Spoiler
The ending. Mostly the explanation surrounding the Plague. One, I find it unbelievable that 75% of the people would have freaked out to the point of death over the news that they weren't going to see the planet. Considering that 12 generations of people successfully lived their entire lives on the ship without freaking out, it seems a little sensational. And then I don't really understand why they went back and racially altered history? Plus it just seems like a lot of hard work went into making sure everyone was getting pregnant at the same time once every twenty years just so they could spring that news on them when they were already super chilled out by the drugs.In conclusion, if you're looking for something a little bit interesting, this is worth a shot. Just don't expect too much from it.
I was so taken by this story! I loved the adventure, I really appreciated the love story aspect, because I believed Elder, and I was interested.
My only eh was the grand revelation... I didn't get to really take it in because it happened so fast, but then when I read the grand, grand, grand revelation I sort of cheered. It felt perfect.
CAN'T WAIT for Million Suns!
Long Review TK
My only eh was the grand revelation... I didn't get to really take it in because it happened so fast, but then when I read the grand, grand, grand revelation I sort of cheered. It felt perfect.
CAN'T WAIT for Million Suns!
Long Review TK
I have to admit that the first thing that I noticed about this book was the cover. It is mesmerizing. What is even more amazing is opening it up to see the blueprint schematics of the ship, Godspeed. On the actual hardcover, you can see the name of the ship and its emblem. The premise is another thing that really caught my eye. I have been dipping more into science fiction books, and this one had to zip to the top of my list.
The synopsis features Amy as the main character, but it is also told from the point of view of Elder. It gives the story a much more fleshed out appearance. Amy gives us a sense of the old Earth on the ship and how it could haunt someone that they might never see land again. From Elder, he sees the ship as someone who has known nothing different and the challenges of someone that will become the future leader.
The story is a mystery. There is the mystery of the inter-workings of the ships, of who is trying to kill the cryogenically frozen people (which is how Amy is woken up early), and what will happen to the future of the people living on the ship. The intrigue of these developments keep the plot moving forward from the different perspectives of Elder and Amy.
One of the bright shining lights of the story is one of the secondary characters, Harley. His paintings of koi, fascination with the stars, and the charming nickname he gives Amy lighten up the mood of the story. Amy has a lot to deal with, including her past life on Earth, the worry of her still frozen parents while Elder shoulders the responsibility that will eventually be his.
The one thing that I found odd about the story was the ending. It was written in a different way than I expected and seemed to have a different flow than the rest of the story. Still, I did enjoy it and am really looking forward to the next installment in the series that the author says will include the Amy and Elder.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
http://natashamheck.blogspot.com/2011/03/across-universe-by-beth-revis_6350.html
The synopsis features Amy as the main character, but it is also told from the point of view of Elder. It gives the story a much more fleshed out appearance. Amy gives us a sense of the old Earth on the ship and how it could haunt someone that they might never see land again. From Elder, he sees the ship as someone who has known nothing different and the challenges of someone that will become the future leader.
The story is a mystery. There is the mystery of the inter-workings of the ships, of who is trying to kill the cryogenically frozen people (which is how Amy is woken up early), and what will happen to the future of the people living on the ship. The intrigue of these developments keep the plot moving forward from the different perspectives of Elder and Amy.
One of the bright shining lights of the story is one of the secondary characters, Harley. His paintings of koi, fascination with the stars, and the charming nickname he gives Amy lighten up the mood of the story. Amy has a lot to deal with, including her past life on Earth, the worry of her still frozen parents while Elder shoulders the responsibility that will eventually be his.
The one thing that I found odd about the story was the ending. It was written in a different way than I expected and seemed to have a different flow than the rest of the story. Still, I did enjoy it and am really looking forward to the next installment in the series that the author says will include the Amy and Elder.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
http://natashamheck.blogspot.com/2011/03/across-universe-by-beth-revis_6350.html
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I will read the others in the series. I liked the characters and generally enjoyed the plotting. Unfortunately, the middle of the book started to feel a bit like a mystery novel to me (not my favorite genre) and it seemed like the characters were missing some obvious clues and should have been able to figure out "who did it". Nevertheless, I was happy with the end of the book. While some plotlines played out as I had suspected from very early on, there were also a few surprises thrown in that made a big impact on the story. I enjoyed the world on the ship that the author created and I'm eager to see how the story progresses in the next book.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes