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A review by brebrock
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
5.0
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.