You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jennaclarek 's review for:
Across the Universe
by Beth Revis
-SPOILERS-
When I started reading this book yesterday, I did not really enjoy it. I had heard it was a good read and I knew it was a kind of sci-fi novel, but I was really unsure of what I was getting into. The beginning was very slow and hard to read because of all the new terms and futurific stuff. I didn't really even like Elder when the story started. All I cared about was Amy.
And then.
I think the part that it really got to be good was when Amy woke up in the future. It really made me more grounded because I was in the same boat as Amy. We were thrown into a new world with strange people and no one really explained anything until Amy asked for it to be explained.
After a while, I just got so into the plot twists and lies. I remember reading the summary and it included a tyrant running the ship and it was driven by lies blah blah blah but it wasn't until at least halfway through the book that there were hints about these lies. And then Eldest became a tyrannical jerk.
LET ME JUST SAY ELDEST IS A BASTARD I HATE HIM SO MUCH. (This is random, but this book reminded me soooo much of the Doctor Who episode in space with the big space whale thing and Queen Elizabeth) He twisted so much of the truth and EARTH'S HISTORY HOLY CRAP. I got so freaking angry when Elder believed that Lincoln sent the blacks back to Africa or whatever like NO LINCOLN WAS FAMOUS FOR TREATING EVERYONE EQUALLY DAMMIT. (So, good job Beth Revis) Not to mention the part where Amy relates Eldest to Hitler and Elder's like "Oh well she must me Eldest is a good ruler like Hitler because Hitler was a great cultured leader for his people" NOOOOOO STOP THAT. ELDEST IS JUST SO FRUSTRATING and then he finally reveals information and it's like NO STOP GO BACK THIS IS HEARTBREAKING!
Elder. Like I said, at first I really didn't like his character because I didn't really understand him? But then he revealed himself as a sort of truth seeker and he liked Amy and I just really fell in love with him. He's not a hot fictional boy like Jace Herondale or Daemon Black, but he has so much heart and he is seriously so strong. I'm kind of miffed that he unplugged Amy, but the fact that he told her about it made me feel a little better. Plus, he seems like he'll be a great leader.
AMY. OH MY GOSH AMY. THE BEST GIRL EVER. I love her so much she's pretty much not like me at all, but she's just a really strong character. I love how Beth Revis made her soooo different from the people of the Godspeed. Like, she could have made Amy a normal brunette with some fair skin, but she gave her BRIGHT red hair and freckles and super pale skin. Pretty much the exact opposite of everyone on the ship. (Speaking of which, I just can't imagine any of them looking so similar? It's weird...almost like whitewashing but everyone has olive skin and dark hair...I don't know. It was interesting.) I just loved how strong Amy was and how she survived in this strange world without parents like wow. Props to you girl.
Okay, so, for the world itself, I was really confused at first because of all the terms and new technology, but I was really impressed by the author. She obviously did a lot of research on a lot of things (or else she was really REALLY smart and creative), because there is so much new technology. And, the more impressive thing, was that I didn't really question any of it. I just kind of nodded and said "Yup that just works." The only part I didn't really believe was that they invented/created all of it on a ship in the middle of space with limited materials. (Only thing that bothered me I swear) Also, I loved how Amy kept comparing things to Earth because that's exactly how I as the reader was thinking.
Overall this book was really unique. It took about a hundred pages to get into it, but once I did, the story reminded me of Doctor Who and The Host and some of the writing was really breathtaking. Also, the author really utilized the use of short chapters. They made the story so much more interesting and dramatic. Not to mention the POV changes (which were sometimes really smart and sometimes really annoying). I'm not extremely interested in reading the sequel, but I really do want to know if the trilogy will end with them landing on the new planet or if they just kind of end it with the hope of landing on that planet (because dammit I'm really super freaking interested in reaching that new planet).
It may not be the best book I've read this year (then again it is the 47th book I've read for fun this year), but it did keep me on the edge of my seat.
When I started reading this book yesterday, I did not really enjoy it. I had heard it was a good read and I knew it was a kind of sci-fi novel, but I was really unsure of what I was getting into. The beginning was very slow and hard to read because of all the new terms and futurific stuff. I didn't really even like Elder when the story started. All I cared about was Amy.
And then.
I think the part that it really got to be good was when Amy woke up in the future. It really made me more grounded because I was in the same boat as Amy. We were thrown into a new world with strange people and no one really explained anything until Amy asked for it to be explained.
After a while, I just got so into the plot twists and lies. I remember reading the summary and it included a tyrant running the ship and it was driven by lies blah blah blah but it wasn't until at least halfway through the book that there were hints about these lies. And then Eldest became a tyrannical jerk.
LET ME JUST SAY ELDEST IS A BASTARD I HATE HIM SO MUCH. (This is random, but this book reminded me soooo much of the Doctor Who episode in space with the big space whale thing and Queen Elizabeth) He twisted so much of the truth and EARTH'S HISTORY HOLY CRAP. I got so freaking angry when Elder believed that Lincoln sent the blacks back to Africa or whatever like NO LINCOLN WAS FAMOUS FOR TREATING EVERYONE EQUALLY DAMMIT. (So, good job Beth Revis) Not to mention the part where Amy relates Eldest to Hitler and Elder's like "Oh well she must me Eldest is a good ruler like Hitler because Hitler was a great cultured leader for his people" NOOOOOO STOP THAT. ELDEST IS JUST SO FRUSTRATING and then he finally reveals information and it's like NO STOP GO BACK THIS IS HEARTBREAKING!
Elder. Like I said, at first I really didn't like his character because I didn't really understand him? But then he revealed himself as a sort of truth seeker and he liked Amy and I just really fell in love with him. He's not a hot fictional boy like Jace Herondale or Daemon Black, but he has so much heart and he is seriously so strong. I'm kind of miffed that he unplugged Amy, but the fact that he told her about it made me feel a little better. Plus, he seems like he'll be a great leader.
AMY. OH MY GOSH AMY. THE BEST GIRL EVER. I love her so much she's pretty much not like me at all, but she's just a really strong character. I love how Beth Revis made her soooo different from the people of the Godspeed. Like, she could have made Amy a normal brunette with some fair skin, but she gave her BRIGHT red hair and freckles and super pale skin. Pretty much the exact opposite of everyone on the ship. (Speaking of which, I just can't imagine any of them looking so similar? It's weird...almost like whitewashing but everyone has olive skin and dark hair...I don't know. It was interesting.) I just loved how strong Amy was and how she survived in this strange world without parents like wow. Props to you girl.
Okay, so, for the world itself, I was really confused at first because of all the terms and new technology, but I was really impressed by the author. She obviously did a lot of research on a lot of things (or else she was really REALLY smart and creative), because there is so much new technology. And, the more impressive thing, was that I didn't really question any of it. I just kind of nodded and said "Yup that just works." The only part I didn't really believe was that they invented/created all of it on a ship in the middle of space with limited materials. (Only thing that bothered me I swear) Also, I loved how Amy kept comparing things to Earth because that's exactly how I as the reader was thinking.
Overall this book was really unique. It took about a hundred pages to get into it, but once I did, the story reminded me of Doctor Who and The Host and some of the writing was really breathtaking. Also, the author really utilized the use of short chapters. They made the story so much more interesting and dramatic. Not to mention the POV changes (which were sometimes really smart and sometimes really annoying). I'm not extremely interested in reading the sequel, but I really do want to know if the trilogy will end with them landing on the new planet or if they just kind of end it with the hope of landing on that planet (because dammit I'm really super freaking interested in reaching that new planet).
It may not be the best book I've read this year (then again it is the 47th book I've read for fun this year), but it did keep me on the edge of my seat.