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caitskye 's review for:
Across the Universe
by Beth Revis
Ugh, I hit a button and deleted my whole review .*headdesk* This is not the first time that has happened either. *Sigh* So, sorry, now you get the short version.
Basically, this book was kinda just... "meh" for me. It took me ages to get into this book. I think I started reading it about a month ago (a month!) and it took until about page 200 for me to even become mildly interested. I didn't really have a desire to keep reading, except for the fact I needed to finish it so that I could return it to the library. And this made me sad! I have been waiting anxiously to read this book. I have heard so many rave reviews and people mention it all the time. I don't necessarily think the Hype ruined the book for me.. But I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel anything other than a slight desire to find out what would happen next. I honestly couldn't even care when characters started dying... It was that bad. I guess bad isn't the right word. I liked the book. It was just.. Mellow. It was so one dimensional for me.
Like I said, I couldn't connect with the characters. Elder and Amy were just bland to me. I actually kept forgetting Amy's name! I did admire that Elder tried to make his own decisions, when Eldest was obviously brainwashing him, but I still didn't really find myself rooting for them because I couldn't connect with them. It bothered me the amount of times Amy used the word "daddy"; she's a little too old for how often she used that word. It made me think of her as a child.
I did particularly like Harley. I felt like I understood him and I definitely empathized with him. He was probably the most vibrant character.
The plot was interesting, although quite predictable. I was rarely surprised by the turn of events. I was curious about all the secrets that Eldest was keeping, so that kept me reading. The romance, for me, was not really any romance at all. There were a few kisses, but I didn't feel like they were anything important or special. Elder was fascinated by Amy, but I didn't really feel a true mutual attraction between the two. So that was a bummer. But I did find the plot entertaining and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. For this reason alone I do want to read the sequels. I found the plot and the world more interesting than the characters.
The setting was very intriguing to me. I can't imagine living on a space ship for my entire life! I think I would get so claustrophobic. I felt bad for the people living on this ship! They have been living on the vessel for generations. Not only that, but they never even get to see the REAL stars! I think this really mattered to me, because their whole world felt less real and I can't imagine living like that. Since the people have been living on Godspeed for so long, their culture is completely different from ours. Not only have they developed their own technology, mutated the animals and plants, invented new medicines, but they speak differently have different rules about things like sex. It was crazy, but very interesting to read about. I really enjoyed reading about their culture and the tech of the world they had created on the ship.
So, even though I didn't absolutely LOVE this book like I thought I would, I did enjoy it. I do want to read the sequels, because I can see how it could get better and I am very interested by the world and plot. Maybe if I get to know the characters more, I will like them more, too. The writing was well done and easy to read, so no complaints there. It was a good book, but not the most memorable.
Basically, this book was kinda just... "meh" for me. It took me ages to get into this book. I think I started reading it about a month ago (a month!) and it took until about page 200 for me to even become mildly interested. I didn't really have a desire to keep reading, except for the fact I needed to finish it so that I could return it to the library. And this made me sad! I have been waiting anxiously to read this book. I have heard so many rave reviews and people mention it all the time. I don't necessarily think the Hype ruined the book for me.. But I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel anything other than a slight desire to find out what would happen next. I honestly couldn't even care when characters started dying... It was that bad. I guess bad isn't the right word. I liked the book. It was just.. Mellow. It was so one dimensional for me.
Like I said, I couldn't connect with the characters. Elder and Amy were just bland to me. I actually kept forgetting Amy's name! I did admire that Elder tried to make his own decisions, when Eldest was obviously brainwashing him, but I still didn't really find myself rooting for them because I couldn't connect with them. It bothered me the amount of times Amy used the word "daddy"; she's a little too old for how often she used that word. It made me think of her as a child.
I did particularly like Harley. I felt like I understood him and I definitely empathized with him. He was probably the most vibrant character.
The plot was interesting, although quite predictable. I was rarely surprised by the turn of events. I was curious about all the secrets that Eldest was keeping, so that kept me reading. The romance, for me, was not really any romance at all. There were a few kisses, but I didn't feel like they were anything important or special. Elder was fascinated by Amy, but I didn't really feel a true mutual attraction between the two. So that was a bummer. But I did find the plot entertaining and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. For this reason alone I do want to read the sequels. I found the plot and the world more interesting than the characters.
The setting was very intriguing to me. I can't imagine living on a space ship for my entire life! I think I would get so claustrophobic. I felt bad for the people living on this ship! They have been living on the vessel for generations. Not only that, but they never even get to see the REAL stars! I think this really mattered to me, because their whole world felt less real and I can't imagine living like that. Since the people have been living on Godspeed for so long, their culture is completely different from ours. Not only have they developed their own technology, mutated the animals and plants, invented new medicines, but they speak differently have different rules about things like sex. It was crazy, but very interesting to read about. I really enjoyed reading about their culture and the tech of the world they had created on the ship.
So, even though I didn't absolutely LOVE this book like I thought I would, I did enjoy it. I do want to read the sequels, because I can see how it could get better and I am very interested by the world and plot. Maybe if I get to know the characters more, I will like them more, too. The writing was well done and easy to read, so no complaints there. It was a good book, but not the most memorable.