Across the Universe (Across The Universe #1) http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/5c/76/c2/9764_8235178-1347820118.jpg

A YA Sci-Fi that is both Dystopian and space Sci-Fi? Awesome! It took me way too long to finally give Across the Universe a read, but I’m so glad I did! After a slightly rocky start with the first two pages where I thought we were seeing Amy as a little girl (seriously, she seemed like she was 5 or so, it was weird) until she mentioned prom, I was hooked. The space ship, Godspeed, was completely fascinating. Immediately from Elder’s narrative we get the sense that something is not right on board, but what? From there he leads us through the ship where random inconsistencies and hidden information are revealed, including a chamber full of frozen bodies.

Cryo sleep terrifies me! Not only is the procedure leading up to it painful and uncomfortable, but what happens after the flash freeze is much worse. Amy undergoes the freeze in the first chapter, and her first few chapters are her in the cryo sleep. That’s right, she manages to narrate when she’s supposed to be in a 301 year slumber. She’s conscious and that’s just not right. I do not even want to imagine what it would be like to be trapped inside your own body, in the dark, alone, and unmoving for three centuries with nothing but your thoughts. That sounds like a recipe for insanity to me.

Once Amy is out of her cryo chamber is when the book really picks up. She wasn’t suppose to be defrosted yet, so who let her out? Then another person is left out to defrost, and we’ve got a murder mystery on our hands! Then, of course, there’s lots of questions about the ship. What’s behind all of those locked doors? Why doesn’t anyone aboard know about the cryo chamber level if those people are important to the mission? Why are so many people held in the mental ward and medicated? What’s happening in the “other labs”? Just what in the world is going on?!

Actually the world building in Across the Universe is pretty darn impressive. The author has created a fascinating, engaging, and completely original world aboard the Godspeed. I absolutely loved the science! It’s super detailed, complicated, and at times, disturbing. There’s times when I cringed thinking about what was happening, and other times when I wanted an encyclopedia with more information!

I could hardly stand to put this book down! There were so many questions running through my mind while reading, and once answers started popping up…woah! I knew Eldest was hiding something, and that there’s a lot of misinformation being passed along, but I never expected what actually was going on! Sure, the murderer was obvious, but the goings on of the ship? Total shocker! I cannot even begin to guess what the second book has in store, but I do know I’m eager to get my hands on it!

Wow. I’m speechless. Let me describe this book through adjectives, and I DO mean what I am about to say.
Mind-blowing. Excellent. Beautiful. Amazing. Well done. Perfect.

MIND-BLOWING: Again, wow! WOW! From start to finish, and I mean LITERALLY from start to finish (from the cover, to the first chapter till it ended) it was mind blowing. I was hooked on from the very first chapter, and I knew after I read the first chapter that this brilliantly written book, Across the Universe, will be one of my favorites and deserves a 5/5 slamdunk stars. There were a lot of twists and unexpected things being thrown at your face throughout the book which I loved! It wasn’t predictable and you’ll keep guessing what will happen next. There are clues being dropped at you though, but it doesn’t take away the suspense.

EXCELLENT: The characters ROCKS! All. of. them. And yes, even the bad guys rocks! Each and every single one of their little cells fits the whole story and have a significance. The book is being told from Amy and Elder’s point of view. It alternates, and I love how each chapter wasn’t super long.

BEAUTIFUL: Besides the cover, the plot was just well thought of. *Claps*. This book made me feel all sorts of emotion whether it be sad, nervous, happy, excited, surprised, etc. I remember when I was reading towards the end of the book, my palms were sweating (lol).

AMAZING: The writing style and pacing was plain a-ah-mazing. If Beth Revis wanted you to feel sad on that part of the chapter, you’ll feel it. If she wanted her readers to feel surprised, well you will! The author delivers everything very well. The book wasn’t too slow or too fast. Flawless.

In three words, I could describe Across the Universe as WELL DONE & PERFECT. Not once was I confused, not once did I get bored, not once did I not leave the house without carrying this book. There’s so much adventure that I don’t want to mention anything in this review as anything would count as a spoiler. Everything just played out like a movie in my head while I was reading it. I highly recommend this book to all of you.

Across the Universe opens with a very detailed and vivid scene where one of the book’s two point-of-view characters, Amy, watches her parents go into cryo-sleep and then undergoes the painful procedure herself. I’ve always been equally disgusted and fascinated by medical stuff, so I don’t think there could have been a more attention-grabbing hook than this one, personally.

From there, the story continues on in fast-paced chapters that alternate between Amy and Elder’s point of view. I was pretty hooked, I must say. Because there were two POV characters, Revis was able to end on a cliffhanger with one chapter and then go to a completely different part of the story in the next, so it was like a double cliffhanger (or something). I always wanted to keep reading and see what happened next. With this book, there’s really no good stopping place.

Bottom line for Across the Universe’s plot? It’s at once compelling and predictable. I knew from chapter 4 who the “mystery antagonist” was—Revis wasn’t subtle with her foreshadowing or hints. Might as well have been a big sign. But I wanted to keep reading; the twists in the plot kept things really interesting. I don’t mind predictibility if it’s well-handled, it seems.
I also really liked the dystopian spaceship that Revis created in this novel. It was all very cohesively done, sickening at times, true, but well done. It was obvious that a lot of thought went into this book, and I appreciated the believable wordlbuilding and engaging setting.

Amy and Elder were both very interesting characters. I liked them a lot, and I wanted to see how they turned out. However, characterization is not Revis’s strongpoint, and while she created two interesting, likeable characters, they seemed to lack depth. I understood what they were doing and why they were reacting and what their motivations were, but the bottom layer—the part that would have made them human—was missing.

Considering that this book takes place in the space of less than a week, I was a bit skeptical of the promised “love” between Elder and Amy. And in the end, I was satisfied for the most part—there were no declarations of undying love or mushy kissing scenes. Amy was realistically aloof, and Elder was realistically experiencing an extreme case of insta-lust. I was fine with that on both sides.

Verdict: While the characterization was a little flat and the plot was hopelessly predictable, I liked Across the Universe. It was fast-paced and engaging, Revis writes well, and the aftertaste of the story itself is good. I will most certainly be reading the sequel.

This is the first book I’ve read that could classify as ‘Sci-Fi’, so I was a little skeptical when I started reading. To be honest I was fully prepared not to like it; but in reality I couldn’t put it down. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about this complex world Beth Revis built inside the confines of the little ship.

The story is from two people’s points of view—Amy and Elder’s. The chapters alternate, going back and forth between the two people. Both of these characters do a wonderful job at painting the world, in two completely different ways. Elder doesn’t think the world he lives in is odd, and Amy thinks nothing but. The clash of how these two react to situations, was wonderful to watch.

The mystery element is nothing to ignore either. Watching the mystery unfold was like watching a flower bloom, the way the author set it up. The pacing was nice, and the way the characters contrasted off each other was fun to watch. Some of the culture in this ship makes you just go… who would ever think of that? These cultural aspects are just so wrong you can’t help but find them brilliant.

At times when I was reading this, I started to feel claustrophobic. I could just imagine being in Amy’s situation, and I could imagine being confined to a ship. It’s safe to say that if I was ever offered a trip to another planet—I would not being going.

Across the Universe is awesome, much better than the other book that I read recently that is very similar to this, Glow. When I picked this book of the bookshelf I thought it was the next book to Glow, as it seemed so alike, but I was wrong, and this book out shined that book by miles.

I must say I liked the mystery aboard this massive ship. How Amy woke up and was launched into a problem that the people of the ship lived with everyday. It was so sad to know that Amy couldn't go back to sleep and wake up with her parents, her awakening destroyed that possibility. I like the whole 'murder' mystery, and the way that Amy drew over her wall with the black paint, I thought that was super creative.

I was disgusted by the 'Feeders'. I thought at the beginning that they were just born like that, simple minded, uneducated peasants. But after a while, the book started describing the people as having no emotion, and that was made me think harder. And finally the season, now that was disgusting. Normal people wouldn't be like that, in the streets like that. It was disgusting!!

The cover of the book implies romance between Amy and Elder. And there was, but not the obsessive type that a lot of books are about now days. I though that this was great, the fire between them wasn't there, and there were a few kisses shared, but it wasn't a to major part.

Across the Universe is an amazing book, a tale that is built on lies that have been so intertwined it is impossible to tell if it is really the truth. I reckon if you had to pick a science fiction book about this sort of futuristic traveling, This is the one to pick. It is brilliant.

GAH! That ending! It was perfect in the way that it wrapped things up, but it just left me with such a bittersweet feeling.

So here’s the deal: Across the Universe is brilliant. So all those people that have been telling you to read it? They weren’t lying.

If I had to pick out one thing about the story that was my favorite, it’s that there’s not really any romance. When I saw that (gorgeous) almost-kissing cover I just knew Amy and Elder were going to get it on. It just so happens that I was wrong, though. Oh sure, there’s a spark there, but the story isn’t about the romance and I loved that. The non-romance means I can go around waving this book in everyone’s faces without having to worry if they’re romance haters or not.

Which leads me to what the story is about: secrets. Lots and lots of secrets. And mysteries galore! Sure, I knew about the whole “Godspeed is a ship built on lies” tagline, but I didn’t fathom just how many lies Revis was going to manage to shove into it. Every time I thought I had something figured out I was faced with another plot-twist or mini-mystery. I admit that for a while towards the beginning I was like “MORE secrets?! When do I get some answers?!” but I assure you that they’ll come and in the meantime there’s plenty of crazy stuff to keep you occupied.

I’m really hoping we get to see more of the science behind Godspeed in book two. It didn’t really have a place in Across the Universe because of everything else that was going on, but I still love learning about (fictional) science.

And can I just say that the Season seriously creeped me out? Because it really, really did.

The Nutshell: Across the Universe is a fantastic read. If you’re looking for something with minimal romance, fantastic characters, and a great story full of mystery then you’ll definite find it in AtU.

Direct Hit

I knew I wasn’t going to love this book ever since I first heard about it and I avoided getting it for the longest time, but I eventually gave in because I had to see for myself what it was all about. I believe it’s safe to say that although I liked the book enough, it definitely didn’t do anything for me.

Across the Universe was basically a detailed explanation of the setting for the rest of the series. A quarter of the book was Beth describing the ship in vast detail and of Amy’s inner monologue while she was frozen. Even after Amy wakes up, there’s very little action, just her exploring her new world and Elder falling head over heels in love with her at first sight. And love wasn’t even a big issue in this book at all. What little interaction Elder and Amy had did nothing to spur their romance and I honestly couldn’t connect to either, or any, character.

The only thing I’ll give Beth credit for is creating such a intriguing and quite plausible future world, but very little happens at all, when I was expecting action and adventure aboard a space ship with a crazy, tyrannical villan/leader. You got a tiny bit of action in the end, but that flew by within a couple pages, and you’re left on a big ship with nothing to do now. I’m very interested in seeing where exactly Beth is going with this and pray there will be more action and romance in the next book since, I’m hoping, she’s done with all the scenery and ship-talk.

Don’t get me wrong, I did like the book and finished it pretty quick, despite it’s slow pace, but if I hadn’t already bought it, I’d say wait until the whole series is out and then either borrow it from the library or buy the paperback/ebook versions since they’ll probably be cheaper.

I started this book because my best friend, Lindsay, said that it was worth a look. I saw it on her bookshelf during a sleepover and was totally captivated by the beautiful cover. I decided to read it as soon as I finished the list of books that I had to read already. A few weeks later after I finished with The Maze Runner Series, The Lorien Legacies books, Divergent, and Hourglass I bought Across the Universe via E-reader. I would recommend reading the book with an E-reader because you really feel like someone in the story using a futuristic device. I honestly thought at one point that I was using a sort of floppy! It took me four days to read because at the time I was working on a project of some sort but I sat awake at night reading this book because it was AMAZING! I could feel every bit of emotion leaking from the pages and whirlwind of drama came to light after only a few chapters. I don't want to spoil anything but let me just say that YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. Honestly, It's worth your time.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/review-across-the-universe-by-beth-revis/

I love books that aren't constrained to just one genre. I like mythological creatures with romance. I like dystopia with the supernatural. I like a little murder mystery tinged with love. I like that. So you can imagine that I was very pleased with the mixture of science fiction, dystopia, mystery, and romance in this novel. The science fiction? Represented through the futuristic feel of this book and the space journey. The dystopia? Represented in how Godspeed was run, under an all-powerful (or almost all-powerful) Eldest. The mystery? Represented in the mystery of who woke Amy from her cryo chamber. And the romance? Ah. Well. Amy and Elder.

In addition to the mixture of genres, the plot was very well developed. I could easily follow along and imagine what it's like to live in a ship with 2312 inhabitants, some of which are Feeders, who provide for the food of the ship, the Shippers, who run the ship, and Elder and Eldest, who control the people. And then add in the new technological developments–the wi-coms that let you communicate with anyone anywhere in the ship, the grav tubes that transport you through the ship, the floppies with huge screens that can hold enormous amounts of information ... You'd think all of that would be overwhelming. But in Across the Universe, you can just fall right into the book.

I loved the characters in this book. Loved. Amy, one of our protagonists, is such a strong female character yet still has that tenderness inside of her that wants to cry for her parents when she realizes that she is alone with strangers. Her passion in trying to find out who is killing the passengers in the cryo chambers and her determination in being accepted in the ship make her one of my favorite heroines. Elder, our other protagonist, is another of our strong characters. Elder has the leadership and courage and heroism that is required of him (he is, after all, the future leader of the ship), yet he still has the average thoughts of the average teenage boy. Also, originally he is obedient and submissive to Eldest; but I loved when he finally stood up to the leader of the ship.

And I haven't even talked about the romance yet. I love Amy and Elder's relationship; though at first, you wouldn't believe that the two could be together, you gradually realize that they're made for each other. I loved how Elder was always honest to Amy. And he always tried to stand up for her and protect her. Now that's the kind of guy I'd like.

The only problem I had with this book was the way the workers were practically brainwashed — so much that they would have sex on command. And the few who weren't brainwashed could pretty much rape someone else, who couldn't even cry out to help because everyone else was brainwashed. It's just a sad, sad world when something like that can happen with no one to stop it.

There were few problems that I could find with this book. Almost everything was written beautifully, developed wonderfully, depicted fantastically ... Practically perfect.

Source: copy borrowed from library

Why did I wait so long to read this? This was amazing, and it easily became one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I guess the reason I kept putting it off was because I’m not really a Sci-Fi reader. Generally, I dislike Sci-Fi books. I’ve only found a couple ones from this genre that I enjoy. This is one of them.

Beth Revis is a talented author. The story was smooth, the descriptions so vivid I could almost swear I was there. You could feel everything the character was feeling: all the pain, the happiness, the frustration, that eerie feeling that something’s gone horribly wrong, everything. The plot was about as realistic as a fictional plot can get, filled with twists, unexpected turns, and startling uncovered truths that kept you reading, never wanting to put the book down. Honestly, I thought I had the suspect figured out. I thought I knew what was going to happen. But you know what? I was wrong. The ending was unexpected and satisfying, and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

I love how it was told from the POV of two very different characters – one character from Earth, and one who was born on the ship. It was interesting, and a nice touch. Unlike some books, the characters don’t just sit there and do nothing. They look around for answers. They don’t whine. They deal. If I had to choose something I liked most about this book, that’d be it. The character’s independence.

Although, if my friend hadn’t shoved her copy at me and literally locked me in a room until I finished reading it, I probably wouldn’t have bothered picking this up. However, once I did, I’m actually a little glad I read it. I can’t stress how amazing this book is, and I wish for more books like this one. Add it to your to-read shelf if you haven’t already, because this book is a must read. Pure amazing-ness. And the cover? Gorgeous as well. A must have addition to your bookshelf

I ended up reading Across the Universe in two phases. I initially got the book from the library, as I was one of the first holds. Unfortunately, that meant my time with it was limited and I did not have time to finish it, since my library pile had gotten rather out of control. So I got about halfway through and had to return it and wait until I could re-procure the book to finish it. The point of all of this is that my opinion of the book had changed a bit when I came back to it.

The first half of the book did not really succeed in engaging me. I had heard so much hype and was so looking forward to it, and it did not live up to that. (Isn't that always the way with me?) Upon return, as I skimmed through the book to make sure I remembered everything and tried to locate my stopping point (because genius that I am I forgot to make note of that location), I found myself thinking how cool it was. Reading through the rest of the story was then a breeze.

The story still was not quite perfect (like many other teen dystopias, there's a section pretty much straight from The Giver), but I am super hopeful about the second book in the series. I really liked how shades of gray it was (not in the Jasper Fforde sense). Elder is the perfect example. He's a good a guy and I related more to him than to Amy (how much can I really relate to someone who runs for fun?), but he definitely has a dark side (and not in the oh no, I'm a vampire who might hurt you sense).

Dystopia fans should definitely not miss this one, as it is one of the awesome ones that is really a dystopia on several different levels (although more than the dictator would be spoilers). As a final enticement, here's a quote that encapsulates the book: "This ship is built on secrets; it runs on secrets."

Wow, this is an amazing book.

Amy is one of the frozen passengers on Godspeed. She, her parents and many others left Earth some centuries ago, hoping to colonise a new planet called Centauri-Earth, away from the polluted skies of Earth. Amy's hoping to wake up three centuries later, with her parents, on a new and fantastic Earth. She's given up her life for this, her home, her boyfriend, her friends, everything.

Elder lives on Godspeed. Even though he is the future leader of the ship, there's still much that Eldest hasn't told him. Elder is prepared to go to many lengths to find out those secrets. He discovers a secret level below that of the Feeders (people who want nothing more than to serve Eldest willingly and tend to farm animals), one where there are many, many frozen people. He discovers a girl, with flaming red hair, bright green eyes and pale, freckly skin. He has never seen the likes of this; everyone on Godpspeed is mono ethnic and looks pretty much the same; the same dark skin, dark hair and eyes. This apparently, is to prevent discord.

Amy was prepared to give everything up in the hopes of a better life. Something, though, goes horribly wrong. Somehow, she has been reanimated early and has now woken up on Godspeed with another half a century to go before the scheduled landing time.

Eldest, a tyrannical leader, is determined that the people on Godspeed believe that Amy is one of the "crazies" and sends her to the Ward, with a mixture of "crazy" people who Amy discovers are actually quite sane. Elder is fascinated by Amy and wants to know more about her and Sol-Earth (our Earth).

When another cryo chamber is opened, the second after Amy's, she's determined to discover who is behind the plot before her parents are murdered.

This is a fantastic sci-fi book that I really loved. You will get hooked right from the start with the chilling description of Amy and her parents getting frozen for the trip.

Beth Revis takes us on a fascinating journey into the future. On the ship, there are many secrets that need to be uncovered to save every frozen person and everyone who's not. But it is much easier said than done.

I hope this review has encouraged you to read this book. It is really worth it, a great read!

This book was fantastic! The futuristic plot mixed with a murder mystery was pure genius! The characters felt like real people and came to life in the pages. Beth Revis expertly portrays human emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story! The secrets of Godspeed kept me up at night wondering! I could not put this book down until I had read every last word! The squeal is just as good and is a great continuation of this amazing story!

It’s hard to say what I liked most about this book. Let me start by praising the author. Beth Revis has a beautiful writing style. It’s poetic at times without being wordy or flowery. It’s simple and dramatic. Poignant.



I also love authors that include subtle clues in their novels. Everything in this book has a purpose, even the name of the ship Godspeed. I did a little research (based on a comment from Amy, the MC in the book) about what Godspeed actually means. No surprise that it has hidden meanings. The Old English etymology of the word “speed” has nothing to do with actual velocity. Instead, it refers to prosperity and good fortune. Adding God was an acknowledgment of God’s generosity and blessing to an endeavor. Thus, speed in that sense became the acquisition of wealth and prosperity through a divine blessing. The irony of the name of the ship was not lost on me. It was interesting that she ship was named Godspeed by the original builders, but yet the current inhabitants look at religion as “fairy tales” and myths. There is no God on Godspeed. I also noted that Dante’s Inferno was referenced in the book as well when the crypto chambers were described as the final level of Hell: icy and cold. Oh, Ms. Revis you are a genius!



The plot of this book is also a tightly written piece of literary genius. There are many twists and turns and lies. Oh, so many secrets and lies. The three causes of discord were described as difference, lack of leadership, and individual thought. But really, the main cause of discord is lack of trust. Imagine living on a ship for centuries without ever knowing what was going on. History has been erased and rewritten, but no one knows the real truth because the secret has been preserved for generations. Imagine the chaos that would stem from such leadership. Or maybe there is no chaos because the people on the ship are so heavily drugged that they have no sense of reality? Only the “crazy” people can see reality for what it is. Imagine…



The characters are also perfectly written. Believable. Damaged. And some are evil beyond words. Eldest, the tyrannical leader of the ship, enjoys being compared to Hitler. He views Hitler as a leader worthy of admiration. Whoa. Then there is Luthe. To me is the worst of the characters in the book. Eldest has a reason for his crazy beliefs, and at times I could side with his rationale. But Luthe… oh gosh. When the rest of the ship is acting out its animal instincts during “the Season,” he is in perfect control. He is not influenced by hormones and drugged water. His cruel actions are 100% his own and intentional. That makes him far worse than any other antagonist in my opinion. I was a little disappointed how quickly he disappeared from the plot after his horrible act. But I don’t think that was an accident. I have a feeling Luthe will reappear in the future book in a way that can not bode well.



It is so hard to talk about this book without giving away too much. It reminded me of the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy that I read as a teenager. (C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors that I do not compare others to often because his writing is perfection in my eyes). I enjoyed reading Across the Universe. In fact, once I made it to page 30 or so, I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish reading it. So many unanswered questions leave me begging for the next book (which I hear is fabulous). If you still aren’t sold on this book, let me leave you with this: My dad (in his mid-50s) hijacked my copy of Across the Universe before I could read it. I had to endure listening to him laugh and make noises of contemplation as he read my book (another reason I finished it in one sitting). To understand the irony and importance of this situation, you have to understand my father. He is a reader. His choice reading material: military tactics, biographies, and the classics. Not YA reading material. So, for him to say, “This is a pretty good book” is HUGE. Monumental even.



This book is worth reading, even if you don’t like science fiction, you will find something to appreciate in this book.

I'm not usually drawn to books set in space, but this book won me over instantly. The world building is fabulous. The ship is practically a character in its own right. And the ship has SECRETS.

Oh, the secrets.

When Amy and her parents are cyogenically frozen, she expects to wake up in a new world on a new planet. Intead, she is (accidentally? deliberately?) awakened 50 years too early. Bonding with her new ally Elder (the future ruler of the ship), Amy struggles to come to terms with her new surroundings, the fact that her parents remain frozen, and the strange happenings on the ship.

Especially when those strange happenings include murder.

This was absorbing, fascinating, and left me craving more. Highly recommend.