Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Across The Universe by Beth Revis
398 Pages
From Inside Flap: Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber. Someone tried to murder her. Now, Amy is caught inside a tiny world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's 2.312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

The book starts right off the bat, Amy and her parents are cryogenically frozen through a process that had me squirming uncomfortably in my chair. No freezing for me, thanks. Elder is the leader-in-training and is around Amy's age. Poor Amy, really, she has a tough time through out this book. First she is almost murdered then she has to live on board a ship where everyone thinks she's a freak because of her different looks. 'Different' is apparently something the citizens don't like (or know nothing about). Everyone on the ship looks similar with dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. Amy has pale skin, red hair, and green eyes. Can't get any more different than that! Reading the different experiences she has, I almost felt like I was reading The Twilight Zone. Creepy people who think everything is 'normal' and evil 'leaders' who think it's all for the best. Amy handles it pretty well, while she is clearly not welcome (with some exceptions) she still insists on finding out who the murderer is and refuses to accept the 'life' the other passengers lead. Imagine waking up on a ship where the sun is a solar lamp and there is no sky with walls all around you and the food tastes like... not the food you're accustomed to. Don't get me started on The Season... Elder and Harley were both great characters to read. Elder is young, but has natural leadership capability. He isn't like the other citizens as he has more access to levels and has a broader knowledge of Earth's history. He isn't put off by Amy, but in fact develops a crush on her almost immediately. Harley is Elder's best friend and an artist. He is Amy's only companion when Elder isn't around, but he seemed unstable throughout the book. The book has great pacing, no slow spots, everything helps reveal more about the ship and move the story along. The ending was literally jaw-dropping! You do get to find out who the murderer is, and Eldest reveals more information about the ship to Elder. The book alternates between Elder's and Amy's POV and it works out beautifully. Oh and this book has a reversible cover with a diagram of the ship on the other side, really cool. I CANNOT wait to read the next book!

I give this book 5 owls!

Across the Universe

Here is a picture of the other cover: