Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe-Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Source: Around the World Tours
Author Website

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship "Godspeed" and expects to awaken on a new planet in 300 years. Never could she have known that she would be thrust into the world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
(Borders)

I'm married to a hardcore Sci-Fi fan. Sci-Fi comprises 80% of what my husband reads in a year. So, when I heard about Across the Universe, I thought it might be a nice 'soft' way to read sci-fi. My brain tends to freeze when I read all types of details about spaceships, but in this book, details are described, but not in the infinite detail that they are in hard sci-fi. I told my husband about some of the elements of the spaceship, and he started asking me all these questions, and I had to laugh and tell him I just didn't know.

I'm glad I stepped outside the box and read a sci-fi book, and I really hope that this book ushers in a new generation of 'soft' sci-fi. Across the Universe is beautifully written, and what I loved more than anything is that the 'love' story isn't a typical variety. It's complicated, as most relationships are.

I couldn't help but feel like I was on the ship Godspeed with Amy and Elder. I really connected with Amy, as could you imagine waking up several hundred years in the future and being treated like a freak of nature? She meets Elder and his friend Harley, who befriend her, but she's really not sure if she can trust anyone. Amy's crisis affects the lives of her friends as they find out more about what's really going on on the ship. I felt constricted, and in a way, was glad when the book was over because I was free of the ship and the story. Don't take that the wrong way, as I think that's a mark of excellent writing!

I really enjoyed Across the Universe and I highly recommend it, both to sci-fi fans and those who are like me and don't really read the genre. You'll be pleasantly surprised.