Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Amy made the decision to join her parents aboard the spaceship Godspeed and is cryogenically frozen. She thought she’d wake up 300 years in the future on a new planet, but the unexpected happens, and Amy’s cryogenic chamber is unplugged early, nearly killing her. Amy finds herself amidst an unfamiliar and unforgiving society that the people of Godspeed have formed, where absolute control is held by Eldest and Elder and anything—or anyone—out of the ordinary is viewed as a threat. Amy used to think she was just an ordinary girl, but Elder thinks she is wondrously different while Eldest views her as a foreign object that must be contained—or eliminated. There is no doubt, though, that for better or worse, Amy’s appearance is the beginning of something big—something that could drastically and dangerously alter Amy’s world and life aboard Godspeed as she knows it.

Across the Universe is absolutely a thrilling tale of dystopias, science fiction, and mystery. It was difficult for me not like this story because the premise was so fascinating, and thankfully, Revis does a pretty great job overall of translating her ideas into a story. My favorite part of Across the Universe, aside from its very original ideas, was definitely the characters. The narrations alternate between Amy and Elder, which allows the reader great insight into their perspectives and emotions. These different points of view were particularly valuable in light of the many controversial situations that Amy and Elder encountered aboard Godspeed, because they illuminated the fact that even in the most atrocious of circumstances, there are always two sides of the story. The structure of the plot was satisfactory, even though I could correctly guess ahead many times, but I feel that the value in Across the Universe lies beyond the plot. This thought-provoking novel is quite an enjoyable one, and one with great potential for an exciting sequel.

Across the Universe will be enjoyed by fans of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from publisher Penguin