Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Details

Publisher:  Razorbill- Penguin Group (2011)

Pages:  398

Content:  L- Mild, S- Nudity, Teen kissing, Adult sex, V- Punching, Attempted rape, Suicide, Murder

Recommended Age:  16+

Source:  Dorchester County Library

Front Flap Description
Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future.  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 forteited 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.

My Thoughts
Yes, this book is as exciting as it sounds in the front flap description.  There is a hint of romance, but the story focuses more on unraveling secrets and figuring out how to deal with life in the claustrophobic, dystopian society aboard the spaceship.  The narration of the story alternates between Elder's and Amy's point of view and it is interesting to see how Amy, who was born on Earth, and Elder, who was born on the ship, view and react to various elements of ship life.
   Like any good dystopian novel, this book raised a number of social, political, and ethical questions, and while the characters in the book attempted to resolve them in various ways, there was still a good deal of uncertainty at the end.  I found this approach appropriate as there are rarely certain answers to such questions in real life.  There was a tremendous amount of description of the flaws in the society the author created- it was quite frightening and disturbing at times.  But while the leader, Eldest, was portrayed as a villain, the author also gave insight into why he made the choices he did and what it cost him.
   As far as the murder mystery elements were concerned, most of it was pretty obvious, although there was a twist at the end that took me by surprise.  My main problem with that part of the story is that once it was discovered that someone was trying to unplug and kill the cryogenically frozen passengers, Eldest put very little effort into discovering who was doing it, and no effort into guarding or protecting them.  With his compulsive need for control over every element of life aboard the ship, this made no sense whatsoever to me.  Still, there were so many other things going on the book that this flaw did not completely ruin it- it was just sloppy.
   Overall, I found it an intriguing and engaging read.  Although it is marketed to teens, it definitely contains some mature elements that would be more appropriate for an older audience.  But there is a good mix of action, intrigue, and moments that just make you think.  Definitely worth a read.

Rating
4.5/5