Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
Blurb:
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
Date started: 5th may '13
Date finished: 10th may '13
Rating out of five?: 4 stars
Why not five?:The first part of the book starts off with (and this doesn't count as a spoiler) Amy and her parents being frozen. The detail is really vivid and realistic. Seriously, I was left gagging over the toilet because I could feel tubes being shoved down MY throat. The whole experience was not pleasant, but it would have been terrible without it. I'm confused about whether or not I like that chapter, but I'm going to say, yes, that it was good. Next, there's the whole concept of the season. When it was first mentioned, to be honest, I laughed. It was a little bit ridiculous. Never, ever could I have imagined the amount of detail the book would go into about it. The only explanation I can think of that would make this seem understandable in my head is that the DETAILED descriptions help set the scene on how the ship is being run. With unfair and discriminating laws. Also, Amy pines for her 'Daddy' a lot, thinking he is going ti be unfrozen early, as she was. never once does this girl think of her mother. The poor woman. The last reason I docked a star was the whole issue that is the cover. For ages I pondered over whether it was blobs of goo or some type of funky sunglasses. The only reason I discovered it was two people kissing spiderman style was that if you look closely enough you can see some of the girl's hair and her front tooth.
Who would enjoy the book?: the whole YA/fantasy/dystopian gang.
Was it up to the author's general standards?: Not sure, really. I'd really like to read the sequel; A million Suns, if I can get it.
Was it a quick read?: no, despite a fast paced rhythm and twisting plot, the whole thing was just like an overrated 'who-done-it' type thing. I just had to put it down every time it went on and on and on about things that it didn't need to go on about.
