Tuesday 25 January 2011

Book Review - Across The Universe

Title: Across The Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN-13: 978-0141333663

Synopsis
Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she’s due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone. Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she’ll let him. But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide . . .  

My Review
The first time i saw this book and read the blurb i showed no interest at all really, Sci-Fi space adventures really aren't my thing, but the more i thought about it the more it seemed appealing, and then i saw lots of reviews throughout the blogging world and everyone was saying how fantastic it was, i decided it would be worth my time. I did have to stop part-way through so i could read some books for a book-day at work, but to be honest i was grateful for the distraction. I don't know if it was because the book was so hyped up that my expectations weren't met or simply that it wasn't my thing but for the first 100 pages i was really bored and considered giving it up on more than one occasion.
Although saying that, i think the break did the world of good, i came back to it in a different mind-set, prepared not to like it, and i admit i started to enjoy it a lot more.
Amy is cryogenically frozen on board the ship 'Godspeed', with her parents and other citizens from earth, all of whom are considered useful. They will journey to a new planet, the flight will take 300 years, when they arrive they will all be unfrozen and will help to rebuild civilisation on the new planet. Amy is the only non-essential, the only person without a person, only there because her parents got permission to bring her. However, Amy is unfrozen 50 years too early, the shock nearly kills her, but once awake she sets out to find who unplugged her, and as others start getting unplugged too and dying, she has to find out before it's too late.
Elder is Seventeen, he is being trained by Eldest to be the next leader. The ship is kept running by a small society, they have farms, hospitals, fields etc, and it all needs to keep running, and bringing in new generations so there is someone to unfreeze the people when they arrive at the planet. Elder teams up with Amy to discover who is behind the brutal unplugging's. Everything on the ship is not what it seems.
I loved the different personalities, Amy is a free spirit, passionate about life and what is right, strong and independent, but still human with moments of weakness and a desire for her parents.
Elder started off a bit annoying to me, a bit like a puppy doing everything it's master says, but he comes out of his shell as the story progresses and i found myself growing to really like him, and hoping he got what he wanted.
Eldest scared me a bit, he had a multi-personality, one moment friendly granddad, the next he was an angry psychopath. He was a great 3dimensional character and i could understand why he was the way he was.
Overall i did enjoy the book, it wasn't as good as i thought, but i am definitely glad i read it. Maybe i am more clever than i thought, but i did manage to solve the mystery about half way through the book and so wasn't surprised by the big revelation towards the end, but still enjoyed reading to see how it was revealed.
The ending is clearly set for a sequel and i must admit I am looking forward to it's release. 

My Rating
I would give this book 8/10. Grab a copy and give it a go, you'll be pleasantly surprised.  

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