Across the Universe

Apr 26, 2013 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-romance, young-adult, three-stars, cover-lust, signed-copies, paper-copy, owned, dat-title

3.5

When I found ACROSS THE UNIVERSE at the library, I spent several minutes trying to decipher what the cover was. I finally decided that the cover featured space fish kissing before I realized that it was actually a girl and a boy trying to kiss, Spider-Man style.

Before you laugh, look:

Lip-Locked Fish
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VERSUS

Cover
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Told you.

Find more reviews at my blog:
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Dec 21, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: just-plain-bad, kat-s-book-reviews, too-painful-to-finish, the-great-shelf-of-meh

I've heard it mentioned before that DNF(Did Not Finish)reviews were useless and self-indulgent. Why would someone want to read a review by someone who didn't even finish the book?

My answer to that?

have a fucking cookie

There's always going to be a small fraction of reviewers who don't connect with a book and can't finish it, but to dismiss all DNF reviews, I think, is problematic. Especially for an author.

Because it's not necessarily the reader's fault for not being able to connect to the book. Often there are rooki...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of The Host

Shelves: covers-i-love, dystopian-worlds-hells-and-cesspits, could-have-been-better, should-have-loved-it-but-didn-t, 2011-reads, the-future-is-not-your-friend, reviewed

I had much trouble forming my thoughts about this book to write a review. Across the Universe is a hard book to describe. Yes, it has that lovely cover that beckons everyone to read it. Yes, it has an interesting premise. Yes, it has all these elements to make it a brilliant read, something fresh and exciting. But, for me, it just didn't give me everything I had wanted.

Dystopias and I have a love-hate relationship. I love The Hunger Games and Unwind -- but others books, like Matched and Wither,...more I had much trouble forming my thoughts about this book to write a review. Across the Universe is a hard book to describe. Yes, it has that lovely cover that beckons everyone to read it. Yes, it has an interesting premise. Yes, it has all these elements to make it a brilliant read, something fresh and exciting. But, for me, it just didn't give me everything I had wanted.

Dystopias and I have a love-hate relationship. I love The Hunger Games and Unwind -- but others books, like Matched and Wither, are more 'iffy' to me than anything. If I were to compare Across the Universe to certain dystopian novels, I would say it could have been the child of The Host and Inside Out with a bit of Star Trek thrown in for good measure. (I'm definitely a Star Wars fan rather than a Star Trek fan, though, so you can imagine why this book and I clashed a bit.) Almost the entire story takes place on the ship christened Godspeed as it travels to a new planet, labeled as Centauri-Earth, which humans hope to colonize. The estimated time of travel is 250 years, and sixteen-year-old Amy is one of the few to be frozen alive and loaded as cargo, set to be reawakened when the ship makes landing.

Due to outside forces, however, Amy is reawakened early. . .and she finds herself on the ship, a country unto itself ruled by a man named Eldest who has a successor named Elder. The story flip-flops perspectives between Amy and Elder so that you get the whole story. . .and it's not a bad story to read. It is, however, a game of truth and lies, deception and trust, conspiracies and secrets. You never know what's true or not in the story, and I found that to be a bit of a flaw. I dislike books where you never know who to trust. It takes away something from the story if I have to question everyone's credibility.

As characters, Amy and Elder sometimes seemed more like pawns going through the motions than anything else. Amy was a much more vibrant character than Elder, who went back and forth too much for my tastes. I didn't like how he always went back to 'Well, Eldest said. . .' when all the while I was thinking, "You can't trust a damn thing Eldest says!" The only other character I liked was Harley, the is-he-crazy-or-is-he-not artist, whom I actually believed was a better match for Amy than Elder. But, of course, that pipe dream is dead. . .so that cued grumbling on my part.

I will give Revis kudos for this: she made the science believable to me. In a year where there are so many dystopias to read, she actually grounded her book in some realism as far as science and its power go. But she leaves this question too: should we let science rule us, or should we use science sparingly and see what we can do for ourselves? It's a question we all will one day have to face for ourselves.

Across the Universe, for all its lofty ambitions, just didn't wow me as I had expected. Instead, I was left with a read where I liked some parts and disliked others. All in all, it was an underwhelming read to me. Will I read the sequel that's likely forthcoming? That, my friends, is still left up in the air. (less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Lyndsey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-definitely, about-dystopia-or-utopia, reviewed-3-stars, reviewed-2011

Space is awesome! I say that like I've been there. For all you know, I have. I could be a certified astronaut in the U.S. Space Program who took time off from being in space to write fiction about being in space and that's why I've been on Goodreads so much. I could be.... You don't know.

Okay, so I'm not. I haven't nor probably never will go to outer space, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it's the coolest and most awesomest thing in the universe. Which as a matter of fact it actually is t...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Cory rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't enjoy Across the Universe as much as I thought I would. Like most YA, after the first 100 pages, you know you're reading a novel written for teens. That isn't a bad thing, but readers looking for a deep, complex novel, aren't going to find it here.

ETA: YA is not synonymous with shallow. Some writers think it is, but it isn't. They think that because they're writing for teens, they get a pass to write a book filled with plot holes. I don't think that's the case with Beth Revis, but I jus...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: original-and-creative, 2011-reads, i-liked-it, sci-fi, dystopian, young-adult, 2011-favs

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I have read a few YA dystopian society books and I have to say, I really enjoyed this one. It would have gotten 4 stars, but I found the ending to be a bit predictable. There were also a few things I didn't like. There will probably be spoilers in this review, but I'll indicate where I'm about to reveal something.

Across the Universe is a really cool story about a girl named Amy who is frozen in time for 250 years aboard the space ship Godspeed. However, she is violently a...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Nessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, review

Hello everybody, and welcome to another one of Nessa's reviews. This time we're looking at Across The Universe by Beth Revis, a YA novel set on a dystopian (don't you dare run away!) spaceship.

Before we begin, I have one thing to get out of the way – the cover. So many times I would pick this book up in the shop and focus on the white space, wondering what the hell it was supposed to be. Is it supposed to be a spark made by two worlds colliding? No, the planets are shaped too weirdly. Is it two...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, falling-asleep, premise-i-love, should-have-been-better

I really, REALLY wanted to love Across the Universe. I've been eagerly anticipating this book for months. And then...I started reading. And it put me to sleep three nights in a row.

I hate that feeling when a book you've looked forward to for so long turns out to be...meh.

Part of my problem? I read Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out last week, and I couldn't help but make comparisons with Inside Out so fresh in my mind. Inside Out is so unique and compelling that Across the Universe felt flat, weary, a...more I really, REALLY wanted to love Across the Universe. I've been eagerly anticipating this book for months. And then...I started reading. And it put me to sleep three nights in a row.

I hate that feeling when a book you've looked forward to for so long turns out to be...meh.

Part of my problem? I read Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out last week, and I couldn't help but make comparisons with Inside Out so fresh in my mind. Inside Out is so unique and compelling that Across the Universe felt flat, weary, and (frankly, in some parts) disturbing in comparison.

(As an aside, I highly recommend Inside Out for sci-fi lite, dystopian fans. It's a little tedious in the beginning with all of the technical descriptions--props to Across the Universe for including the ship diagram--but Inside Out hits its stride and turns into a riveting tale of life contained inside a metal cube of secrets.)

I admit--I had lofty expectations for Across the Universe, which affected my enjoyment. The novel has such a promising premise--I love the idea of blurring the genres into a this sci-fi mystery romance in a dystopian world--and I guess I was just expecting too much. The characters weren't unlikeable, but I didn't find myself really cheering for them, either. The best character in the novel went the way of Cogon from Inside Out, and I'm disappointed this character won't be back for the sequel.

The worst part of Across the Universe is the overuse of "The Season" hammer. I get it--the Season is disturbing and creepy and unnatural--but I felt like Revis kept hitting me over the head with it again and again. I think a few mentions would have been okay since it is important to the plot, but I feel like I spent the entire middle of the book scrunching my nose and saying, "Eeeew, gross." I wanted to scrub my mind with some disinfectant afterward.

Across the Universe was not a terrible read, but it just never felt completely engaging and compelling--I never had that crazy obsessed feeling you get when you're reading the most amazing book and just CANNOT. PUT. IT. DOWN.

Across the Universe poses some intriguing questions regarding survival, leadership, free will, individual thought, and differences in society, and I hope these ideas will be explored in even greater depth in the sequel, as some of the answers at the end felt too simplistic. It was too black and white without enough exploration of the characters' motivations. The mystery is a little obvious and you'll figure it out way before Elder and Amy, but it did add another dimension to the novel. However, for me, Across the Universe did not live up to the hype.(less)

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Oct 22, 2012 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 stars - Honestly, I was going to give this book one or two stars until near the end.

I have mixed feelings about this book because I really just couldn't get into it until the last quarter or so, but at the same time, it was one of those powerful books that you appreciate at the end because it makes you think.

First a note about the audiobook. I thought Lauren Ambrose's voice was WAY too angsty for the role. Yes, Amy was a very angsty character (and that was part of my problem with her), but...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

3.5 stars. This was a hard book to rate. The first half was 4 star all the way, but something fell off a bit around the middle, and then it picked back up at the end.

Normally, I put a lot more effort into trying to write something worthy of the book, but my excitement about this new series can be summed up into one little sentence : It's about space, man.

That's it. Space. We don't have enough space fiction in YA. This needs to be remedied ASAP. I like where the series is going already, especial...more

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Sep 29, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: covergasm, dystopian, owned-ebooks, cheese, dickhead-heroes, everyone-likes-it-but-me, i-am-disappoint, hot-mess, meh-it-was-okay, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, unlikable-heroines

This review is also available over at my blog.

__________________________

Well, I'm a little disappointed.

First of all, I'm disappointed at the cover change of this series. This cover, the original, is absolutely gorgeous. I find it sad that they keep changing the covers. The first time I saw the newest covers was when I saw the cover of the third book, and no joke, I thought it was a placeholder at first. When I found out they were the official new covers for the whole trilogy I was like...what?...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bubblegum-book, don-t-need-my-clairvoyance-for-this, h-y-p-e-project, the-decent-shelf-of-meh

Also appears on The YA Kitten. Read and reviewed for the H.Y.P.E. Project (details here)

Amy signed up for being frozen for three hundred years while the ship Godspeed took her, her parents, and others to a new planet known as Centauri-Earth, but she didn't sign up for spending most of those years with her mind still active in her frozen state. She most certainly didn't sign up for nearly dying when someone unplugged the cryo machine keeping her alive and frozen. Elder, the heir of Godspeed and i...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, sci-fi, sweet-romance, series, alternating-pov, beloved

"A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder."

So..

# First - the cover is absolutely gorgeous (at least I love it) and this is what made me want to read this book.. And so the myth saying that a book with a great cover is always horrible is busted (just) for the moment ;))

# Second, the cover and the beginning of the quote from above are just a bit wrong - this is not really a love story (not so far), we have some romance in it but it is a small part of this book compared to ever...more

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Jan 31, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, scifi-dystopian-apocalyptic, read-2011, love-story-romance, mystery-crime-sleuthing, stays-with-me, thriller, favorites-of-2011, outer-space, not-afraid-of-sex-in-ya, debut

4.5 stars. The spaceship Goodspeed is on its 300 years long journey to an inhabitable planet, Centauri-Earth. On board are about hundred specialists and their families (bio-engineers, tacticians, sociologists) stored as frozen human cargo in the deep and forgotten bowels of the huge vessel as well as two and a half thousand common inhabitants, who either research plants, weather and livestock for the future socialization or farm and produce goods for the small community. Since an obscure past ev...more 4.5 stars. The spaceship Goodspeed is on its 300 years long journey to an inhabitable planet, Centauri-Earth. On board are about hundred specialists and their families (bio-engineers, tacticians, sociologists) stored as frozen human cargo in the deep and forgotten bowels of the huge vessel as well as two and a half thousand common inhabitants, who either research plants, weather and livestock for the future socialization or farm and produce goods for the small community. Since an obscure past event referred to as "The Plague" severed all connections to Sol-Earth and decimated the breathing population, the on-board democracy has been replaced by a the firm rule of a string of single and almighty rulers, who control access to the Earth's (tampered with) and the ship's (partly hazy) history, the use of cameras, the knowledge about what sleeps in the storage chambers, and who exchanged random reproduction for a system of one mating season per generation. The present ruler, Eldest, appears to be reluctant to share his vast knowledge with his still teen-aged successor, Elder, but emphasizes that the greatest dangers to a surviving society are differences between the members and lack of leadership. Slighted and unsatisfied Elder snoops around and discovers the already melting Amy, who is not only non-essential to the ship's mission (aka disposable if in the way), but also red-headed, pale and a powerful threat to Eldest's omnipotence. Elder's world view is shaken up: What else has been hidden from him and who is attempting to murder those who represent the pathway to a successful settlement?

When I compare "Across the Universe" to Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder, which also takes place in a small, confined and heavily controlled world/eco-system, I have to say I prefer "Inside Out". But, nonetheless, I loved "Across the Universe", too, and look forward to reading the sequel next year, because ...

- It kept me glued to the pages to that extent that I was ripping my eyes open again and again last night while my husband already snored through his third dream or so
- I am a sucker for multi-point-of-view-stories, especially those switching between a boy and a girl
- I really love on-board-of-spaceship-novels that do not primarily deal with war (I also recommend Startide Rising and I greedily wait for Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue to be delivered to my postbox)
- I enjoyed that Beth Revis did not deliver a soppy romance in a thin and superficial space-travel wrapping, but a thrilling space mystery with fantastic world building and a pleasant sprinkling of boy-girl-attraction.
- The characters - even the side-crew - were well-defined, hard-angled and interesting
- Think-worthy questions about leadership, free will and the perfect socialization are touched on the way without offering simple answers.

I recommend this piece of dystopian young adult fiction and say "Beth, bring on the sequel! You've earned all that praise."
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Feb 02, 2011 Princess Bookie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read2010

My Thoughts: Wow, Wow, Wow! I tend to stay away from Sci-fi based novels but this one blew me away. As soon as I saw the summary I knew I wanted to read it, than the cover alone is worth buying it over.

We are introduced to Amy right away and her thoughts and feelings. She is getting ready to be frozen and even the very beginning of the book is very intense. The first few pages made my stomach hurt because I felt so sorry for her because the decision she had to make was huge. Than a few pages la...more My Thoughts: Wow, Wow, Wow! I tend to stay away from Sci-fi based novels but this one blew me away. As soon as I saw the summary I knew I wanted to read it, than the cover alone is worth buying it over.

We are introduced to Amy right away and her thoughts and feelings. She is getting ready to be frozen and even the very beginning of the book is very intense. The first few pages made my stomach hurt because I felt so sorry for her because the decision she had to make was huge. Than a few pages later we meet Elder. He is the future leader of the ship; the Godspeed. He is being trained to take over the ship and lead his generation to their new home.

Amy ends up getting woken up early and Elder does everything he can to try to make her more comfortable. He is very intrigued by this new girl. She is so different from everyone on the ship, her personality, her hair color, her looks, just everything. He finds her fascinating. Of course the leader of the ship right now, Elder does not like her at all. He finds her to be a nuisance and wants her gone.

Their are so many secrets, lies, mysteries on the ship that there is never a dull moment and we are constantly learning new things. Amy's parents are still frozen and she fears they will be woken up just like she was, which she knows now was not an accident because a few others have been unfrozen left to die. And than there is The Season. It's basically where everyone starts mating to reproduce to keep the ships population going on. I hated it from the get go! Love needs to be natural, not predestined. I understand they need to keep humans on the ship but I wanted people to fall in love!

I also loved all the characters in Across The Universe. There were a lot of side characters to keep the story going. I liked getting to know them all.

No spoilers in this review because I don't want to spoil it for anyone so just read the book to find out what happens! What happens to Amy? Does she ever make it off the ship? Does Elder become leader? When does the ship land?

Overall: I really loved this one. I'm usually not a big fan of sci-fi type books. I tend to stick with paranormal or contemp romance YA but this one had just striked my fancy. It was a wonderful book! Its a pretty thick book but I finished it within a day. Once I started, I didn't want to stop. I just had to know what was going to happen!!! It was also told in separate points of view so we got to experience things both with Amy and Elder!Loved that!

Cover: The cover is beautiful. Its striking with just the right amount of colors. Very unique and pretty.

What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes

Taken from Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com (less)

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Dec 12, 2010 Nomes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternating-m-f-pov, faves-of-2010, 2010, kindle

I'm just going to come right out and say it: This book was BRILLIANT and I absolutely LOVED every moment of it. I devoured it all through the night and have been thinking about it ever since (3 weeks ago).

Where to begin with my (rave-on) review?

It's epic, dystopian, has an impossible romance, mystery, creativity and lots of heart and soul.

The prose: Gorgeous and evocative. For a sci-fi it was so not complicated to follow - it flowed seamlessly.

The whole concept: Mate, it's so well explored. Th...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Idunsses rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: covergasm

I have really been looking forward to reading Across the Universe. I have always liked Sci-Fi; the idea of new, foreign planets just draws me in, so naturally I was excited about this novel. From the excerpt, this book truly had the potential to be amazing, I mean, waking up centuries into the future, in a strange spaceship, looking for other Earths, isn’t that just a recipe for awesomeness? Turns out, it’s not.

I did like the plot, the mystery, the tyranny, seeing this world with both new, inex...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ya, dystopian

The blurb on the back of Across the Universe implies that this book is a thriller, while the cover, which boasts a boy and a girl a breath away from kissing, suggests the it’s YA romance. In truth, this book is neither. It’s more of a sci-fi dystopian read than anything else.

Apparently the world as we readers know it is ending, or will end at some point. Economy is failing, people are jobless, sickness and destruction of the world’s resources is inevitable. As a result, the U.S. creates the larg...more The blurb on the back of Across the Universe implies that this book is a thriller, while the cover, which boasts a boy and a girl a breath away from kissing, suggests the it’s YA romance. In truth, this book is neither. It’s more of a sci-fi dystopian read than anything else.

Apparently the world as we readers know it is ending, or will end at some point. Economy is failing, people are jobless, sickness and destruction of the world’s resources is inevitable. As a result, the U.S. creates the largest spaceship ever invented, Godspeed, with the intent of sending it into space to find another planet in which we humans can inhabit and destroy.

As this will all occur in space time (I know, I even impress myself with my general lack of space know how) Godspeed will not land until 300 years in the future. A selection of sods (scientist and military experts) are to be preserved in a frozen state and stored on Godspeed only to be later awakened in the future, once Godspeed has landed on that previously mentioned, newly discovered planet. In the interim, Godspeed will be manned by those whose life on earth must be entirely hopeless as many generations of these fools will never see land, breathe air, or feel the wind and the generation that will finally be afforded these things have been involuntarily signed up to be the new planet’s working class, if that.

Anywho, Across the Universe is told in alternating points of view. We have Elder, who is the next in line to rule Godspeed and then we have Amy, who was non-essential individual frozen along with her parents and is to be reawakened upon landing. However, things get a wee bit complicated when Amy is awakened fifty years ahead of schedule.

Though the themes hand a tendency to become a tad heavy handed, I thought the overall theme of this story was presented well. It was fascinating to ponder how societies and belief systems could form, or how one lie presented as truth, could flourish and thus alternate reality. Furthermore, Reis did an excellent job with her setting. I was constantly at odds with the description. One minute I’m marveling at the sheer size of Godspeed, which boasted small cities, farmland, and many other nooks and crannies that contained hidden secrets and yet could instantly feel claustrophobic and oppressed when the story called for such feelings. Overall, I thought Across the Universe was a well done debut, but to those of you who are only seeking this book due to the potential romance, I suggest you look elsewhere.
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Sep 18, 2012 Krystle rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen but…
I hated this book. HATED it.

Why? Because all the characters sucked. Elder is just a horny boy who only thinks with his brain down there whenever he sees Amy, and Amy is just a dumb, pathetic protagonist who can do nothing for herself. The whole time she is either moping or screaming, nothing in between and when she’s moping all she can think about is all the times she missed out with her oh so wonderful boyfriend she left behind (...more This book has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen but…
I hated this book. HATED it.

Why? Because all the characters sucked. Elder is just a horny boy who only thinks with his brain down there whenever he sees Amy, and Amy is just a dumb, pathetic protagonist who can do nothing for herself. The whole time she is either moping or screaming, nothing in between and when she’s moping all she can think about is all the times she missed out with her oh so wonderful boyfriend she left behind (I forgot his name already) and how she misses Daddy.

Ugh, Daddy. Just her saying that gives me the creeps. It’s like some gross Electra complex. She’s 16! Who says Daddy? I swear.

Then she’s off complaining about how she’s stuck here but she’s the one who chose to go through with the procedure, no one forced her. Also, Eldest? He’s such a pathetic villain. He’s so one-dimensional I was not scared of him at all. Not once. Ever.

I love space, the space program, and everything else so I've watched a lot of documentaries and have taken classes in astronomy and astrobiology so...

I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of science fail in this book but the one thing I remember is how the ship’s engines were failing so they were slowing down. Umm, what? Dude, once you reach escape velocity speed at liftoff you don’t slow down. You keep going faster or maintain that speed without the aid of a booster. This is just some dumb science fail. I have no idea how she created her monoracial society or how she managed to control the entire population just entirely through dumping meds in the water. Does not seem plausible at all.

Also when what’s his face commits suicide and throws himself out into the vacuum of space. He has enough time to turn around and smile and then turn back around again. NO. This does not happen. He will not remain conscious long enough to do so. Sure there have been tests done saying that a human can survive maybe up to a minute in space - losing consciousness in about 15 seconds - but there has never been a recorded case of a human put ENTIRELY in the vacuum of space. There has been NEAR vacuum but not ABSOLUTE vacuum. They also have never accounted for a person being unprotected (I mean, no protective spacesuit whatsoever), and do not account for the extreme low temperatures, radiation, and lack of oxygen (although your water will evaporate/boil off in no time at all). So no. Not working here. You probably may be able to formulate an OH SHIT thought but being able to make the conscious decision of turning around and giving a parting farewell? No. Just no.

And that plot? Forget about it. Everything is so transparent you can figure out what’s going to happen in the beginning quarter of the book. It makes everything move so slowly and it doesn’t help that the characters are all idiots that I want to throw out into space.

I want better science fiction books. Not this.(less)

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Feb 13, 2011 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

I didn't know what to expect when I started this novel. I was a little bit skeptical... science fiction.. really? Do I even like science fiction? I think had you asked me that before I started this novel, I probably would have said no. Across the Universe deserves so much more than the simple label "science fiction."

The first chapter(s) of this novel are when Amy is undergoing the "freezing" process. I was only able to read a few chapters when I started, and it happened to be right before bed......more

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Aug 29, 2012 Parvathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: sci fi fans

Recommended to Parvathy by: goodreads

Shelves: sci-fi, young-adult, wish-it-was-over-sooner, disturbing-dystopia, books-that-drag, expected-more

When I read reviews, I have often come across reviewers saying that they had mixed reactions about a book. This has always puzzled me a bit as I never knew what's there to be so mixed about, either you like the book or don't but that was before I tried a hand at Beth Ravis's creative venture.

I am not one to criticize anyone's writing skill ~~(having zero writing skills of my own)~~ but I really thought this book had so much potential. Now you may ask me what other track I would have used or twists I...more When I read reviews, I have often come across reviewers saying that they had mixed reactions about a book. This has always puzzled me a bit as I never knew what's there to be so mixed about, either you like the book or don't but that was before I tried a hand at Beth Ravis's creative venture.

I am not one to criticize anyone's writing skill ~~(having zero writing skills of my own)~~ but I really thought this book had so much potential. Now you may ask me what other track I would have used or twists I would have brought about and I may not be able to come up with a straight answer( such questions should be left for more creative people to answer) but what I do know is that once you start reading a book and you feel like it lacks something then there really is something more to be done.

While reading this book some of my friends happened to ask me about the book, I was currently reading and I gave all of them a brief summary of what I have read so far ~~(Just like the synopsis in GR)~~ and all of them were of the unanimous opinion that the book sounds like an interesting read. To be honest the book was interesting but there were points where I couldn't even muster up enough interest to continue reading and there were points where I left everything else to continue reading.

The story begins with the protagonist Amy being cryogenic-ally frozen and loaded aboard a ship Godspeed along with her parents to survive the 350 year old journey to the newly discovered planet resembling Earth. Then narrative then quickly jumps to the point of view of Elder a 17 year old leader in training with in the ship 300 years after the take off. Much has changed in the ship during this time, the ship has lost its communication with Earth and its population which has decimated to a number of 3000 is currently under the leadership of Eldest with his unquestioned authority. The underground cryogenic chambers have been left untouched and forgotten for the past 250 years and that is until Elder stumbles upon it and discovers Amy who is radically different from those on the ship. One thing leads to another and Amy is reanimated 50 years before her time. Faced with no other choice Amy is forced to come in terms with the twisted version of 1984 type reality existing with in the ship were difference is a sin and as her growing companionship with Elder. But before long Amy comes to know that her predicament was not an accident and someone is really trying to murder off the rest of the immobile,hibernating cargo. Other than the identity of the murderer there are some secrets aboard the ship that can affect the lives of all those abroad and its up to Amy and Elder to figure those out before time runs out.

The life abroad the ship is utterly depressing and if the story does not make you feel depressed then the back drop will. The truth is there is a lingering sense of hopelessness through out the book and the ending leaves much to be desired. At the beginning of the book the pace is slow and the descriptions feel endless. Then the book picks up the pace only it loose it again in the middle. But the true story begins towards the end and once you start getting the hang of it the story ends. Character wise Amy and Elder are well conceived. But the rest of the crew leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless I wouldn't condemn the book just yet there are very interesting concepts involved that would make this book worthy of a read.

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Apr 13, 2011 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hall-of-fame, young-adult, sci-fi, dystopian, romance

This book left me TOTALLY GOBSMACKED.

Nowadays where YA dystopian fiction are becoming the new trend, Across the Universe was a total breath of fresh air, being in the science and space genre. Non science fans don't walk away just yet! Read this book, and who knows, you may end up loving it!

The story begins with our main protagonist, Amy, in the midst of being cryogenically frozen with her parents where they are suppose to be awaken 300 years later as the spaceship Godspeed journeys to a new plan...more This book left me TOTALLY GOBSMACKED.

Nowadays where YA dystopian fiction are becoming the new trend, Across the Universe was a total breath of fresh air, being in the science and space genre. Non science fans don't walk away just yet! Read this book, and who knows, you may end up loving it!

The story begins with our main protagonist, Amy, in the midst of being cryogenically frozen with her parents where they are suppose to be awaken 300 years later as the spaceship Godspeed journeys to a new planet, Centauri-Earth. However, Amy was awaken 50 years before the designated time as someone had "unplugged" her, and it nearly led to her death. We then meet Elder, the future leader of the ship and Eldest, the ship's current leader. Eldest took an immediate disliking towards Amy due to the fact that she's different from everyone else - her appearance and all - for to him, difference is the first sow of discord, and he is not happy with the possibility of losing any of the control he has over the people.

The book is told from the perspective of Amy and Elder, and this help give readers a better insight to both characters' personalities and the on-goings on the ship. I was very pleased with the way Beth has done Amy's character. She started off as a girl with many insecurities, but as the story progressed she became more mature and independent. Despite being only a teenager, she had to deal with difficult situations she shouldn't have had to, and she handled them with an appropriate level of maturity a 17-year-old should have. The character, Elder was well portrayed by the author, though at times I was a tad annoyed by his complete trust in Eldest even though he knows that there is something wrong clearly going on. And HARLEY! Oh dear Harley... Even though he was only a secondary character, Harley was very well-developed. Harley's troubles and pain are written in such a way where even readers who have not experience lost can relate to it, and this added greater depth to the story. I absolutely ADORE Harley, his quirkiness and all, and I am, obviously, devastated with what happened to him at the end.

Many readers have had some issues with the Season (a period where people mate openly with the aim of repopulation). It was not the case for me. It's not that I like it or anything but the concept of the Season just made everything so much more believable, since the story is being set in the future and together with a tyrannical leader, it's something that can actually happen. Still, there are times when I do feel that the Season was a little overused at some point. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Across the Universe is a book that has dealt with conflicts, differences and moral issues exceptionally well. The plot is fast-paced, with many twists and turns that took me by surprise. I can't wait to see what happens next and am now eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series!
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Feb 01, 2011 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-physical

4.5 stars. This futuristic novel contains enough mystery and romance to entice young adult readers who are reluctant to jump on the science-fiction ship.

I loved the world building and dystopian setting Revis sustained within Godspeed. There were themes such as what constitutes a good ruler and the effect of freedom and whether or not it should be taken away to maintain safety, which are not exactly common in the YA genre. The eclectic genre of this book is one of its strongest points, as there a...more

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May 22, 2012 Eileen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, read-2011, science-fiction, recommendations, read-2012

Re-reading this book to prepare myself for the sequel that I have ordered. Just to refresh my memory.....

Although I prefer fantasy, I also like science fiction, but not the books with the heavy and complicated technical stuff. This story is captivating, original, full of surprises, with likable main-characters and great descriptions of the spaceship by the author.

Elder has been living his whole life on the spaceship "Godspeed", that's on its way from Earth to the planet Centauri. He's a leader i...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, people who like dual POVs, fans of redheads

Recommended to Rachel by: the world wide web.

I was really surprised at how much I LOVED this book. I was intrigued originally of Beth Revis's interest in Agatha Christie' mysteries. But with the all the hype back in 2009/2010 about it, I wanted to wait the ride out and see what others thought about it. (Of course there would be the #1 fans but I wanted to see if the majority of people <3'd it or just thought it was okay.)

Why didn't I give it 5 stars? Well I thought the whole (view spoiler)...more I was really surprised at how much I LOVED this book. I was intrigued originally of Beth Revis's interest in Agatha Christie' mysteries. But with the all the hype back in 2009/2010 about it, I wanted to wait the ride out and see what others thought about it. (Of course there would be the #1 fans but I wanted to see if the majority of people <3'd it or just thought it was okay.)

Why didn't I give it 5 stars? Well I thought the whole (view spoiler) was a little meh. The book was a little too long for my tastes; it could've been cut. There could have been more science to this sci-fi, but I am hoping in book 2 this might be explored. I did like that Amy knew genetics, etc. but I wanted more science. More science, I tell you. Moooore!

I loved Revis's writing style and how simple and beautiful it was. I can tell how hard she worked and each sentence really mattered to her story. I loved that there were two narrators and YOU COULD ACTUALLY TELL THIS! So many female writers these days write from the male point of view but I do not always believe they are guys. Revis nailed it on the head with Elder. I did think he was a little too naive, but considering the situation/circumstance he was in, I believed his character. I also enjoyed Amy and her memories of Sol-Earth and how strong she was.

Here, for once was the reverse of many YA novels today: the guy was all wanting to kiss the girl, but the girl? Totally more interested in what the heck was going on with the new society she was in, rather a possible romance.

My favorite character was Harley, and I wondered if his ex-girlfriend was a nod to Kaylee of Firefly (the television show). I loved his desire to see the stars and that he painted. I was very sad about what happened with him, but I understood why it needed to happen. Sigh.

I look forward to Book 2: A MILLION SUNS.

Recommended for fans of The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie, definitely.(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Ariel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Where can I start with this book?

First of all, it was one of two books that I got for Christmas, and consequentially The minute breakfast was done and all the presents were unwrapped I dived right into it. I've been waiting a while for this book, and it did not disappoint !

The Characters -
When reading reviews, and even the back cover, I thought that the book would be about the main girl, Amy. Although she was vitally important, and was definitely the lead, do not ink this book centers around her...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Rebecca ♥ Ash, Jem, Warner ♥ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: NO ONE!

Shelves: provincial-library, young-adult, sci-fi, romance, cover-lust, dystopian, reviewed, ebook

I am hesitant to give this 1 star, because there is really nothing worse than 1 star. And I dont think this could really be the worst book of all time. There is probably worse. But I would like to give it a 1.5/5. This book was infuriating! Every chapter, every page, every paragraph just made it all worse and worse. When I thought there could be no more depth to the stupidity, there was!

My number one issue with this book was the poor logic that seemed to abound on Godspeed, the ship. First, it w...more I am hesitant to give this 1 star, because there is really nothing worse than 1 star. And I dont think this could really be the worst book of all time. There is probably worse. But I would like to give it a 1.5/5. This book was infuriating! Every chapter, every page, every paragraph just made it all worse and worse. When I thought there could be no more depth to the stupidity, there was!

My number one issue with this book was the poor logic that seemed to abound on Godspeed, the ship. First, it was Eldest, the leader of the ship, and his theories on monoethnicity, and how differences bred discord. But the only cause of discord was people like him, who made a big deal out of all the differences they saw, instead of trying to understand and accept. And he is a fan of Hitler?! Oh yeah, thats logical, strongly appose discord, yet support the greatest cause of discord in Earth history. Logical. I understand Hitler had some similar opinions about monoethnicity, so maybe Revis thought he was an obvious choice for Eldest to revere. At first I wasnt sure if that was a flaw in his character, or in the writing. But now that I'm done the book, I think it was a flaw in the writing. They never address Hitler again, even though the book spoke of Earth's history a few times. And all these flaws werent a part of the final confrontation. They seemed to play no part in Amy and Elder's rebellion.

The most common complaint I have heard from others was that this was too slow, and I have to agree. Without giving too much away, the book starts with Amy and her parents being cryogenically frozen, saying goodbye to each other for the next 250 years. Right up to the moment when the tank seals, and I was thinking, this is going to be good. We get to skip all the unimportant stuff, and wake up 250 years in the future. But no, Amy remains semiconscious, and we have to go through 13 chapters of pointless dreams that have nothing to do with anything, before she finally wakes up again. And there are several chapters that contain no dialog at all.

And then there is Amy and Elder. The chapters alternate between the two of them, so we got to know them both equally. It is a good format and I would enjoy seeing more books using it. But it cannot save the book if the characters suck to begin with. From the moment Amy wakes up, Eldest is upset about the discord she will cause, and she never once tries to argue with him, with all the hundreds of reasons she has every right to be there, and that Eldest should never have taught his crew to hate differences in the first place, knowing perfectly well that there were 100 frozen people at the bottom of the ship that are different from them all. And as she gets to know Elder she tries to show him what people were like on Earth, but it is such a weak attempt I dont know why she even bothers. When people start mating in the streets (which was laughable) she says its unnatural, and Elder is confused but she goes no further to explain. And when Elder recites her an extremely altered version of the Gettysburg Address, she says its wrong, but goes no further to explain the truth about American history. And Elder, he seems to think she is slow or something. Not as slow as everyone else, but he doesnt seem to trust her. The few things she does tell him about Earth, he shakes off and thinks to himself, that she just doesnt understand what it is like to live peacefully. Godspeed is just one small bubble of humans, and Amy came from the origin of humans, where there are billions of them, yet Elder and everyone else treats her as if she knows nothing about it. No one ever takes her seriously. Amy and Elder really dont seem to have a connection. And neither seem to react to each other, or to their trials, in any way I would imagine someone reacting. This book is a good example of how the future will never be. No one in this book seemed to behave like a proper human being. The word illogical is the most prominent in my mind when I think of this book.

Elder is basically constantly thinking about how much he wants to jump Amy, but that is purely a physical attraction. He also likes how alive she is compared to the others on the ship, but Amy gives no indication that she has any interest in Elder. Right up until the end, she still doesnt even want to hold his hand. Which reminds me, Amy's old boyfriend Jason. What a jerk. He sounds like a horrible boyfriend and I cant believe Amy is still thinking about him. And I am so disappointed that she slept with him. What a waste. Part of the reason I so love YA romance, not that this had any romance, is I love seeing people discover love and all that entails, together, for the first time. Amy and Elder can't ever have that now, if they ever got that far.

In most dystopians there are a few corrupt individuals at the top. Those underneath either dont know what is really happening, or they serve through fear or bribery. But in this book, there are a few who know the truth of Godspeed, and none of them does anything about it. No one besides Amy and Elder seem to think there is anything wrong with anything. And even then, I have my doubts about Elder. He is far too much like Eldest. No one on the ship seems to have a conscience. When we finally found out what Godspeed's secret was, there were far better ways the problem could have been dealt with, instead of creating all those secrets and discord. And when we found out who the culprit is, his reasons for what he did dont make sense either. I cant think of a single example of good decision making in this book.

This book just made me so angry. I wanted to shout and throw things. There was absolutely nothing pleasant about the experience. Nothing could make me read the next book, A Million Suns.

For those of you who want to read a book that did what Across the Universe failed to do, or even if you loved this and want more dystopians in space, I recommend you read Hope's Daughter.(less)

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Apr 04, 2012 Lissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, kick-ass-heroine

I’m a sci-fi nut. I love the genre. I also love YA. I have a thing about strong female characters and not necessarily focusing on a romance – so Across the Universe should have been the perfect book for me.

The first part of the book gets five stars, but after something kinda weird happens within the plot – that makes sense, yes, but it’ the place where I first noticed – the writing gets really choppy and I didn’t really enjoy reading the second half of the book. Sometimes a character would think...more I’m a sci-fi nut. I love the genre. I also love YA. I have a thing about strong female characters and not necessarily focusing on a romance – so Across the Universe should have been the perfect book for me.

The first part of the book gets five stars, but after something kinda weird happens within the plot – that makes sense, yes, but it’ the place where I first noticed – the writing gets really choppy and I didn’t really enjoy reading the second half of the book. Sometimes a character would think one thing and it turns out the thought is an action, or perform an action upon reflection, and I didn’t like that approach at all. I sometimes struggled to work out what was a thought and what was an action. And later in to the book, nearer to the climax, I noticed a distinct lack of emotional build up. The characters would read as being extremely calm but then they’d suddenly start screaming, or their dialogue would read like they should be screaming but they were actually speaking calmly.

Unfortunately, even though Amy is overall a pretty cool heroine, I couldn’t picture her as a seventeen year old. She kept referring to her father as ‘Daddy’ and it made me think of a small child. True, she does have some vulnerability which makes her more realistic and likeable, but her constant need to refer to her parents as ‘Mom and Daddy’ annoyed the chutz out of me. I still call my father Daddy when I want something from him, but I’d never refer to him as such to a friend and that name never spins inside my thoughts. Maybe it’s just me, and I sure hope it works for some other readers because I just found it really annoying.

Apart from the whole ‘Daddy’ thing, and her speshul-ness inherited from her amazing looks – bright red hair, pale white skin, and big jade green eyes – that makes her stand out in a mixed race monoethnic population, I liked Amy. She had more important things to do than moon over some boy. In fact, the romance is pretty much one-sided, and I’d struggle to even call it a romance. Elder thinks like a real teenage boy – he’s obsessed with Amy’s looks and what it would be like to have sex with her. Although I didn’t really like the second half of the novel, at least this was when Elder started getting to know Amy better and stopped thinking of her in terms of a walking vagina with boobs.

That’s a mental image you never thought you’d see.

As for the mystery – I pretty much called it the moment the suspect character was introduced. I certainly didn’t like the older characters – in fact I didn’t really like anyone apart from Elder and Amy, but maybe that was what Revis was trying to do. So kudos to her if so.
The best thing about this book is the fact that it really makes you think philosophically about truth and propaganda and the way history can be manipulated. I found that the most fascinating thing and would often pause to reflect. If only the majority of the population knew how easily they could be manipulated – by the media, by history books, by politicians. I loved following Elder’s quest for the truth.

I’d like to read the sequel, A Million Suns, but I’m in no great rush. I’ll borrow it from my library when they get it in. I’d like to know the resolution to the major conflict, but I wasn’t as excited when I finished the book as I was when I started it.(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Jude rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-my-shelf

http://inbetweenwritingandreading.blo...

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
That call me on an on across the universe. . .
. . .Nothing’s gonna change my world.
-Lennon/McCartney.

With this words, the story of Across The Universe begins, we are taken to a whole new world, and I don’t mean this literary, I mean it in the sense of what makes a world to all of us, it being our family, friends, or the four walls keeping us safe that we call home. Across The Universe is by f...more http://inbetweenwritingandreading.blo...

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
That call me on an on across the universe. . .
. . .Nothing’s gonna change my world.
-Lennon/McCartney.

With this words, the story of Across The Universe begins, we are taken to a whole new world, and I don’t mean this literary, I mean it in the sense of what makes a world to all of us, it being our family, friends, or the four walls keeping us safe that we call home. Across The Universe is by far one of the best sci-fi novel I have read, and in all the imaginary world, a story never felt so real, in all of the impossible, I had never seen such possibilities, and in all the secrets and lies, there had never been so much truth. I’ll start the Review:

When I got my hands on Across The Universe, I was eager to start, wondering where Beth Revis would take us, what would she show us, and whom would she allow us to meet. I’ll admit, the first 100 pages or so, where kind off slow. In this pages she introduces us to the characters and the situation, but what did kept me captivated, was the wonderful world she created, inside metal walls. The way Beth Revis describes Godspeed, was rich, enjoyable, and didn’t seemed forced at all.

In the next hundred pages (200-300) the story starts to build up, you have a more clear vision of everyone, you become suspicious, wary of everyone around you, and you start to see the truth –or at least you think you do. Believe me, you’ll never guess. And as for the last hundred pages. . . I finished in two hours, not one second, did I kept my eyes away from the pages. I was always guessing, sure I had everything solved, that I knew the truth, and every time something happened, I would look at another character with accusatory eyes and point at him as the one to blame. A few more pages, and I had another one to blame, and I would have sworn each time, that I had it right. It wasn’t until the very last pages that I saw, really saw. And Oh. My. God. I’m still speechless, my fingers fly on their own over my keyboard, searching for the appropriate words to describe it, to describe everything. I can’t. You just have to read it and see by yourselves.

The Characters: I had never sympathized with a character as much as I did with Amy and Elder. Amy was just. . . real, you know? She always saw the truth, and fought to have it, to discover it, and to share it. I’ve read a lot of books with characters like Amy, that fight for what they believe in and will do anything, at any cost to make things good, right. But they are never real. Amy was real. She was scared as hell, and still fought, she had been hurt unimaginably, and she still fought, and I really wish to one to stand in a situation like Amy, where being selfish, is easier than being good. But by doing so, you destroy the dreams of the people you most love. And Elder, future leader of the ship, who wants to do the right thing just as much as Amy, but, like any human being, quivers and doubts about his decisions. What if? He felt the temptation to quit and leave things as they were, to continue with a lifestyle he had always known, and to keep secrets, if only because its safer. But, like Amy, he discovers that the truth must be told, or at least a good part of it, no matter how hard It is, or if it means losing someone you loved. And both get into a journey where they slowly start to discover, what the truth is, and not just facts, but the meaning behind the word. Truth.

Across The Universe kept me on the edge of my seat. Wondering, heart beating, and breathless, and touched points of deep importance, that we need to keep always in our heads. Maybe I seem exaggerated, maybe a lot of you didn’t or won’t feel the same as me. But I’ll tell you this, I’d give anything, to go back just a few minutes in the past, and read the last pages again, and feel the awe I felt, and for me, that's enough.

It blew away all my expectations. A story of love, murder-mystery, unimaginable dangers, deep secrets, and breathtaking truths, Across The Universe is a must read, and must be in every bookshelf.

And the thing that rings in my head right now?. . . nothings gonna change my world. . .

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Jan 19, 2012 Larissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: mission-50-in-2011, ya-lit

At the end of December, I picked up Anna and the French Kiss after hearing two of my favorite YA authors John Green and Maureen Johnson gush about it on Twitter. I wasn't disappointed. I stayed up in 3:30 in the morning reading it and immediately after I finished, I went to the author's website to simply find more, and, long story short, I did. I've tried re-tracing my steps to find out exactly how I stumbled across Perkins saying that Across the Universe would be the next big thing and as far a...more At the end of December, I picked up Anna and the French Kiss after hearing two of my favorite YA authors John Green and Maureen Johnson gush about it on Twitter. I wasn't disappointed. I stayed up in 3:30 in the morning reading it and immediately after I finished, I went to the author's website to simply find more, and, long story short, I did. I've tried re-tracing my steps to find out exactly how I stumbled across Perkins saying that Across the Universe would be the next big thing and as far as I know, maybe I hallucinated the entire thing. Either way, I found a summary online and wasn't exactly blown away. It didn't sound like something I would read. In general, I'm not a huge science fiction fan; I'd rather watch it on TV rather than read it, and even then, my sci-fic fandom doesn't extend beyond the realm of shows produced by the BBC.

But I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and back in the YA section, there was a stand-alone display the publisher has obviously sent; some nifty little cardboard stand that looked like the cover of the book (unbeknownst to me until three minutes ago, the book isn't slated to come out for another week. Good job B&N). I must have walked past the display a half dozen times before I finally noticed it, but once I did, I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. There is something to be said for an amazing cover design because everyone knows that old saying "you can't judge a book by it's cover" it total b/s. Of course you can. And what makes you pick up a book in the first place? The cover. The design. Packaging is important and Penguin nailed it. After I finished the book and stared at it in my lap for a while, I realized how my complete attraction to the cover was perfectly fitting. Once you hold the book in your hands and see it and finish it, you'll (hopefully) understand too.

The book is like a mix of Big Brother, A Brave New World, the Gun Seller, and Disney's made-for-TV-movie series Zenon. And it's brilliant. Amy and her parents live on Earth in the year 2036, a time when the world as we know it is less-than-perfect. Her parents join an FRX sponsored mission wherein they agree to freeze themselves for five hundred years while they travel through space towards a new planet that shows signs of supporting life. Amy gets freezed and dreams endlessly until one day, she finds herself awoken and drowning in her ice box.

The best part about Across the Universe wasn't the plot. Don't get me wrong, it's an original, creative idea that's superbly written. No, the thing I loved best was just the raw emotion of it all. And I don't mean that in a sappy soapdrama, chick-lit kind of way. It's as much of a psychological thriller as it is a YA scifi novel. You never know the real truth or the fate of the characters until the end, and even then it leaves you craving a sequel, or just a promise that everyone - and everything - turns out okay. And on top of all that, you never feel as if you know who to trust, which made me feel constantly on edge and I never felt fully comfortable while reading the book. Everything was just so intense; I had to stop myself a few times and physically make myself close the book and set it aside for a few moments.

For her debut book, Revis has done a phenomenal job. I only hope that here's more in store in the future.
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topics	posts	views	last activity
Across the Univer...: Godspeed	4	12	May 20, 2013 08:46pm
Across the Univer...: Elder & Amy	4	15	May 20, 2013 08:37pm
Across the Univer...: The Frex Word	3	11	May 20, 2013 08:35pm
I've just realised there are two people on the cover!	7	26	May 20, 2013 05:42pm
The (Not-So) Aust...: Across the Universe - January Read Discussion	14	40	May 13, 2013 12:04am
YA & Fantasy ...: Across the Universe von Beth Revis	1	6	May 12, 2013 08:32am
Addicted to YA: Across the Universe	9	55	May 12, 2013 03:50am

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