Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

May 05, 2012 Brandi rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, random-reads-column, librandian-blog, 2012

Amy is technically non-essential cargo. As life on Earth begins to regress, scientists have started to seek out a new planet to repopulate. When Centauri-Earth is discovered, it is up to the best to make the 300 year journey to begin a new civilization. Amy’s father is a well-known military man and her mother is a famous geneticist. When both are asked to help with the new community on the new planet, Amy has the option of traveling with them or left behind with family members. In order for the Amy is technically non-essential cargo. As life on Earth begins to regress, scientists have started to seek out a new planet to repopulate. When Centauri-Earth is discovered, it is up to the best to make the 300 year journey to begin a new civilization. Amy’s father is a well-known military man and her mother is a famous geneticist. When both are asked to help with the new community on the new planet, Amy has the option of traveling with them or left behind with family members. In order for the professionals to make the journey, they are all cryogenically frozen to be woken up in 300 years when the ship lands. Amy is to make to trip on the ship, Godspeed, frozen and stowed away in a drawer. Or so she thought.

Elder is next in line to lead the passengers on Godspeed. Generation after generation of a mono-ethnic race of people have made a home on the ship. When the ship lands on Centauri-Earth, it is the passengers who will start a new life on the new planet. Currently, Eldest is in charge of the ship, but Elder must spend every day learning how to fill Eldest’s shoes when the time comes. Usually life is pretty uneventful on Godspeed. Elder can travel anywhere he wants on the ship, so they aren’t too many secrets kept from him. Or so he thought.

Routine turns to chaos when one of the cryogenic chambers is unplugged. When Elder and Eldest reach the chamber, they see a teenage girl with bright red hair. Amy is alive, but she can’t be frozen again. Instead, she must live the next 75 years as a passenger of Godspeed and wait as long to be reunited with her parents. Amy’s unfreezing is just the beginning of the maelstrom of problems and mysterious secrets that plague Godspeed. More people frozen for the journey are being unplugged and left to die. Amy wants to trust Elder and his friend Harley, but the deeper she looks into the life on Godspeed, the more she fears for her life and the lives of others.

Across the Universe is an out-of-this-world science fiction adventure. Combined with mystery and romance, this first book in a series is impossible to put down. I will admit that it starts a bit on the slow side. I wasn’t sure at first if I could get through it. Then, before I even knew what was happening, I was flying through the book. One of the best things about this book is that you won’t know what is right and who is wrong until the very last page, and even then you aren’t quite sure. Revis fills the pages with misdirection and red herrings. It is definitely worth a read. ...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen-fiction, action-adventure, sci-fi-fantasy, mystery, finished-2011, finished-2012

This book has a little bit of something for everyone. Science Fiction: Amy and her parents are cyrogenically frozen so that they can embark on a 300 year trip to another planet to start a new life. Mystery: Who tried to murder Amy by pulling the plug on her container when there were still 50 years left in the journey? Romance: Elder, the ship's next leader, and Amy are undeniably attracted to one another. Action/Adventure: The ship's leader, Eldest, despises Amy and wants her off the ship ...more

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Jul 22, 2014 Debbie rated it liked it

I listened to this on audiobook over the course of several days, but probably less than a week. Although it was 9 CDs, it was a quick read, suspenseful enough that I'd listen to the end of the action in my car after pulling into the driveway, sometimes for 5-10 minutes.

This book is a big challenge for people to categorize, I imagine, beyond just YA lit. It's science-fiction, but well into dystopian in that respect. There's romance, yes, but there's also a murder mystery. It's definitely a bildun ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Debbie rated it liked it

Shelves: sciencefiction

A spaceship called Godspeed is traveling from Earth to a new planet, in hopes of colonizing it. Amy and her parents are among the passengers who will make the 250 year journey in a cryogenic state. Amy wakes up early and meets Elder, a boy about her age who is in training to be the next leader of the ship. They join forces to discover why she woke up and why someone is waking other passengers and leaving them to die. Told in alternating viewpoints (Amy and Elder).

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Feb 28, 2012 Astrid Lim rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dystopian, series, borrowed

A claustrophobic tale about a colony lives in a spaceship, a dictator going crazy, a rebellious successor, and a girl from Earth trapped in a world she can't fathom. A bit bland and predictable here and there, but the idea is really fresh, like reading Chaos Walking books and watching Star Trek movies at the same time. ...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Corinna rated it it was amazing

A great YA SciFi mystery romance...yes, it has all the "genres" but westerns. Engaging writing - a great, quick read! As an added bonus, the female protagonist is a runner, so it was interesting to see how that was used in a story about being confined to a spaceship! I am looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy. ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Amanda rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-stars

Rather like Leviathan, I read these two books, back to back and thus I'm going to talk about them all in one (which means you get one of your reviews from this coming weekend early).

I'm still not quite over wrinkling my nose at a number of situations set up in this book, BUT I have to give the woman some grand credit. Every single novel in this trilogy will be an entirely different living/political system with completely different pitfals and triumphs. And it's so rare to see that handled anywh ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Jennyfer rated it it was ok

Great idea that went to all the wrong places with horrible pacing.

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Jan 29, 2011 Marcy Jo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-favorites

I just finished rereading ATU so I'll be refreshed for A MILLION SUNS. I'm excited to find out what happens next!

First Read: February 7, 2011 ...more

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