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Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

Beth Revis

Start date: September 1, 2014

Finish date: September 30, 2014

Discussion: Group Read

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What Members Thought

Oct 09, 2011 Angela Blount rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, ya, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, sci-fi

I had some mixed feelings on this book. I'll warn, I'm a hardcore sci-fi geek. I make no apologies for that. I think I went into this with my hopes perhaps a bit too high...not only over seeing a YA sci-fi amid the sea of paranormal, but to see a sci-fi by a female author. And on the whole, for a first book it wasn't bad. I just didn't find it to be particularly enjoyable or memorable, either.

The writing was stylized, but not in a way that I minded. And I appreciated the ongoing thread of 'Alice I had some mixed feelings on this book. I'll warn, I'm a hardcore sci-fi geek. I make no apologies for that. I think I went into this with my hopes perhaps a bit too high...not only over seeing a YA sci-fi amid the sea of paranormal, but to see a sci-fi by a female author. And on the whole, for a first book it wasn't bad. I just didn't find it to be particularly enjoyable or memorable, either.

The writing was stylized, but not in a way that I minded. And I appreciated the ongoing thread of 'Alice In Wonderland' references. I also liked the underlying concept of removing human will via scientific manipulation and historical revision. It was interesting to see the idea of 'progress' painted in such an ominous and morally thought-provoking light. In that way, more than anything I found it somewhat reminiscent of 'The Giver'. On the down side, the foreshadowing was more heavy-handed than tantalizing. And while there is, fortunately, a minor twist at the end, the murderer is obvious from very early on.

Ultimately, I found that I kept reading because I wanted to know what was happening and why, not because I particularly cared about the characters.

My primary problem was the lead female character, Amy. The girl starts out as irritatingly childish; her thought process and immaturity giving me more the sense of a 13 or 14-year-old rather than a 17-year-old with well-educated and influential parents. She progresses to becoming something of a whiny Nancy Drew figure, minus a good deal of basic common sense and self-preservation. I couldn't sympathize with her. As 'Alice', she takes entirely too long to accept that she's in Wonderland, and that her new reality has very different culture and rules.

On the up side, Elder was believable as a 16-year-old boy--from any time period. And Harley was a welcome side-character who's quirkiness was expressed well while avoiding the prevalent PC stereotype. The 'villain', however, wasn't as multidimensional as I would have liked.

As many have already mentioned, the cover of this book is misleading. It is not a romance. There are few romantic elements, actually...and while there is definitely sex that is portrayed in an animalistic (although oddly tedious) orgy-like fashion (including a fairly graphic sexual assault scene that I would have liked to have been warned about), it is all bluntly sexual rather than sensual. Not exactly what I was expecting from a YA novel, and not really my taste. But that's just my opinion.

I tend to agree with those who would prefer to think of this book as more Dystopian Fantasy than Sci-fi. There were just too many logistical problems that were driving me crazy. Are kids 250 years in the future really still abusing the word 'totally' as an adjective? And after a few centuries, why would there only have been four new slang/cuss words conceived? (Chutz, Brilly, Loons, and Frax being the sum of this vocabulary. I may be picking nits here, but it just felt like too much attention was drawn to their use.) But beyond the language, which I can overlook if I try hard enough, were things that forced me to suspend disbelief.

*Despite repeated mention of incest being a ship-wide problem, the artificial 'season' for mating is wild and unregulated. Genetic issues seem to be modified or resolved by a 'goo', which comes off as more magical than scientific.

*Why jettison bodies into space when everything else on the ship is so carefully and deliberately recycled?

*The big mystery on the ship seemed to revolve around attempts to fingerprint the murderer, which highlights an apparent lack of research over the manner in which fingerprints are formed (in the biological sense). Were it not such a pivotal plot point, it wouldn't have bothered me so much. But it's harder for me to pretend that anything speculative is feasible when points based on existing and determinable science are inaccurate.

As I've said, it wasn't poorly written, but I had the sense that this book was more of a flash-in-the-pan piece of pop literature than an enduring piece of timeless sci-fi. (Like, for instance, Ender's Game.) ...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Anna rated it liked it

As I was reading this book, I couldn't decide what I thought about it. I was feeling this super range of emotions that made me hate, love, feel confused all at the same time.

This story is about a ship, Godspeed, which is flying to a new planet and people have been frozen (for three centuries) because that's how long it takes to get there. Amy, a girl, who was just coming for the ride to be with her parents, gets woken up early and must acclimate with life on the ship, which proves nothing in the ...more

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Feb 12, 2013 voiceofmadness rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favs

Frighteningly original.
Deep space! Murders, cloning, and a dash of romance!
One of my all-time favorite trilogies!

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Apr 04, 2013 Autumn rated it liked it

A good book if you're in the mood for a quick YA novel, but don't expect much. I liked the premise here, but the execution was pretty bumpy for me. Maybe it's because I've read other similar books written for adults, but this book seemed like an introduction to the space travel genre for 14 year olds. I also had major issues with the writing, plot holes (I often found myself saying "Really? She expects me to believe that..."), and one-dimensional characters, but overall this was fun to read and ...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Faith Flores rated it it was amazing

This was a amzing book I love the was the writer had put to points of view an it made you feel like your inside the book but it was great i enjoyed the book in side an out I cant wait till the next book comes out. But the thing that I didnt like about the book might be the ending but I do hope that they become a couple (who you ask. will you guys are just going to have to read the book to find out ^_~) but I think that the book didnt show that hope that everybody needed I think that if the write ...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Sarah rated it it was amazing

I'm so glad I read this book! It's quite hard to find a good interspace book; this book told me that you can find a book about space- and not really aliens, but pretty close. I'm looking at the title and it says book 1- there's anotherone!? ...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Justin rated it it was amazing

Such a amazing book. Perfect blend of setting, characters, plot lines and a lot of other factors. I was really impressed by how much I enjoyed this book.

See my full review on my blog: http://dft.ba/-ZIU ...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Miranda rated it really liked it

To me, this is the book I've been waiting for: A Young Adult science fiction novel that isn't a Distopia or Utopia theme and involves space. I enjoyed this book. The concept of a girl who was frozen to be apart of the first settlers ona planet 300 years into the future but instead was woken up reminded me of the plot to a ABC kids TV show 'Silver Sun'. But actually this book took me on a better adventure then that show did. I'm not sure how much I beleived the romance between Amy and Elder or my ...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Renuka rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, romance, fav-couples, mini-reviewed

Whoa. This book is going to give me claustrophobia. That's how incredibly vivid this book was! I couldn't sleep I was so convinced I was going to wake up stuck on a ship with no family and no hope of ever setting foot outside again. Putting that aside I LOVED this book! It was absolutely astonishing how much can take place on a little ship sailing through place. Overall, a amazing book for sci-fi and dystopian lovers with a great plot. ...more

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