Review of Across the Universe

Goodreads Summary: "Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again."

I'm pretty sure this book gave me whiplash. Lemme try to explain. Reading this book was like going on Space Mountain at Disneyland. An insane rollercoaster that kept you completely in the dark, went on insane flips and turns that you never saw coming and occasionally gave you glimpses of the stars. That is Across the Universe in an epic nutshell.

Luckily I kind of love Space Mountain. <3

When I picked up Across the Universe I thought that we would be spending a great deal of time together, after all it is a pretty hefty title. Just short of four hundred pages...yet I devoured it in about four hours if you discount all of the interruptions. This from a girl trapped in a serious reading slump is pretty awesome. [Thank you for the recommendation, Aneeqah!]

I think it was the mystery that really did me in. I was a huge Nancy Drew reader when I was younger, one of those kids that was trying desperately to figure everything out before her. I had notebooks full of clues as I tried to add the up which always left me torn between finishing the novel itself, I devoured those things like candy, or holding off until I knew whodunnit. Across the Universe brought that back for me. I was constantly pausing in between chapters, in the middle of chapters, or even when I was away from the book pondering what all of the clues added up to. I think I had worked out about a dozen different scenarios. I was INVESTED. I had to figure it out. [Second-guessing myself always leads to my downfall in these cases. *shakes fist* You got me this time, Beth Revis!]

The characters were a close second. They were mysteries in themselves. I loved learning what made them tick, reading along as their deepest darkest secrets were revealed and figuring out how they would handle all the crazy things that their author threw at them. Though Elder was a pretty awesome lead, and had some fascinating secrets of his own plus talked sci-fi to me, I think I preferred the open book of Amy just ever so slightly more. Over all the cast was immensely fascinating and great to read about.

Another amazing part? More alternating chapters! And by alternating chapters I mean you get some more of that dual narration I'm totally in love with. Which means you get the stories from two characters points of view. Alternating. I cannot believe I've avoided this style of writing for so long. I never should have doubted the wonder that is the author because they, as almost always, know best.

For a girl who didn't know she loved science fiction until her college professor introduced her to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card [then proceeded to devour the rest of Ender's saga!] I seem to crave it an awful lot...and Across the Universe satisfied yet left me wanting more. Especially with that extra chapter that the paperback edition had, the first chapter of A Million Suns. I have got to get a copy of that soon. More mysteries and secrets await!

Rating: 4/5