Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Released: January 11, 2011
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Romantic Thriller

Amy has been frozen, along with her parents, to be reanimated 300 years in the future, when their spacecraft lands on a planet in another solar system. On the ship itself, Elder prepares for leading the small community one day, but finds odd discrepancies in Eldest's instruction. And then when Amy is woken and left to die 50 years before they'll land, Amy and Elder begin questioning everything on the ship. Is there a killer on board? Is anything real and true the way it's been presented to them? What is really going on?

From the very first page of the very first chapter, I was completely hooked on this book! The description of the freezing is so vivid and detailed, and that attention to detail continues throughout the entire book. The world of Godspeed comes alive because, through Amy's and Elder's alternating chapters of narration, we get to see what seems natural to Elder and what seems unnatural to Amy. This alternating pattern works really well because Elder wouldn't realize that some things are not normal because he's grown up with it, and we get explanations and questions about things from Amy's narration.

There are so many things I want to say about the genius of the book, but they all are related to what happens, what's really going on, and I don't want to give anything away! Suffice it to say that this book is crafted brilliantly, and the way everything comes together is just so great. Surprising twists and turns, littered clues, and clear, honest voices blend together to make this an amazing first installment in a thrilling series!