Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on
I enjoyed the plot most of all in the end. The writing, at times, was beautiful and philosophical. The ideals behind Godspeed's purpose seemed realistic and reasonable considering the conditions on Earth at the time of its departure. However, I did not like the characters.
Both Amy and Elder were whiny and unmotivated. They never did much to propel the story forward. Things happened to them or events happened on the ship that caused them to race to the next point of their "investigation." They were not active in pursuing the cause of Amy's unthawing and Eldest's behavior. The lack of knowledge sharing between the characters and their lack of motivation to buck the system made things slow going at times.
While it may seem odd, I'm still giving Across the Universe a thumbs up. The idea behind Godspeed, its secrets and moments of beautiful writing are still with me weeks after finishing the book. I won't be continuing with the series, but my copy of the book is studded with post-its highlighting my favorite bits.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 30 November, 2014: Finished reading
- 30 November, 2014: Reviewed