Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

by Beth Revis

[inlibrisveritas]

Oh dear…where to start? Should I get my get my gushing praise out of the way or leave that for the end? …Oh what the heck…this book is amazing! It had me guessing all the way through it and only when something was super obvious did I actually get it right, and then I did find out what was what I was simply floored. Ahh! I need the second one, and soon. This is going to be a tough one to review though, I don’t want to give anything away.

Okay…that’s over, for now. To the review!

The summary and the fact that the author is one of the nicest I’ve had the pleasure to talk to is the reason I was drawn to this book. I keep up with a lot of authors but Beth is definitely one of the ones that make me smile, and I just knew I had to read this. First up, the title…the fact that it’s Beatles song makes me squee a bit. I’m not a real Beatles fan, since I prefer the remakes (the movie) over the original songs but I do love the songs.

The writing and the plot is so crisp and well thought out that when I did get the chance to read it, it was hard to put down. I loved the alternating POV’s, which is rare for me because typically it’s something that can really bring a story down for me but in this case it definitely added to the whole experience. You end up understanding the full situation and differing opinions from both Amy and Elder, and it makes it that much more enjoyable. The characters are also really fleshed out and you understand where they are coming from but you also see how they differ. I really enjoyed Amy and her place on Godspeed, as well as Elder’s place. It’s such a unique idea for the plot, definitely one of the most dystopian type novels I’ve read. I have to say that Harley is probably my favorite character though, there was something about him that just made me smile and at time same time he kind of hurt my heart.

My favorite part of the book though was the last 98 pages, that was the moment where my heart kind of dropped and I was floored. The great thing is that during those last 98 pages it happened more than once and I couldn’t stop reading. I ended up staying up till around 3am to finish it, and as a result slept in till 1pm…but it was well worth it. If I had book two I would have started it immediately, and it’s going to kill me to have to wait to buy it.

Overall I do recommend this book, completely and wholeheartedly. For those looking for younger readers, it does contain some mention of sexual activity but it’s never vulger nor does it harp on the actual act…other than that it’s pretty clean. If you haven’t read this and you enjoy YA and dystopian novels then you totally should.