Across the Universe

By Beth Revis. New York: Razorbill, 2011.

Dystopian fiction seems to be the rage nowadays. I have a mixed reaction to these books, as they are most often science fiction based, and that is not my favorite genre. Well, color me completely surprised by this book. I could not put it down! I'm so happy this is the first book in a planned trilogy.

Amy is seventeen years old, and in the beginning of the story, she, along with her parents, are going through the process of being cryogenically frozen. They will be traveling on a huge spaceship called Godspeed towards a new planet, and expect to awake 300 years in the future. But, Amy is awoken 50 years earlier. What she discovers is basically a "brave new world" setting. There is a domineering leader called Eldest, and the future leader of the ship Elder, who is about Amy's age. Everyone lives by a certain set of rules, and disrupt is absolutely not tolerated. Amy's presence on the ship causes concern, and she soon realizes that her awakening was not an accident. As the story progresses, more "frozens" are murdered, and Amy and Elder try to figure out who is behind the killings, as well as uncovering the vast amount of secrets on the ship.

What an awesome book! What I loved most about it was the fact that I didn't know I was reading science fiction! Yes, there are a lot of details about the ship and the world on the ship, but the storyline is so compelling it pulls you along until the end. I really like the alternate chapters told from Amy and Elder's viewpoints. It gave me the opportunity to really understand how they tick. If you like dystopias and science fiction - heck, even if you don't - pick up this book. I guarantee you will be in for a fun read!