Shades of Earth | by: Beth Revis

WARNING: As this is the final book of a trilogy, this review will inevitably contain spoilers for those who have not read the previous two books, Across the Universe and A Million Suns.

 

Ever since Amy has been awakened early, chaos has rippled through Godspeed, leaving her and Elder to make groundbreaking decisions and discoveries. But now the time has finally come to land on a new planet, no matter what new struggles may await them. And there will be struggles; they know that much already. What they'll have to face will be utterly alien to them, even to Amy, who has known what it's like to live outside of a spaceship. In a time that requires good leadership and a strong will to survive, there's already a lot to deal with, but they also are unsure of who they can trust.

 

It's certainly no secret that I have adored the first two books in Beth Revis' Across the Universe trilogy, and I already knew ahead of time that Shades of Earth was going to be really different from the first two books based on the new setting alone. I must admit, even though I was excited to read the story's continuation in a new setting, I was also a bit nervous that I wouldn't enjoy it as much. However, this change turned out to be fantastic. I love reading about Centauri-Earth. I suppose that before I began reading this installment, I thought that there'd be less mystery on Centauri-Earth, but c'mon... It's Beth Revis - why would I ever expect that? There's plenty of mystery! As with the first two books of the trilogy, just when you think you understand the situation at hand, Revis throws a couple curveballs. This is unquestionably one of the best aspects of these books.

 

Furthermore, everything about the plot is just so cool! I'm about to jump up and down in a fangirling craze as I type. I loved the new species; the new revelations concerning the past, present, and future; the new characters. The FRX isn't what I expected at all, and to an extent, neither is Centauri-Earth. I'm almost always proven wrong (I did guess one major thing right this time though) and that makes it more fun. 

 

But as far as the characters are concerned, Amy and Elder have had so much on their plates for the past couple of books, and all of that seems to climax in Shades of Earth. They're pushed to their limits. Elder cares so much for his people yet he is still underestimated by those who don't know the whole truth of what he's been through, and all of the bad things that happen to Amy make her a stronger person. There are definitely more sad moments in this final installment, but even more hope. There are still softer moments here and there; just because there are more dreary moments doesn't make it a dreary book in any sense. There's no questioning when it comes to Amy and Elder's relationship, and even though it's more out in the open than ever, this is still far from a romance novel. Shades of Earth is full of action, as per usual with this trilogy. I couldn't put it down.

 

Needless to say, I loved this book. I loved all three books, and hence, Beth Revis' Across the Universe trilogy is one of my favorites EVER, and I definitely recommend it to science fiction fans. I couldn't be happier!

A Million Suns | by: Beth Revis

A Million Suns is the second installment in Beth Revis' Across the Universe trilogy. I truly loved Across the Universe, so I  had high expectations for this sequel, and fortunately, those expectations were met. A Million Suns has the same sort of intense mystery that kept me flying through the debut, so I couldn't put this one down!

In result of the resolution made in Across the Universe, Amy and Elder have a lot of problems to deal with. The citizens of Godspeed are officially done with Phydus, and while that may be the morally correct thing to do, this has caused the citizens to realize their wants, which may not always be the best for the ship. As chaos seems to increase, Amy and Elder are still uncovering more secrets about Godspeed and its history, and what is uncovered will change everything.

Because, you know, we all thought we understood the gravity of Godspeed's situation during Across the Universe, but in reality, we still didn't know diddly-squat. Seriously, a new truth is unveiled in the first chapter of A Million Suns; Beth Revis certainly didn't mess around! That's one of the aspects I love most about this trilogy: There's always a mystery to solve with secrets to uncover. Who knew that one spaceship could have such an extensive list of secrets! Even when reading this installment, there were plenty of moments in which I thought I understood the true nature of the situation, but I was proven wrong time and time again. Even when I started to think that some of the secrecy was getting excessive and I just wanted someone to come right out and say it, it all adds up in the end: There's a foe on Godspeed who is affecting a lot of what's going on, and this ship has gone through a lot more than people give it credit for. Plus, as the secrets become more explosive, so does the action, and I'm always a sucker for an explosive ending! Altogether these elements create such an unputdownable book.

There's also a lot of relationship evolution in A Million Suns, and I always thought it was interesting to watch characters' relationships change and grow. Of course, we see some more feelings sprouting between Amy and Elder, but friendships among the ship also evolve. Such change occurs  between Amy and Victria and also between Elder and Bartie... And let me just say that Elder and Bartie give me whiplash sometimes. It all demonstrates how traumatic situations can either pull people apart or tie them together. But as far as the general population of the ship... Their unease made me jittery for both Amy and Elder's sake.

But the problems Amy and Elder face on Godspeed aren't all completely new. Unfortunately, we still have to deal with my least-favorite character, Luthor. It's so easy to despise him. Amy still bears scars from a frightening scene with him in the last book, and those memories continue to haunt her, especially since Luthor hasn't changed a bit since the first book.

There are also recurring themes found in both of these first couple of books that I adored. I still love the premise of this series; a story that takes place on a spaceship is so intriguing and just screams "Critica will love this stuff!" And while I know that the final book, Shades of Earth, will be a bit different from the first two, I'm actually quite excited to see how this trilogy will pan out with such a different feel. I hope it's just as good as Across the Universe and A Million Suns, for I love these two books equally. I really couldn't have asked for anything better in A Million Suns. This has to be one of the best sequels I've read.

Across the Universe | by: Beth Revis

There have been many times in which I've mentioned how I took a ridiculously long time to get around to reading a specific book, but this by far is the most ludicrous. Seriously, Across the Universe by Beth Revis was on my TBR long before it even got a cover (I somehow ran into the summary somewhere in the bookish realm of blogs), and I'm just now reading it, when all the other books in the trilogy have long been released.

How did this happen? That summary grabbed me like no other summary I've ever read, the book trailer is the best book trailer I've ever seen before in my life, and it ended up with one of the most beautiful covers of all time. This is what happens when the TBR list gets too big.

Anyway. Across the Universe is dually narrated by main characters Amy and Elder, both aboard Godspeed, a spaceship destined to reach a new Earth-like planet. While Elder (who is bound to be the future leader of Godspeed some day) is fully conscience living on the ship like many others, Amy and her parents are amongst those frozen, preserved to be awakened once the ship lands on the new planet. Their lives become intertwined when Amy wakes up early, and it becomes evident that there is a murderer on the ship. It is extremely difficult to get any answers when it seems that Eldest, the current leader of the ship, and the primary doctor shield the truth concerning just about everything.

...Where to start? First of all, WOW. Second of all, I haven't plowed through a book so urgently since Mockingjay, nor have I read anything so utterly intense in a very long time. Across the Universe is fantastic; I could not put it down. I never felt that I wanted to continue reading, I felt that I needed to.

 

Part of that need came from my constant worrying over Amy and Elder. How could I not - I like them so much! Amy felt very real to me and I sympathized with her throughout the story, but I also enjoyed reading about Elder and Harley since they were both kind of raw in a unique way. But my nervousness was also caused by the primary antagonist, Eldest. I could not stand him. He is perhaps my least favorite antagonist of all time... Really, all of the antagonists in this book were cringe-worthy, even the ones without Eldest's power. Take Luthe for an example; he's an  absolutely horrid excuse for a human being.

 

In addition to Luthe, the Season disturbed me. It gave the people of the ship (particularly the Feeders) such a primal feel, and when the Season wasn't in swing, they were like brainwashed zombies in some ways. Everyone has been so consumed in lies. Between them and Eldest, I felt like poor Amy had to fear nearly the entire ship, and that's what made this dystopian novel especially scary. To top it off, it's not like she could run or hide anywhere, it's not like she can just leave the claustrophobic realm of Godspeed.

 

Despite it's like a cage, I must say I loved the concept of being on a spaceship. It's quite interesting to see how generations of people lived on Godspeed and how technology has advanced, but it's also fascinating to see how Earth-like they tried to make it by (poorly) insinuating the outdoors. It all doesn't seem to be too unrealistic, and it's unsettling to think about.

The ending of Across the Universe was indeed fulfilling but I can sort of tell that there may be a conflict ahead in its sequel, A Million Suns. I can't wait to unravel more of Beth Revis' sci-fi magic in her lovely, emotional prose (though I wouldn't necessarily say it was 100% perfect, she's definitely good!) and I must admit, I'm excited to see Elder and Amy's relationship develop some more, especially since it's been developing at such a normal pace compared to other characters I've read about.

I really don't know what else I can say about this amazing book, all I know is I haven't said enough. I feel as though I can't entirely express my fascination with it. But without a doubt, I loved Across the Universe. It's definitely one of my favorite books, and hopefully the other two novels make it one of my favorite trilogies... But at this point, I really don't think they'll disappoint. If you haven't read this book, buy it. Now.

**I gave Across the Universe 5/5 stars on Goodreads**

Book Trailer: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

For a little while, I've seen one or two mentions of a 2011 science fiction debut called Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Immediately, I fell in love with the concept, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy (yes, it has already been released). This looks like it will be absolutely astonishing.

Even the book trailer is fantastic. In fact, it's so fantastic that I decided to show everyone right here! I've never seen a book trailer so awesome before in my entire life! Look at it!