Across the Universe - Beth Revis

Summary:  Amy is a cryogenically  frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed.  She has left her boyfriend, friends -- and planet -- behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship.

Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future.  But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside a tiny world where nothing makes sense.  Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader.  And Elder, Eldest's rebellion teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder.  But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls?  All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill her again.  (Summary from book - Image from bethrevis.com)

My Review:  Let's clear something up right away - this book is in no way based on Beatles lyrics or on the 2007 movie of the same title.  If that's why you're reading this review, you can stop right now.

Anyone left?

Okay.  This Almost the Universe is a fresh and fascinating YA sci-fi romance with a little mystery thrown in.  I loved the unique setting and I read the whole book rather quickly, considering the distractions that three kids can offer, but was not left without some concerns.  From an adult perspective, the writing was fairly basic and nearly every twist was easy to see coming.  A younger reader might not care about those things, but certain aspects of this book (namely the Season which causes everyone but the main characters to exhibit the rutting instincts of animals) left me questioning it's suitability for the YA audience. 

That said, the grown-up in me still enjoyed the afternoon.

My Rating:  3.5 Stars

For the sensitive reader: Some sexual language, plenty of "mating" during the Season, and one mildly graphic attempted rape.  Only one use of actual profanity, but several uses of made-up words like frexing, chutz, and shite, that convey a similar message.

Sum it up:  Fun but predictable.