Across the Universe by Beth Revis | Book Review

TITLE: Across the Universe
AUTHOR: Beth Revis
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Razorbill / January 11, 2011
SERIES: Yes, Across the Universe Series
SOURCE: Local Library

Goodreads / Author's Website

I feel like I saw a lot of reviews for Across the Universe around the time I first started blogging, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. It was science fiction which is definitely not my preferred genre so I let it slide past me without much of a second thought. So here it is, a few years later and I've finally picked it up. It really has more to  do with the fact that I was in a rush at the library and recognized the title than anything else, but I did say I wanted to break out of my preferred genres at the beginning of the year, so let's go with that one. It sounds better. I can't say that I all out loved Across the Universe, but it was definitely more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It was this combination of science fiction and dystopia that was intriguing, but at times frustrating. Weeks later and I'm still not totally sure what to think.

Amy is a seventeen year old girl who's signed on to be cryogenically frozen and shipped into space as cargo on the spaceship Godspeed. She's set to leave earth and arrive on a new planet some three hundred years in the future. However, her three hundred year sleep is interrupted fifty years too soon when somebody pulls the plug on her chamber nearly killing her. Soon after, it's discovered that other frozen people are being unplugged, not all of them surviving. Somebody is clearly trying to kill them. Elder was born and raised on the ship and is being prepped to take over as the future leader. You see, the ship has one person born to lead, others born to work on the ship and feeders, those born to grow food. There are plenty of secrets on the ship and as much as Amy might want to trust Elder, she's not sure if she can.

I'm sitting here trying to write this review and all I can think is that it didn't overwhelm me or underwhelm me; I'm simply whelmed. It's not that the book was bad and I can see why people loved it, but there were sections that I just didn't engage with and I'm not sure if I can put my finger on why that was. I know, that's a terrible thing for a review!

So the story is told in alternating perspectives which isn't always my favourite narrative choice, but it wasn't bad. Amy and Elder had very distinct voices and personalities so there was no problem deciphering who was who. It was actually kind of interesting to hear from somebody who has only ever known the ship and then from somebody who is brand new to it. The culture clash was something and Amy's frustration made total sense since once she arrives a whole lot of crazy becomes apparent.

I think the book kind of lost me with the beginning. It was a slow start. To be fair, I find I have this issue with a lot of science fiction novels; the same can be said about dystopia. I'm a very character driven reader and there is so much world building required with these genres that it loses me. I understand the necessity; it just doesn't engage me as a reader. That having been said, I really did start to enjoy the book once I got into the second half. Once mysteries were being revealed I needed to know more.

I have to say this is a pretty dark book. There's a pervading sense of hopelessness throughout the ship. I mean there is not a single person born on that ship who has ever seen proper ground; even the stars they see are a lie. It was difficult to read about and well the themes about lies, corruption and power eventually get a little heavy handed (you should see what the people on the ship believe about Abraham Lincoln), but it didn't seem like much of a stretch.

I know this isn't the best of most informative review because you guys, I really need help figuring this one out. My feelings were so mixed about this first book that I'm on the fence about reading the next one in the series. What do you all think? Does it get better? Is it an engaging continuation or am I going to be disappointed?

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau | Book Review

TITLE: The Testing
AUTHOR: Joelle Charbonneau
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/June 4, 2013
SERIES: Yes, The first in a series
SOURCE: For Review from Publisher via Netgalley

Goodreads / Author's Website

As you all know by now, I'm not a big fan of of anything other than contemporaries as a super general rule. I tend to get stuck in one genre and stick to it for ages. So even though there's been a huge dystopian trend recently I haven't been on board. In fact, I've pretty much avoided most books that describe themselves as dystopian. However, when I saw The Testing on NetGalley I figured why not, it seemed like a pretty pain free way to test out the genre and you know what, I kind of liked it. I don't know if it's because it's the first of the genre that I've read, but I found The Testing to be thoroughly gripping in a turn the page, can't put it down at 2am kind of way.

Basically The Testing's world is a standard dystopia. The earth was destroyed first by wars and then by natural disasters and while the majority of the human population was wiped out or mutated beyond recognition, enough people survived to try to create a new society. The leaders at the forefront of turning a burned out North American into a thriving society once again believe that the brightest youths need to be tested to ensure they're strong enough to lead in the future, using whatever needs necessary. It's a huge honour to be chosen for the testing, but as Cia, our protagonist, soon learns, there is much more to this test than pen and paper as kids are pitted against each other and the government to prove they're strong enough to survive.

So I haven't read The Hunger Games because I've apparently been living under a rock, but I did see the movie last summer and I have to say The Testing has some strong Hunger Games undertones. Like basically a bunch of kids are sacrificed on behalf of the state in this dystopian universe. This might be a let down for some readers, but I can't speak too much to these similarities as I'm hesitant to use a movie as a literary reference and I mean maybe this is just a trope that's common to the genre. Maybe downside, super Hunger Games-esque, upside as a new reader to the genre it didn't bother me at all? That's all I'll say on that subject.

The plot itself, super compelling. I was pretty much sucked in from the beginning since you know from the get go that Cia's going to be a testing candidate. I wanted to know how she would react to these tests, if she would follow her father's advice of trusting no one. It's a fast paced story that will keep you turning the pages, rooting for the characters the whole time. It's not just Cia that I was rooting for (although she's an easy one to root for), but all the candidates because wow are the penalties for failure severe. Namely, death.

Cia herself is super likeable. She's fairly trusting, loves her family and is trying to do the right thing throughout the testing. She's fighting to survive, but at the same time she wants to do the right thing and maintain her values despite the extraordinary circumstances. She makes difficult decisions based on her survival instincts and overall, pretty bad ass.

The downside of this novel for me was their seemed to be a lack of explanation/world building. Like, WHY did the world turn on itself and WHY did this cause a ton of natural disasters? Also, how long has this test been around and did citizens at one point know about its methods? Basically I just have a ton of questions left about this world. I also have a ton of questions about the characters because there's not a ton of character building between the action. We do get to see some of their actions, intents, and motivations, but I think more needs to be known. Of course, the sequel is coming out this fall so I'm hoping a lot of my questions are answered then. And it makes sense we don't know a ton about the characters because this is a world in which Cia's been told to trust nobody and hasn't learned TOO much about her competitors.

I'm definitely going to pick up the sequel to this one because the ending just left me with too many questions. It was the perfect page turning read for the beginning of summer and a nice break from the contemporary romances I normally read. I don't know if I would recommend this to fans of dystopians, but again, that's just because I don't know much about the genre itself. I would however, recommend it to anybody who enjoys an action packed, page turning read.