by Beth Revis
Hardcover, 416 pages/Hardcover, 386 pages
Published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill/Published January 10th 2012 by Razorbill
ISBN 1595143971 (ISBN13: 9781595143976)/ISBN 159514398X (ISBN13: 9781595143983)


Across the Universe Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

A Million Suns Blurb

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

The Good

  1. The pace.  I was so frustrated with the fact that I have to work and sleep and do other things while I was reading these. I just didn’t want to put them down. Both read as a mystery, but the second book is definitely more structured, specifically in the way the ‘clues’ are introduced. I am not sure the structure was a good thing, but it wasn’t really a bad thing either.

  2. The murders.  In both books, the murders that take place feel real. The tiny human details Revis includes like dirt under a person’s nails makes the characters feel more like actual people. She doesn’t just state that someone has died—she shows it. Since the murders largely drive the plot in both books, the fact that these elements were so well done makes the stories feel more polished.

  3. The variety of topics.  This is a space murder series, that’s very evident. But through the murders and the occurrences on the ship, Revis is able to cover a wide range of topics: rape, politics, leadership, rebellion, love, loss, nostalgia, hatred. The list goes on and on. And, although some people rightfully complained that we don’t really get to know either of the narrators on a very deep level, the people they observe showcase so many aspects of the human condition in such an accurate way that the lack of closeness with the narrators didn’t bother me one bit.


The Bad

  1. The Romance. When I say this I don’t mean that I didn’t like the romance or that it didn’t have many redeeming qualities. Some of the writing describing their moments together, however, is a little strange. Here’s an example:

    “His muscles tighten under my gaze; his biceps are like rocks, pulling me even closer against him.”

    This comparison of biceps to rocks just seems odd to me. There are many points throughout both books were similes used just don’t feel right, and they always seem to be centered around romantic moments.


Favorite Quotes

Across the Universe
"I never thought about how important the sky was until I didn’t have one."


A Million Suns
"Love without choice isn’t love at all."


Overall Series Rating

Fantastic, absolutely cannot wait until the next book comes out.