You read enough of these dystopian YA novels and you begin to pick up on the pieces of plot that serve simply as cogs in the machine. Across The Universe (yes, like the Beatles song) proves that those cogs can still exist AND be entirely refreshing at the same time. Chapters trade off between Amy's and Elder's perspective--Amy being the feisty redhead from Earth and Elder being the authority-questioning future leader of the ship Godspeed. I freaking loved this decision. It kept the plot pounding forward and held suspense between viewpoints. Beth Revis also included a sense of relevancy by referencing major events in world history. There are shades of Ender's Game, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars and I mean that in a good way. (There's even a thinly veiled Firefly reference!) Although it was a tad predictable, I can't wait to see how the rest of the story plays out.