Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, that call me on and on across the universe... 
 ...Nothing's gonna change my world 
 -Lennon/McCartney 
 The first time I saw this book, it had just come out. I was at Powell's books in downtown Portland, Oregon with my mom, it was like last January or something. And honestly the only way I can describe this is love at first sight. 
 It was on this big display in the Young-adult section, and I saw the beautiful colors on the cover. The whole rack and display was decorated with the stars. The pretty pink and purple and blue that's on the cover. And I saw the beautiful cover, that looks so lovely with Amy and Elder on the cover, THIS CLOSE to a kiss with the stars behind them. And I saw the beautiful title, Across the Universe. One of my favorite songs by my most favorite band in the world. One of the most beautiful songs, that fits the book so perfectly. and I picked the book up. 
 I don't know why I didn't buy it that day, and I also dont know why it's taken me almost ten months to read it, because every time I saw it before I read it I literally sighed out loud. 
 And now that I've read it, I don't even think you have to guess what my reaction was. I'm literally in love. With this book. This is my book. 
 To start with, I just want to say that the book is straight up strange. It's plain strange. Weird. It's twisted and dark in parts. It's odd and scientific. 
 But there is so much emotion in it. 
 It's point of view alternates between Amy and Elder. Amy is listed as "Non-essential Cargo" On a ship where important geneticists or military leaders are to be used in the future. Her and hundreds of others, are literally frozen and layed in a chamber, to be there for the next three-hundred years. When they are unfrozen, they will be on a new planet that no one has seen, and will help make it habitable. Amy, however, is woken early. 
 Thus begins the mystery. Who woke her? Why? What will happen? what's happening to the other frozen's in the cryo-chamber. (view spoiler)[And at the end, when everything is getting explained, and it says how Elder was really the one who woke her up, in that moment I was like "It makes sense now." I kind of thought that was a bit of a genius move. Elder being all like "Ok. So heres what really happened..." (hide spoiler)] And, what the hell is wrong with the people on this ship? She meets the future leader of the ship, Elder, and from there, the story sets off on a journey of lies and deceit. Of love and death and fitting into a horrible place you were never supposed to be in the first place. 
 You would expect it to be a sappy, googly-eyes romance from the cover, but it isn't. It's a scary story really. A dystopian thriller. A story of things that really aren't too far off from things that could happen really. A mystery. A love story. A sci-fi thriller. This book is everything. 
 The whole time, I found myself laughing (though not much). I found a tear rolling down my cheek. But mostly, I found my jaw hanging open, my face frozen in shock. The things that are done, to the people, and just the basic society, it's plain twisted. 
 Not only is the story emotional, but the writing is so good. So good, I want to read this book a million times. 
 It's BEAUTIFUL. And once the story started, I don't want to admit it, but I thought it was going to end up being a totally disconnected sci-fi book that's cold and dead and everything is made of metal or something. But it's NOOOOOTT. The emotion was almost overwhelming at times. 
 So, all in all, do I even have to say how much I loved this book??? I'm anxiously awaiting the second book. I wish I could be frozen in a cryo-chamber and be woken the day this book comes out. I wouldn't have to wait!! Just kidding. Haha...I love this book.