Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 Across the Universe is told in two narratives. 
 Our first is Amy. The story begins with Amy and her parents - they are about to be cryogenically frozen. They are leaving Earth (deemed Sol-Earth) behind to journey to a new planet (deemed Centauri-Earth) on the spaceship Godspeed. People with certain life/political/military/etc skills and knowledge were chosen to be cryogenically preserved and taken to help build the new planet. Amy's parents are two of these people, and because of only that, Amy gets to go with them; therefore she is considered "nonessential cargo". The plan is for these people to stay frozen for the entire 300-year journey to the new planet. 
 Only, things do not go as planned. Amy is yanked from her cryo-chamber roughly 50 years ahead of schedule; and almost dies as a result. 
 This is where our second narrator, Elder, meets Amy. Elder lives on the spaceship Godspeed. He takes one look at Amy, with her firey-red hair and green eyes, and becomes completely enthralled. He's never seen anyone or anything like her. Elder is the youngest person on the ship. He is also the person in line to be the next Eldest; the ships' leader. The current Eldest is a tyrant who is keeping some pretty massive secrets. He's got almost everyone fooled. He hates Amy from the get-go. She is different; she is a freak. Difference causes discord, and Eldest wants none of that. He even threatens to throw her out into space via a hatch in the ship. Eventually, with some coaxing from Doc (the doctor who runs the hospital on board) he lets Amy stay with the stipulation that she is to remain hidden as much as possible in the "mental ward" of the hospital. 
 "Power isn't control at all -- power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others so that they may have the strength to stand on their own." 
 Amy struggles with knowing that the person who nearly killed her, could do the same to her parents at any moment. While dealing with this stress, she also has to become accustomed to life on this strange spaceship. The ship is a world in itself. Almost 3,000 people reside on the ship. A city rests at it's heart. There is a "sun" in the form of a gigantic, domed light in the ceiling. There are crops, houses, and it even rains inside the ship. But for Amy, nothing here compares to Earth; nothing can even come close. Amy longs desperately for her old life, her home, and for her parents. Regardless of Elder and the "mental" patient she befriends, Harley - she feels completely and utterly alone. 
 "I never thought about how important the sky was until I didn't have one." 
 Amy begins to notice that the people residing on Godspeed aren't quite right. Something seems OFF about them. They do what they're told without even a second thought. The "grays" - elderly people - seem to disappear altogether when they are in their 60's. Mating is regulated by having what is called "the Season". A time when the newest generation (people in their 20's) go into a sort of heat, and literally have sex with anyone (and anywhere), in hopes of becoming pregnant and thus creating the new generation. Sex is unheard of and not permitted any other time. Amy doesn't understand how any of this is even possible, or how the people on the ship don't say or do something about it. The only seemingly "normal" people are the patients of the mental ward - they seem unaffected by the Season and are the only people who don't act like mindless zombies. 
 All the while, the person that unplugged Amy is still going at it - people are dying. Amy, Elder, and Harley try desperately to catch the murderer. As the plot comes to a head, secrets that effect everyone on the ship begin emerge and everything changes. In the end, Amy finds out that Elder may hold the most devastating secret of all. 
 "This is the secret of the stars, I tell myself. In the end, we are alone. No matter how close you seem, no one else can touch you." 
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 Ooookay. I have minimal complaints, but still.. a couple. 
 The romance took a little backseat in this novel. While it was apparent that Amy and Elder felt something, it didn't get the spotlight for more than a few passing moments. A stolen kiss, a little hand-holding. Most of the romance aspect took place in Elder's thoughts. I really would have liked to see it out there in the open some more. I certainly expect to see their relationship blossom in A Million Suns. 
 The pace was decent. The beginning was a little slow, but once Amy was "unplugged" it really picked up and I seriously flew through this book. It was a day and a half read for me. 
 The double narrative was a plus. I've seen a few complaints on it, and I don't understand why. It's essential! We needed the POV of both someone from Sol-Earth (Amy), and someone from the "future", who was at home on Godspeed (Elder). Contrasting their thoughts, actions, and opinions brought something to the book that would not have been present if we'd only read from Amy's point of view. To me, this was quite clever on the author's part. 
 Amy was a likable character. She was believable as a 17 year old girl. I liked that she wasn't level-headed through the whole thing; she was panicked at the proper times. / Elder wasn't your typical hero. Yes, he did the right thing when it came down to it, but he doubted his choices the entire way. Even as we came to the end of the book, he still had doubts. Even though I wish he'd voiced them more, his feelings for Amy were endearing. / Harley was a fun character! He had a ton of heart, and a very sad past. My heart broke for him completely. I sort of had a little wish that Amy and Harley would somehow end up together. Alas, my wish went ungranted. 
 Overall: 
 I enjoyed this novel immensely. I only deducted one star for a slow start, and the fact that romance was in the backseat. Regardless of that, this was a fantastic book. Revis crafted a very intriguing world. The plot twists were unexpected and left me picking my jaw up off the floor. I ADORE science fiction - especially things that take place in outer space. It seems to be rare in the Young Adult genre. It doesn't just stop at sci-fi though, this book is definitely genre-bending. If you like YA science fiction, dystopia, paranormal romance, etc.. you need to read this. :)