Twitter Length Review of Across the Universe

Twitter #review: Across the Universe: Phenomenal, traumatic, philosophical, claustrophobic, hopeful. Unexpectedly strong. #ATU@bethrevis

Breakdown:

1) Phenomenal: Every single chapter ending is EPIC. The blurb says this book is unputdownable and this is why. Beth Revis is a master at chapter transitions. You get to the end of each and you go, "Ooh, must read more!" This keeps a high level of tension that won this book my label of phenomenal.

2) Traumatic: This review is spoiler free, but suffice it to say there is one scene in particular that left me as a woman feeling on edge, and it took several chapters for me to relax from it. This isn't a bad thing. Beth's storytelling was appropriately sensitive to the subject matter, yet naked enough to allow me to feel the character's trauma.

3) Philosophical: THEMES! I love themes in YA lit. You may or may not have seen my post about MOCKINGJAY as Political Statement. It's not that Suzanne Collins preached about her politics, but more that there were clear themes about personal and governmental duty, and what happens when a dictator takes control and the people let him for the sake of their own entertainment. Across the Universe had the same level of philosophy, in my mind, but it wasn't so much political as it was ethical. Elder has to battle with himself over what kind of leader he wants to be for his people, and what kind of leader he is capable of being. One of the themes seems to be the capacity in each of us for good or evil, and the importance of personal choice.

4) Claustrophobic: This word was found in more than one of the cover review blurbs, so I was eager to see how Beth pulled this off. Beautifully. The setting was as much a character in this story as any of the leads, and we are never allowed to forget those metal walls that curve up into a nonexistent sky. Well done, Beth!

5) Hopeful: I find this is a must for me in any novel I read, and I wasn't disappointed with Across the Universe on this element. Hope is found in the stars beyond the ship, and in the arms of the people within.

6) Unexpectedly Strong: Of course I had high expectations for this book. That cover! All those blurbs and the buzz! Holy crap, the buzz! So why did I use the qualifier unexpectedly? Because of the pink and the glitter. I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but you have to understand that I read PARANORMALCY last year, so I expected this pink and black book to be awesome but light like that pink and black book. Silly, huh? I neglected to take into account that Revis' universe is a dystopia. There's nothing light about this book, but there is plenty of awesome to go around.

Happy reading!

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