Book Review: Across the Universe

 

*SPOILER ALERT*

 Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Beth Revis' debut novel Across the Universe combines equal parts mystery, sci-fi, romance, and dystopia to weave an amazing story. The 81 chapter odyssey (to use a cliche) begins with a choice. Amy, one of the main characters and the narrator of every other chapter, must decide whether she, like her parents, will be cryogenically frozen (and along with many others travel frozen for 300 years until they reach a life-supporting planet), or if she will remain on Earth and choose to live her life as a normal girl. She chooses the former, and is therefore placed on board the ship Godspeed. But, when she is unfrozen 50 years too early, Amy must adapt to life aboard the Godspeed, befriending Elder, the future leader of the ship and the narrator of the other half of the book. But, the two quickly discover that Godspeed is not what they thought it was, and as they delve deeper into the lies the ship is built on, more and more of the "frozens" are unfrozen. But, unlike Amy, they are not lucky enough to survive, and to save the lives of the innocent, Amy and Elder must discover who, or what, is killing the frozens.

Across the Universe is one of the best books I have read. Revis' writing is superb, and her alternating narrators (Amy and Elder) help make the book interesting and quick-paced. Normally, I'm opposed to paranormal-romances (you can thank Stephenie Meyer for that), but Revis intertwines the Amy/Elder love story perfectly with the rest of the plot, so neither get old. It should be noted that this is definitely a book for a more mature audience (there's a mass mating time on the ship called "The Season" and an attempted rape), but it's still a young adult/teenage novel.

This book definitely deserves its 8 star rating, and if what I hear is correct, Revis plans on writing two more books in series to this one thus making a trilogy, so keep your eyes open for more by her.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I have recently (as in this morning) finished reading Firelight. I thought the book was well written but I don't want to give it a rating. The book I am reading at the time is always my favorite so my opinion is definitely biased. As usual though- Spoiler Alert!

The story is fast paced for the most part but it does have the usual slow moments that most books contain. The main character, Jacinda, lives in a pride of people who are the descendants of dragons. They can change into humans to keep their race secret and safe. They call themselves Draki. Jacinda is a fire breather-a rare talent among the Draki-so of course she is protected and her free will being is stripped from her. Although she is desperate to find a way to take back her free will, she knows she belongs with the pride. In order to save Jacinda, her mother forces Jacinda and her sister to leave the pride. However, Jacinda's mother believes that the only way for Jacinda to be safe is for her daughter to become fully human. Jacinda struggles desperately to keep her Draki alive in the mortal world. The only thing in this new world that helps keep her Draki alive is the elusive yet irresistible Will. He is the only thing that can help her, yet he is her enemy. His family hunts Draki. So she is faced with the choice of losing her Draki or risking the secrets of her people.

I really like how Sophie writes Jacinda's story. She spends a lot of time letting the reader see Jacinda struggle with both sides of every decision she makes. It helps the reader to empathize with her character. This also gives Jacinda depth.

However, there is a bit of a star-crossed-lovers theme. Will and Jacinda are inevitably drawn to each other when the readers know that it is almost impossible for their relationship to work out. It makes the story feel familiar like I read the book a long time ago yet I can't quite remember the particulars. So in that sense I am slightly disappointed with the book. However, it still pulls the readers in. The tragedy of their doomed love makes the story all the more interesting. It makes the readers hope that the characters can get past the divide between their people-against all the odds stacked against them.
All in all I think it was a good book, so I encourage you to read it and let me know what you think.

Book Review: The Water Wars

So, as you can see, we've had a long hiatus here at ArtisticallySpeaking, but hopefully this will end it. In the time we've been gone, JP has dropped out of the project, but I'm pleased to announce the arrival of new team member Taylor. We're close friends, and hopefully with her, we'll be able to increase the output of book reviews on the site. In the following weeks, I'm going to see if I can add even more team members to ArtisticallySpeaking.

But, enough with the announcements. Today's review is for The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (Dinner with Dad, Double Billing). As usual *SPOILER ALERT*

 

6.5 stars out of 10

In The Water Wars, Cameron Stracher creates a post-apocalyptic world where governments hoard the last remaining fresh water on earth, and the rest is desalinated from the oceans or sucked out of clouds. Borders have been redrawn and countries eliminated from the map. The citizens of the earth live off the water the government rations them and what other they can afford. When Vera, a citizen of the new Republic of Illinowa (an area that encompasses the former-day midwest of the United States), watches Kai, dump water into the dusty remains of the ground, she's astounded. But, when Kai tells her that he knows a secret source of fresh water that nobody has to pay for, Vera and her brother Will befriend the boy. When Kai disappears, kidnapped by a greedy desalination corporation bent on controlling all the water of the earth, Vera and Will must team up with water pirates, fight hypocritical environmental agencies, and venture across the North American continent to not only save Kai, but to gain fresh water for the entire world.

Stracher creates a wonderful premise in this young adult novel, but, to me, the book seemed to be lacking something. The character development was not done very well, and although each character could have been very interesting, the quickly-paced book never seemed to have time to explain why characters acted in their ways. Some information was revealed about each of the characters, but not enough to make me really understand what they were going through.

Also, the back story of the entire Water Wars was never completely explained. To my knowledge, water is a renewable resource, so what happened to the abundant flow of fresh water to cause this worldwide drought? Stracher comments on wars of the past and a time called "The Great Panic" but never explained what happened to all the drinkable water. Did pollution ruin it? Did global warming cause it to evaporate? We may never know.

Despite its flaws, The Water Wars, is a wonderfully paced novel. From the opening paragraph to the closing words, you will not want to put this book down. Stracher constantly engages the reader, but never overwhelms them, bringing you to new locations and introducing new characters throughout the entire novel. Be assured that you'll want to know what happens to Kai, Vera, and Will, and will not want to stop until you read the ending.

Very much in the style of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, Stracher's book earned a 6.5/10 stars in my opinion.