Book Review: Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3) by Beth Revis

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

My Thoughts:

It has been awhile since I read the first two books in this series so I was a little worried that I wasn't going to remember how they left off or all the characters.  As soon as I started reading, though, everything came back to me and I was instantly caught up in the story.

Shades of Earth begins with Amy and Elder and about 1500 of the people from Godspeed in the shuttle getting ready to land on Centauri-Earth.  Everyone is worried about what they will find on this new planet and if they will even be able to live there at all.  But first, Amy and Elder have to actually land the shuttle safely, which turns out to be more difficult than they thought.

After landing, all chaos ensues.  People are hurt and some are even dead, the Frozen are waking up and there are monsters outside the shuttle on a planet that no one has ever been on.  As Elder tries to maintain some control, Amy is excited to finally be able to see her parents again.  

As soon as Amy's dad and the rest of the military wake up, there is a fight for control.  The shipborns do not trust the military at all and the earthborns think the shipborns are strange and different and they don't really trust them either.  Amy's dad starts leading the people off the ship but the people soon find out that they are fighting against the unknowns of a new planet as well as monsters that they aren't able to see.  

I liked Elder a lot but sometimes he got really annoying and showed that he was really more of a child than a leader.  He demanded to be in control of his people but then he never really took any control.  Amy couldn't decide if she was going to stand behind Elder or stick with her parents.  She would think Elder was right in something but her father would disagree and instead of standing up for herself or Elder, Amy would just meekly follow her father.  I would get so frustrated with Amy and that disappointed me.

I am so glad that the people finally got off Godspeed and were on a planet with real air, sky and trees but there wasn't a lot of exploration of the planet.  The colony went from the ship, through the forest to the ruins where they stayed.  There was a lake and the compound and that was all.  I would have really liked to have seen more of the planet explored but with the ptero monsters out there,  I guess it wouldn't make sense for the people to go off exploring.  

I knew who the traitor was right away.  There are subtle clues throughout the book that I was able to pick up on.  I wasn't sure what the whole twist in the story was though, so it didn't detract in any way.  Once the twist was revealed, I actually felt sorry for the traitor.  I could totally understand what happened.  

I seriously could not put this book down!  It helped that we had our first snow of the year (which means everything shuts down here even though we get snow every year) so I was able to spend the days reading while my kids played.  This book was action packed and so full of questions that you couldn't stop reading until you got the answers.  

Book Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review** 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.
In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

My Thoughts:  I was so excited the other day because I had (literally) just finished Across the Universe and my awesome mailman brought me this one!  I would have finished it the next day but my kids think they need to do school, eat and take baths.  Silly kids!

If you have not read Across the Universe, stop reading this now and go to your library or closest book store, get it and read it!  Okay, just kidding but if you haven't read it, stop reading here as this review will have some spoilers for Across the Universe.

A Million Suns begins right after Across the Universe ends.  Eldest is dead and now Elder is trying to lead the ship without Phydus, the drug that kept all the feeders obedient and "empty".  Now the feeders are starting to think for themselves and they are thinking that they don't like to be lead by Elder.  Elder is fighting to keep control and it isn't working out too well.  Especially when someone starts to kill people on ship.

I have to be honest here and say that (while I loved this book) Amy really started to annoy me at times.  She was so sure that Elder needed to rule the ship without Phydus and yet couldn't help him at all.  I could see where Phydus would be a good thing to have and use, especially when things started to get out of control.  Then, towards the end, Elder makes a decision that Amy doesn't like at all and she freaks out!  It's like she wants to control Elder but luckily he sticks to his guns.  I also don't like how she continues to push Elder away and then pull him close only to push him away again.

I really liked how Elder started to come into his own in this book.  He had to deal with some serious issues here and when faced with all the challenges, he pulled through.  He really became a leader towards the end and I enjoyed watching that. 

I loved how Orion, while being still being frozen, was still extremely involved in this book.  Orion has left clues all over the ship for Amy.  The clues lead to what Eldest's biggest secret was.  Orion was very clever in how he left the clues and it was fun trying to figure them out.

I both loved and hated Bartie.  It really seemed like he just wanted to cause trouble for trouble's sake.  Some of his arguments didn't really make sense and if the feeders were thinking rationally they would have figured that out (I can't say what I want to here due to no spoilers so you will just have to read it and see if you agree with me).  Anyways, for Bartie's argument to be true, he would be dead too.  But, at the end, I thought Bartie really came around and I liked his character again.

While I did figure out who the villain was in this book rather quickly, it was still riveting!  I had no idea what Eldest's secret was and I sped through the book dying to find out!  The end of the book leaves you literally begging for more!  I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Amy and Elder and to Bartie. 

Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Thoughts:  
This was one of those books that I had heard so much about when it first came out.  I bought it right away and there it has sat, unopened, on my bookshelf.  Then an ARC tour came out for A Million Suns and I signed up for it thinking I had read this one.  Once I saw it was still unwrapped, I hurried to read it.  I think this is great motivation to getting my own books read!  

Amy and her parents are frozen before being put aboard The Godspeed, a spaceship destined for Centauri-Earth.  They are suppose to be frozen for 300 years, the length of time it takes to get  to Centauri-Earth.  Too bad for Amy when she is unfrozen 50 years early!  Now she must learn to live aboard a spaceship filled with "empty" people, genetically altered livestock, crops and food and only two friends, Elder and Harley.  Together these three must find out the secrets Eldest is hiding and why certain "frozens" are being targeted.  

This book started out a little slow for me.  The first couple chapters were about Elder, Eldest and the ship and while they helped with background information, it just went a tad slow.  After Amy wakes up, things start to speed up and by the end I could hardly put it down!

I really liked Amy.  She didn't feel sorry for herself even though she was in a bad situation.  She stayed strong even through some terrifying ordeals and was extremely smart.  I loved how she stood up to Doc and Eldest and refused to be controlled by Eldest.  Her relationship with Harley was sweet and I enjoyed how her relationship with Elder grew.  

I thought Elder was a great character too.  He has grown up knowing only what Eldest and Doc have wanted him to know yet he is suppose to take over the ship someday.  He follows Eldest's instructions until Amy is unfrozen and then he becomes a person of his own.  He really starts to see what is happening and stands up to Eldest.  I think Elder really cares for the people on the ship.  

Harley was by far my favorite character!  Labeled as "crazy" by Eldest and Doc, he is a resident of the hospital where Amy is staying.  Harley is an artist and he is so smart!  He has experienced a tragic loss earlier and his heart is still broken but he is a great friend for Amy.  

I loved the ending of this book!  It was full of action and it left me wanting to know more!  Despite the slow start, I am very glad I read this book!