Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Back in January when Across the Universe by Beth Revis was first released, it seemed as inescapable as the ship it takes place abroad. Every blog I turned to was raving of its merits, lusting over its iridescent cover, or otherwise exclaiming its virtues. Naturally, that meant that I wasn't interested in reading it. Rather- I was already sick of it before even picking it up, and so I let my copy sit in the pile of "books I'll get to someday" for the next six months. Then, before heading to the beach in July I packed up that stack of novels, figuring the two weeks away were a perfect opportunity for some of those titles I had been neglecting. And in a way, the stars aligned, because it turned out that Across the Universe was definitely a book for me, I just needed a little breathing room before we got to know each other. However, when we finally did, I was glad.

Across the Universe is told from in two alternating voices from two very different teenagers, and not just because they are of opposite genders and were born two hundred and fifty years apart. Amy was only seventeen when her and her parents were frozen and placed aboard the spaceship Godspeed, waiting three hundred years to be awoken on a new planet. Something goes wrong though, and Amy wakes up fifty years ahead of schedule. She is alone and thrust into a new world with new rules and the ever present threat that whoever tried to kill her will get her parents next. Amy is forced to rely on Elder, the future leader of the ship on which she is held captive and who perhaps may have answers to some of her questions. Together, they race to unlock the secrets hiding on board a spaceship fueled by lies before it is too late.

There were so many things I loved about Revis' story. It was incredibly unique, and it makes science fiction approachable and relateable. Spaceships are not high on my list of settings to read about, but Godspeed comes to life and the novel even includes a map for more visual readers to get acquainted with the location. There are also many details and technological inventions that fill the story with authenticity, and unlike many other novels I have read which are set in the future- XVI by Julia Karr for example, which I did enjoy nonetheless- I really felt like I understood what all of these things did and what their purpose was.

Across the Universe begins with a bang but then develops slowly, the reader is instantly drawn into the world, Amy's panic, Elder's curiosity, but then Revis lets you settle in and doesn't rush the story but instead lets it unfold naturally. I've read before that Revis came up with a twist, and then built a story in which she could use that twist, and so I had high expectations for the mysteries hiding on the ship. I was not at all disappointed, in the end I felt like everything fit together but was also completely unpredictable and I loved it.

My only minor thing to nit-pick about Across the Universe is the title, between the Beatles song and the corresponding film, it just feels overused for such an original novel. I feel like another title, perhaps Godspeed, might have been more appropriate. That said I don't care what the names of the next two books in the series are, I'm going to be picking them up regardless! 

In the end, I'm glad I waited to pick up Across the Universe, because reading it now means that there are that many fewer months to wait until the followup, A Million Suns, is released and I can climb aboard Godspeed and enter the fantastical world of Amy and Elder once again.

Release Date: January 11th, 2011
Pages: 398
Source: ARC From Publisher
Buy the Book 

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman takes an important teen issue in a horrifying and memorable way. At the core, it's Abby's story. Abby is a teenage girl who should be excited about starting high school, but with an increasingly distant best friend and a difficult time fitting in, the only place she feels truly appreciated is online, talking to Luke. Sure, Abby hasn't met Luke, not in person anyway, but from talking online she feels like they really know each other. Luke tells Abby how special she is and even sends her a phone so they can talk to each other in secret. With nothing else going according to plan, when Luke suggests him and Abby meet for a weekend away it seems like a great idea- until Abby goes missing and everyone is left trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find Abby before it's too late.

The feelings that Littman deals with in Want to Go Private? are ones that most teens face; loneliness, wanting to belong; and although Abby's story is horrible, it's not nearly as unique as we would like to believe. The novel clearly shows the persuasion an online predator can have over a teen, even an intelligent one who has heard all the horror stories in the past but believes that her situation is different. Still, Abby is seduced by Luke's sweet words, by the way he is always on his side, telling her what she wants to hear when she fights with her best friend or family. Littman is bold in her discussion of this important issue, she doesn't shy away from the ugly details and disgusting situations that present. She shows have these predators "groom" the young people they are trying to seduce and the danger of what can happen, the way things go so terribly wrong for Abby, serve as a memorable warning for others.

Although Want to Go Private? is an important book for teens, I think it's definitely one parents should read as well and discuss with their daughters. Portions of the book are quite graphic and disgusting, but it is exactly the kind of disgust that such a situation should provoke and I applaud Littman for putting every disturbing detail out there. The only aspect of the storyline I didn't really appreciate was the history that Littman gave Luke as an "explanation" for what he did; it seemed like a lazy explanation of evil, a sort of cop-out for what Luke did so that people should feel a bit sorry for him. There is no excuse for Luke's actions, no matter how horrible his history, and although this may have been Littman's attempt to bring more humanity to the character, he wasn't a character I was interested in having any compassion for.

Want to Go Private? is a well-written book, but it's not one that you read for enjoyment- it's too horrifying for that- rather it is a novel that sticks with you, crawls under your skin, a story you probably won't want to read a second time but which you certainly won't forget.

Release Date: August 1st, 2011
Pages: 336
Source: ARC From Publisher
Buy the Book

In My Mailbox (September 4th-10th 2011)

A small but good week for my mailbox. The first book has just been long-listed for the Giller Prize (very prestigious Canadian literary prize) and arrived the same day the list was announced. The second was a surprise but very welcome copy of a dystopia where chocolate and coffee are illegal. The third one is for an upcoming book tour, it's a historical fiction novel and apparently has already been sold to be made into a film by director Michael Mann; it sounds very intriguing and combines many things I find interesting and hold hear to my heart including WWII, photography and Judaism.

{For Review}

The Return by Dany Laferriere (D&M Publishers)
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Unsolicited) (D&M Publishers)
Waiting for Robert Capa by Susana Fortes (ARC) (TLC Tours)

This was a good week in that the books I read far outnumbered the books I gained... if you don't consider the books I bought. But those twenty haven't arrived yet so I'll save their mention for next week!

What was in your mailbox this week?

Giveaway Winners

Time to announce the winners for 700 Follower Giveaway Extravaganza!
The prizes are:

1. Centuries of June by Keith Donohue (Open to US and Canada)
   Winner: Dina Cox
2. What Language Is by John McWhorter (Open to US and Canada)
   Winner: vidisha
   
3. The Rules of the Tunnel by Ned Zeman (Open to US and Canada)
   Winner: tiffany drew
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Open Internationally)
   Winner: Amanda Welling

Winners will be contacted by e-mail and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Thanks for entering everyone and I look forward to more giveaways soon! 

Fins Series by Tera Lynn Childs

I decided to do one joint review for this two book series, keeping my comments vague enough to avoid spoilers for either novel so it's possible to read the entire two book review without spoiling either book.

I admit, it probably didn't matter what anyone else said about these books, I was going to be reading Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs at the very least because they had absolutely gorgeous covers. Yes, I admit I can be lured in that way. Still, as soon as I got a taste of Childs' humour and charisma, I was sucked into her magical world- hook, line and sinker.

Forgive My Fins is the story of seventeen year old Lily Sanderson, a mermaid princess who has been living on land for the past couple years since she found out her mother was actually human, not mer. She was only planning to stay a year but ends up sticking around waiting for the right moment to break her secret to her crush, and intended future mer-mate, Brody. Unfortunately, Brody seems to have other plans but after getting out of a two year relationship Lily knows now is the moment to make her move. However, things don't exactly go according to plan and because mer "bond" for life, Lily is in for a tidal adventure.

I cannot say enough good things about Forgive My Fins, a book that often had me chuckling out loud while reading it and turning the page with eager enjoyment of the same kind I experienced when reading Stork by Wendy Delsol. The Fins and Stork series have a few things in common, both are inspired by myth and feature teenage girls, both are fairly clean reads, and both authors have an awesome sense of humour that is engaging but they also know when to take issues more seriously.

The characters definitely make this book, the sarcastic banter between Lily and her best friend Shannon, and especially her next door neighbour Quince, is hilarious and keeps Forgive My Fins flowing easily.  In some ways, Forgive My Fins reminded me a bit of the film Aquamarine, because it was charming and light-hearted in comparison to many of the darker siren tales being published like The Lost Voices and Ripple. Even the followup, Fins Are Forever, although it does take on some more serious issues, still manages to maintain a light-hearted, if slightly angsty at times, voice.

Having fallen so deeply in love with Forgive My Fins (and QUINCE of course), a novel that ended with a definite hook (although it didn't have the kind of Massive Cliffhanger Ending (MCE) that I hate), I was incredibly excited to pick up the followup immediately afterward. Unfortunately, although it was a book I enjoyed, Fins Are Forever just didn't have quite the same, sparkle, as the previous book. Perhaps, having enjoyed the banter between Lily and Quince so much I was disappointed that it was basically absent from this book. In fact, Quince himself hardly makes an appearance and is instead replaced my several less complex and interesting characters such as a Royal Prince and Brody. Plus, a lot of the storyline is a repeat from the first book, albeit with slightly different results.

The ending of Fins Are Forever also let me down, things just wrapped up a little too perfectly. I'm definitely a fan of the happy ending, and I thought Lily deserved one, but maybe because both books take place over a short period of time- only about a month and a half-  things just seemed to develop too perfectly to feel believable. Overall, I realize these are books about mermaids but a lot of the things Lily faces- trying to fit in, having a crush on somebody who doesn't notice you, living up to your parent's expectations- are those that other teens could easily relate to. I felt that even if the storyline of Fins Are Forever wasn't quite up to par, Childs definitely has a unique approach to taking on the struggle of teen life, in a way that is both hilarious and absolutely adorable.

Ultimately, Fins Are Forever didn't live up to my expectations set by Forgive My Fins but Tera Lynn Childs has definitely gained a new fan and I look forward to reading more by her in the future; she's fin-tastic*. 

*Sorry, I just couldn't help it.

Forgive My Fins:  
Release Date: June 1st, 2010                  Pages: 293
Source: E-book                                       Buy the Book
Fins Are Forever:
Release Date: July 1st, 2011                   Pages: 272
Source: ARC From Publisher                 Buy the Book