"WORDS ARE, IN MY NOT-SO-HUMBLE OPINION, OUR MOST INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF MAGIC. CAPABLE OF BOTH INFLICTING INJURY, AND REMEDYING IT." ~ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Happy Book Birthday: Across the Universe (+swag giveaway!)

Today is Beth Revis's Across the Universe BOOK BIRTHDAY! 


A love out of time.
A spaceship built
of secrets and murder.
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.

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of AtU a month or two ago. And this book? Well, it's frexing good, man!

Let me start by saying, I do enjoy some Sci-Fi. I mean, Ender's Game? One of my top favorite books of all time. But you already know that :P Needless to say, though, I was intrigued by Beth's book from the get-go, because like Ender's Game, it takes place in space. And I wasn't disappointed.


Plus, the cover. Oh, the cover. It. Is. So. Awesome. You must agree, yes? So even before flipping to the first page I took some time just to admire the cover. Then I flipped to the first page and didn't come back up for air for the next three hours.

I love dual narration, when it's done well--and Beth does it very, very well :) AtU switches POV between the two main characters, Amy and Elder. 

Amy's struggling to understand/get used to the world she's woken to find herself in--while trying to figure out who unfroze her early, in an attempt to kill her. Elder's being prepared as the next ruler of the ship, but the world he's always known is beginning to unravel. Some things just aren't making sense--and he can't ignore them. (And poor, poor Elder, honestly. I couldn't help but feel for him from the very beginning. Can you imagine living your entire life on a spaceship? Never setting foot on land? I shudder just thinking about it.)

And let me tell you right now--Beth doesn't play favorites with her secondary characters. You have no clue who you can count on--to be good, or to be bad. It's frustrating in the BEST way :)

And the ship, Godspeed... Well, I don't want to give anything away but dang. Life on Godspeed is--I want to say unimaginable, but clearly Beth imagined it. She's got one amazingly creative imagination. Especially when it comes to worldbuilding. You'll see what I mean when you read it! The social structure of the world is absolutely fascinating, and extremely scary.


The plot bobs and weaves and pulls you down paths where you might not know exactly where you're going, but you know you want to get there--so you end up constantly flinging the next page over to see what happens.


So seriously, go out today and get Across the Universe! And then come back here to tell me how much you loved it.

If you're still not sold, why not try reading the first chapter here (http://www.bethrevis.com/books/) to see how hooked you'll get! Or how about watching her book trailer?



Plus, like the title of the post promises, I've got some swag to giveaway!!

Five signed bookmarks and a pin button!

To enter, just leave a comment with

  1. your email address
  2. a promise to read this book as soon as possible, because you soooo should and you soooo won't be disappointed

I'll close the entries next Monday (1/17). First winner will get the pin button and a bookmark. The next four will receive bookmarks!

Happy Book Birthday, Beth!! 

29 comments:

  1. I totally agreed with your review! I'm loving ATU right now! And thanks for the contest! my email is: regietc@gmail.com and I promise to FINISH reading ATU =)))

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  2. Oh I promise to read! It sounds awesome (and is the name of my fav movie and song). Thanks for the contest!
    samantha.thomson@ggp.com

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  3. I promise to read the book as soon my mail-man brings it to me!! Thanks for the review! :)
    Please enter me if this is International.

    Misha
    mishamary@gmail.com

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  4. Happy Release Day, Beth!
    I love the name of the ship, Godspeed. I love some science fiction. We are a geeky Star Wars family! :) So I am looking forward to this one!! Thanks for the contest!
    kpolark (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  5. I´ve already preordered :) Can´t wait!
    Please enter me if this is International.
    Thanks for the contest
    seesen9(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. I've wanted this book for sooo long!! I'd read it as soon as it came through the door :)

    Thanks for the contest!
    totalbookaholic at hotmail dot com

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  7. HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to Beth and A the U! :)
    (no need to enter me for swag)

    (I already bought my copy. It's siting in my TBR pile. :)

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  8. Count me in !
    I promise to read it ASAP

    raluk.93 at gmail (dot) com

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  9. My email is: precious_shusky@yahoo.com

    I promise to read ATU as soon as Im able!!

    Thank you! Ive been seeing this debut everywhere!

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  10. Happy birthday to AtU!!!

    I read this book in ARC format and can't wait to get my hands on that double cover book! I love it sooo much! Swag would make me even more crazy to do it!

    Jessi
    jlelliott08 AT gmail DOT com

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  11. Great job, Sara! I was lucky enough to get an ARC too, and it's definitely all its cracked up to be. I couldn't be happier for Beth! :-)

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  12. I can't wait to read Across The Universe!:)
    k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

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  13. I was just recommended this book and added it to my amazon wishlist. I'll have to order it tonight and I promise to read it as soon as I get it.

    kindroszero at gmail dot com.

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. I can't wait to read this so I promise to very soon. Thanks for the giveaway!

    erinberry12 at charter dot net

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  16. I want to read this so badly! I think I will be stopping by B&N on my home tonight to pick it up. I just can't resist! Thanks for the chance to win some swag! seescootread[at]gmail[dot]com

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  17. I have been waiting on pins and needles for this book to come out!! months ago I read the first chapter in a sampler, and it feels like it took forever to finally get here! I pinky promise (that stuff's legit) to rush out as soon as humanly possible and get my hands on a copy.
    If the contest is International, I'd like to be entered. :)
    lil_miss_mae246(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  18. I can't wait to read this book. It looks fantastic.

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  19. INTERNATIONAL?

    I've already had the pleasure of reading Across the Universe. BUT! I promise to BUY a copy of AtU, as soon as possible. Thanks for the swag giveaway, and happy book birthday to Elder, Amy, Eldest, Harley; most importantly, Happy Book Birthday for Beth Revis. I wish you the best with your tremendous debut and can't wait to see more and more 5 star reviews for it. ;)

    cc932005 at hotmail dot com

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  20. Yess, of course! It's been on my to-read list for so long..I wanna read it so bad!

    blissfulrains(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  21. I actually just finished reading the ARC of this one. It was the last book I read in 2010 and I'm so glad I did! It was the perfect book to end the year with and I've already let one of my friends borrow it. It's just so amazing! I wish I had Beth's worldbuilding abilities :D

    katelyn(dot)burton17(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. I promise to read it as soon as I can get it! Thanks for the giveaway!

    meredithfl at gmail dot com

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  23. Amazing review Sara! I'm so excited to read this book and it's great to know other people loved it so now I really want to get my hands on it soon! Thanks so much for this giveaway!

    lvtink21@wi.rr.com

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  24. My copy's in the mail. I hope it get's here soon! Thanks for the giveaway.

    texas_ga45(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  25. I read AtU already and it was sooo good. This is one I'll be recommending to everyone!

    findjessyhere at gmail dot com

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  26. Don't worry about my promise. Across the Universe is on it's way to me from my local library. I'm sooo reading it next!

    Thank you!

    -Jessica T.

    jessicatapia_afuel07(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  27. I have not got my copy yet! I have not read one bad thing about this novel - and the cherry on top, she will be here in UTAh on Feb 12 for the breathless tour! (with andrea cremer, ally condie, there is a link for it on my blo if you haven't heard about it) Thanks for the chance to win some swag, I always love getting it.
    kjovus
    kjovus(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. Count me in if this is international! I promise to read this book ASAP, anyway I'm waiting for my copy to arrive :D

    thank you!

    feeyonachan at gmail dot com

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  29. I'm definitly going to be reading this one pretty soon! I received a copy of it this week and can't wait to read it!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Claire
    yabookiemonster[at]gmail[dot]com

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Yay! I love when you have things to add :)