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

Publisher: Penguin
Published: January 15, 2013
Pages: 369
Source: Bought
Rating: 5 Stars

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.

This review is spoiler-free

In short: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis was an intense and thrilling finale to an incredibly exciting and entertaining series.

FREX, Shades of Earth was INTENSE. The action picks up right where it left off in A Million Suns and does not let up. As with Across the Universe and A Million Suns, Shades of Earth is very fast paced and that, along with short chapters that all end in mini cliffhangers, will ensure that you speed through the story quickly. Shades of Earth is a fantastic conclusion to an incredibly fun and entertaining series. The stakes are raised to a seemingly impossibly high amount. I've come to care for Elder and Amy so much that I was all the more tense while reading, just hoping they would make it through the series okay. Chaos, lies, and murder abound in this absolutely thrilling finale.

Probably one of my favourite things about the Across the Universe Trilogy is the frequency of surprising and shocking twists in the plot. I'm not exactly sure how she does it, but just when you think there couldn't possibly be any secrets left to reveal in this world - BAM - Beth Revis hits you with a whopper that leaves you reeling and in need of a moment to gather your wits about you in the wake of all that craziness. Seemingly in the next moment - BAM - comes another blow, another crazy surprise twist that had never occurred to you and has you literally gasping out loud. Again and again and again. This is what makes this series so FUN and I LOVE it.

Those who have read Across the Universe and A Million Suns know that Beth Revis is a master of world building and Shades of Earth is no exception - it is always intriguing and never bogged down with too many details that would bore. What's more, she's set up an amazing base for if she ever chose to continue writing books set in this world. She could write a whole new trilogy with how much is left to discover! And it would be just as exciting and intriguing as the world building in this trilogy, I'm sure! And I would absolutely need to be first in line to get it.

Now, I can't say that Shades of Earth is absolutely perfect - I noticed a number of plot holes and scientific inaccuracies - but I could really care less. In my mind, those minor mistakes take a back seat to the real meat of the novel. Shades of Earth, and indeed the entire trilogy on a whole, is exciting, surprising, and entertaining. It is an awesome sci fi, and insane thriller, and a deep felt romance. If you haven't read this trilogy yet, then what the heck are you waiting for?

Previously, my reviews of Across the Universe and A Million Suns.

Other Reviews:
Alice Marvels
Mad Musings of Masters Mind
Nori's Closet

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Review: A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 10, 2012

Pages: 386

Source: Bought

Rating: 4 Stars

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 short: I literally gasped out loud several times at the exciting plot and surprise reveals in A Million Suns by Beth Revis.

Across the Universe, the first in Beth Revis' series, was such an exciting and fun read. It seemed like with every chapter, there would be some sort of surprise or reveal about the deep, dark secrets of the ship, Godspeed, or the people on it. So I was a little apprehensive going into A Million Suns. I mean, with every secret seemingly revealed in Across the Universe, what's left for the characters to uncover?

Well, as it turns out, a whole heck of a lot. I literally gasped out loud a few times while reading. It occurs to me how very, very much planning Beth Revis would have had to put into creating the Across the Universe Trilogy. Every reveal and clue always seem carefully and assuredly put into place for the maximum entertainment of the reader. And I have no doubt Beth Revis will continue to bring the big surprises in the final book, Shades of Earth, even though there doesn't seem like anything more to be revealed.

I didn't quite like A Million Suns as much as Across the Universe, though. There were a few plot holes that bothered me. In A Million Suns, Amy is sent on a scavenger hunt by a certain character - who I will not name to avoid spoilers - to find an important message left to her through a series of many, many tailor-made clues. It was completely unnecessary for said character to have left so many clues for Amy, when they were already tailor-made for her. As it is, Amy spends the entire book hunting down these clues for this critical message when a few clues and less time would have sufficed, so that was pretty silly.

Still, even a few plot holes couldn't stop me from loving A Million Suns. An amazing thriller with fascinating and exciting world-building, A Million Suns is an excellent sequel and a must-read. I can't believe we have to wait so long until Shades of Earth (to be released January 2013)!

Previously, my review for Across the Universe.

Other Reviews:
The Bookworm is Here!
Cozy Up With A Good Read
YA Book Queen

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Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 11, 2011

Pages: 398

Source: Won from Looksie Lovitz (Thanks!)

Rating: 5 STARS

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.

In short: Across the Universe by Beth Revis was a completely enthralling novel, with stellar world building and a fascinating story.

This is going to be an odd review because though I did in fact find a few faults with Across the Universe, the positives managed to outweigh the negatives resulting in a five star rating, surprisingly. Ultimately, I was just so enraptured by the world building, the dual narrative, and the story written so wonderfully by Beth Revis that despite some problems, Across the Universe still managed to rank as one of my favourite reads this year.

My main fault with Across the Universe was the mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer on the ship: it was so incredibly obvious, which is so incredibly unfortunate. However, I was happy at least that the motivations of the murderer were a mystery to me right up until the end. Furthermore, even with the main mystery being spoiled, there were plenty of surprise reveals and plot twists that made Across the Universe a very fun and exciting read.

My other problem with Across the Universe was that there were a few plot points that weren't entirely scientifically believable... I won't go into them here though. People who know me know that when aspects of the plot are not scientifically accurate, it can severely affect my enjoyment of a book or movie. Surprisingly however, this was not the case with Across the Universe. I was so caught up in the story and stellar world building that I found I didn't even care if there were some inaccuracies, which is quite impressive indeed.

Overall, despite finding fault with the obvious mystery and scientific inaccuracies, the captivating world building and intriguing story in Across the Universe won me over. I can't wait for A Million Suns, coming out January 10, 2012.

Other Reviews:
Bookmarked
The Bookworm is Here!
Unputdownable Books

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*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge