"Across the Universe" by Beth Revis

398 pages

In the not-so-distant future, 17-year-old Amy, along with her parents, is cryogenically frozen and placed on Godspeed, a vast spaceship headed for a distant planet. The plan is for them to arrive in 300 years and colonize the new planet. However, something goes terribly wrong. Someone unknown unfreezes Amy 49 years too early. She would have died in her own container of unthawed fluid if she hadn't been discovered and saved by Elder, the boy her age who will one day become the new leader of the ship. In chapters alternating between the point of view of Amy and that of Elder, the two race to figure out who among the ship's 3000 residents would want to kill her--and they have to hurry, because more and more of the frozen people on board are being thawed and left to die, and Amy's parents could be next.

I really like the premise of this book and its sci-fi action had me turning the pages quickly. I had trouble feeling connected to the characters, though, especially Amy. It's hard for me to pinpoint the reason, but I feel like there's something missing there. We don't see much about her personality except determination--she just wakes up and hits the ground running, trying to uncover the mysteries of the ship. I like the strength of her character, but I wish we got to know the other parts of her as well. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it for those who like the fun, flashy parts of science fiction but get bored with lots of technical details.