Across the Universe by Beth Revis

I can safely say that from page one, my kindle didn't leave my hands. Except when I went to sleep. And when I went to sleep, I dreamt I was in a spaceship somewhere, suspended in the universe. Now, I'm not really one for 'thrillers'. And I'm pretty picky with sci-fi. The reason being that most sci-fi revolves strictly around ideas. While ideas are interesting, if I don't connect emotionally to the characters, I stop caring about the story. So here's Across the Universe: a thriller meets murder mystery meets sci-fi adventure, with strong character development and hints of romance. I'm there!

Amy has been cryogenically frozen. The process is quite painful, and Revis goes into some fascinating if not gruesome details. (No, it's not like Austin Powers. Not even close. You won't even consider being frozen after this.) She's supposed to be thawed once Godspeed (a spaceship the size of a small country) lands at its intended destination--a new Earth. The journey is estimated to take 300 years. But Amy's accidently thawed 50 years before arrival. And the ship that awaits her is occupied by a few thousand brainwashed citizens--all with brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin--that are ruled by a tyrant. This tyrant doesn't tolerate differences. It doesn't matter if Amy tries to hide her Earthen origins. Her bright red hair and pale skin already give her away.

The story switches back and forth between two different POVs: Amy's, and a boy her age named Elder, who's training to be next in command of the Godspeed. The pair work together in order to find out who's been unplugging the other cryogenically frozen passengers and leaving them to die. What they find instead are decades of lies--lies that threaten the voyage of Godspeed itself.

Of course, we're left with a semi-cliffhanger ending. I believe the second installment of this intended trilogy will be released later this year.

You can find the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Across-Universe-Beth-Revis/dp/1595143971

Happy Reading!...and if you shirk all your other household duties, don't say I didn't warn you!

Matched by Ally Condie

Thanks to Lauren (my amazing cousin) for this recommendation! This was a fabulous story. Once I was about 39% into it (according to my Kindle), I could NOT put it down. Did I mention this was a fabulous story?

The setting is some time in the future within a dystopia that feels more like a utopia...at first. Citizens' lives are completely controlled and monitored, but that's not really a bad thing. How could it be? They've got nice homes, perfect families, and they don't have to worry about disease, famine, jobs, marriage--because Society has already chosen it for them through years and years of study and probability. But that's the problem for Cassia. She's stumbled across the beauty of choice and free will. Unfortunately, now she wants to make her own choices about everything. She can't 'go gently' any more.

At age 17 Cassia has been Matched. Society has chosen the best spouse for her--which happens to be her best friend, Xander. That's where her problems start. Not because she doesn't care for her friend. It's because she's accidentally fallen in love with someone else, someone that helps her discover what it is to feel and what it means to be free. And Society would destroy their lives before ever allowing that.

This story was like a 1984 meets Gattaca. Exciting to the very end as the world around Cassia changes with rumors of a rebellion. We're left hanging with the promise of its sequel Crossed, which will be released this November. Thanks Ms. Condie for an intriguing read!

Go check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Matched-Ally-Condie/dp/0525423648

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

"It was a dark and stormy night."




Yes. It begins that way. And it's perfect.
I know, I know. I can see you over there--arching your brow. No, I did not read this in grade school. I can recall the topic rising in a discussion, though the memory's fleeting and a bit hazy. Probably because it was a dream. That being said, I've always been curious about that little wrinkle and have finally, as an adult, read it for myself. And I'm so glad I did. What an enjoyable read!
A brief (very) summary:
Margaret "Meg" Murry is equivalent to the school's reject. She's so brilliant she's odd, wears glasses and braces, and can't seem to control her tongue. What a delightful person. She can't help it; her parents are scientists. Her father's gone strangely missing, and her mother--she doesn't seem concerned about him in the slightest.


Then one day Meg's brother, the 'prodigal' Charles Wallace (who didn't start speaking till age 4, and once he opened his mouth, started using words like 'exclusive'), leads her to Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. Mrs. Whatsit is the most talkative (to the annoyance of her other two companions), Mrs. Who only speaks by quoting other novels, in their native tongue (Latin, German, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.), and Mrs. Which who is the most guarded, most wise. Those three eccentric, funny women explain the 'tesseract'--sort of like a wormhole you squeeze through to travel through space faster than light-speed. According to the three women, that is where Mr. Murry has been. And it is because of this 'tesser-ing' he's trapped in 'The Black Thing'--a dark cloud of evil threatening to infiltrate the galaxy.


On a fantastic adventure where things--and people--aren't really as/who they appear, Meg learns to use her inner strength to rescue her father and save her brother Charles Wallace from evil.

Would I recommend? Absolutely!