Title: Shades of Earth
Author: Beth Revis
Year Published: 2013
My Pre-ReadingPaul's Review
My A Million Suns Review
My Across the Universe Review
Synopsis: 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.
FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.
Review: I'm pretty sure that this book was the perfect ending to this series. It was really cool to FINALLY be able to see Centauri-Earth, after spending two books aboard the Godspeed and only hearing about this new planet. Not that this new Earth doesn't have its own problems and dangers and mysteries... I mean, there are these huge pterodactyls for crying out loud. Which, as scary as they are, are totally awesome. I love dinosaurs. And I think it's completely fitting to have an ancient creature on a new world.
Amy and Elder still have an incredible relationship, and it just grows and becomes better as they try to figure things out. I'm glad that Amy has finally decided that she loves Elder, regardless of if she has a choice or not... and that they still remain close friends even as their romantic interest in each other develops. It just seems very really, and I like when relationships don't come off as forced or unbelievable.
Meeting all of the frozens is pretty neat too. And all of our favorite characters (well, the ones who haven't died yet anyway) are back, and just as awesome as ever. Even better, some of them. Plus, I feel like there's a message in there somewhere about being accepting of people even if they're strange or different. It's all really nice, and I think it's good to be reminded of every so often.
As always, Revis' writing is fantastic, and the plot moves along quickly so that I never wanted to put this book down and go to sleep. And her world building is phenomenal. I mean, we've learned a lot about what the world is like on Godspeed, and how everyone ended up there, but now we get a completely new world. Introduced and developed in the conclusion to a trilogy. I mean, who does that? I was just blown away by how Revis manages to pack so much detail into the story without it feeling overwhelming.
And of course, she manages to make you love her characters and then kill them. Like in the rest of her books in this series, your heart will be ripped out by all of the people who die. I didn't even think it was possible to kill so many people in one book, but Revis manages to do it, and do it well. And even though I usually think people should stay dead, I think Revis handles everything very well. I'm pretty sure there's nothing she can't write about, because she's pretty much got all of it covered in this series.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone who has read any of the other Across the Universe books, and to any lover of YA Sci-Fi. Actually, if you just like stories about space, new worlds, adventure, mystery, and lots of cool technology, you should definitely read this series. And especially stick it out until you make it to Shade of Earth. You won't be disappointed. I would rate this 5/5, even though I'm so sad to see this series end.
