Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3)
by Beth Revis
Published January 2013 by Razorbill
The final book in the  New York Times bestselling trilogy, perfect for fans of Battlestar Galactica and Prometheus!
Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceshipGodspeed 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.
***May Contain Mild Spoilers from Across the Universe and A Million Suns***
Our Thoughts:
Heather: I’ve eagerly awaited the release of the final installment in this trilogy, feeling like I’ve been hanging around in orbit around Centauri-Earth myself for the last year waiting for this book to come out!
Pushy: Â You and me, both!!! Â After the craziness of A Million Suns, I’ve been dying to get my hands on this book!!!
Heather: When we last saw Amy and Elder at the end of A Million Suns, they’ve packed up everything they could load into a ship that can break away from Godspeed–which contains the original frozen earth citizens (especially Amy’s parents), food, livestock, and as many shipboard people that want to leave the only home they’ve known to try and land on Centauri-Earth. As they launch off into the unknown, what dangers await them on the planet below? But first, they have to actually land safely…
Pushy:Â But safety for Elder and Amy is never in large supply, is it? Â And with all the secrets Orion has kept from them; with all the secrets Eldest and all the Eldests before him have kept, all the way back to the plague Eldest, Elder and Amy don’t have nearly all the information they need, to lead or to survive.
Heather:Â Elder is the only leader that the people who lived on Godspeed have ever known, but now that Amy’s father is the senior military earth person in charge and he’s the one who knows how to use all of the weapons, Elder is faced with some very difficult decisions. It’s obvious from the start that no one is going to trust each other, and this spells disaster as soon as everyone awakens and the power struggle begins.
Pushy: Â I had so many hopes, for the reunion of Amy and her parents, for the new life they all could lead on the planet and while I always would wish them the best, Beth Revis serves up an amazing story with the tensions between our cast of characters. Â I loved the way she plays the ship borns against the earth borns, the way she plays all of them against the “other” that lurks just beyond their sights. Â In the way Beth Revis has turned the screw on us for the past two books, in this brave new world, she ratchets the tension up again and again with delicious tension. Â And just when you think the humans will destroy each other, they have the planet to contend with.
Heather:Â The planet isn’t all that different from earth. But there are a few deadly plants and monsters that lurk in the darkness, and they find out about these the hard way.
Pushy: Â Yes, the humans are deadly, the planet is deadly, it’s a miracle any one survives at all. Â But deadly in the most amazing, interesting ways. Â Everything conspires against these folks…
Heather:Â And the body count! Oh how they fall in this installment!
Pushy: Â I was shocked by just what and who gets sacrificed in the final book!!
Heather:Â But what I really loved throughout this book was how Elder stood by Amy know matter how confused she was by her loyalty to her family and her new relationship to Elder and the shipborns. Sometimes, blood isn’t thicker than water. Â The love story between Elder and Amy is tested in this book, but they continue to grow together–even under extreme conditions and duress. And when it comes down to it, both of them know that they’ll do what’s best for their people, and ultimately, each other.
Pushy: Â They both grow fully into themselves in this last book, into some amazingly strong characters. Â When the book starts, despite all they’ve been through in their previous adventures, they are not prepared for the challenges that await them. Â While it’s not easy, they grow, through everything they endure, they grow and they become the most amazing people by the end of this book. Â I didn’t think I could love them more, and yet…I do!
Heather:Â And we finally get to meet Amy’s parents! Her by-the-book military father who finds himself in charge and scientist mother who’s fascinated by everything weren’t what I was expecting, but they are definitely all business.
Pushy:Â I love Amy’s mom so much!!! Â She’s so like Amy, strong and smart and oh so cool under pressure, even when you can tell she’s falling apart inside. Â Yet another character I got to fall in love with in this fantastic book!
Bottom Line:
Heather:Â The final book in the Across the Universe trilogy is an action packed, intensely emotional and tense look at what happens when you put two different groups of people together and force them to work together on an alien planet. Sparks fly, especially when the pressure is on for survival when the “alien” life of the new planet attacks, who will win? Fantastic character development from the leads along with interesting new secondary characters. And the ending was completely satisfying, even with the New Moon-esq parts towards the end that made my heart drop!!!
Latest posts by Heather (see all)
- The Book of Thorns by Hester Fox - April 6, 2024
- The Happiness Blueprint by Ally Zetterberg - April 5, 2024
- Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja - March 30, 2024
I’m so glad this final installment didn’t disappoint! In fact, it made me completely in awe of Revis’s ability to up the tension — and to sacrifice characters when needed! *moment of silence for the fallen* Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Top Off Tuesday: BENEATH THE SKIN by Lauren Dane
Reply »
This book was just tension filled, wasn’t it? And it made for such great reading! I too can’t wait to see what Beth Revis writes next.
Heather recently posted..Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Reply »
HEY how did you get a cover that matches the old books???? I got the new cover! I’d rather have the old cover.
Anyway, your review is right on! i loved the last book even though I didn’t want it to end it was a great conclusion. I saw her at a signing this weekend and she said she liked killing things better than kissing scenes. They were more fun to write. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!
Heather
hrose2931 recently posted..Follower Love Giveaway Hop
Reply »
My hardcover that I preordered from Amazon was this one with all of the greenery, you got a different cover? I can’t wait to see what she writes next too, and I really loved this final book. What a great scifi series.
Heather recently posted..Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Reply »
No, my cover was the same, though not hardback. It’s the one that’s in the waiting on weds. that you have up above, but I’m guessing that cover was never made. I asked her what she was up to next and she said it was super top secret and she couldn’t say but it was YA. So……???????
hrose2931 recently posted..Follower Love Giveaway Hop
Reply »
I am really looking forward to reading this one. I have waited to buy this series because of the cover changes. Great review. 🙂
Jenea @ Books Live Forever
Jenea @ Books Live Forever recently posted..What’s Next #36 The Murmurings, Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters, or The Sweetest Dark?
Reply »