Maybe I wasn't quite ready to jump into Contemporary because with the novel I just finished, it was far from the last one I just read. But weirdly enough I'm really happy about this drastic change, because there is nothing more that I enjoy than aliens and science-fiction; and not just mildly, but some real knitty-gritty science that gets you asking questions and thinking about all the "what-ifs."

Right, so on to the story...I would describe this novel as a dystopian heavily intermingled with science-fiction. It's narrated and switches back and forth between two main protagonists- Amy and Elder. We learn that America teams up with a multinational alliance, the Financial Resource Exchange, for profit. Hopefully by sending a huge ship into another habitable planet, referred to as Centauri-Earth, a new population of people from Earth will be able to create new crops, send vaccines and ultimately inhabit a whole new life force. This is where 17-year old Amy comes in, along with her mother and father, they all decide to be cryogenically frozen aboard this ship (the Godspeed). Both her parents possess scholastic and military abilities that are to be essential on the new planet; her father a military leader and her mother an expert in gene splicing. Amy is what is referred to as "nonessential," she's not technically vital to the entire operation but was an exception to come on board because of her family. The last thing Amy remembers before going under the frozen concoction sprayed upon her is that all she has to wait is 301 years before they get to their destination and be reunited with her family.

Elder is the other protagonist we meet, who is the same age as Amy but in a completely different situation. Unlike Amy, he is completely important to the entire populace on board the Godspeed, as he's next in line to take "rule" and lead the entire ship. That is, as soon as the Eldest, the current leader and highest "title" you can possess on the ship, passes on all his knowledge and information to Elder to be able to rule. But things aren't shaping up as Elder thought and he finds himself wanting more answers to hurry his process along. With Amy being accidentally unplugged from her frozen tank, things take a turn that no one expected and both begin to question everything around them.

I gave the book a 4.5/5 on Goodreads because I loved the entire worldbuilding and setup of the Godspeed and how everything worked on board. It kind of reminded me of the show called The 100 on the CW, not sure if anyone has seen it. It's the same gist except those on the Godspeed are not returning to Earth. Which brings me to some spoilers, so if you have not read the book then do NOT keep reading, but do make sure to check out the actual book because I promise you will not be dissapointed!

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Now, speaking of not returning to Earth, that's something I began to question as I was finishing. I know Amy mentioned in once how she imagined to New York to be completely different than the city she left behind, but how different? Is Earth still the same as our modern-day one, the one Amy left behind? Or is it more technologically advanced? And how has no one contacted the ship? Or why?

Before I figured everything out about the Plague I thought that was the reason why the ship and everyone on board had no reason with Earth because the disease had been so bad that perhaps it caused miscommunications with the home planet. But after discovering the truth, that part still didn't quite add up. I understand the riots and people uprising but wouldn't that be more of a reason to get in contact with those who brought them there (the FDX?) and tell them about their dilemma? If I'm wrong and missed something, don't hesitate to tell me!

About the whole Amy and Elder thing- I was expecting so much more emotion and feels but it didn't live up to it. I mean glancing at the book cover I thought something good is going to happen between these two, but it didn't; at least now what I was hoping for. I understand Elder's entire infatuation with Amy and her hair and Sol-Earth, but even after she was unfrozen they didn't seem to spend that much time together. If anything I thought that Harley was going to one up Elder on that situation and because closer with Amy, which kind of happened but not on that romance level. Even the towards the end when everything began to unravel fast, I saw more of that spark and instant attraction between Amy and Elder but it was already towards the finale that I just couldn't see a concrete relationship between the two. But I was SO happy when Elder told Amy the truth because I highly dislike when books end like that- with lies. It just complicates everything further and it becomes predictable; it collapses everything that was built upon in the first book so that the second book is somewhat of a letdown and about re-establishing trust all over again. You know the usual second book trauma. Yet, those missing wires from the pump in Elder's pocket still haunt me. I know something's going to happen with those!

I'm just saying I want more believability between Amy and Elder's relationship. Oh, and the whole C (I don't want to write this out incase anyone manages to skim through here and gets spoiled) with Elder and Eldest. Holy moly, complete plot twist for me. I did not see that coming, honestly! But thinking about it now, I should have...I want to read the second book in the series because I've read that a lot more questions are answered...and I want them! But we'll see if any of the libraries around me have it available. Did anyone else have the same questions as me or really enjoy the book as well?! Let me know!

-Alex