Shades of Earth

An Across the Universe Novel

By: Beth Revis

Narrated by: Tara Carrozza

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

The final book in the trilogy by New York Times best-selling author Beth Revis!

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 that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who - or what - else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric 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 meaningless.

©2013 Beth Revis (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Comes to a fittingly explosive conclusion in this satisfying series ender.... A propulsive storyteller with a knack for jarring surprises and raising the stakes." (Booklist)

"Throughout the series, Revis has brought real and immediate emotions to sci-fi scenarios ... and here she invests that skill in making readers feel, along with her protagonists, the awe and wonder facing humanity as the characters step out onto an alien planet for the first time." (Horn Book Reviews)

"Brings it home on a planet far from home." (Kirkus Reviews)

Shades of Earth Concludes Wonderfully!

If you could sum up Shades of Earth in three words, what would they be?

Love the final book in this series!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shades of Earth?

Memorable Moments .... wouldn't want to ruin it for the next person. But the ending is AWESOME.

What does Tara Carrozza bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love the way the book changes the point of view from Elder in one chapter and Amy in the next.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Found myself disconnecting from my audio in the car and putting on headphones as I couldn't leave the story.

Any additional comments?

Some say that Elder's voice is so boring. But he is a person that has lived his whole life on a ship. Not that much to be enthused about. I thought the reader for Elder was great.

A great ending to Across the Universe series!

Where does Shades of Earth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my favorite Sci-Fi young adult book!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved that these books have been told from Elder's and Amy's voices. I cared deeply for both of the characters.

What does Tara Carrozza bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her voice is Amy to me. She brings Amy to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment that most moved me was Elder's sacrifice (again) when he heads to the station to save Amy by destroying the weapon.

Any additional comments?

Beth Revis has written a great series. I can't wait to read or hear more from her!

Great end to the saga

Loved it it was a great ending and had a great twist. I hope you enjoy it.

Incredible series

I’ve read and re-read these books. It’s a brilliant story. I tell everyone to read. I read and listened at the same time so I didn’t miss a thing! It’s the perfect amount of mystery, romance, si-fi. Just hands down incredible. A must read.

Very disapointing story/ending

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Completely rewrite this book.

Has Shades of Earth turned you off from other books in this genre?

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. This book however, was just plain depressing. There was no justice for the for the murders or any real resolution at the end. Although it does not have a completely sad ending its sad enough. I doubt Beth Revis will write another book to settle all accounts since this ended in such a mess, but I would like to read it.

What about Tara Carrozza’s performance did you like?

Both narrators did an excellent job performing.

What character would you cut from Shades of Earth?

Gee, there's so many

Any additional comments?

Only get this if you want to be depressed.

Across the Universe was so much better

What disappointed you about Shades of Earth?

The story. They land on the new planet, and the frozen people wake up and take over? Really? They are outnumbered and yet they call all the shots. After everything that happened in Across the Universe, you'd think it would be different.

Has Shades of Earth turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all. I liked the first book, but not this one. Sequels aren't usually as good, in my opinion.

What didn’t you like about Tara Carrozza’s performance?

I really enjoyed both narrator's voices.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Sure. I liked Amy, but I found her to be more of a pawn of the two boys as opposed to her own person. She doesn't have the investigative spark that she had on the ship.

Any additional comments?

This had so much potential. It's sad. The first book, though, is really good.

Disappointing Final Installment

What would have made Shades of Earth better?

A more series-faithful plot and a more interesting performance.

Would you recommend Shades of Earth to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't...although I loved the first two installments, I found this one dull and out-of-sequence.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

A dull, flat performance.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Shades of Earth?

I don't know that there are scenes I would cut, but I would definitely make some overall changes.

Better than the second one

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Characters that weren't stupid.

What could Beth Revis have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Take the sex out. Make the main characters at least average intelligence.

What character would you cut from Shades of Earth?

All of them

unabridged version is missing about 4 chapters!

good book but super annoying that some of the chapters are missing! the book says chapter 72 but then goes straight to chapter 74! there are about 5 chapters missing toward the end!