Shades of Earth by Beth Revis (review)

After nearly five hundred years, it’s finally time for the inhabitants of the dying spaceship Godspeed (first encountered in Across the Universe, BCCB 1/11) to land on the planet they were supposed to colonize centuries earlier. An onboard rebellion has left the colony divided with many opting to stay and die aboard the ship, while about 1500 intrepid souls have left on a shuttle with Amy and Elder, the group’s leader, to experience life without walls for the first time. Amy is sure that it’s worth it, however, especially since she will be able to release her father and mother from their cryogenic state. Elder is not so sanguine, and his fears seem justified as the arriving colonists are greeted by intelligent and deadly aliens and signs suggest confirmation of the cryptic prophecies that he and Amy have been trying to decipher. Relationships and character development, so carefully cultivated throughout the first two books, take a back seat to plot here, and rightly so, as the secrets kept from the colonists are revealed to be dangerous lies about the nature of their mission. As the final book in the trilogy, this wraps up questions with elegant surprises and fresh moral dilemmas that force Amy to choose between Elder and her parents and bring Elder to the fulfillment of his destiny. Revis is a truly original voice in young adult science fiction; even the seemingly standard love-triangle plot turns out to be anything but as she once again brings ethics and justice to the fore, creating a fictional world that draws on real-world histories, possibilities, and conundrums to engage readers on both practical and mythical levels.