Recent Reads - Eve by Anna Carey

Eve (Eve #1), by Anna Carey

 3 of 5 Stars

Buy It:  Barnes & Noble  /  Amazon


Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Pages: 318

Publication: 10/4/2011, HarperCollins

Why I Chose It:  I received an ARC in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

In this epic new series, Anna Carey imagines a future that is both beautiful and terrifying. Readers will revel in Eve’s timeless story of forbidden love and extraordinary adventure

My Review:  Let me start by saying that 3 out of 5 stars is not a bad review. It's a good review. And just because a book isn't my favorite, it doesn't mean others won't love it. Other than that, I'm not sure what to say about this one. It wasn't bad, well some of it was bad, but for the most part it was just meh. I don't hate it. It just wasn't extraordinary. And in a year filled with extraordinary reads for me, I was left wanting.

Let's start with what I liked:

1) World Building - I felt some things were left unexplained or grazed over, but I see all sorts of potential and I'm excited to see where it goes in the remainder of the series.

2) Arden - Eve's rival at school, she takes off, fleeing school before Eve discovers the truth about her future. Once Eve escapes, she runs into Arden in the wilderness and they team up to survive. Arden was strong, brave, complex. All the things I want from a heroine. She has a back story that's more than simply her life at the school. It gave her character a depth I failed to find in Eve. I probably would have liked the story more had it centered on Arden.

Some things I found lackluster:

1) Caleb - I didn't fall in love with Caleb. Nothing about his description appealed to me. In fact, I kept thinking how dirty he must have been. Not exactly a guy I want to snuggle up to.

And now for things that really bugged me:

1) Eve - This girl was annoying. She was supposed to be super smart and special, but she made stupid mistakes. She was naive. And not in a cute, isn't-she-so-adorable sort of way. In a dangerous sort of way. She got people killed.

I get it. She is the way she is because of the life she lived and the way she was brought up, but I just couldn't get behind her and root for her. Too often I wanted to smack her.

2) It was slow. I know not everything can be told at a break-neck pace, but I found myself able to put this book down quite a few times. And when I did, I rarely had the desire to return to it. I could leave it sit for days on end without craving another paragraph, just one more chapter. That for me is how I know a book has hooked me.

3) The Ending - Really?! Seriously?! Come on now. If I'd been through all Eve and Caleb had been through, if I'd loved him the way Eve was supposed to, I never would have accepted what happened at the end. No way. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to spoil it, but really, come on.


I will cautiously recommend this book. It's worth a read. I've seen rave reviews. And while I personally cannot gush about it, I will definitely read the sequel to see where the story is going.

--