Friday, January 6, 2012

Book Review: Eve by Anna Carey





Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
# Of Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Level: Young Adult
Rating: 4 Hearts







Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

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 Verdict

FINALLY! I’ve been dying to read this book for months, and thanks to school vacation I finally had the time to do so =D This book is an action-packed dystopian that will keep you reading late into the night.

Unlike quite a few books where they start off slow and take time to draw you in, this book dives right into the excitement within the first few pages. I felt like it hit a rut in the middle and started slowing down considerably but then it came back with a bang for an exciting last quarter. Anna Carey creates a detailed world that I could see clearly in my mind as I read.

I liked all of the main characters in this story: Eve, Arden, Caleb, Benny & Silas. Surprisingly, I found Arden to be my favorite character. At the beginning of the story she’s made out to be the mean girl who thinks she’s better than everyone else but that was really just a façade she put up to hide her true feelings of loneliness.  Overall I did like Eve but there were times when her way of thinking and naivety really got on my nerves. I know this was all due to the way that she was brought up and what she was taught in school, but it still bugged me.

The one thing that really bothered my about this book was the hunting violence. There was more detail than necessary whenever an animal was killed. It wasn’t needed and could definitely have been toned down a little. You always knew when it was coming however, so it was easy to just skip down a paragraph or two and ignore it.  

The ending was not what I had hoped for, but I’m excited to see how things are going to play out in the next installment. 

10 comments:

  1. I'm with you about the ending. It's just like, "wait what? This is what we travelled for??" But I am crazy excited for Once!

    Great review :)

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  2. Arden was my favorite character as well. But Eve didn't get on your nerves at the end? I was so mad that her naivety caused such destruction. And I felt like she lacked some common sense too. :/ But I do love the world Anna Carey built and the other characters so I'm looking forward to Once. Thanks for the review!

    Amber
    The Musings of ALMYBNENR

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  3. I loved the cover of the book, and it definately hooked me early on. I remember staying up all night to finish it in one sitting. haha I was so frustrated with the ending tho! I literally screamed out loud! haha The ending honestly made the 300 pages before it, all utterly pointless! Despite that, I am still looking forward to Once. I also read an author interview this week, and in it Anna Carey said the book is being made into a tv series, and they are auditioning the actors right now. I am curious as to what network picked it up, maybe ABC Fam?, and look forward to watching it. Hopefully it won't frustrate me like the ending of the book did. hehe

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  4. Yay for school break! I'm on mine as well, and it's really helped me get a start on my 2012 reading goals.

    Glad to hear that you (mostly) enjoyed this one. I haven't decided for sure whether or not I'll be reading it, but you've put me a step closer to making that decision!

    Stopped by from the Saturday Situation!

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  5. I fear the descriptive hunting violence would turn me from this book. Although I am looking for a book that is action packed from the beginning. The books I've been picking up lately have had very slow starts.

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  6. Great Review! I've had this book on my Kindle for awhile now, but haven't read it yet. Sounds like I should bump it up in my TBR pile!

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  7. Amber- Thanks! I'm excited for Once too!

    Amber- I couldn't even talk about that destructive situation near the end because it made me too mad! I basically hated Eve at that point in time. I agree, she did lack common sense at times!

    Cristina-HAha. I didn't scream at the end but I was definitely annoyed. Wow, I can't believe it's already being made into a tv series. That was quick! I think your right, it will probably be on ABC family. Now I'm excited and have to go google the casting... LoL.

    Natalie- Thanks for coming by my blog! I hope you get to read lots and lots of books during your break =)

    Rie- I think most books have a slow start that's why I get so excited when I find a book that pulls me in within the first few pages!

    Dusty- Thanks for stopping by my blog =)

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  8. the story really had a great sense of flow, and I could not put it down. I ate up the pages and was totally in awe by the end. I cannot wait to see what comes up next. The ending with tear at you, so there will be excitement in the air for the second releases surely. The series and the expectation for book two is now overwhelming. Carey' sbook will capture you.

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  9. Eve is one of those books you secretly want to read, but end up debating with yourself after reading all those mixed reviews. But let me tell you: Eve was a pretty satisfying read.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it too! Thanks for stopping by and commenting =)

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