Review - Once

by Anna Carey
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: July 3, 2012
format: digital review copy
pages:
source: Edelweiss

From Goodreads:

When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

After my experience with Eve, I wasn't so confident heading into Once that I would enjoy it. However, after Eve's ending, I felt that there was still a chance that the story would turn into something I could really enjoy. It also takes a lot for me to abandon a series after just the first book. Fortunately, Once managed to capture my interest more firmly than Eve did, so I was more able to enjoy the story this time around. Thanks to an unexpected plot twist and some harrowing events, Once has a storyline that I can appreciate.

Eve has grown as a character since the events at the end of the first book. She has become more self-sufficient, though she is still prone to impulsive decision-making. This habit of hers still gets her into plenty of trouble, which is readily apparent even near the beginning of the book. Gone, however, is the girl who obsesses over what her old teachers would think of her actions. She has embraced how she feels for Caleb and finally understands just what it is the king has done to the country. You have to admire her for the lengths she is willing to go to in order to help those who are most at his mercy. I just wish she could be the type of female MC who uses common sense every once in a while. Eve still managed to drive me a bit batty in Once, just not quite as much as she did in Eve.

In Once, we get the chance to visit not one, but two new settings: Califia and the City of Sand. The differences between the two are so drastic that it is easy to see just how corrupt the king is, as if there was any doubt before. The pacing is much more even this time, which makes the chain of events easy to follow. All in all, the story-building was better this time around, so there wasn't as much to distract me from the plot. The ending had great tension and left me wanting to know what would happen next.

While the Eve series still doesn't appear amongst my favorites, I was sufficiently entertained by the story and interested in how Once ends. I probably won't make up my mind entirely until I've read the full trilogy. There are some things that I would like to see happen in Rise as far as Eve's character goes. The story is moving right along and I'm starting to get a better sense of how the world works in this series. I hope to learn more about the citizens of the City of Sand and I am especially curious as to whether the king will get his comeuppance. I'll be staying tuned until then.

Buy Once at the Following Locations:

Amazon /  IndieBound  /  B&N  /  The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Edelweiss. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review - Eve

by Anna Carey
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: October 4, 2011
format: NOOK ebook
pages: 198
source: purchased

From Goodreads:

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, 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 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.

I am in quite the pickle with this series.  On the one hand, it wasn't earth-shattering, sock-knocking, or even all that memorable.  On the other hand, it wasn't horrible, either.  So, what to do?  Eve has finally driven me to do something that, until now, I had resisted.  That's right, I am embracing the half ratings.  Though I had such high hopes for this book, something just did not click.  While I did find the premise interesting, something just did not add up.  Now I am left to do my best as I try to explain why.

To begin with, Eve didn't turn out to be a very compelling character. She's naïve, lacks common sense, and perpetually makes bad decisions. I didn't quite understand why it was that people kept sticking their necks out for her. Sure, she's on the run from a really bad situation, but when you consider her attitude and the number of dumb moves she makes... it doesn't quite add up. I actually preferred Arden, somewhat, and Caleb even more than that. Arden actually changed and grew as a character while Caleb acted as a means for deprogramming Eve. Eve may have begun to recognize the brainwashing she underwent during the 12 years she was at the school, but she still practically obsessed over what “Teacher said.” That doesn't show me a character who is developing very well.

While the premise was a good one, the execution left something to be desired. I don't quite understand the point in educating the girls so thoroughly, only to do what they do to them after they “graduate.” I suppose it could be a means to keep them occupied until they come of age, but still, why the lessons in art, music, literature, deportment, dancing, and the various other lessons administered to them. It's one of those things that, if you don't think too much about it, you may not ever notice. However, since I had some issues with this book, I did think about it just so I could pinpoint what bothered me the most.

This series has so much potential, but I just don't know how it is going to progress. Eve left me saying, “Meh,” more than I said, “Wow,” which is never something you want to happen when you pick up an anticipated book. I will say that I did give Once a try, so I think that there's still a chance for the series, but I, for one, am going to take a lot of convincing before I try book 3. Eve, though comprised of an intriguing premise, didn't succeed in making me suspend belief, nor did it deliver with a truly compelling main character. I will say one thing: I don't like having to write these reviews, but sometimes, it just has to be said. This is one of those times.  Thus, Eve earns 2 hoots and a hootlet (the new half rating addition). 

It's essentially a 2, but has a little more to offer, though it doesn't quite fit as a 3.  Hopefully that clears some things up.