[personal profile] quippe
The Blurb On The Back:

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?


Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of the Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, 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 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.




Eve’s an orphan living in a world decimated by a plague and where America’s governed by a king. Now 18, Eve’s the Valedictorian of her graduating year in an all-girls school. She’s been taught about art, history and how the only man she can trust is the King and dreams of moving to the City of Sand and becoming an artist.

On graduating night, fellow student Arden tells her that the school’s real purpose is to turn the girls into breeders who’ll be kept perpetually pregnant and comatose to help rebuild the population. A disbelieving Eve watches Arden escape, but when she later discovers the truth for herself, she realises that she too has to flee and makes for the refuge of Califia, meeting up with Arden on the way.

When Caleb, a hunter who lives in a boy-only commune offers to help, the girls don’t want to trust him but have little choice with the King offering a reward for Eve’s capture. The more time Eve and Caleb spend together, the more Eve finds herself falling for him but circumstances build to make her choose between love and her life ...

Anna Carey’s YA dystopia, the first in a trilogy, has an interesting premise but lacks a convincing world and relies on contrivance to keep the plot moving.

Eve’s been raised to be passive but I found it frustrating that while she wants to learn the truth, she’s consistently reluctant to believe what she’s discovered. She fails to ask questions that she should ask, does incredibly stupid things and when given the opportunity, she doesn’t try to learn the survival skills that she knows she needs, preferring to let others look after her.

Arden’s more interesting – proactive and a survivor she’s savvy about how the world operates – but her backstory revelation is telegraphed too early and I didn’t buy her later friendship with Eve. Caleb’s little more than a cipher – a strong, dreadlocked Lost Boy there for Eve to project her emotions onto, he never came alive on the page for me and the romance was rather dull.

Although the plot’s pacey, the world building’s cursory at best and dull at worst. The idea of orphan girls being kept for breeding is chilling but is more of a catalyst than a premise that gets developed. As a result, I found this an unsatisfying read and won’t be reading on.

The Verdict:

Anna Carey’s YA dystopia, the first in a trilogy, has an interesting premise but lacks a convincing world and relies on contrivance to keep the plot moving. The titular character was too passive for my tastes and I didn’t buy into her romance with Caleb (little more than a cipher). As a result, I won’t be reading on.

EVE was released in the UK on 5th November 2011. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.

Profile

quippe

July 2025

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 11th, 2025 10:21 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios