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pr1_yaa's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ladynamiradina's review against another edition
2.0
I give up.
Eve has the potential to be a wonderful book. Great plot line, good ideas, smooth writing style, BUT the plot speed was all wrong. Carey should either have begun the book at chapter 4 (or at least I think she should have, I didn't read past there, but that's the general spot), or given us alot more time at the school. The hurrying through left me very confused and because of the way it was lain out, Eve's shock, was not mine. I felt no connection to any of the characters, there was no time to make any. At least three characters were supposed to be acting strangely and probably out of character, but since I had no idea what their usual selves were like, I didn't know what shoudl have been expected from them. Eve was very annoying from the start. Perhaps too good and too polite, but it was only from her perspective. Really, who wants to hear the MC continuously talking about what a good student she usually is from the very start of the book? It sounds boastful and unreal.
Maybe there's a reason I'd never heard of the book before stumbling across it at the library (purely coincidence, I was looking for a book of a similar title and another of similar author name). The author has potential, but she needs work.
Eve has the potential to be a wonderful book. Great plot line, good ideas, smooth writing style, BUT the plot speed was all wrong. Carey should either have begun the book at chapter 4 (or at least I think she should have, I didn't read past there, but that's the general spot), or given us alot more time at the school. The hurrying through left me very confused and because of the way it was lain out, Eve's shock, was not mine. I felt no connection to any of the characters, there was no time to make any. At least three characters were supposed to be acting strangely and probably out of character, but since I had no idea what their usual selves were like, I didn't know what shoudl have been expected from them. Eve was very annoying from the start. Perhaps too good and too polite, but it was only from her perspective. Really, who wants to hear the MC continuously talking about what a good student she usually is from the very start of the book? It sounds boastful and unreal.
Maybe there's a reason I'd never heard of the book before stumbling across it at the library (purely coincidence, I was looking for a book of a similar title and another of similar author name). The author has potential, but she needs work.
bookph1le's review against another edition
1.0
Oh, implausibility, thy name is Eve. It's just not good when you find yourself openly scoffing at the stupidity of the characters. Add to this Eve's blandly generic character and the void that is Caleb's character... The concept was good. The execution, not so much.
Full review:
My first instinct upon reading the description of this novel was to take a pass. But there was something so appealing in its being called a cross between The Handmaid's Tale (a book I've long wanted but have yet to read) and The Hunger Games (a series I adore) that made me decide to go ahead and give it a try. Would that I had listened to my instincts. And, just for the record, this book is *nothing* like The Hunger Games. I think that comparison was used solely in an attempt to cash in on the (rightfully earned) popularity of that series. Fair warning: the spoilers in this review will be plentiful.
First up, the dystopia. I thought Carey's concept was pretty awesome and showed a lot of promise. The problem was all in the execution. There is no logic whatsoever in the societal structure of Eve's "New America". None. Very early in the novel, the reader is told that something like 98% of the population of the United States was wiped out in a plague. I'm not sure how many that leaves behind, but it sounds like it could only be a viable population by the slimmest of margins. Because of this, Eve and the girls like her are turned into baby incubators at the age of eighteen, strapped down to tables and kept constantly pregnant. When Eve peers into the breeding grounds, she notices some women with bloodied gauze around their middles. My first thought was, "Um, shouldn't they take better care of those women to ensure they don't get infections or suffer from ruptured uteruses. Wouldn't the objective be to keep them healthy so that they can keep cranking out the babies?" Apparently, no. I won't even get into the negative effects of stress on pregnant women, and how the conditions in which these women are kept make absolutely no sense if a healthy baby is the King's objective. The restraining and forcible insemination also bothers me. I mean, these girls are well aware of how compromised the continued existence of the human race is, right? No one is keeping this a secret from them. So shouldn't it follow that some of them might actually be okay with having as many babies as possible, all for the sake of keeping humans on Earth? Apparently, no.
Shortly after this, Eve makes her dramatic escape and finds herself being rescued by Caleb. Naturally, Caleb's got his own tale of woe, and he tells Eve all about the terrible work camps in which young boys and men are forced to toil for hours with abusive overseers, all so they can create a glorious playground for the King and the privileged few. Say what? If humans are so scarce, why would the King be working male children to death? This makes not one iota of sense to me. This is a huge, huge logical failure in the story, in my opinion.
The other logical failure that just irritated me was the question of why the girls receive this glowing, awesome education in which they learn how to play the piano, waltz, and read Russian literature, and are then strapped to a bed and made to bear one child after another. What is the point of this education? Where is the value in a presumably resource-strapped society putting so much effort and so many resources into an education these girls are never going to use? I mean, couldn't they have just walled them up and let them play with dolls all day and achieved the same ends--creating a docile population of girls who are undyingly loyal to their dystopian government? I can see no reason for this, other than to provide the opportunity for Eve to natter on about all of the great works of literature she has read.
Following along that train of thought, shouldn't Eve be delighted that she's been chosen to be the King's babymaking machine? I would think that someone who's always been such an obedient follower of the rules would feel like that was some sort of special privilege. The bounds of absurdity are then stretched further when the King's men begin their intense hunt for Eve. Why? Unless Carey's got some huge reveal up her sleeve in book two or three, I see no reason why the King would do anything other than shrug and find himself another surrogate.
From here, things just get worse. The characters are almost uniformly so generic that they blend right in with the paper on which the book is printed. By the time I finished, I had no idea who Caleb was. Sure, the reader learns about his escape from the work camps and also about a few pieces from his past, but nothing about what makes him tick. He is so spectacularly bland, I can't understand why Eve, who has been conditioned since early childhood to despise and distrust men, falls so spectacularly in love with him in such a short time. I can understand her devotion to boys like Silas and Benny, but not her devotion to Caleb.
All of the male characters in this book are given short shrift, really. In fact, I found the portrayal of males to be almost uniformly offensive. Nearly every male in the book is exactly the sort of vile predator about whom the girls in Eve's school have been warned. I really, really hope this is a problem that will be fixed in the future installments of the series.
As for Eve, I actively disliked her by about halfway through the book, which is never, ever a good thing--unless the author is purposely trying to create a despicable character, which was not the case here. For someone who's supposed to be so highly educated, Eve is about as dumb as a post. She constantly makes mistakes that result in the direst of consequences to other characters, and yet she is almost universally loved. What gives? What's more, I thought she was extremely selfish, putting her own safety above that of others on multiple occasions. When she had her hissy fit because Caleb didn't jump at her proposal that she stay in his camp--thereby endangering him and every other boy who lives there--I wanted to slap her. Not good, not good at all.
If there is any character that I really liked in the novel, it was Arden and, of course, she is given short shrift. Her only purpose in the plot--thus far, anyway--is to save Eve. She should have thrown Eve to the wolves, saved herself, and the book should have continued following her story. It would have been much better that way. Kudos to Carey for creating one female character who is capable of thinking for herself and shows some fire. Too bad I'm not writing that about her main character.
This is book one of a promised trilogy, and I can say one thing for certain: I will not be coming back for books two and three. There are far too many excellent books out there and far too little time for reading for me to stick with so disappointing a series.
Full review:
My first instinct upon reading the description of this novel was to take a pass. But there was something so appealing in its being called a cross between The Handmaid's Tale (a book I've long wanted but have yet to read) and The Hunger Games (a series I adore) that made me decide to go ahead and give it a try. Would that I had listened to my instincts. And, just for the record, this book is *nothing* like The Hunger Games. I think that comparison was used solely in an attempt to cash in on the (rightfully earned) popularity of that series. Fair warning: the spoilers in this review will be plentiful.
First up, the dystopia. I thought Carey's concept was pretty awesome and showed a lot of promise. The problem was all in the execution. There is no logic whatsoever in the societal structure of Eve's "New America". None. Very early in the novel, the reader is told that something like 98% of the population of the United States was wiped out in a plague. I'm not sure how many that leaves behind, but it sounds like it could only be a viable population by the slimmest of margins. Because of this, Eve and the girls like her are turned into baby incubators at the age of eighteen, strapped down to tables and kept constantly pregnant. When Eve peers into the breeding grounds, she notices some women with bloodied gauze around their middles. My first thought was, "Um, shouldn't they take better care of those women to ensure they don't get infections or suffer from ruptured uteruses. Wouldn't the objective be to keep them healthy so that they can keep cranking out the babies?" Apparently, no. I won't even get into the negative effects of stress on pregnant women, and how the conditions in which these women are kept make absolutely no sense if a healthy baby is the King's objective. The restraining and forcible insemination also bothers me. I mean, these girls are well aware of how compromised the continued existence of the human race is, right? No one is keeping this a secret from them. So shouldn't it follow that some of them might actually be okay with having as many babies as possible, all for the sake of keeping humans on Earth? Apparently, no.
Shortly after this, Eve makes her dramatic escape and finds herself being rescued by Caleb. Naturally, Caleb's got his own tale of woe, and he tells Eve all about the terrible work camps in which young boys and men are forced to toil for hours with abusive overseers, all so they can create a glorious playground for the King and the privileged few. Say what? If humans are so scarce, why would the King be working male children to death? This makes not one iota of sense to me. This is a huge, huge logical failure in the story, in my opinion.
The other logical failure that just irritated me was the question of why the girls receive this glowing, awesome education in which they learn how to play the piano, waltz, and read Russian literature, and are then strapped to a bed and made to bear one child after another. What is the point of this education? Where is the value in a presumably resource-strapped society putting so much effort and so many resources into an education these girls are never going to use? I mean, couldn't they have just walled them up and let them play with dolls all day and achieved the same ends--creating a docile population of girls who are undyingly loyal to their dystopian government? I can see no reason for this, other than to provide the opportunity for Eve to natter on about all of the great works of literature she has read.
Following along that train of thought, shouldn't Eve be delighted that she's been chosen to be the King's babymaking machine? I would think that someone who's always been such an obedient follower of the rules would feel like that was some sort of special privilege. The bounds of absurdity are then stretched further when the King's men begin their intense hunt for Eve. Why? Unless Carey's got some huge reveal up her sleeve in book two or three, I see no reason why the King would do anything other than shrug and find himself another surrogate.
From here, things just get worse. The characters are almost uniformly so generic that they blend right in with the paper on which the book is printed. By the time I finished, I had no idea who Caleb was. Sure, the reader learns about his escape from the work camps and also about a few pieces from his past, but nothing about what makes him tick. He is so spectacularly bland, I can't understand why Eve, who has been conditioned since early childhood to despise and distrust men, falls so spectacularly in love with him in such a short time. I can understand her devotion to boys like Silas and Benny, but not her devotion to Caleb.
All of the male characters in this book are given short shrift, really. In fact, I found the portrayal of males to be almost uniformly offensive. Nearly every male in the book is exactly the sort of vile predator about whom the girls in Eve's school have been warned. I really, really hope this is a problem that will be fixed in the future installments of the series.
As for Eve, I actively disliked her by about halfway through the book, which is never, ever a good thing--unless the author is purposely trying to create a despicable character, which was not the case here. For someone who's supposed to be so highly educated, Eve is about as dumb as a post. She constantly makes mistakes that result in the direst of consequences to other characters, and yet she is almost universally loved. What gives? What's more, I thought she was extremely selfish, putting her own safety above that of others on multiple occasions. When she had her hissy fit because Caleb didn't jump at her proposal that she stay in his camp--thereby endangering him and every other boy who lives there--I wanted to slap her. Not good, not good at all.
If there is any character that I really liked in the novel, it was Arden and, of course, she is given short shrift. Her only purpose in the plot--thus far, anyway--is to save Eve. She should have thrown Eve to the wolves, saved herself, and the book should have continued following her story. It would have been much better that way. Kudos to Carey for creating one female character who is capable of thinking for herself and shows some fire. Too bad I'm not writing that about her main character.
This is book one of a promised trilogy, and I can say one thing for certain: I will not be coming back for books two and three. There are far too many excellent books out there and far too little time for reading for me to stick with so disappointing a series.
alyholt's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh!!!! IGNORE THE BAD REVIEWS! Read this book. Read it practically in one sitting and it was amazing. The first few chapters were slow but after like chapter 2, I couldn't put it down!! Read it!
gabriela_dreams's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful book, very interesting. I am looking forward to read the next book in the series.
usnebojemesa's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this book even do I'm not a big fan of dystopian and futuristic books (example: my review of Delirium)
I felt somehow amazed by the way the book is written. It reminds me of blog stories, especially the ones that are written by people that I know.
So the whole story felt really close to me, and familiar.
1st read: 17-18.1.2012.
2nd read: 24.6.2013. (in one day)
I felt somehow amazed by the way the book is written. It reminds me of blog stories, especially the ones that are written by people that I know.
So the whole story felt really close to me, and familiar.
1st read: 17-18.1.2012.
2nd read: 24.6.2013. (in one day)
rjdenney's review against another edition
5.0
This was a freaking awesome read. :)
I didn't know much about this book going into it, but I knew I wanted to read it because it sounded good and it was dystopian. I had no idea that this book's story line packed so much. It was different for me because normally I don't pick up books about an all girls school. But this was different. The girls in this story are awaiting graduation so they can move into the city of sand and develop their own lives, but that is not what will happen to them. What they don't know is that they will be sent to a house where they will be a part of a breeding process for the new america. A plague has ripped the world new one and 15 years later the world has gone to shit and there is a king who is a big dick. Luckily, there are groups of people who help escapees and orphans so that they aren't pawns in this king's sick game.
We are introduced to Eve who is the class valedictorian and is hyped about graduating and starting a life in the city of sand. When she notices a girl named Arden acting very suspicious, she sets off to see what this girl is planning, since she tends to play pranks and jokes on the classes a lot. Eve discovers that Arden is escaping the school and tells Eve about what really happens to the girls who are graduating. Eve tries to brush it off, but when she witnesses Arden leaving the school, she decides to check things out on her own. Later in the day she escapes her dorm and walks into the lake separating the school from the house that supposedly houses girls who have graduated years before. When she walks up to the house she notices a window lit and peeks through. What she discovers is what Arden tried to explain to her and so with the help of a teacher, Eve escapes the school and sets off on a journey to Califia (a place that helps escapees and orphans.)
That is where I will leave it off and this shouldn't be a spoiler because it happens in the first 30 pages. YES! 30 pages. I loved that this book was FAST PACED but packed a lot. Sort of like another Author's work hmmmm I wonder who I am talking about? ;) The book is around 315 pages and it does not disappoint. The loved the characters and it sort of had a Peter Pan type feel in the middle of the book when... well, you'll find out. I don't mean Peter Pan as in something magical, you'll see.
This was a very good book and the ending left me wanting more, so I will be picking up the second book. I also will be buying a finished copy of EVE sometime soon, since what I read was an ARC.
Happy Reading!
& excuse the errors in this review. I don't usually edit my reviews. :p
-R.D.
I didn't know much about this book going into it, but I knew I wanted to read it because it sounded good and it was dystopian. I had no idea that this book's story line packed so much. It was different for me because normally I don't pick up books about an all girls school. But this was different. The girls in this story are awaiting graduation so they can move into the city of sand and develop their own lives, but that is not what will happen to them. What they don't know is that they will be sent to a house where they will be a part of a breeding process for the new america. A plague has ripped the world new one and 15 years later the world has gone to shit and there is a king who is a big dick. Luckily, there are groups of people who help escapees and orphans so that they aren't pawns in this king's sick game.
We are introduced to Eve who is the class valedictorian and is hyped about graduating and starting a life in the city of sand. When she notices a girl named Arden acting very suspicious, she sets off to see what this girl is planning, since she tends to play pranks and jokes on the classes a lot. Eve discovers that Arden is escaping the school and tells Eve about what really happens to the girls who are graduating. Eve tries to brush it off, but when she witnesses Arden leaving the school, she decides to check things out on her own. Later in the day she escapes her dorm and walks into the lake separating the school from the house that supposedly houses girls who have graduated years before. When she walks up to the house she notices a window lit and peeks through. What she discovers is what Arden tried to explain to her and so with the help of a teacher, Eve escapes the school and sets off on a journey to Califia (a place that helps escapees and orphans.)
That is where I will leave it off and this shouldn't be a spoiler because it happens in the first 30 pages. YES! 30 pages. I loved that this book was FAST PACED but packed a lot. Sort of like another Author's work hmmmm I wonder who I am talking about? ;) The book is around 315 pages and it does not disappoint. The loved the characters and it sort of had a Peter Pan type feel in the middle of the book when... well, you'll find out. I don't mean Peter Pan as in something magical, you'll see.
This was a very good book and the ending left me wanting more, so I will be picking up the second book. I also will be buying a finished copy of EVE sometime soon, since what I read was an ARC.
Happy Reading!
& excuse the errors in this review. I don't usually edit my reviews. :p
-R.D.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
How do you spell awesome? Anna Carey, that's how! love love love this book! Divergent, The Big Empty, other post-pandemic population wipeout stories; that's Eve. And there's a sequel hitting the stores on July 3. Can I wait patiently? NO!