Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve
Book #: 1
Pages: 336
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: .4
Goodreads Rating: 3.68
Published: October 4th, 2011
by HarperTeen


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.

Taschima's POV:

Eve was interesting. It wasn't exceptional, but once I started reading it it was hard to put down. Yet, when I did put it down, I didn't feel the call of the story pulling me back in. It was an easy quick read let me tell you that, but the hype didn't live up to it's expectations.

Eve is the perfect girl. She is book smart, respectable, always follows directions, docile... and yet it took one girl telling her stories in her ear and already she was questioning all her teachings. Which is why she crossed the lake and saw something that forever changed her life. Once she is aware of this information she feels betrayed, suffocated, can't get out of the place she once grew up in fast enough. When she gets outside though there are no school teachers to console you, no medicine to make you feel better, no water to quench your thirst. Outside the walls she meets Caleb, the boy who comes on his white horse to save the day. Can Eve trust Caleb? Furthermore New America's King is after Eve. Seems the King wants something only Eve can give him, and he won't stop at nothing until he gets her back.

Another important factor of the story, the girls, including Eve, in the academy are all taught that men are evil and that they want to rape them all and have their way with them. Every single one is without a soul.

The thing about Eve (the novel) is that I think it could have been so much more deep. Instead of having the girl survive in the outside world, why don't you let us see how it really is on the inside? Make her feel the terror? Make us truly hate the enemy? I think it would have given Eve that more of a backbone, but that is just me. As it is, the story moves along quite nicely, but all the elements in it seem already played out. I know already of people running and hiding, what I am looking for is something that takes my breath away in it's awesomeness. A story line like no other. Or at least characters like no other.

Eve (the character) is okay. The thing about her is that she seems so fresh, so new to everything. It's hard to believe she had survived as long as she had. Probably wouldn't have without the help that was given. I mean, don't get me wrong, to escape from the only home you have ever known... that was brave of her. I liked her as a girl, and a characters, but not as my main girl and character. I actually wanted to learn more about her "friend" Arden. She seemed to have some spunk. But it really depends on the kind of character that fits your bill. As I said, Eve is a lovely good girl, but I am way more into the spunky smart mouth characters.

The romance between Eve and Caleb was complicated since Eve was taught from early on that men are evil and that they only seek to use you up and make you suffer. Nevertheless, as you will soon find out from the novel, she figures out the bunch of lies for what they are. It's a sweet romance, but it's missing the butterflies.

Also something that bothered me about the novel, why is the King after Eve? Why is she so special? I know it's good and all to create urgency, and the feeling that you are being chased on the novel, but give me some solid idea of why it is I am feeling what I am supposed to be feeling. I can't and will not just go with it, I need reasoning.

Eve (book + character) it's a nice try on the whole dystopian genre. It had some things that I could really get into (some of the issues of the society) depending on what happens inthe second book, but it lacked the sparkle, the thing that makes a novel un-put-downable.