My Thoughts On: Eve by Anna Carey

Posted October 7, 2011 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 5 Comments

Eve by Anna Carey
Published by HarperTeen
Publish Date:  October 4, 2011

My Source:  NetGalley
Eve by Anna Carey

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.  –(summary from Goodreads.com)

My Thoughts:  WHAT. A GREAT. BOOK. I wanted to read Eve initially because of the cover. This is typical for me as I am forever attracted by a lovely cover. I don’t usually share my thought process for the cover art on this blog, but please allow me to give an abbreviated version this time:

I think the picture of the model going across the bridge to an unclear, foggy destination had plenty of mystery and symbolism, and at first glance I found myself really wanting to find out what was on the other side of the bridge. Not only that, but her body language suggested to me that she was either running or stopping abruptly…either motion gave me a hint of some suspense. I just love how the depiction of motion (in her hair and arms) contrasted with the stillness of the bridge and fog to add to the cool tone of the cover. (Plus the model’s fiery hair is really pretty against the other colors  as well as the swirly e’s in the title.) 

Now that my swooning about the cover is pretty much done, I can move on to the actual story–which I really liked loved. I have a really large soft spot for dystopian novels–it doesn’t matter to me what other descriptions are attached:  young adult, adult, post-apocalyptic, whatever. This genre tends to be one of my favorites time and time again, and I think that is because each author adds a little of their own self to a very shared theme. I love that so, so much.

Eve is a super-smart gal at her girls-only school. She has managed to graduate with honors and is excited for her future…until she finds that the future for which she has been prepared isn’t the actual future that she will have. There’s a huge lie being fed to these orphan girls at the school concerning their purpose in life–and her life, specifically. Eve runs away from her graduation and her future, and the resulting journey is intense and emotional.

Lately I’ve found that I best express myself in list form. So here is a short list of things I really loved about this book:

  1. Arden. Arden is a fellow student at Eve’s school. I wouldn’t say that Eve and Arden have a history of friendship, but it is Arden that somehow finds out the truth about the girls’ futures and shares this information with Eve. Eve doesn’t initially believe it because Arden isn’t exactly known around the campus for having great credibility. Eve investigates a bit and finds that Arden is telling the truth! This completely changes everything for Eve. Arden ends up being a huge character in the book, and her development from start to finish is wonderful. 
  2. Caleb. I was a bit cautious at first when I read this synopsis and its talk of the possibility of ‘true love.’ I really wanted a great dystopian novel that isn’t overshadowed by a cheesy romance. What I got was a great dystopian novel that has a great and very sweet romance. Caleb is a wonderful character! Eve and her classmates have always been taught to fear boys/men, so when Eve finds Caleb and he is actually kind to her and he even helps her for no reason at all, she learns to trust him. (He teaches her to swim in one of my favorite scenes of the book!) I was never made to feel like the Eve/Caleb storyline was any bigger or more important than the dystopian part of the story. I’m so glad about this. The author did a fantastic job of entertaining us in more than one way at the same time. 
  3. Journey. I love a journey, you guys. Eve leaves the comfort of the life she has always known and the safety of the future she thought she knew to run away to a place only rumored to exist…to a place where she thinks she might be safe. Along the way there are a ton of things she has never before had to endure:  weather, pain, hunger, boys, the military, wild animals, hiding, the landscape, and making it across rivers without knowing how to swim. Where there is a remarkable journey like this, there is usually some character growth and development as well as a roller coaster of emotional ups-and-downs. Reading about all of this was wildly exciting for me. 
  4. Secondary characters. There are some really great ones in this book…great enough to really pull at my heart. I’ll let you meet them for yourselves, but prepare to become attached to a couple of them…
  5. The Ending. Oh my goodness, that ending! It’s not a cliffhanger, thank goodness. I don’t like cliffhangers. This ending resolves itself beautifully, but in a way that leaves you yearning for the next book in the series. That’s right folks…this will be a trilogy, and I’m so glad. The next book absolutely cannot get here fast enough. 
It was hard for me to keep the mind of a reviewer while reading this book, so I sort of gave up on that early and resolved to just enjoy it and share that joy with everyone. I can’t really think of anything that I didn’t like about this book or that I would change. (except that I wish I had the next book in my hands, like, now!) To satisfy my reviewer’s mind, I will say that the pacing is great, the story is great, and the characters are well-developed. The ending resolves well but leaves room for growth into a series and I believe that fans of Eve will wait eagerly for the next installment. I know I am already impatient for it. The longer I sit and think about this book, the more I like it. It’s just a fantastic, lovely, wonderful book. 

**A digital copy of this publication was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & opinions. I received no compensation for this review. Thank you, HarperTeen!

Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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5 responses to “My Thoughts On: Eve by Anna Carey

  1. Oh I loved this book too!! And I loved the list breakdown. I thought I was going to throw up when Eve saw what was inside the building across the river and prayed she would escape that fate……I cant wait for the next book which wont be till next year!!!

  2. 1. i also love lists. obviously.
    2. agreed with the secondary characters. they were fleshed out and didn't dominate the plot.
    3. YES to the JOURNEYYYYY.
    4. so glad you loved this. so so so glad.
    5. solid review. per usual.

  3. Fantastic review! I liked this book but had some issues that I think/hope will be resolved in the sequel. I have to tell you that I was frustrated by the ending and really, really want to read the next book in the series.
    NC
    Truly Bookish

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