"I had read once, in of of those pre-plague books in the library,
that love was bearing witness.
That it was the act of watching someone's life,
of simply being there to say:
your life is worth seeing."
--Anna Carey, Eve
Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Harper Teen, 318 pages
Publication Date: October 4th, 2011
Source: Bought
Goodreads Description
Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. 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 Arden, her former rival from school, and 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.
Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. 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 Arden, her former rival from school, and 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.
My Thoughts
Well guys, I'm on a roll. Another series coming to an end...you know what that mean...BINGE READ START TO FINISH! Woot woot! Ok so this was my second time with Eve and like the first time it was okay. Slightly more irritating if I'm being honest. So we have Eve, the star pupil of School and when a girl she doesn't even like or trust tells her the whole thing is a sham, she decides to find out herself, finds out some horrible truths and is then on the run.
Lemme start with the good first. The book moves fast. Extremely easy to read and get into. A LOT happens in this book, we are taken into so many different situations and this really makes you want to keep turning the pages. The first time I read it, it took me maybe a day or two and the second time around was no exception. The plot keeps you on your toes and keeps you wanting to know where the story will end. It did for me.
The world building of this dystopia isn't the greatest. All we know is a plague has decimated 98% of the population, orphans are everywhere in these Schools, and the King rules in the City of Sand. So we have a plague and that's about it...but to be honest, maybe that's all there is to this world. I don't know. It makes sense. Horrific disease wipes out most of the country and now everything is abandoned. That might be all there is to it.
Now...on to Eve. Eve is definitely not a character that immediately grabs you and has you rooting for her. She is kind of the opposite actually. She is not incredibly likeable. While I can't fault her for being naive and completely brainwashed by her school, I can fault her for her inability to responsibility for her actions and be so helpless all the time. I don't know, I go back and forth between being empathetic for her situation of being clueless but at the same time she is just so weak. Not only does she create the crappy and life-threatening situations she gets into, she ALWAYS needs somebody to rescue her. It got comical and also annoying. Girlfriend needs a backbone. Girlfriend needs a clue.
Alright, alright, I'm being harsh. But the second time around just cemented her character for me...in the first book. There is a light at the end of the tunnel people and I'm cheating by saying this but Once is SO good. I would tell people to read Eve just so they can read Once, so I feel less bad. Another plus?! Caleb. Caleb is a great character. Kind, protective, strong, smart. He is great. Not totally beefed out as a character but we have room to grow and learn more about him.
Another thing I did like? How the girls are taught to fear men. Like with the Delirium series where love is seen as a disease, men are seen as manipulating creatures solely on this planet to take advantage of women...and while that does ring somewhat true (c'mon I had to go there, sorry not sorry) it was SO interesting to read about it in that point of view. The 'manipulation stage,' how men will lie to you and it is only your fault for believing their lies. It was so crazy to read and see it that way but had such a true point to an extent. Amazing. I really liked this aspect.
Eve is definitely fast-paced, easy to read and keeps you on your toes. Eve as a character is not perfect, has flaws but she does try...sometimes. Lots of action and the follow-up is even better which I'm gonna start reading riiiiight now :)
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