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Eve #2
Once
When you're being hunted, who can you trust?
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.
354 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2012
About the author
Anna Carey
31 books2,321 followersAnna Carey has been a gift wrapper, face painter, nanny, horrific cocktail waitress, sofa saleswoman and children's book editor. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she can be found writing, reading, and referencing 90s pop culture.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,267 reviews
April 28, 2012
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
This is a difficult review to write. Most of the things I want to talk about (good and bad) involve giving away huge spoilers. Once has a pretty big plot twist early in the story - one that I'm almost ashamed to admit I didn't see coming - making it close to impossible for me to adequately express my thoughts. But I'm going to try really hard to give a nice little run down of the book without ruining it for you.
Once picks up a few months after the events in Eve and our protagonist finds herself miserable in Califi, missing both Caleb and Arden. In this installment Eve, despite her best efforts, ends up in the King's clutches in the Sand City. There she is reunited with Caleb and members of the trail, who is now a wanted man for murder of New American soldiers. However, this doesn't seem to deter Eve and Caleb from stealing moments away together. But little does she know that the King has other plans for her. Big plans.
As always, I'd like to start with the good. I was really looking forward to reading Once due to the crafty little cliffhanger at the end of Eve. I hate that nagging feeling of needing to know how things end because it bothers me over and over until I know. Thankfully, I got to find out my burning question of why the King wanted Eve so badly within the first 20% of the novel. Yay for me, but boo for you since you'll be reading a review where I attempt to skate around all the plot twists and revelations this book seemed to be chock-full of. One thing that I really liked about Once was the setting. The City of Sand is in essence a restored Las Vegas and I could definitely visualize the different locations. Carey succeeds at painting the mental image of the city and bringing it to life. I expected no less considering I did enjoy Carey's writing in Eve. I also felt myself warming up to Eve this time around too. That is partly due to her making a better attempt at helping the friends she left behind and showing more concern for others.
Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as I did Eve, but I think that is mainly because I connected with the minor characters, who for the most part, are absent in Once. (I missed the dugout boys!) Instead we are introduced to a few newbies including the King, Beatrice (Eve's maid), and members of the trail. But most of the novel focuses on Eve and her constant struggle to break free from the hold the King has on her. And while I did start to warm up with her, after a while I found her actions to be a little too reckless (as they were in Eve) and I started feeling genuinely frustrated with both her and Caleb. It almost seemed like their decisions were intentionally poor just to move the plot in the direction Carey wanted it. For example, when Eve sneaks out the palace to meet Caleb, she's very concerned that he may get caught, but Caleb shrugs all concerns off. I understand that some teenagers feel invincible, but this felt like he didn't have any common sense. That surprised me because he seemed like a smarter character in Eve. He was much more cautious, but here I found him throwing all caution he used to have to the wind. By the end, he was practically flaunting a sign around his neck that read, "HERE I AM!"
Despite my bigger disappointments with this installment, I didn't hate it and did find myself enjoying the interesting relationship between Eve and the King. And c'mon, that ending! I felt like Carey and HarperCollins punk'd me when I went to turn the page and all I saw was: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Cruel, I tell you!
I'd recommend this book to fans of the first book, Eve. But if you disliked Eve, chances are Once will have little to offer you.
ARC was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss. Thank you!
*cough* Signed giveaway for Eve on the blog!
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.
This is a difficult review to write. Most of the things I want to talk about (good and bad) involve giving away huge spoilers. Once has a pretty big plot twist early in the story - one that I'm almost ashamed to admit I didn't see coming - making it close to impossible for me to adequately express my thoughts. But I'm going to try really hard to give a nice little run down of the book without ruining it for you.
Once picks up a few months after the events in Eve and our protagonist finds herself miserable in Califi, missing both Caleb and Arden. In this installment Eve, despite her best efforts, ends up in the King's clutches in the Sand City. There she is reunited with Caleb and members of the trail, who is now a wanted man for murder of New American soldiers. However, this doesn't seem to deter Eve and Caleb from stealing moments away together. But little does she know that the King has other plans for her. Big plans.
As always, I'd like to start with the good. I was really looking forward to reading Once due to the crafty little cliffhanger at the end of Eve. I hate that nagging feeling of needing to know how things end because it bothers me over and over until I know. Thankfully, I got to find out my burning question of why the King wanted Eve so badly within the first 20% of the novel. Yay for me, but boo for you since you'll be reading a review where I attempt to skate around all the plot twists and revelations this book seemed to be chock-full of. One thing that I really liked about Once was the setting. The City of Sand is in essence a restored Las Vegas and I could definitely visualize the different locations. Carey succeeds at painting the mental image of the city and bringing it to life. I expected no less considering I did enjoy Carey's writing in Eve. I also felt myself warming up to Eve this time around too. That is partly due to her making a better attempt at helping the friends she left behind and showing more concern for others.
Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as I did Eve, but I think that is mainly because I connected with the minor characters, who for the most part, are absent in Once. (I missed the dugout boys!) Instead we are introduced to a few newbies including the King, Beatrice (Eve's maid), and members of the trail. But most of the novel focuses on Eve and her constant struggle to break free from the hold the King has on her. And while I did start to warm up with her, after a while I found her actions to be a little too reckless (as they were in Eve) and I started feeling genuinely frustrated with both her and Caleb. It almost seemed like their decisions were intentionally poor just to move the plot in the direction Carey wanted it. For example, when Eve sneaks out the palace to meet Caleb, she's very concerned that he may get caught, but Caleb shrugs all concerns off. I understand that some teenagers feel invincible, but this felt like he didn't have any common sense. That surprised me because he seemed like a smarter character in Eve. He was much more cautious, but here I found him throwing all caution he used to have to the wind. By the end, he was practically flaunting a sign around his neck that read, "HERE I AM!"
Despite my bigger disappointments with this installment, I didn't hate it and did find myself enjoying the interesting relationship between Eve and the King. And c'mon, that ending! I felt like Carey and HarperCollins punk'd me when I went to turn the page and all I saw was: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Cruel, I tell you!
I'd recommend this book to fans of the first book, Eve. But if you disliked Eve, chances are Once will have little to offer you.
ARC was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss. Thank you!
*cough* Signed giveaway for Eve on the blog!
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.
March 26, 2012
NOOOOO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT! Once again, Carey has managed to rip out my heart and leave me tortured for the next few months.
This book was a bit different in that the first was about Eve and Caleb surviving in the wild, and this was about Eve trying to escape her situation inside the city. But I loved it almost as much. I'm sure some will even say this book is better than the first.
One of my favorite scenes in the first book was when Eve first met Caleb and she insisted she knew what he wanted from her. I chuckled when Eve first met the king and insists she is not going to have his child. What I wasn't prepared for was his response.
This book had me flipping through the pages like crazy as the story unfolded and reveal that everything is not as it seems. I don't want to say too much because the summary is left vague, so I'll keep it that way.
The story wasn't unpredictable, but it had enough action and enough twists to keep you wanting to read on. And I love Eve and Caleb, and it was bittersweet to see them reunite.
I'm sadden the book came to an end, and I am anxiously waiting for the next book.
This book was a bit different in that the first was about Eve and Caleb surviving in the wild, and this was about Eve trying to escape her situation inside the city. But I loved it almost as much. I'm sure some will even say this book is better than the first.
One of my favorite scenes in the first book was when Eve first met Caleb and she insisted she knew what he wanted from her. I chuckled when Eve first met the king and insists she is not going to have his child. What I wasn't prepared for was his response.
This book had me flipping through the pages like crazy as the story unfolded and reveal that everything is not as it seems. I don't want to say too much because the summary is left vague, so I'll keep it that way.
The story wasn't unpredictable, but it had enough action and enough twists to keep you wanting to read on. And I love Eve and Caleb, and it was bittersweet to see them reunite.
I'm sadden the book came to an end, and I am anxiously waiting for the next book.
March 26, 2012
It’s still a little more of the same of a girl head over heels over a guy she knew next to nothing about, a lot of hiding and seeking then one (or two) improbable moments thrown in. It had me wanting to head /desk, face/palm then maybe even body/floor. (Yes, I'd likely be black and blue now.)
She’s a I didn’t see that coming. When I first read Eve, I recall how gullible she could be, how unthinking she could be… and how follow the leader she sometimes was. Yet, I continued with it because there was something I saw potential in. Namely, the scary aspect of a world destroyed trying to rebuild in a way none of them had considered. She and Caleb were in the same boat. They didn’t want to be used… and that made sense to me.
Now, ONCE is another thing altogether. Potential unfulfilled is what’s bugging me… because after that reveal everything went predictably. And I do mean every single moment that followed was obvious. There’s a jealous someone. A would be suitor. A caring maternal look out type. A deal to break hearts is made too… and so on and so forth.
Yet still Eve could be so gullible. She believed what she’s told and only recognized the alternative when evidence to the contrary was shoved in her face (literally.) I mean her experience should have proved how unsavory those around her could be.
I read this hoping for a shift in emphasis. Eve had me seeing potential in the story despite being blurbed as a combination of Romeo and Juliet meets Hunger Games. It wasn’t and neither was this. Too many times do we see a girl fall head over heels for a guy with little basis. Although in her case, the bonding went on while on the run. Still, he was all she thought of. Maybe 80 percent of it was her thinking about him and when they did manage to get together a lot of making out and little else. The portions on rebellion and Strays are mentioned but never gone in into detail… and that was disappointing.
See Clint cringe:
Priceless. And yet surprisingly applicable to my feelings for this one.
2/5
THANK YOU EDELWEISS!
She’s a I didn’t see that coming. When I first read Eve, I recall how gullible she could be, how unthinking she could be… and how follow the leader she sometimes was. Yet, I continued with it because there was something I saw potential in. Namely, the scary aspect of a world destroyed trying to rebuild in a way none of them had considered. She and Caleb were in the same boat. They didn’t want to be used… and that made sense to me.
Now, ONCE is another thing altogether. Potential unfulfilled is what’s bugging me… because after that reveal everything went predictably. And I do mean every single moment that followed was obvious. There’s a jealous someone. A would be suitor. A caring maternal look out type. A deal to break hearts is made too… and so on and so forth.
Yet still Eve could be so gullible. She believed what she’s told and only recognized the alternative when evidence to the contrary was shoved in her face (literally.) I mean her experience should have proved how unsavory those around her could be.
I read this hoping for a shift in emphasis. Eve had me seeing potential in the story despite being blurbed as a combination of Romeo and Juliet meets Hunger Games. It wasn’t and neither was this. Too many times do we see a girl fall head over heels for a guy with little basis. Although in her case, the bonding went on while on the run. Still, he was all she thought of. Maybe 80 percent of it was her thinking about him and when they did manage to get together a lot of making out and little else. The portions on rebellion and Strays are mentioned but never gone in into detail… and that was disappointing.
See Clint cringe:
Priceless. And yet surprisingly applicable to my feelings for this one.
2/5
THANK YOU EDELWEISS!
April 2, 2016
My feelings!!!
The end of these books really leave me speechless ...
This book has been for me a rollercoaster of feelings
It all starts with Eve being in Califia and this certainly made me believe that peace would last longer ...but NOT !.
If a word should be the protagonist in this book certainly would BETRAYAL.
Eve escapes from there after discover who they planned to deliver her to the king but finally was captured and taken in to him.
And here it is where it gets good ...
No waste is exciting and entertaining it keeps you wanting more at the end of each chapter, contains much suspense, action, secrets and revelations, believe me was very hard to leave it. The unexpected twists WOW!
The narrative of this book is fantastic Anna Carey is wonderful, I love your descriptions like never dwells too much on them but it gives us to understand what has just enough to keep you trapped in history without boring at any time.
I'm very proud of Eve in this book its strength to every moment has been admirable, as her character has grown tremendously for better being more courageous and determined ... I love it!I love it!
Excited for RISE :) I can't wait!!
The end of these books really leave me speechless ...
This book has been for me a rollercoaster of feelings
It all starts with Eve being in Califia and this certainly made me believe that peace would last longer ...but NOT !.
If a word should be the protagonist in this book certainly would BETRAYAL.
Eve escapes from there after discover who they planned to deliver her to the king but finally was captured and taken in to him.
And here it is where it gets good ...
No waste is exciting and entertaining it keeps you wanting more at the end of each chapter, contains much suspense, action, secrets and revelations, believe me was very hard to leave it. The unexpected twists WOW!
The narrative of this book is fantastic Anna Carey is wonderful, I love your descriptions like never dwells too much on them but it gives us to understand what has just enough to keep you trapped in history without boring at any time.
I'm very proud of Eve in this book its strength to every moment has been admirable, as her character has grown tremendously for better being more courageous and determined ... I love it!I love it!
Excited for RISE :) I can't wait!!
May 29, 2019
Ay neler oldu öyle!
Ya Anna'cım bu kadar üstünkörü anlatıyorsun ayıp olmuyor mu biraz :(
Ya Anna'cım bu kadar üstünkörü anlatıyorsun ayıp olmuyor mu biraz :(
Shelved as 'fake-ya-dystopian'
February 28, 2014is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes adventure of The Hunger Games...
ick. can't take this seriously.
NO
THIS BOOK IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS THE HUNGER GAMES
STOP
COMPARING
YOUR
CRAPPY
"DYSTAUPIANNN"
STORY
TO
THAT
REVOLUTIONARY
BOOK
this is a skim "to read" Eve bored the heck out of me.
ick. can't take this seriously.
NO
THIS BOOK IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS THE HUNGER GAMES
STOP
COMPARING
YOUR
CRAPPY
"DYSTAUPIANNN"
STORY
TO
THAT
REVOLUTIONARY
BOOK
this is a skim "to read" Eve bored the heck out of me.
December 28, 2012
More of a 4,5.
Iniţial postată aici: http://walking-on-letters.blogspot.ro...
Vă rog să faceți un scurt experiment: să închideți ochii, să vă lăsați imaginația să zboare în cele mai ascunse locuri ale minții voastre, și să vă gândiți că nu mai sunteți la voi acasă, în confort, ci într-o încăpere murdară, plină de păianjeni, vraiște, și cu vreun schelet printr-un colț. Că nu veți avea parte de o masă caldă, pregătită de mama voastră iubitoare, ci că va trebui să căutați prin resturi să vedeți dacă găsiți vreo conservă închisă, și clar expirată, pe care o puteți mânca. Înlocuiți sentimentul de liniște și siguranță de acasă cu sentimentul de singurătate, de panică, cu gândul că după ce veți pleca de aici, va trebui să fugiți cât vă țin picioarele pentru viața voastră, vă veți răni, veți cădea, dar indiferent de toate, va trebui să mergeți mai departe într-o lume distrusă. Acum reveniți în prezent, și spuneți-mi ce simțiți? V-ați înfiorat, speriat, de acest cadru lugubru? Înseamnă că acum o înțelegeți mai bine pe Eve, îi puteți fi aproape după ce a trecut prin asemenea clipe în primul volum, iar acum, o veți urma mai departe, să vedeți încontro o mai poartă povestea ei..
După o perioadă atât de grea în care Eve a trebuit să fugă, să se ascundă, să lupte, să facă față la ce a descoperit afară, dincolo de zidurile Școlii, lucrurile, aparent, par că s-au mai liniștit. Pătimind atâtea, fiind desculță, rănită, flămândă, ferindu-se din calea soldaților puși să o caute, ea a reușit să reziste datorită prietenei ei Arden și a lui Caleb, cel care i-a redat încrederea în bărbați, dar și în viață, care a sprijinit-o și ajutat-o mereu. Acum că a ajuns la Califia, locul despre care se spune că e un adăpost al femeilor, de ce în loc să se simtă bine, în siguranță, împăcată ? Pentru că e fără cel iubit, sau cineva cunoscut.
Din cauza unor întorsături de situație, și după seara în care aude din greșeală o discuție dintre cele care conduc Califia, și care le dă de gol planurile, Eve fuge de acolo, și ajunge din cauza unei înșelăciuni în mâinile soldaților, care o duc în Orașul de Nisip.
Ajunsă acolo, se simte dezorientată și speriată, cunoaște Regele și tot felul de persoane, iar unele dintre evident că nu o vor acolo și o privesc ca pe o intrusă. Află anumite secrete dureroase din trecutul ei, și are nevoie tot mai mare de Caleb aproape, despre care nici nu știe dacă mai e în viață sau nu. Ultima dată când îl văzuse era grav rănit.
Află anumite din planurile de reconstrucție a orașului, dar și de cele ale celor năpăstuiți, și împotriva sistemului, care plănuiesc o lovitură. Iubitul ei e unul dintre cei care pregătesc asta, și povestea lor frumoasă de iubire e tot mai umbrită de necazurile care îi pândesc. Caleb e căutat pentru omorârea unui dintre soldați, și dacă este prins, imediat va fi executat. Eve pe de altă parte e urmărită la tot pasul, iar relația lor e din ce în ce mai amenințată.
Când lui Eve îi este planificat deja viitorul, unul pe care nu și-l dorește, și care ar însemna să o despartă pentru totdeauna de cel pe care îl iubește, vor reuși ei să își salveze iubirea - și pe ei înșiși?
Uf, a fost tare greu să vă povestesc cât de cât ceva din acțiune, pentru că îmi era teamă să nu dau niciun spoiler. Se întâmplă câteva lucruri importante în carte, unele șocante, altele triste, și trebuie să le descoperiți singuri. În plus, mă străduiesc, și fac eforturi mari să scriu recenzii mai scurte, sper că ați observat asta, poate pentru că unii cred că atunci când scriem mult povestim toată cartea, ceea ce e complet fals. Niciodată nu am dat detalii dintr-un roman, sau am spus prea multe despre conținutul ei.
Am așteptat cu atâta nerăbdare să citesc această continuare. Da, mulți nu veți înțelege, poate nu veți fi de acord cu părerile mele, dar eu am o relație specială cu această trilogie, ”Eve” a fost primul roman distopic citit și care m-a emoționat, întristat, m-a luat prin surprindere datorită lumii atât de distruse de acolo. M-a făcut să apreciez ce avem noi în zilele astea, și să încerc să fiu mai atentă la ce e în jur. Datorită romanului lui Anna Carey m-am îndrăgostit de acest gen nou de cărți, care e, la momentul de față, preferatul meu, alături de cărțile realiste.
Deci da, mi-a plăcut foarte mult și al doilea volum, și am trăi cu sufletul alături de personaje, mi-a fost teamă pentru ele, sau m-am bucurat de acele momente incredibil de frumoase petrecute împreună, dar din nefericire mult, mult prea scurte.
Dacă nu v-a convins primul volum, nu cred că acesta o să vă schimbe părerea, însă îmi pare rău dacă e așa. E adevărat că această serie nu abundă de acțiune, dar în unele clipe abundă de sentimente, de emoție.
De fiecare dată când am citit cărțile din această trilogie, am încercat să mă desprind de realitate, să mă transport ”mental” acolo, să nu mai fiu Cristina de aici, ci una care e implicată complet sufletește în ce se întâmplă acolo.
Și rezultatul? Simt că înțeleg lumea aceea, că am experimentat zbuciumul personajelor și problemele lor, că empatizez cu ele complet. Fapt care m-a și făcut să îmi fie așa dragă seria ”Eve” de Anna Carey.
De mult timp nu am mai avut parte de niște personaje care să întâmpine atâtea probleme și obstacole în calea iubirii lor, și în loc ca asta să le slăbească încrederea în ei, și sentimentele, să le facă mai puternice. De obicei majora dificultate în cazul relațiilor dintre personaje pornește de la ei, de la defectele și nesiguranțele lor, dar aici nu. Aici au parte de adevărate încercări, de un cadru complet neprietenos și care e total împotriva dragostei lor.
Modul în care ei reușesc să nu își piardă curajul, speranța, și să se bucure de fiecare clipă împreună, oricât de scurtă, și pe fugă, e uimitor. Asta e, din punctul meu ..(continuarea recenziei aici: http://walking-on-letters.blogspot.ro...)
Iniţial postată aici: http://walking-on-letters.blogspot.ro...
Vă rog să faceți un scurt experiment: să închideți ochii, să vă lăsați imaginația să zboare în cele mai ascunse locuri ale minții voastre, și să vă gândiți că nu mai sunteți la voi acasă, în confort, ci într-o încăpere murdară, plină de păianjeni, vraiște, și cu vreun schelet printr-un colț. Că nu veți avea parte de o masă caldă, pregătită de mama voastră iubitoare, ci că va trebui să căutați prin resturi să vedeți dacă găsiți vreo conservă închisă, și clar expirată, pe care o puteți mânca. Înlocuiți sentimentul de liniște și siguranță de acasă cu sentimentul de singurătate, de panică, cu gândul că după ce veți pleca de aici, va trebui să fugiți cât vă țin picioarele pentru viața voastră, vă veți răni, veți cădea, dar indiferent de toate, va trebui să mergeți mai departe într-o lume distrusă. Acum reveniți în prezent, și spuneți-mi ce simțiți? V-ați înfiorat, speriat, de acest cadru lugubru? Înseamnă că acum o înțelegeți mai bine pe Eve, îi puteți fi aproape după ce a trecut prin asemenea clipe în primul volum, iar acum, o veți urma mai departe, să vedeți încontro o mai poartă povestea ei..
După o perioadă atât de grea în care Eve a trebuit să fugă, să se ascundă, să lupte, să facă față la ce a descoperit afară, dincolo de zidurile Școlii, lucrurile, aparent, par că s-au mai liniștit. Pătimind atâtea, fiind desculță, rănită, flămândă, ferindu-se din calea soldaților puși să o caute, ea a reușit să reziste datorită prietenei ei Arden și a lui Caleb, cel care i-a redat încrederea în bărbați, dar și în viață, care a sprijinit-o și ajutat-o mereu. Acum că a ajuns la Califia, locul despre care se spune că e un adăpost al femeilor, de ce în loc să se simtă bine, în siguranță, împăcată ? Pentru că e fără cel iubit, sau cineva cunoscut.
Din cauza unor întorsături de situație, și după seara în care aude din greșeală o discuție dintre cele care conduc Califia, și care le dă de gol planurile, Eve fuge de acolo, și ajunge din cauza unei înșelăciuni în mâinile soldaților, care o duc în Orașul de Nisip.
Ajunsă acolo, se simte dezorientată și speriată, cunoaște Regele și tot felul de persoane, iar unele dintre evident că nu o vor acolo și o privesc ca pe o intrusă. Află anumite secrete dureroase din trecutul ei, și are nevoie tot mai mare de Caleb aproape, despre care nici nu știe dacă mai e în viață sau nu. Ultima dată când îl văzuse era grav rănit.
Află anumite din planurile de reconstrucție a orașului, dar și de cele ale celor năpăstuiți, și împotriva sistemului, care plănuiesc o lovitură. Iubitul ei e unul dintre cei care pregătesc asta, și povestea lor frumoasă de iubire e tot mai umbrită de necazurile care îi pândesc. Caleb e căutat pentru omorârea unui dintre soldați, și dacă este prins, imediat va fi executat. Eve pe de altă parte e urmărită la tot pasul, iar relația lor e din ce în ce mai amenințată.
Când lui Eve îi este planificat deja viitorul, unul pe care nu și-l dorește, și care ar însemna să o despartă pentru totdeauna de cel pe care îl iubește, vor reuși ei să își salveze iubirea - și pe ei înșiși?
Uf, a fost tare greu să vă povestesc cât de cât ceva din acțiune, pentru că îmi era teamă să nu dau niciun spoiler. Se întâmplă câteva lucruri importante în carte, unele șocante, altele triste, și trebuie să le descoperiți singuri. În plus, mă străduiesc, și fac eforturi mari să scriu recenzii mai scurte, sper că ați observat asta, poate pentru că unii cred că atunci când scriem mult povestim toată cartea, ceea ce e complet fals. Niciodată nu am dat detalii dintr-un roman, sau am spus prea multe despre conținutul ei.
Am așteptat cu atâta nerăbdare să citesc această continuare. Da, mulți nu veți înțelege, poate nu veți fi de acord cu părerile mele, dar eu am o relație specială cu această trilogie, ”Eve” a fost primul roman distopic citit și care m-a emoționat, întristat, m-a luat prin surprindere datorită lumii atât de distruse de acolo. M-a făcut să apreciez ce avem noi în zilele astea, și să încerc să fiu mai atentă la ce e în jur. Datorită romanului lui Anna Carey m-am îndrăgostit de acest gen nou de cărți, care e, la momentul de față, preferatul meu, alături de cărțile realiste.
Deci da, mi-a plăcut foarte mult și al doilea volum, și am trăi cu sufletul alături de personaje, mi-a fost teamă pentru ele, sau m-am bucurat de acele momente incredibil de frumoase petrecute împreună, dar din nefericire mult, mult prea scurte.
Dacă nu v-a convins primul volum, nu cred că acesta o să vă schimbe părerea, însă îmi pare rău dacă e așa. E adevărat că această serie nu abundă de acțiune, dar în unele clipe abundă de sentimente, de emoție.
De fiecare dată când am citit cărțile din această trilogie, am încercat să mă desprind de realitate, să mă transport ”mental” acolo, să nu mai fiu Cristina de aici, ci una care e implicată complet sufletește în ce se întâmplă acolo.
Și rezultatul? Simt că înțeleg lumea aceea, că am experimentat zbuciumul personajelor și problemele lor, că empatizez cu ele complet. Fapt care m-a și făcut să îmi fie așa dragă seria ”Eve” de Anna Carey.
De mult timp nu am mai avut parte de niște personaje care să întâmpine atâtea probleme și obstacole în calea iubirii lor, și în loc ca asta să le slăbească încrederea în ei, și sentimentele, să le facă mai puternice. De obicei majora dificultate în cazul relațiilor dintre personaje pornește de la ei, de la defectele și nesiguranțele lor, dar aici nu. Aici au parte de adevărate încercări, de un cadru complet neprietenos și care e total împotriva dragostei lor.
Modul în care ei reușesc să nu își piardă curajul, speranța, și să se bucure de fiecare clipă împreună, oricât de scurtă, și pe fugă, e uimitor. Asta e, din punctul meu ..(continuarea recenziei aici: http://walking-on-letters.blogspot.ro...)
July 6, 2012
After reading the other reviews on here I agree with most that is hard to write a proper review without giving away too much of the plot and the huge twist which - like everyone else it seems - I didn't see coming and is a great addition to the plot.
First the good. The premise is excellent. The writing is good too, Carey has a talent for getting the reader to read on, to always want more.
Now, the negatives. Eve is the most selfish character fathomable. I didn't actually find her that selfish in the first book, even though she had been reviewed as such, but in this book she really is selfish. She spends an awful lot of time in a 'woe is me' head space with barely a thought to her friends left at the school or the danger Caleb is in. And again she makes poor decisions that are so obvious, trusts everyone that opens their mouths to her and seems to take risks with everyone's lives without ever really seeming to take that guilt on or even acknowledge the consequences of her choices. I didn't feel sorry for Eve at any point which was a shame as she did make a sacrifice, but if she hadn't harped on about it so much I might have felt it.
And Caleb.... he seems to have been dumbed down for this book, making some questionable decisions.
The plot and world building was also questionable. Set only thirty years in the future they talk about a world where there were once buildings a hundred stories high. What happened to them? How did a plague get rid of skyscrapers? I didn't get it. The plague is only fifteen years old, surely there are still people alive who remember the world 'before'. Maybe Carey needed to set it further in the future, or have something else change the world as I didn't understand how a plague brought down buildings.
In all, it was an enjoyable read and I will look out for the next book in the trilogy simply because Carey has left us with another cliff hanger. If you loved Eve you will enjoy this, if you didn't love Eve, I'd say give it a miss.
First the good. The premise is excellent. The writing is good too, Carey has a talent for getting the reader to read on, to always want more.
Now, the negatives. Eve is the most selfish character fathomable. I didn't actually find her that selfish in the first book, even though she had been reviewed as such, but in this book she really is selfish. She spends an awful lot of time in a 'woe is me' head space with barely a thought to her friends left at the school or the danger Caleb is in. And again she makes poor decisions that are so obvious, trusts everyone that opens their mouths to her and seems to take risks with everyone's lives without ever really seeming to take that guilt on or even acknowledge the consequences of her choices. I didn't feel sorry for Eve at any point which was a shame as she did make a sacrifice, but if she hadn't harped on about it so much I might have felt it.
And Caleb.... he seems to have been dumbed down for this book, making some questionable decisions.
The plot and world building was also questionable. Set only thirty years in the future they talk about a world where there were once buildings a hundred stories high. What happened to them? How did a plague get rid of skyscrapers? I didn't get it. The plague is only fifteen years old, surely there are still people alive who remember the world 'before'. Maybe Carey needed to set it further in the future, or have something else change the world as I didn't understand how a plague brought down buildings.
In all, it was an enjoyable read and I will look out for the next book in the trilogy simply because Carey has left us with another cliff hanger. If you loved Eve you will enjoy this, if you didn't love Eve, I'd say give it a miss.
January 11, 2012
If you’ve read my review for EVE you’ll know I LOVED the book and I read it in four hours. So when ONCE arrived at my house RIGHT before Christmas, I couldn’t have been more excited. But I was afraid to read it because I’m impatient and I hate waiting. EVE doesn’t come out until July so I knew it would be at least a year from now (if not more) until we saw the next book but I couldn’t resist reading it. I am kicking myself now because the ending is just plain torture.
Review originally posted at Step Into Fiction
Review completed by: Jessica
Review originally posted at Step Into Fiction
Review completed by: Jessica
October 25, 2022
Not as great as the first time around, but now I remembered some of the important details, so I can finally finish this trilogy by reading the last book that is waiting for me on the shelves. :)
3 stars and proper review to come.
3 stars and proper review to come.
September 13, 2014
**Spoilers if you haven't read Eve**
As soon as I finished Eve late Saturday night, I picked Once up straight away because after that ending, I had to know what was going to happen I'm so pleased to say, Once is a fantastic sequel - if not even better than Eve and once again, Anna Carey leaves me completely breathless with that killer ending.
After the shocking events in Eve, Eve is now safe in the lands of Califia. Unfortunately Caleb wasn't granted access because he is a male but even though he's gone, Eve can't stop thinking of him. She loves him and she would do anything to see him again. When she hears about a stray being hurt in the wild, she knows it's Caleb and sets out to rescue him. However, once she arrives, she finds out it's a trap and she's soon on her way to meet the King. Once their Eve uncovers a shocking secret - one that changes her future forever but with Caleb still not far from her mind and the opportunity arises to see him again, she takes it...putting her at risk once again.
What a great sequel! I always get nervous with sequel's because I've read so many lately that honestly, have been such a let down but not Once. Once is a heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping book, full of touching and heart-warming scenes. I didn't think it would be possible to love Eve and Caleb any more but in this book, you can't help love them more. The trials they are put through are hard and emotional and by the end of the book, I was a mess. I cried and literally screamed by the end of the book. Prepare to have tissue's with you.
Anna Carey has done a fantastic job taking this series to a place I never thought she would. It's shocking, thrilling, captivating and I've already told you how emotional it is, but it's a series you must read! If you love Dystopia novel's then pick this series up now!
As soon as I finished Eve late Saturday night, I picked Once up straight away because after that ending, I had to know what was going to happen I'm so pleased to say, Once is a fantastic sequel - if not even better than Eve and once again, Anna Carey leaves me completely breathless with that killer ending.
After the shocking events in Eve, Eve is now safe in the lands of Califia. Unfortunately Caleb wasn't granted access because he is a male but even though he's gone, Eve can't stop thinking of him. She loves him and she would do anything to see him again. When she hears about a stray being hurt in the wild, she knows it's Caleb and sets out to rescue him. However, once she arrives, she finds out it's a trap and she's soon on her way to meet the King. Once their Eve uncovers a shocking secret - one that changes her future forever but with Caleb still not far from her mind and the opportunity arises to see him again, she takes it...putting her at risk once again.
What a great sequel! I always get nervous with sequel's because I've read so many lately that honestly, have been such a let down but not Once. Once is a heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping book, full of touching and heart-warming scenes. I didn't think it would be possible to love Eve and Caleb any more but in this book, you can't help love them more. The trials they are put through are hard and emotional and by the end of the book, I was a mess. I cried and literally screamed by the end of the book. Prepare to have tissue's with you.
Anna Carey has done a fantastic job taking this series to a place I never thought she would. It's shocking, thrilling, captivating and I've already told you how emotional it is, but it's a series you must read! If you love Dystopia novel's then pick this series up now!
December 15, 2016
Endlich fertig! Ich glaube, dass ich noch nie so lange an einem Buch gelesen habe. Dabei lag es nicht mal an dem Buch an sich, sondern an der Tatsache, dass es sich um ein E-book handelte. Ich mag E-books nicht, weshalb auch meine Lesemotivation entsprechend gering war. Trotzdem hat Eve&Caleb mir im Großen und Ganzen ganz gut gefallen. Es war meiner Meinung nach ein bisschen zu dramatisch, aber naja... Bin jetzt einfach nur noch gespannt, wie die Trilogie enden wird, weil es doch einige unerwartete Wendungen im jetzigen Teil gab. Hoffentlich kann ich das bald im BUCH (bitte nicht E-book ;) ) herausfinden.
December 14, 2015
♥ My review of Once can be found on my YouTube channel here: Once by Anna Carey REVIEW
October 5, 2012
Book cover :
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
My comments: *** Spoilers ***
So after Arden comes to Califia, she & Arden decide to escape, after hearing some news that Caleb is out in the Wilds, in danger; hurt & alone. They fall into a trap. Sgt Stark captures Eve & Arden, taking Eve to the city of sand, & Arden back to School to go and make babies. ARGH!
Eve discovers that the King doesn't want her to re-populate, but that he is infact her father! Shock Horror! Eve is a Princess - how lovely for our main character.
Eve misses Caleb, there is a price on his head. He is wanted dead for the murder of to American soldiers that he did not commit. Eve killed them, but they can hardly hold the Princess responsible...
Caleb is working in the City of Sand. Working on an uprising, a revolt, with Moss (the leader of secret communications!) and some other people. He is creating a network of tunnels under the old flood sewers which will get people in to start a way, and help others escape.
Caleb & Eve have secret meetings, and one night, they have sex and fall asleep, awaking the next day far too late. They try to rush back to the palace and get Eve back there safe, but it doesnt work. Caleb is captured, taken to prison & tortured. The King says he will release Caleb if she marries some loser that works for him. She agrees. But she doesnt want to. She loves Caleb.
Before the wedding she manages to fit in time to visit her old school (she gives Arden a key to escape and hopes she can take Pip & Ruby with her); and she has a plan to escape on the morning of her wedding. A few select people will help her. She escapes the palace, gets to the rendevous point at the tunnles to meet Caleb & his crew... but something is wrong, no one is there. Except Sgt Stark & his army of soldiers. Its a trap. They capture Eve, and as soon as Caleb & his crew walk in... shots are fired.
Eve is taken back to the Palace; it was her maid Beautrice that betrayed her for fear of her own daughters life. Eve is upset, but on one level understands. The King forces her to carry on as normal. She walks down the isle, the King lifts her veil. The wedding begins...
THE END
Is Caleb dead? I doubt it very much
Can't wait for the next installment!
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
My comments: *** Spoilers ***
So after Arden comes to Califia, she & Arden decide to escape, after hearing some news that Caleb is out in the Wilds, in danger; hurt & alone. They fall into a trap. Sgt Stark captures Eve & Arden, taking Eve to the city of sand, & Arden back to School to go and make babies. ARGH!
Eve discovers that the King doesn't want her to re-populate, but that he is infact her father! Shock Horror! Eve is a Princess - how lovely for our main character.
Eve misses Caleb, there is a price on his head. He is wanted dead for the murder of to American soldiers that he did not commit. Eve killed them, but they can hardly hold the Princess responsible...
Caleb is working in the City of Sand. Working on an uprising, a revolt, with Moss (the leader of secret communications!) and some other people. He is creating a network of tunnels under the old flood sewers which will get people in to start a way, and help others escape.
Caleb & Eve have secret meetings, and one night, they have sex and fall asleep, awaking the next day far too late. They try to rush back to the palace and get Eve back there safe, but it doesnt work. Caleb is captured, taken to prison & tortured. The King says he will release Caleb if she marries some loser that works for him. She agrees. But she doesnt want to. She loves Caleb.
Before the wedding she manages to fit in time to visit her old school (she gives Arden a key to escape and hopes she can take Pip & Ruby with her); and she has a plan to escape on the morning of her wedding. A few select people will help her. She escapes the palace, gets to the rendevous point at the tunnles to meet Caleb & his crew... but something is wrong, no one is there. Except Sgt Stark & his army of soldiers. Its a trap. They capture Eve, and as soon as Caleb & his crew walk in... shots are fired.
Eve is taken back to the Palace; it was her maid Beautrice that betrayed her for fear of her own daughters life. Eve is upset, but on one level understands. The King forces her to carry on as normal. She walks down the isle, the King lifts her veil. The wedding begins...
THE END
Is Caleb dead? I doubt it very much
Can't wait for the next installment!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2012
Check this review out at our blog!
1.5 Stars
After reading Eve, I was at a sort of a loss. Eve ended with such a perfect ending to keep the reader dying for Once, I remember reading an excerpt of this book and thinking "Meh...." There was nothing truly spectacular about Eve. After all, many of its themes and plot devices were ones already used in dystopians for years, and all of the characters bugged me. So now I really wonder why I read Once because honestly, it was worse than I expected.
Once begins a few months after the epic cliffhanger we were left off on. Eve is kind of off on her own in the women's haven, Califia, and suddenly, she discovers that the women there are willing to betray her for the safety of the rest of the women. OMG! Big shocker, isn't it? I mean, sacrificing one girl is an awfully cheap price for the safety of at least 100 women, so anyone with common sense can understand. The girl's new, doesn't really contribute much to Califia society, but Eve treats this news like it's the end of the world. Like, 'WHO DOESN'T LOVE ME ENOUGH TO KEEP ME?' Everyone, Eve, everyone. Basically, I just hate the protagonist of this series with a burning passion, which kind of causes my hatred of the series.
I know I'm being a little harsh (OK, extremely) harsh on Eve. For most characters, I'm willing by bypass the sudden case of selfishness. However, for Eve, this has been a ongoing issue from Day 0. By now, I've been hoping for some form of her maturing, to make her seem relatable. Unfortunately, this just never happens. Throughout Once as well, Eve is still the same bratty girl who ran away from school the previous year. Not thinking anything through and believing that she's faultless when she causes tragedy to strike others.
Additionally, the plot of this book sort of fell flat as well. We find out the secret behind Eve's past, and it's not that shocking. Many plot devices overused and repeatedly used in YA are used in Once. While I was reading this book, I felt like the plot was flowing similarly to how Torn by Amanda Hocking did. (Kind of a spoiler). Although there genres were different, Torn and Once are similar in plot and building up momentum for a sort of deadpan climax. The plot is almost identical to Torn, yet I loved Torn way more than Once, surprisingly. The thing is, Wendy in the Trylle trilogy matures and becomes a competent ruler over her people. Good luck with Eve managing to lead anyone, let along to not lead them into a trap, which she does repeatedly.
There was just something crucial missing in Once that didn't allow me to appreciate anything. The writing was decent, but just couldn't hook me to this book. Many times, I nearly gave up on reading this because I was so frustrated with Eve, as you probably have guessed. Now, I'm just really disappointed with this series and the author, and really just can't imagine myself trying to finish the series with Rise.
Angie @YA Novelties
1.5 Stars
After reading Eve, I was at a sort of a loss. Eve ended with such a perfect ending to keep the reader dying for Once, I remember reading an excerpt of this book and thinking "Meh...." There was nothing truly spectacular about Eve. After all, many of its themes and plot devices were ones already used in dystopians for years, and all of the characters bugged me. So now I really wonder why I read Once because honestly, it was worse than I expected.
Once begins a few months after the epic cliffhanger we were left off on. Eve is kind of off on her own in the women's haven, Califia, and suddenly, she discovers that the women there are willing to betray her for the safety of the rest of the women. OMG! Big shocker, isn't it? I mean, sacrificing one girl is an awfully cheap price for the safety of at least 100 women, so anyone with common sense can understand. The girl's new, doesn't really contribute much to Califia society, but Eve treats this news like it's the end of the world. Like, 'WHO DOESN'T LOVE ME ENOUGH TO KEEP ME?' Everyone, Eve, everyone. Basically, I just hate the protagonist of this series with a burning passion, which kind of causes my hatred of the series.
I know I'm being a little harsh (OK, extremely) harsh on Eve. For most characters, I'm willing by bypass the sudden case of selfishness. However, for Eve, this has been a ongoing issue from Day 0. By now, I've been hoping for some form of her maturing, to make her seem relatable. Unfortunately, this just never happens. Throughout Once as well, Eve is still the same bratty girl who ran away from school the previous year. Not thinking anything through and believing that she's faultless when she causes tragedy to strike others.
Additionally, the plot of this book sort of fell flat as well. We find out the secret behind Eve's past, and it's not that shocking. Many plot devices overused and repeatedly used in YA are used in Once. While I was reading this book, I felt like the plot was flowing similarly to how Torn by Amanda Hocking did. (Kind of a spoiler). Although there genres were different, Torn and Once are similar in plot and building up momentum for a sort of deadpan climax. The plot is almost identical to Torn, yet I loved Torn way more than Once, surprisingly. The thing is, Wendy in the Trylle trilogy matures and becomes a competent ruler over her people. Good luck with Eve managing to lead anyone, let along to not lead them into a trap, which she does repeatedly.
There was just something crucial missing in Once that didn't allow me to appreciate anything. The writing was decent, but just couldn't hook me to this book. Many times, I nearly gave up on reading this because I was so frustrated with Eve, as you probably have guessed. Now, I'm just really disappointed with this series and the author, and really just can't imagine myself trying to finish the series with Rise.
Angie @YA Novelties
January 21, 2019
Escapee to useless princess 🙄👎🏼Booo! Bore. #unhauling
November 21, 2013
(Source: I own a copy of this book.)
This is book 2 in the ‘Eve’ series, and picks up 3 months after the end of book 1 ‘Eve’.
Eve has now been in Califia for 3 months, and has no idea what has happened to Caleb, or if he’s even alive. When she hears that he might still be alive, she sneaks out to try and find him only to be captured by soldiers and taken to the city.
Why is the King so desperate to get Eve? What has happened to Caleb? And what will happen to Eve now?
This was a good story, and I liked it more than I liked book 1.
Eve was quite strong in this book, and really tried to help and make changes that would benefit those who were still suffering. I thought she handled the big secret thrown at her relatively well, and I liked that she didn’t give up, even when things were tough. She could have been better at knowing when people were lying to her though.
The storyline in this was quite different to that in ‘Eve’, but I think I actually liked this book better. This book didn’t seem to have the same issues as the first, and the whole thing just flowed better. I also liked the slightly faster pace. I was also glad that this book wasn’t just about travelling as so many middle books are.
The romance in this one progressed from what we got in book 1, but there was nothing graphic. I still don’t really love Caleb, but the romance was okay.
The ending was also alright, although we were left with a cliff-hanger, although it wasn’t a really exciting cliff-hanger.
Overall; much better than the first book.
7.5 out of 10.
This is book 2 in the ‘Eve’ series, and picks up 3 months after the end of book 1 ‘Eve’.
Eve has now been in Califia for 3 months, and has no idea what has happened to Caleb, or if he’s even alive. When she hears that he might still be alive, she sneaks out to try and find him only to be captured by soldiers and taken to the city.
Why is the King so desperate to get Eve? What has happened to Caleb? And what will happen to Eve now?
This was a good story, and I liked it more than I liked book 1.
Eve was quite strong in this book, and really tried to help and make changes that would benefit those who were still suffering. I thought she handled the big secret thrown at her relatively well, and I liked that she didn’t give up, even when things were tough. She could have been better at knowing when people were lying to her though.
The storyline in this was quite different to that in ‘Eve’, but I think I actually liked this book better. This book didn’t seem to have the same issues as the first, and the whole thing just flowed better. I also liked the slightly faster pace. I was also glad that this book wasn’t just about travelling as so many middle books are.
The romance in this one progressed from what we got in book 1, but there was nothing graphic. I still don’t really love Caleb, but the romance was okay.
The ending was also alright, although we were left with a cliff-hanger, although it wasn’t a really exciting cliff-hanger.
Overall; much better than the first book.
7.5 out of 10.
January 26, 2012
A good solid four, not wavering to 3 or anything. Significantly better than Eve. ;) Glad I sticked with the series.
For the past few months, Eve has been living in Califia, a haven for women living outside the reign of the King. But when she learns her new home may not be safe for her anymore, she escapes in hope of finding Caleb—whom she had to leave behind in order to stay in Califia—but quickly finds herself in the City of Sand, home of the King who pursues her. In this sequel, Eve herself grows more independent and experienced with life outside the School, becoming involved in situations she could have never imagined before; and I was glad to see, she adapted to it all excellently.
Once sets a completely different mood than Eve, filled with a number of unexpected twists, and ties off with a cliffhanger ending. It’s a not-to-miss, if you liked Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, or Ally Condie’s Matched.
For the past few months, Eve has been living in Califia, a haven for women living outside the reign of the King. But when she learns her new home may not be safe for her anymore, she escapes in hope of finding Caleb—whom she had to leave behind in order to stay in Califia—but quickly finds herself in the City of Sand, home of the King who pursues her. In this sequel, Eve herself grows more independent and experienced with life outside the School, becoming involved in situations she could have never imagined before; and I was glad to see, she adapted to it all excellently.
Once sets a completely different mood than Eve, filled with a number of unexpected twists, and ties off with a cliffhanger ending. It’s a not-to-miss, if you liked Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, or Ally Condie’s Matched.
April 14, 2012
At this point, the first book is my favorite of the two. Even though I did love the progression of the Caleb/Eve relationship in this one, a few aspects of the plot were predictable and I just wasn't as thrilled or intrigued by what was going on as much as I hoped to be.
That being said, I believe this is a good book. Unfortunately, my reading experience this time around was one where personal issues got in the way (perspective on certain things, bad moods, etc.) So, I still want to give this a rating just above 3, because I think it deserves it.
Recommend this to anyone who has read the first book. Try this sequel out and see what you think. The ending was honestly one of my favorite parts and I can't wait to see how the trilogy ends in book 3.
Thank you to Anna Carey for sending me an ARC copy! <3
That being said, I believe this is a good book. Unfortunately, my reading experience this time around was one where personal issues got in the way (perspective on certain things, bad moods, etc.) So, I still want to give this a rating just above 3, because I think it deserves it.
Recommend this to anyone who has read the first book. Try this sequel out and see what you think. The ending was honestly one of my favorite parts and I can't wait to see how the trilogy ends in book 3.
Thank you to Anna Carey for sending me an ARC copy! <3
January 27, 2013
Una vez sigue en la línea de la novela anterior. Consigue mantenernos intrigados y al mismo tiempo, nos revela secretos que nos dejarán con la boca abierta. Esta vez sí que he notado tintes distópicos al conocer mejor lo que se trama detrás de la sociedad. Creo que nos esperan muchas más sorpresas por descubrir y un final de la historia lleno de sacrificios para que se hagan efectivos muchos cambios. Espero que al final nos den las explicaciones de lo que más arriba he mencionado y que la acción vuelva a estar más presente en el siguiente libro -algo que estoy segura de que sucederá por conforme termina todo-. El final se queda en lo mejor -ya me lo veía venir-, por lo que te deja con muchísimas ganas de saber cómo concluirá esta trilogía en el tercer y último libro.
Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://fly-like-a-butterfly.blogspot....
Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://fly-like-a-butterfly.blogspot....
November 6, 2016
Eigentlich ist die Bewertung nicht gerecht, da ich dieses Buch nicht beendet habe. Schon Band eins hat mir nicht sonderlich zugesagt. Durch Band zwei habe ich mich 180 Seiten gelesen aber es ist einfach nicht meine Trilogie.
Somit habe ich Eve&Caleb jetzt abgebrochen und werde es nicht weiter verfolgen. Ich "lese" dieses Buch bereits 5 Wochen und habe nie das Bedürfnis zu erfahren wie es weitergeht. Schade , der Plot ist eigentlich nicht schlecht aber die Charaktere sind für mich nicht besonders genug, dass eine Verbindung entsteht.
Somit habe ich Eve&Caleb jetzt abgebrochen und werde es nicht weiter verfolgen. Ich "lese" dieses Buch bereits 5 Wochen und habe nie das Bedürfnis zu erfahren wie es weitergeht. Schade , der Plot ist eigentlich nicht schlecht aber die Charaktere sind für mich nicht besonders genug, dass eine Verbindung entsteht.
December 6, 2019
Very short and fast paced. Yet again, leaves you on a cliff hanger. Onto the next....
August 20, 2018
** 3.5 stars **
This was another fast paced super quick read. There was lots of action and the plot became more complex. However the characters still didn’t fully grab me and make me feel anything for their situation.
Eve did show some character growth and there was an improvement on her character from the first book. Caleb however was an idiot.
That plot twist with the King and Eve was quite a shocker and I wasn’t expecting it to happen so early into the book! But from then on the plot got predictable and my interest zoned in and out.
If there’s one thing I hate it’s a cliffhanger and both books have ended on one! But what the author does well is cliffhangers and both times I’ve started the next book immediately after because I couldn’t stand not knowing what happens next.
Overall this was a slight improvement from the first book. The plot still didn’t completely have my full attention for the entire book but it was still a decent read.
This was another fast paced super quick read. There was lots of action and the plot became more complex. However the characters still didn’t fully grab me and make me feel anything for their situation.
Eve did show some character growth and there was an improvement on her character from the first book. Caleb however was an idiot.
That plot twist with the King and Eve was quite a shocker and I wasn’t expecting it to happen so early into the book! But from then on the plot got predictable and my interest zoned in and out.
If there’s one thing I hate it’s a cliffhanger and both books have ended on one! But what the author does well is cliffhangers and both times I’ve started the next book immediately after because I couldn’t stand not knowing what happens next.
Overall this was a slight improvement from the first book. The plot still didn’t completely have my full attention for the entire book but it was still a decent read.
September 19, 2019
Der zweite Band der Eve & Caleb trilogie hatte weniger aktion als der erste Teil. Nachdem sich Eve von Caleb im ersten Band trennen musste als sie in der Frauenkolonie Califia ankommt, wird sie nun doch gefasst und die die Stadt aus Sand verschleppt, wo sie den König übergeben werden soll. Allerdings kommt alles mit der Beziehung zu König ganz anders als man im ersten Band vermutet. An dieser Stelle will ich nicht soviel verraten.
Wir erfahren in diesen Band ein wenig mehr über die Emipidemie und wie die Welt nun nach der Katastrophe aussieht. Ich mag grundsätzlich diese Sorte Geschichten, allerdings ist diese trilogie ein wenig zu seicht. Man bekommt nicht wirklich die Charaktere in einer richtigen Tiefe kennenzulernen. Manche punkte bleiben für meine Geschmack bisher auch ein wenig unerklärt, wie bspw. der König zum König geworden ist. Dies wird vielleicht im dritten Band noch erklärt aber dies zeigt das halt einiges offen bleibt.
Für jeden der in diesen genre der distopien/weltuntergangs Geschichten einsteigen will und auch noch ein wenig Liebesgeschichte haben will kann ich die Reihe empfehlen. Für alle anderen die schon mehr Bücher in dieser Richtung gelesen haben werden schnell merken, dass was fehlt um eine tolle Reihe zu sein.
Wir erfahren in diesen Band ein wenig mehr über die Emipidemie und wie die Welt nun nach der Katastrophe aussieht. Ich mag grundsätzlich diese Sorte Geschichten, allerdings ist diese trilogie ein wenig zu seicht. Man bekommt nicht wirklich die Charaktere in einer richtigen Tiefe kennenzulernen. Manche punkte bleiben für meine Geschmack bisher auch ein wenig unerklärt, wie bspw. der König zum König geworden ist. Dies wird vielleicht im dritten Band noch erklärt aber dies zeigt das halt einiges offen bleibt.
Für jeden der in diesen genre der distopien/weltuntergangs Geschichten einsteigen will und auch noch ein wenig Liebesgeschichte haben will kann ich die Reihe empfehlen. Für alle anderen die schon mehr Bücher in dieser Richtung gelesen haben werden schnell merken, dass was fehlt um eine tolle Reihe zu sein.
June 21, 2017
“There are millions of stars, each one shining and burning out at the same time. They die like everything else - you have to appreciate them before they're gone”
February 24, 2012
I should start by saying that if you have not read the first book in this series, Eve, yet, then you should not read this review. Because it will contain spoilers to the first book, and you really should not know those things if you have not read it yet ;) Also, my review of Once has a few small spoilers, but those can also be found by reading the summary :)
I want to start by saying that I LOVE the cover of this book :) It is simply stunning. Love that it follows the cover of Eve. Also love that the cover has something to do with stuff happening in the book ;) Sort of.
Once start at the same place Eve ended. Only three months later. I don't really like time jumps, but, three months isn't really that long :) We get introduced to many new characters from the beginning, and I liked a few of them. Some, I did not like at all. Eve has been living in Califia for three months; she's still missing Caleb so much, and hoping to see him soon.
But she is trying to move forward, but without forgetting about him. Which I was really happy about. Then, suddenly, someone lost arrives at Califia. But it is not Caleb. I really did like the surprise person that arrived. Liked it a lot. Also liked the dog; although what happened later with that killed me.
Eve and the new visitor overhear the women living at Califia discussing what they really have planned for Eve if the soldiers ever catch up with her. It is then Eve decides it is time to leave, if there is any way to. But then someone claims to have seen Caleb outside the city, and she and the 'visitor' rush to find him.
What they doesn't know, however, is that they are being set up. By some (evil) boy that was in the first book. Eve is then separated from her friend, and taken to the King in the City of Sand. Once there, she finds out why she really has been searched for. And what is supposed to happen to her next.
But she also finds Caleb there. He has been there for weeks, working undercover, sort of. But they are all looking for him, accusing him of killing some soldiers; that he did not do. Meaning if he is caught, he will be put in prison and most likely executed.
But so far he has not been spotted by anyone. Except for Eve. And they start meeting in secret, which is really risky, but oh, I really really really loved those parts. I love the romance in this book. So good. Although there was a part in the middle I didn't get. Wasn't sure if something happened, or not. Wish it was more obvious ;)
Won't say anymore about the plot now; because more things happen :D Many spoilery things. Many bad things, but also kind of good things. Anyway, this book is amazing. I really loved it, although I did have a few problems reading at times, but that is my own issues ;p Once is just as exciting as Eve was. Something is always happening.
And I still really liked the characters. Well, I really like Eve and Caleb :) I also liked that we got to learn more about the school where Eve's friends had been locked up. Although we didn't get an end with that. And I'm hoping it will all work out in book three; hoping the "schools" will get shut down :)
I did not like the ending of this book. At all. See, it starts out all hopeful, but then that hope dies. Something horrible happens, and something horrible is about to happen. The cliffhanger is HUGE. Really huge. And for book three I am hoping what happened didn't really happen, and what will happen doesn't happen :D
Also really hoping the wait for book three won't be so long.. but, considering this book isn't out until July I don't think book three will be out before next summer. How I will survive the wait, I do not know. It will be torturous.
Anyway, this book is a must get when it comes out :) A really great sequel to Eve. Even with the evil cliffhanger. Once is a must read :) Also wanting to thank the author, Anna, for writing such amazing books. <3 I'm writing this review because I got an ARC copy of Once :)
I want to start by saying that I LOVE the cover of this book :) It is simply stunning. Love that it follows the cover of Eve. Also love that the cover has something to do with stuff happening in the book ;) Sort of.
Once start at the same place Eve ended. Only three months later. I don't really like time jumps, but, three months isn't really that long :) We get introduced to many new characters from the beginning, and I liked a few of them. Some, I did not like at all. Eve has been living in Califia for three months; she's still missing Caleb so much, and hoping to see him soon.
But she is trying to move forward, but without forgetting about him. Which I was really happy about. Then, suddenly, someone lost arrives at Califia. But it is not Caleb. I really did like the surprise person that arrived. Liked it a lot. Also liked the dog; although what happened later with that killed me.
Eve and the new visitor overhear the women living at Califia discussing what they really have planned for Eve if the soldiers ever catch up with her. It is then Eve decides it is time to leave, if there is any way to. But then someone claims to have seen Caleb outside the city, and she and the 'visitor' rush to find him.
What they doesn't know, however, is that they are being set up. By some (evil) boy that was in the first book. Eve is then separated from her friend, and taken to the King in the City of Sand. Once there, she finds out why she really has been searched for. And what is supposed to happen to her next.
But she also finds Caleb there. He has been there for weeks, working undercover, sort of. But they are all looking for him, accusing him of killing some soldiers; that he did not do. Meaning if he is caught, he will be put in prison and most likely executed.
But so far he has not been spotted by anyone. Except for Eve. And they start meeting in secret, which is really risky, but oh, I really really really loved those parts. I love the romance in this book. So good. Although there was a part in the middle I didn't get. Wasn't sure if something happened, or not. Wish it was more obvious ;)
Won't say anymore about the plot now; because more things happen :D Many spoilery things. Many bad things, but also kind of good things. Anyway, this book is amazing. I really loved it, although I did have a few problems reading at times, but that is my own issues ;p Once is just as exciting as Eve was. Something is always happening.
And I still really liked the characters. Well, I really like Eve and Caleb :) I also liked that we got to learn more about the school where Eve's friends had been locked up. Although we didn't get an end with that. And I'm hoping it will all work out in book three; hoping the "schools" will get shut down :)
I did not like the ending of this book. At all. See, it starts out all hopeful, but then that hope dies. Something horrible happens, and something horrible is about to happen. The cliffhanger is HUGE. Really huge. And for book three I am hoping what happened didn't really happen, and what will happen doesn't happen :D
Also really hoping the wait for book three won't be so long.. but, considering this book isn't out until July I don't think book three will be out before next summer. How I will survive the wait, I do not know. It will be torturous.
Anyway, this book is a must get when it comes out :) A really great sequel to Eve. Even with the evil cliffhanger. Once is a must read :) Also wanting to thank the author, Anna, for writing such amazing books. <3 I'm writing this review because I got an ARC copy of Once :)
March 22, 2015
Nachdem ich den ersten Band "Wo Licht war" von Anna Carey in Rekordzeit verschlungen habe, musste direkt der zweite Band "In der gelobten Stadt" gelesen werden. Die Erwartungen waren sehr hoch, sodass ich schon fast die Befürchtung hatte, dass mich die Geschichte enttäuschen könnte, allerdings war dies hier zum Glück nicht der Fall. Normalerweise sind die Mittelteile einer Trilogie meistens etwas ruhiger und schwächer, hier hat man jedoch das Gefühl, dass es nun erst richtig los geht.
Anna Carey konnte mich mit ihrem Schreibstil wieder einmal überzeugen. Die Geschichte wird schonungslos, oftmals brutal und sehr ausführlich erzählt, sodass ich mir nahezu alles bildlich vorstellen konnte. Besonders die Stadt aus Sand wird so detailliert beschrieben, dass ich fast schon das Gefühl hatte, ebenfalls in der Stadt zu sein. Während sich die bereits bekannten Figuren sehr gut weiterentwickeln und mir noch mehr ans Herz gewachsen sind, werden neue Figuren gut und glaubwürdig in die Geschichte eingeführt, sodass niemand wie ein Fremdkörper wirkte. Die Dialoge sind ebenfalls gelungen und konnten mich oftmals mit ihrer Offenheit schockieren, aber auch unterhalten.
Eve ist endlich in Califia angekommen und muss sich dort zunächst an das Leben gewöhnen. Obwohl sie dort zunächst sicher scheint, hat sie große Sehnsucht nach Caleb und überlegt fieberhaft, wie es mit ihrem Leben weitergehen soll. Doch leider bemerkt sie, dass auch Califia nicht der sicherste Ort für sie ist, sodass sie sich gemeinsam mit Arden auf die Suche nach Caleb macht, was sich jedoch schwieriger herausstellt als gedacht, da sie von Soldaten abgefangen und in die Stadt aus Sand gebracht wird. Hier trifft sie erstmals auf den König und erfährt den wahren Grund für die große Suchaktion, die er wegen ihr gestartet hat. Fortan lebt sie im Palast und erkennt, dass viele Gerüchte rund um den König stimmen, andere aber auch an den Haaren herbeigezogen sind. Hier lernt sie viele Verbündete kennen, gleichzeitig aber auch Menschen, die es nicht unbedingt gut mit ihr meinen. Caleb taucht dagegen in diesem Band nur selten persönlich auf und wird vielmehr durch Eves Gedanken mehrfach erwähnt, sodass man auch ihn nicht aus den Augen verliert. Man darf jedoch verraten, dass ihre Liebe durch die ungewollte Trennung nur noch stärker wird.
Die Kämpfe zwischen den Rebellen und den Soldaten, die für die Sicherheit in der Stadt aus Sand sorgen, werden authentisch und brutal beschrieben. Hier finden nicht einfach nur kleinere Bombenangriffe statt, sondern es herrscht wahrer Krieg, was man jedoch weitestgehend vertuschen möchte, damit die Einwohner der Stadt nicht beunruhigt werden. Auch das Verhältnis zwischen Eve und dem König wird detailliert beschrieben, sodass ich mich dabei nicht nur in Eve, sondern auch tatsächlich in den König hineinversetzen konnte. Ich konnte Eves Ängste und Gedanken voll und ganz nachvollziehen, allerdings zum Teil auch den König - auch wenn ich manche Beweggründe einfach nicht gut fand. Interessant ist auch Eves Familiengeschichte. Nachdem man im ersten Band immer nur aus einem Brief von ihrer Mutter erfuhr, erfährt man hier doch einiges: Wie sie vor Eves Geburt war, wen sie geliebt hat, ihre Wohnsituation und ihre Wünsche. Ich bin bereits sehr gespannt, was man noch alles im dritten Band erfahren wird.
Das Cover ist minimalistisch, aber durch die Farben schön anzusehen. Es freut mich hierbei besonders, dass alle drei Bände so gut zusammenpassen. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich stimmig, verrät nicht allzu viel und hat mich dazu animiert, nach dem ersten Band direkt zum zweiten Band zu greifen.
Insgesamt konnte mich auch "In der gelobten Stadt", der zweite Band der "Eve & Caleb"-Trilogie mit seinem spannenden und schonungslosen Erzählstil begeistern, sodass ich jede einzelne Seite genossen habe und mich nur schwer von Eve, Caleb und Co. trennen konnte. Es ist von daher kein Wunder, dass ich auch zum dritten Band greifen werde.
Anna Carey konnte mich mit ihrem Schreibstil wieder einmal überzeugen. Die Geschichte wird schonungslos, oftmals brutal und sehr ausführlich erzählt, sodass ich mir nahezu alles bildlich vorstellen konnte. Besonders die Stadt aus Sand wird so detailliert beschrieben, dass ich fast schon das Gefühl hatte, ebenfalls in der Stadt zu sein. Während sich die bereits bekannten Figuren sehr gut weiterentwickeln und mir noch mehr ans Herz gewachsen sind, werden neue Figuren gut und glaubwürdig in die Geschichte eingeführt, sodass niemand wie ein Fremdkörper wirkte. Die Dialoge sind ebenfalls gelungen und konnten mich oftmals mit ihrer Offenheit schockieren, aber auch unterhalten.
Eve ist endlich in Califia angekommen und muss sich dort zunächst an das Leben gewöhnen. Obwohl sie dort zunächst sicher scheint, hat sie große Sehnsucht nach Caleb und überlegt fieberhaft, wie es mit ihrem Leben weitergehen soll. Doch leider bemerkt sie, dass auch Califia nicht der sicherste Ort für sie ist, sodass sie sich gemeinsam mit Arden auf die Suche nach Caleb macht, was sich jedoch schwieriger herausstellt als gedacht, da sie von Soldaten abgefangen und in die Stadt aus Sand gebracht wird. Hier trifft sie erstmals auf den König und erfährt den wahren Grund für die große Suchaktion, die er wegen ihr gestartet hat. Fortan lebt sie im Palast und erkennt, dass viele Gerüchte rund um den König stimmen, andere aber auch an den Haaren herbeigezogen sind. Hier lernt sie viele Verbündete kennen, gleichzeitig aber auch Menschen, die es nicht unbedingt gut mit ihr meinen. Caleb taucht dagegen in diesem Band nur selten persönlich auf und wird vielmehr durch Eves Gedanken mehrfach erwähnt, sodass man auch ihn nicht aus den Augen verliert. Man darf jedoch verraten, dass ihre Liebe durch die ungewollte Trennung nur noch stärker wird.
Die Kämpfe zwischen den Rebellen und den Soldaten, die für die Sicherheit in der Stadt aus Sand sorgen, werden authentisch und brutal beschrieben. Hier finden nicht einfach nur kleinere Bombenangriffe statt, sondern es herrscht wahrer Krieg, was man jedoch weitestgehend vertuschen möchte, damit die Einwohner der Stadt nicht beunruhigt werden. Auch das Verhältnis zwischen Eve und dem König wird detailliert beschrieben, sodass ich mich dabei nicht nur in Eve, sondern auch tatsächlich in den König hineinversetzen konnte. Ich konnte Eves Ängste und Gedanken voll und ganz nachvollziehen, allerdings zum Teil auch den König - auch wenn ich manche Beweggründe einfach nicht gut fand. Interessant ist auch Eves Familiengeschichte. Nachdem man im ersten Band immer nur aus einem Brief von ihrer Mutter erfuhr, erfährt man hier doch einiges: Wie sie vor Eves Geburt war, wen sie geliebt hat, ihre Wohnsituation und ihre Wünsche. Ich bin bereits sehr gespannt, was man noch alles im dritten Band erfahren wird.
Das Cover ist minimalistisch, aber durch die Farben schön anzusehen. Es freut mich hierbei besonders, dass alle drei Bände so gut zusammenpassen. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich stimmig, verrät nicht allzu viel und hat mich dazu animiert, nach dem ersten Band direkt zum zweiten Band zu greifen.
Insgesamt konnte mich auch "In der gelobten Stadt", der zweite Band der "Eve & Caleb"-Trilogie mit seinem spannenden und schonungslosen Erzählstil begeistern, sodass ich jede einzelne Seite genossen habe und mich nur schwer von Eve, Caleb und Co. trennen konnte. Es ist von daher kein Wunder, dass ich auch zum dritten Band greifen werde.
June 5, 2012
When I pick up a sequel, I expect an improvement over the writing in the first book. That usually is not the case in YA literature, I've noticed. I feel like the author (and the characters) should have learned from the mistakes made in the previous novel. Again, that more often than not, is not the case. Once is one of the many books that falls into the "didn't learn squat" category. This novel picks up a few months after Eve ended. In my opinion, if you loved Eve, then you'll love Once. The books aren't that different as far as what is good versus what is bad. The world-building is still fantastic, and the post-apocalyptic, dystopian world, is extremely dystopian. Also, there was actually one surprise that I did not see coming. The rest of the plot twists were pretty easy to predict, but the one at the beginning actually shocked me. There is a lot going on, plot-wise, in Once, and apparently that leaves no room for character development. Also, the pacing was off, and the plot felt forced at times. Overall, I wasn't blown away by this sequel.
Didn't mind the fact that Eve was selfish and gullible in the first book? Well, then, you'll like her just fine in this one. She has not grown one bit, and she doesn't grow over the course of this novel either. She still trusts everyone, even though anyone should know by now not to. Also, she still cares more about herself than anyone else. I figured she'd grow out of that in this book, and that's why I gave the series another chance. However, she did not. Therefore, even though Once ended with ANOTHER cliffhanger (I'll go into my irritation with the author's plot devices a bit later), I more than likely won't read the finale of this trilogy. It's hard for me to care what's happening when I want to bash the main character's face in. Additionally, Caleb apparently grew stupid since Eve. He throws caution to the wind in this novel, and I wanted to smack him. The King was about the only interesting character, and he, at least, did not make me want to resort to violence.
The pacing of this book felt rushed. Not enough time was spent on any one thing for the reader to fully grasp and feel what was happening. Also, a lot of what the characters did made no sense, leading me to believe that Carey had written herself into a bit of a corner and had to use her characters as plot devices. Oh, and speaking of plot devices, Carey uses the biggest one of all... AGAIN... this book ALSO ends on a cliffhanger. I despise cliffhangers. There are ways of resolving some issues and leaving others open that do not anger me, but when nothing is answered at the end of the book, I feel like I wasted hours of my life that I'll never get back. I know, that's a bit dramatic considering it's just a book, but that's how I feel, nonetheless.
Now, onto the good stuff. I like to put the good stuff at the end so that people remember it better. It makes sense in my mind. Anyway, as I stated, the world-building is fantastic. I could literally picture City of Sand. Every time Eve moved locations, I could see the location in my mind as if I were there. That is good writing, in my opinion. Also, the first plot twist is a doozy. It's rare that an author shocks me, but Carey managed to. So for that, I applaud her.
Overall, this book was completely different than I expected in some ways, and exactly what I expected in others. As I said earlier in the review, if you loved Eve, then you'll adore Once because it's a bit better than the first installment. If you didn't like Eve, then I'd skip this one because it's similar enough that you won't like it either. If you haven't tried Eve yet, I recommend checking it out from your library. This world is a bit different than the other dystopian worlds out there, and people who love dystopian more than anything are likely to fall in love with the world Carey has created.
Didn't mind the fact that Eve was selfish and gullible in the first book? Well, then, you'll like her just fine in this one. She has not grown one bit, and she doesn't grow over the course of this novel either. She still trusts everyone, even though anyone should know by now not to. Also, she still cares more about herself than anyone else. I figured she'd grow out of that in this book, and that's why I gave the series another chance. However, she did not. Therefore, even though Once ended with ANOTHER cliffhanger (I'll go into my irritation with the author's plot devices a bit later), I more than likely won't read the finale of this trilogy. It's hard for me to care what's happening when I want to bash the main character's face in. Additionally, Caleb apparently grew stupid since Eve. He throws caution to the wind in this novel, and I wanted to smack him. The King was about the only interesting character, and he, at least, did not make me want to resort to violence.
The pacing of this book felt rushed. Not enough time was spent on any one thing for the reader to fully grasp and feel what was happening. Also, a lot of what the characters did made no sense, leading me to believe that Carey had written herself into a bit of a corner and had to use her characters as plot devices. Oh, and speaking of plot devices, Carey uses the biggest one of all... AGAIN... this book ALSO ends on a cliffhanger. I despise cliffhangers. There are ways of resolving some issues and leaving others open that do not anger me, but when nothing is answered at the end of the book, I feel like I wasted hours of my life that I'll never get back. I know, that's a bit dramatic considering it's just a book, but that's how I feel, nonetheless.
Now, onto the good stuff. I like to put the good stuff at the end so that people remember it better. It makes sense in my mind. Anyway, as I stated, the world-building is fantastic. I could literally picture City of Sand. Every time Eve moved locations, I could see the location in my mind as if I were there. That is good writing, in my opinion. Also, the first plot twist is a doozy. It's rare that an author shocks me, but Carey managed to. So for that, I applaud her.
Overall, this book was completely different than I expected in some ways, and exactly what I expected in others. As I said earlier in the review, if you loved Eve, then you'll adore Once because it's a bit better than the first installment. If you didn't like Eve, then I'd skip this one because it's similar enough that you won't like it either. If you haven't tried Eve yet, I recommend checking it out from your library. This world is a bit different than the other dystopian worlds out there, and people who love dystopian more than anything are likely to fall in love with the world Carey has created.
April 13, 2020
This book was so good! Fast paced, exciting, and basically predicted COVID lol! Also I loved Caleb and Eve together! Though part of me also liked Charles....but not for Eve. I also loved the revelation at the end, and now I’m so excited for the next book! Still upset about one event that happened, though!
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June 26, 2012As Posted on TheReaderBee.com.
This book was SO much better than I was expecting! I love it when a book throws me completely off guard, and that’s exactly what happened when I read Once, the much anticipated follow up to Eve by Anna Carey.
After a series of events gone wrong, Eve is now trapped in the City of Sand, at the mercy of none other than the King of New America. Here she discovers an unsettling secret about her past, and must try to come to terms with what this secret means for her future. It’s up to Eve to do whatever she has to do to save the ones she loves.
Eve has definitely come a long way since I first met her in the previous book. She is no longer the sheltered, naïve young lady. Here we see a girl that has been through more than any girl should ever have to go through, and she’s a survivor. She’s also very strong and determined, and I found that to be so refreshing compared to the girl we first met. As if I thought I couldn’t love Caleb more than I did in the previous book, I fell in love with him even more in this sequel. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see him quite as much as I hoped, but the parts of the book that he is in are extra special. I adore the relationship between him and Eve.
We are also introduced to quite a few new characters in Once, and there are a few characters that you are going to love to hate. (I sure did, anyways.) A few of our favorite characters from the previous book make a comeback as well, and it was interesting as well as heartbreaking to see what had happened to some of them.
Once is filled with lots of different twists that will keep you guessing right up to the end. When I actually had time to sit down and read, I flew through the pages, just because I needed to know what was going to happen next. There were quite a few emotional parts in the book that had me tearing up as well. (Blah!) The ending of the book is another massive cliffhanger, which has left me completely pining for the next book in the series. (Must we really wait until next spring??)
Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel. I was super curious to see how things would play out for Eve and Caleb, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Bring on the next book in this series, and quickly, please!
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