Eve (Eve, #1) in And So It Begins Reading Challenge

Sep 28, 2010 Nicole rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, dystopian, arc, signed-by-the-author

You can check out this review and many others on my blog, The Reader's Antidote

I was surprised by the low ratings for this one. The synopsis sounds very promising and aren't dystopians the thing now? It's funny because everyone seems to be tired of dystopians, but I feel like I'm just getting started. I think the main thing is that I love world-building, where you can make up your own rules and names of places and people, and Anna Carey does a great job with that. I was sucked in right away and You can check out this review and many others on my blog, The Reader's Antidote

I was surprised by the low ratings for this one. The synopsis sounds very promising and aren't dystopians the thing now? It's funny because everyone seems to be tired of dystopians, but I feel like I'm just getting started. I think the main thing is that I love world-building, where you can make up your own rules and names of places and people, and Anna Carey does a great job with that. I was sucked in right away and it was none-stop action from there on out.

When I picked up this book (technically I picked my Kindle up but you get the point), I had just seen the movie Contagion. And all I could think throughout this book is that this is what the aftermath of Contagion would be like. Empty houses, people gone insane to stay alive, having to rely on one leader that promised hope, a broken-down system that the main character has no idea is even wrong in the first place until the school recluse spills the truth. From that point on, Eve has no choice but to be believe in the girl and get out while she still can. Then she sees the graduates; the girls that graduated last year and the year before and the year before that, who were told they would be moved to another building to work on their craft, are strapped to beds and are forced to bear children in order to repopulate the earth. Could this could any more wrong? And on top of that, after Eve escapes, she puts everyone around her in danger, because she is of special interest to the king. I don't really feel the need to spell it out, but it has to do with the birthing.

I loved the interaction between Eve and Arden and the rebellious boy Caleb that saves her life more than once. I love watching all these characters grow together. Caleb and Eve had a sweet love blooming, and I definitely fell in love with Caleb. In a way, when they were all hidden in the cave in Lake Tahoe, it reminded me of the setting in The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Whoever was in charge, was in charge, no if's, and's or but's. Too bad the guy in charge also turned out to be sex-hungry and power-hungry and a complete a** hat! I hope he gets what's coming to him. There could have been a little more characters development, but for how short this story was, I think the characters were developed very well.

One of the issues I have with dystopian is that a few key people always seem to die or get captured. Rightfully so, because otherwise I can't see it being realistic, but still it's hard to imagine, but at the same time, it's one of a billion possible futures...

The big question now is: what the heck is going to happen in the next one?!?! Have I ever told you how much I hate having to wait for sequels? ...more

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May 07, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

As the world moves from the Supernatural and Twilight , we come face to face with a new re-vamped genre Dystopian and The Hunger Games. When I heard about this book, I hadn't heard all raving in fact the reviews were quite mixed and pointed on the down side. However as soon as I opened the book and discovered that the opening quote for Eve by Anna Carey was a quote from one of my all-time favourite Dystopian novels "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood , I knew I would enjoy the book and I di ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Darlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, giveaway-won, young-adult, dystopia, read-in-2017

I really enjoyed the start of this YA dystopian series!

The story takes place in the future, after a plague has wiped out 98% of the world’s population. Strangely, the ones that died were the ones that were given the vaccine. The main character, Eve, is 18 years old and lives at a girls-only School that is surrounded by a wall. She, along with nearly all the other girls, came to School at the age of five and are orphans and have never been outside the wall. The girls are raised to believe that bo I really enjoyed the start of this YA dystopian series!

The story takes place in the future, after a plague has wiped out 98% of the world’s population. Strangely, the ones that died were the ones that were given the vaccine. The main character, Eve, is 18 years old and lives at a girls-only School that is surrounded by a wall. She, along with nearly all the other girls, came to School at the age of five and are orphans and have never been outside the wall. The girls are raised to believe that boys are dangerous, devious, and not to be trusted. The only exception is the King, who must be obeyed.

Eve is one of the best and brightest students and, after graduation, the girls are told that they will go to a building across the lake to learn a trade for four years. After that, they will move to the City of Sand to work and live under the King’s rule.

Arden is a rebellious girl, whose history is a little bit different from everyone else’s. She came to School at the age of eight, and she will one day join her parents who are getting themselves established in the City of Sand. One night, Eve follows Arden and witnesses her escape. She says some things to Eve that she doesn’t believe, so Eve decides to find out for herself if Arden is telling the truth. What she discovers is shocking, and Eve also escapes with the help of one of the teachers. In the wild, Eve doesn’t know who to trust and the King’s men are after her and will not stop until she has been captured.

Eve is great character with a lot of strength. Here is someone who has lived her entire life in seclusion, her every need taken care of, and protected within the confines of School. Now, she is living outside the wall and has to fend for herself. Obviously, she is a little naïve but she’s forced to adapt to her new surroundings. Her entire world has been turned upside-down, and she can’t trust what she’s been told about things! She manages to catch up with Arden, and I liked how their relationship grew and changed. She also has to follow her gut instincts with those that she meets in the wild, and sometimes that means putting her faith and trust into (gasp!) boys! I liked the blossoming friendship that Eve had with Caleb, who is very sweet and completely selfless. I hope that we see more of Caleb in the second book in the trilogy, Once.

This review was posted on my book blog:
http://darlenesbooknook.blogspot.ca/2... ...more

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Nov 03, 2011 A rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I think I would have liked the book better. Will definitely pick up the sequel, but not in audio format. Full review to come.

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Jun 26, 2012 Christy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I liked this book, but it wasn't as good as I was expecting. I didn't get attached to the characters like I normally do. Maybe I will when I read Once. ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Anasheh Satoorian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book had me hooked from the first pages. I loved Eve's bravery and her interaction from Caleb from the first moment!

"And what is it i'm planning I would would really love to hear."
"You want to have intercourse with me" I said matter-of-factly.
...more

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Mar 13, 2011 A rated it liked it

Yeowch. I might have liked this more in text than audiobook. One of the few I will recommend people to read themselves. Some direction on the audio I don't agree with but understand why it may have been necessary. So audiobk = 2 stars, book = 3. ...more

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