Eve by Anna Carey
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: October 4, 2011
Series: The Eve Trilogy #1
ISBN: 0062048503
ISBN-13: 9780062048509
Synopsis: Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.
In this epic new series, Anna Carey imagines a future that is both beautiful and terrifying. Readers will revel in Eve’s timeless story of forbidden love and extraordinary adventure.
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Anna Carey’s Eve is a story that is set in a post-apocalyptic world where society needs to be rebuilt. Due to a plague that has destroyed the nation and has obliterated the population, only orphaned children have survived. In this world of chaos and sorry, the King has risen to rebuilt society and the population. He has organized a school for women, preparing them for their trade in the real world in the City of Sand.
Every girl is given an education to give each one of them a purpose in rebuilding society. Out of these young girls, Eve is the one that stands out. She is the brightest, smartest, and most beautiful of the students. But on the eve of her valedictorian speech, Eve discovers what the reality of the real world is, and escapes the school. With the help of Teacher, she makes her way to Califia. In a world of unknown, everything that she was taught has turned out to be completely wrong. With some unexpected allies, she must survive and hide from the government that she was raised to trust.
Eve is an innocent and naïve girl, but I have to give it to her to be strong when it’s needed. As many naïve female protags, I found her to be closed-minded and selfish. But I understand why. With everything that Carey has told us about how the school operates and how the information is relayed, Eve’s persona and actions are justified. The girls at the school were all meant to be cut of the same mold. After all, their result is all the same, is it not?
I found Caleb to the saving grace of Eve. He was the balance to Eve’s character. He was self taught, unselfish, and strong. There was a lot of lessons that Eve learned from her friendship with Caleb. They were both weary of each other, and rightfully so. Given Eve’s background and upbringing, it would have ruined the book if there was instant trust from the beginning.
I wanted more from this book. The plot was promising, and when I read the synopsis, I was excited. I wanted to know how the plague came about, how the people were affected, how the King became the King. I felt there was a lack of world building. I longed for the elements and detail that draws me into a world. I wanted to be invested not just in the characters or the story, but the background and setting for where it takes place.
There are some awkward and sudden shifts in the story line that had me confused. There were several scenes that I had to reread because I wasn’t sure I followed the story properly. There is a vagueness in the story that muddles the intensity that Carey is trying to relay.
I will definitely read the next book. I think I am invested enough with the characters to find out what happens. Besides, that cliff hanger didn’t help and has piqued my interest.
