Some years after a plague killed everyone who received a certain vaccine, orphaned Eve is about to graduate from her all girls school (where students are taught about the evils of men) and cross the bridge to a new life. But when she gets a sneak peek at what that new life entails, she goes on the run, searching for a rumored safe haven. Along the way, she meets a boy and discovers that not all men are beasts after all.
I was excited to dive into this novel, and the first few chapters set up the situation and Eve’s character well. The big reveal of what drives Eve to run away is properly shocking, and opens up great possibilities for the story. Unfortunately, her method of escape creates a precedent of “easy outs” for her character whenever she finds herself in peril (read: often), robbing the narrative of much needed tension and urgency.
EVE is also an example of character taking a back seat to plot. Frustratingly, in many cases, Eve's choices may further the plot, but they do not ring true for her character. Is it believable that she would make the first move on Caleb so soon after a whole life of indoctrination against men? NO! Would a supposedly smart girl go with the boys to raid the storeroom of an enemy that is actively looking for her and then casually fall asleep there without being afraid that the enemy might come back? I should think not.
With an official summary that compares it to TWILIGHT and THE HUNGER GAMES, EVE promises more than it can deliver. The romance, while “forbidden” and sweet, never managed to make my heart race. Still, Carey’s writing is slick and she imbues Eve with an authentically earnest voice that was endearing enough for me to finish the book despite the bumpy plot.
EVE comes out in hardcover on October 4, 2011. Find out more about it at the publisher’s website.
Zombie Chickens Say: Entertaining, but in no way the second coming of THE HUNGER GAMES. Even if it’s not our favorite book ever, many early reviews are full of praise and didn’t seem to have the same frustrations we did.
Judge for yourself! HarperTeen has donated one ARC of EVE for a lucky Dystopian August fan. Since I’m taking care of the shipping, I’ll open this internationally. For a chance to win, fill out this form by August 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST.
Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: Pearl’s Dream by Bat for Lashes. Sample lyric: “There’s a place I must go, for my heart is a child that stumbles for the arms of the wild.”
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23 comments:
Thank you for the chance :)
Thanks for the giveaway Lenore!
I have a copy of this one and am curious to read it. I wonder if I'll have the same issues as you did.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks a lot for the chance!
This is the first I've heard of this being a vaccine panic book.
I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Eve all that much. I would still like to check it out and see if I might enjoy it more.
Oh with such a pretty cover I really want so much more! I hate when books are compared to previous books because they almost always fail to deliver.
easy outs? bummer! I have a copy of this waiting for me but I haven't felt any big rush to pick it up. I definitely don't now...I'm surprised her character got out of things easy, this is the first of a trilogy isn't it? Plenty of time for her to get herself good and ensnared in a big mess without needing to squeeze out just yet. hmm.
hmmm....i still sort of want to read this. **guilty grin** thanks for the great review and giveaway :) x
I have to admit that the comparison to Twilight is enough to send me in the other direction. I wish they would stop assuming everyone loves that book...
As much as I love good characters, I need plot too, so this might not be for me.
I think the premise of the story sounds really interesting and I have no expectations of it living up to Hunger Games, but I hope that I win so that I can read it! And I think I will still read it even if I don't :)
I find the premise of the vaccines really interesting, and was just talking to mu husband about all the vaccine scare stories the other day. I also think that it's a pretty big thing to be comparing this to The Hunger Games, and sort of sets up a huge expectation. Still though parts of it sound intriguing, it does sound slightly flawed in the execution.
I think I saw this book on a lot of people's blogs who went to ALA. The cover is beautiful! Thanks for the giveaway!
Sounds like a goooood book!
unforgetable_dreamer_always (at) hotmail (dot) com
Very honest review. It sounds like the author may improve in future books.
I have to admit that I'm sometimes dubious of an author's views on another author's book, so thank you for the honest review and the chance to win an ARC.
I'm looking forward to reading this one...wonder how it will fare for me.
Eve has a great story! Thanks for the giveaway.
I enjoyed the book, but feel exactly the same as you! So many situations I felt were out of character for Eve. The ending also. It rubbed me the wrong way. I wish I could say more as to why, but I'm not a spoiler so I won't. I'm sure you felt the same. I felt the ending was rushed too. Like, all of the sudden they were there. Boom. The End.
It has SO much promise, but I felt it didn't deliver as it should have. There was a great plot and interesting characters...just in places they didn't fit too well.
I enjoyed seeing her softer side come out to play as well. The world building in the book was really interesting. Having most of the world gone because of a deadly virus is definitely realistic and something I could see happening in real life. I thought the author did a great job of describing what the world could be like after a virus. I also thought that the book was well paced.
I love the story, it's very much interesting although all of them would not agree with me.The cover is very much nice.
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