Book Review: Rise

Book: Rise

Author: Anna Carey

Recommend: Definitely, but only if you’ve read the first two books in the series.

I had less than an hour to read this one. I saw it on the shelves while wondering Barnes and Noble on a long lunch hour. I picked it up, plopped down at a table and began to race through the book, eagerly devouring the conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies lately.

Eve is a mess after the shooting of Caleb and she is definitely showing it at the beginning of this book. Her hatred of her father and everything he stands for has only grown since she lost Caleb but she goes through the motions – all while secretly planning his assassination all while dealing with her sham of a marriage to Charles. When she find out that she has one last piece of Caleb left, everything changes and she puts her life on the line to stop her father forever.

This one was  a complete roller coaster ride to the end and when you think it’s all over, the author throws you for a welcome tailspin. I think the only thing I would say could be a negative about this book is that the author takes Eve away from the action one too many times. I know why she does it but it almost seems like a cop-out to keep her alive. I would have rather seen her in the middle of the action, continuing to fight and somehow escaping the inevitable. I think it would have made for a more exciting storyline. However, I really liked the fact that she brought back some of the issues from the first book to show that they weren’t forgotten. I also love the fact that she doesn’t make things too easy on Eve. The major complication in this book is almost funny in a way but also very bittersweet for the character, not to mention dangerous. I love the transformation of the character from a girl scared of her own shadow to a leader who seems to be able to overcome almost anything when necessary. A very large change but without losing the heart of the character.

My biggest frustration with this book was the ending. While I loved how she concluded the story, she needed to write about five more pages. It was just plain mean to leave us where she did. I wanted to see the moment she walked into that room! UGH! A few more paragraphs wouldn’t have killed her. Of course I’m among the group who loved the prolonged ending to Return of the King and I wanted just a bit more this book too. When you cut the story just short of a huge payoff for the readers, it’s just frustrating for them. It really didn’t need to be long or dragged out, but it needed to be!

Great end to such a fun series. I’m rather sad that there isn’t another Eve book to wait for.

Final Rating:

Buy it new 🙂

Book Review: Once

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Book: Once

Author: Anna Carey

Recommend: It went a different direction than I expected but definitely a good read!

The second book in the Eve trilogy, this picks up right where Eve left off and then twists the plot in a direction I don’t think anyone saw coming. It was refreshing to see a young adult author take a book exactly where the reader wasn’t expecting it to go! Caleb‘s life is hanging by a thread again, we finally find out exactly who Moss is and Eve is placed into a crazy situation that is very shocking.

This book was a great read. I love being surprised by a plot and this one definitely did it. By the end of the book though, as a reader, I have a certain distrust of the author and so when she claimed that someone was dead, I just can’t bring myself to believe her. This series is really so well written and engaging. I can’t imagine many people not enjoying this series.

You can find my review of the first book here. I can’t wait for the conclusion to this intense trilogy!

Final Rating:

Buy it new 🙂

Book Review: Eve

Book: Eve

Author: Anna Carey

Recommend: Definitely! This one rivals The Hunger Games or Matched. It might even be better!

I picked this one up at the library earlier today with a very large stack of other books. I have soft spot for dysptopian teen fantasy and thought that while it might be a bit cheesy, that I would enjoy the light read. This book surpassed every expectation I had to be one of the best pieces of teen fiction I have read. Period.

Eve is a girl who was orphaned by the plague. She is ready to graduate from school, a compound for orphaned girls. From there she will learn a trade and then be able to go to the City of Sand, to live a life of luxury. In actuality, graduation was something far more sinister. On the night before her graduation, Eve finds out the dark truth of graduation and runs.

There is so much about the plot of this book that I loved. It was shocking while still maintaining a sense of limits. It had great plot twists. The writing was decent. The pace was perfect. The ending was heart-wrenching. Caleb isn’t perfect but understands love and sacrifices for it.

The only negative I could find was that I think Eve gave up her beliefs about men too easily. Someone who had been brainwashed the way that she had been, wouldn’t have found it so easy to part with what she had been taught, even though she knew it wasn’t truth. I think the author rushed that section a bit, especially after a couple of the experiences she has. It was the only thing that made the character a bit unrealistic for me.

Definitely worth the time. This is one of those hidden gems that fans of YA fiction need to discover.

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!