Review: Eve

by Anna Carey  

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, 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 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.         -goodreads



Rating: 4/5

Review: 
Hmmm, just exactly when did dystopian novels become so freaking popular??? It seems like every other book that comes out is dystopian! Truth be told, I'm starting to lose the love for the dystopians, but I'm really glad there are good ones like Eve to keep the flame going! 


I found the plot to be really interesting. Carey does a fantastic job at creating a world scarred by this disease--yet at the same time, she made the possibility of it all believable. There is a beautiful balance of destruction and hope in this book-- there are lots of instances where you see an awful side of human-nature in this book, but Carey adds some great scenes that shows that humanity is not completely lost. Some scenes were seriously touching--my favorite being when Silas and Benny yell out "I love you" after Eve and Arden! (but don't worry, I won't give away major spoilers!) 


The characters were also great--and I don't just mean the main characters, Eve and Caleb, but just about all the side characters too! Eve's evolution through this novel is astounding and I loved how strong she came out in the end. Caleb was great too! Bad boys are so popular in YA now and it nice and refreshing to have a guy who's kind, caring, and loyal as him--like Eve said: "a good man." The other characters like Arden, Marjorie, Otis, Silas, and Benny provided great support.

OH! And what about that cover? Can I just say that I am experiencing some serious cover love right now? :) But I must say that one of my favorite aspects of this book was the references. Throughout Eve, the characters make references to old classics like Anna Karenina, Romeo and Juliet, Art History for Dummies (HA!), and, my favorite, The Giving Tree. To them, these books were like relics of the past, something that most of the boys didn't know about, but whenever they mentioned a title I knew, I was having a little mental outburst that went a little something like this: Wait! Oh my gosh! I know that book! (which...looking back now, was a little crazy of me...)  


Eve is set up wonderfully for its sequel (which I am currently wishing would come out sooner!) but the only thing that I found lacking in the book was that... spark. You know, that certain je ne sais quoi spark that ups a book from "Like" to "Love." I can't really explain it or put my finger on why this book was a 4 and not a 5, but at the same time, I really did enjoy this book; it's one of my more-liked dystopians and I think you guys should check it out!

Quotes
“Love was death’s only adversary, the only thing powerful enough to combat its clawing, desperate grasp.” 

"What do you mean 'I'm not your type'?" I asked.
The plague had killed far more females than males. As one of the few women in The New America, especially an educated, civilized woman, I'd always supposed I was every man's type.
The boy glanced back at me once and shrugged. "Eh," he muttered. 
Eh? I was intelligent, I worked hard. I was told I was beautiful. I was Eve, the valedictorian of School. And all he could say was, Eh?


“I learned the strange art of loneliness, the weathered yearning that swells and passes, and swells and passes, when you walk a trail alone.” 

“I had once read, in one of those pre-plague books in the library, that love was bearing witness. That it was the act of watching someone's life, of simply being there to say: you're life is worth seeing.”