mrs_mander_reads
Written on May 26, 2017
"In the second book of this dystopian adventure, Eve will come face to face with the king who has been ruthlessly hunting her--and learn shocking truth about who she really is"--
- ISBN10 0062048546
- ISBN13 9780062048547
- Publish Date 3 July 2012
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Out of Print 6 December 2021
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
- Imprint HarperCollins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
angelarenea9
Written on Aug 7, 2015
Part two in a pretty typical YA dystopian series. I enjoyed this book marginally more than Eve but it still did not really wow me. I expected something more, although like book one, I'm not sure what that was.
It was a pretty typical second book, like I said. I still enjoyed the unique setup for the first book of schools where girls are groomed to be breeding stock, but that's where the uniqueness is pretty well over. Even the fact that in book one Eve was pretty useless in the wild and it was not one of the unbelievable stories where the girl is all of a sudden able to do all manner of things, doesn't follow through to this book. The straight forward love interest morphs into a love monster (that's what I'm calling it. I do not apologize. It's not exactly a love triangle but it's something where everyone inter connects).
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. It was OK. The back story was pretty interesting, and it was, like book one, a quick read. The change of setting was nice, and I liked seeing the City of Sand.
To be honest that's about it. I did like it, and will finish the series, but It didn't wow me. I think it would appeal to someone new to YA, who hasn't over read these plot lines.
lindsey
Written on Mar 18, 2015
I liked Caleb in the last book, but it was like he lost all common sense in this one. Eve was about the same as in the first book - still incredibly naive and stupid, without any real growth. Part of me wants to think she's brave, but the other part of me thinks it's just stupidity. I can't go into much detail without giving away important plot twists, but one of her redeeming qualities is that she will risk her life to save the ones she loves. But, again, I'm not sure if she's being brave or just hasn't given any thought to the danger.
One thing that I do have to say about this series is that the plot twists come out of nowhere. I can usually guess what's going to happen, and while some of it was predictable, I was very surprised a couple of times. I always enjoy being shocked by plot twists while I'm reading, so that's definitely my favorite part about this series so far.
I did enjoy reading Once more than Eve, so maybe I'll like Rise even more. :)
cornerfolds
Written on Oct 17, 2014
After finishing Eve, I was dying to jump right into Once to see where the story went next! This one started right where Eve left off. The book follows Eve's life in the City of Sand with her father, the king. We learn the things that are expected of her and also get to see what is going on with Caleb.
The romance between the main characters continues to progress throughout the book, but I can't help but feel like there's no real progression of the characters themselves. Many of the problems they encounter happen because of their own easily avoidable mistakes. The king is the obvious bad guy and the only sympathetic character is Charles.
Much of the book is spent watching Eve and Caleb plot to escape the city, so the tension was definitely there. I just felt like it needed... more. Maybe it could've used more reality too.
While I didn't end up loving it as much as the first book in the series, it was still a worthwhile read and I still plan to pick up the third one soon.
celinenyx
Written on Jun 13, 2013
Eve has now arrived in a women-only community where they won't even give her boyfriend medical care because OMG, he's a man. For some reason they all hate men, and all the men (called Strays) are rapists or murderers or both. There don't seem to be any normal guys in the Eve universe, they are either insane or hunky boyfriend material. There are tons of hurdles for Caleb and Eve to overcome, and Eve finally arrives in the famous City of Sand.
I'm having a hard time writing this review because to be very honest nothing happens in Once. It suffers from severe second-book syndrome; it all seems to be a set-up for the third book in the series. It ends on an enormous cliffhanger, to make matters worse. I kept going back and forth on my Kindle, thinking I must be missing a chapter. Once is filled with dozens of secondary characters that we only meet for a few pages and then disappear again, without ever getting to know them or for them to have any other function than existing. The book is filled with Eve moping around in the City of Glass, feeling guilty for leaving her friends behind (gee, newsflash, maybe you should have told them about what you knew about the Schools), and fantasizing about lovey-dovey stuff with Caleb.
Eve had some very sloppy writing in places and the story seemed to move too fast to really make sense. In Once the writing did seem better and more natural to me, and the pace was lowered till something a bit more tolerable. It felt as if Ms Carey had a word goal to hit, and she had to keep making stuff up to reach that goal though. The plot takes some small random detours, but there is no real forward movement. As the story progresses it becomes clearer that the background isn't complete, and inconsistencies in the backstory are showing. For example, what is up with all the burned out cars? The sun didn't explode, there was a plague. Why would a plague result in all cars in the world catching fire? If you leave a car outside for a few years, it might get a bit rusty, but there wouldn't be anything wrong with it. Details show the logic inconsistency the Eve universe is built on.
Once is a mediocre YA dystopian at best. I'll read Rise to see if something finally changes for the New Americas, but I'm not holding my breath.
jnikkir
Written on Jan 2, 2013
bookishzelda
Written on Aug 31, 2012
I also really loved the way the romance played out in this book as well. Maybe it’s that distance makes the heart grow fonder but there was sweetness to it that made me smile. Every time Eve and
Caleb came together it just felt magical. I really felt like I was rooting for them.
We finally meet the King in this book and I have to say there are moments when you are not so sure if you should hate him or not. It was a well-played villain; I could see how Eve might have her moments of doubt.
We also meet Moss, the leader of the resistance, which has some interesting twists to it I didn’t see. Curious? Not all things are as they seem, especially in a world that has been ripped apart.
I really enjoyed Charles character. At first I thought he was one type of guy and then he turned out to be someone I didn’t expect. I liked that he was that character that was really just a part of something because that’s the only life he has known. He didn’t want me to jump off the Caleb ship or anything but I did really like him.
The plot flow was good and I felt like I was interested the entire time. I liked some of the things that were left hanging and how you could make assumptions but then you realize….hmm no one really confirmed this. It was a great twist and great cliff hanger at the end.
I think if you are a fan of Eve you won’t be disappointed in this book.
Kelly
Written on Aug 18, 2012