cornerfolds's Review of Once (Eve, #2)

by Anna Carey

When you're being hunted, who can you trust? For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America. But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America. Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past-and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together-but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves ...or risk losing Caleb forever. In this breathless sequel to Eve, Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

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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.

Once (Eve, #2)

by Anna Carey

Reviewed by cornerfolds on Oct 17, 2014

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