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.
I struggled with rating Eve, and I'm having the same problem with Once. It's not that they are bad books, which is why I gave them both three stars, but I just do not like most of the characters. That makes it really hard to love a book. I do enjoy the author's writing style - she does an excellent job of describing characters and places. But while she provides a clear picture of most characters, it doesn't make me like them.
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. :)
