Eve by Anna Carey

Title:  Eve

Author:  Anna Carey

Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Format:  Kindle

Release Date:  October 4, 2011 (subject to change)

The year is 2032 and it has been more than a decade since a deadly plague killed most of the Earth’s population.  The world is no longer what it was; cities are deserted, significant landmarks no longer exist and the people are ruled by the King of New America.  Eve spends her days at the School, awaiting her graduation, when she will move on to a new life.  But Eve discovers life after graduation is not what she thinks it will be and she must flee before the horror becomes reality. Now she is alone and wandering, trying to find refuge where ever she can.  She eventually meets Caleb, who seems willing to help her. But a lifetime of being taught to fear males is hard to overcome and trusting Caleb is even harder. As more and more of the world is revealed to Eve, she is forced to face the truth about the world she inhabits.

Eve is a well-written thriller, pulling the reader into a world in turmoil, a world that is vastly different from the one we live in. Girls are taught that men are their natural enemy and they are not to be trusted. Food is scarce, wild dogs and packs of gangs roam the woods beyond the School. Life is dismal at best and the girls in Eve’s world only have the prospect of graduation and eventually a life in the City of Sand to look forward to.  The fears and discomfort of the characters in Eve are portrayed very well; their angst and fear is evident in all they do. This is a testament to Carey’s writing. As Eve sat in fear, her heart pounding and her palms sweating, I too felt the fear and horror she was experiencing. Carey also gives the reader a fascinating look at a world turned upside down and unrecognizable. Yet with her vividly descriptive writing, she lets the reader see the modern world under the layers of dirt and grime that now cover the Earth. 

Eve is a great addition to the popular dystopian-future young adult novels currently being written. While it is not at the same level as Divergent by Veronica Roth or Matched by Ally Condie, it definitely holds it own in the genre. Eve is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of dystopian novels.