Review: Rise by Anna Carey

Rise (Eve #3) by Anna Carey

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published: April 2nd, 2013 by Harper Collins

Source: Publisher

How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

When I finished reading the first book in the series, Eve, I believe I said it was a 'light' dystopian.  It was easier to read and wasn't as stressful as many dystopian's.  By book two things were heating up quite a lot though and felt like maybe it just wasn't as light as my original thoughts.  The middle book was probably the best book of the trilogy, actually, which is unusual.  Anyway, I've enjoyed the journey very much.  And while I did like this one, I did have a few issues that made it maybe not quite as good as it could have been.

It felt like things took a long time to really go anywhere.  Once things started moving along it felt like we barely touched the surface of what it could have been.  It was a tad anticlimactic for me, I guess.  And the ending felt very rushed and I would have liked a bit more 'after'.  As it was left we do get a decent conclusion, we aren't really left hanging.  At least not completely.  But it's open enough another book could very easily be added.  And as a matter of fact, I would love another book in the series.  

The first two have a very strong romance in it.  Unfortunately we don't really know anything about what happened to Caleb through all of this book until the very end and never really got any good resolution to the romance.  I was a bit disappointed in that regard.   

So while I did like this book, I think with a bit more OOMPH and more of a conclusion I would have liked it much more.  However, the first two books were fantastic and I still definitely recommend this series if you enjoy dystopian books.

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Review: Once by Anna Carey

Once (Eve #2) by Anna Carey

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: July 3rd, 2012 by Harper Collins

Source: Publisher

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.

Eve was a story that really stuck with me.  It was a lighter read for a dystopian, but it still had this big impact, leaving an imprint on you where you can always picture this world in your mind.  The reason for that, for me anyway, is because it's so easy to imagine our world crumbling like that, that becoming our future.  It really doesn't feel so far fetched.  Once left just as much of an impact, and we got to see more of this world.

I was concerned that this book would take place in the camp and wouldn't have as strong of a plot.  I was wrong.  We saw the camp a bit but things quickly moved along and then we got to see the City of Sand, the capital.  And here we find out a big secret that really surprised me.  We also get to see Caleb, though he is absent at parts of the book, it was enough to satisfy me.  He was still an integral part of the story.

I felt like this was a very unpredictable read because you never know who is really good and bad.  It seems so many people that you think are bad might end up not being bad.  You know, enemies of the King hidden in plain sight.  I always love an unpredictable plot and this one had that.  

I love Eve's personality.  She has just enough spunk to stand out in my mind, but doesn't always make the best choices.  Fortunately in this book she didn't make the same mistakes as she did in the first one, so she's obviously learned from her mistakes.

I definitely recommend you pick this series up if you enjoy dystopian books.  This feels lighter because it's a very fast read, but it has quite a lot of depth still.  The entire book you'll be sitting on the edge of your seating just waiting for something horrible to happen because you just see it coming.  You can't look, but you can't look away.  This was a winner as far as I'm concerned!

Disclosure:  I received this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.