Eve by Anna Carey

Eve 
Author: Anna Carey
Publisher: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Edition: e-ARC
* Received for review via HarperTeen and NetGalley.

Eve attends School and like all the other graduating girls, she's looking forward to life after School. Things like learning a trade, moving to the City of Sand, and in Eve's case, becoming at artist. But when Eve catches Arden escaping from School, she learns that her fate might be wildly different than what she believed it would be. Confronted with an unwanted fate and with graduation looming on the horizon, Eve will have to escape School to escape the fate that awaits her and all the other Graduates. To do this, she'll have to trust a boy named Caleb, avoid the soldiers that are hot on her trail, and make it to Califia in one piece.

This is honestly going to be a difficult review to write simply because I'm probably going to fail miserably at putting into words just how much I enjoyed reading Eve. The world that Anna Carey created is just incredible and it's extremely easy to picture Eve's plight as she sets out for Califia from School. Due to the plague, death really is everywhere and well, it really is everywhere. It's on the road where cars sit empty or with skeletal passengers and in the houses where decay has set in and pictures of the house's former inhabitants still sit upon the mantle. It's eerie to read and yet beautiful in its own way--actually, I keep wanting to say that the world itself reminds me of The Walking Dead, but minus the zombies. 

But let's talk about Eve, who has grown up at School ever since her mother gave her up. I know, that sounds bad. What I mean is, her mother was infected by the plague and was pretty much on her deathbed when she gave up Eve. Yes, most kids in Eve are orphans. Also, the School that Eve attends educates them in a sort of Victorian manner and then when they graduate... well, you'll see. I will tell you that the young ladies in Eve are taught that men are terrible people and that they should both fear and avoid them whenever possible--which ought to let you know how well Caleb was received when they first met. When compared to the "School" that Caleb attended though, Eve's School is extremely cushy. You see, the boys are pretty much forced into work camps and well, they don't tend to last long in there. This is precisely why the boys tend to try to escape and well, the girls are generally ignorant of their fate.

I know I should probably talk about Caleb and I do want to, but there's just so much that one can talk about when it comes to Eve that it's insane. At first, I wasn't too sure about Caleb. I mean, sure, he saved Eve, but as far as I was concerned, that didn't mean that I had to like him. However, once they make to to the cave, Caleb does indeed grow on me and by the end of the book... well, you'll see. Seriously, I'm trying not to spoil anything for you and that's why I've taken on the unfortunate habit of saying "you'll see." If you've been thinking about reading Eve, definitely do so! It's easily one of my favorite reads this year and I really do hope that you'll enjoy reading it too.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★