Once: An Eve Novel
Gr 9 Up-In Once, Carey continues the story of Eve, a teenager living in a postapocalyptic world. In Eve, she escaped becoming a forced child-bearer only to discover that she had been specially marked by the King of New America and could not get away so easily. Here, she is being sheltered in an enclave for escaped women, another look at the series' theme of separation and distrust between the genders. When she is drawn out of her safe haven to search for her lost true love, Caleb, all does not go as planned. A twist quickly changes Eve's situation, but unfortunately fails to make her story any more probable. Likewise, detailed explanations of the formation of New America don't illuminate the story so much as reveal the poor foundation on which it is constructed. Interesting side characters are regularly shunted aside in favor of the bland protagonist and her cardboard love interest, and attempts to explore larger ideas fizzle before they develop. Purchase only where the first book was popular.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MAα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theUnknown Bindingedition.