Rise by Anna Carey
ARC received from Harper Teen
Release Date:
4-2-2013
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:
Sadly, a great story with a very disappointing ending
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.
Okay….so I’m not even sure where to start with this
one. I loved Eve and Once and read them
both in one sitting (and back to back).
After that horrible cliffhanger in Once, I ran straight to my copy of
Rise hoping that all would be revealed and explained. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed
in the revelations that awaited me in this book. While there was plenty of action and the
story was still interesting, it was missing the flare and passion that books 1
and 2 had, and once I was done, I was left in a bitter mood.
Prepare yourself for sadness—I’ll start there. There is heartbreak after heartbreak, loss
after loss in this one. This is
realistic, but it got to the point where I was wondering what horrible thing is
going to happen next? It’s really hard
for me to review this one because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s the
spoilers that really disappointed me!
One of the things that really bugged me is that most of the
characters we knew and had developed a love for were gone. We had to get to know all new characters, and
unfortunately, the love for them just wasn’t there like it was for others. I mean, characters like Arden—show up or are
mentioned maybe once or twice while we get to know an entirely new set of
girls. I just wasn’t a fan of this, and
I wanted Anna to bring back the people that we had watched bleed and care for
each other.
I also hated the lack of romance—I understand there is a war
going on and there is little time for love, but romance is my favorite part of
a book. I like my romance with a side of
dystopian, and not the other way around.
So, I was frustrated through most of the book because the passion and
love were gone, replaced by hatred, fear, and hopelessness.
I will say I was impressed by how much Eve had grown up in
this one. No more (extremely) rash
decisions. She was entirely focused on survival
and saving as many people as she can.
She was strong and endearing in her fortitude, and I found myself really
admiring her strength. She was placed in
the hardest of circumstances, and she didn’t give up. She pushed forward, no matter the pain, and
didn’t look back. I was definitely
rooting for her the entire way through!
There is a ton of action in this book, and I never did get
bored with it. Like I said before, I was
more just upset and frustrated with things I can’t name (because of the spoilers). I think some people will like the brokenness
of the characters and the revelations, but I think most people will react like myself, not feeling satisfied with this final book.
Finally, the things that threw me the most—the ending. I was not a fan. So many important things were left
unresolved—who survived, who died, who was punished for their crimes—much of it
was just left out in the air. This would
be acceptable if there were another book in the series, but there isn’t! So, instead I’m left with an unresolved feeling.
The story needed an epilogue, badly; and once you read the ending,
you’ll understand why. The final page just
kind of hits you in the face, “Wham!” and then its over with no other
explanation. There are no words for it…I
hate to say this because I loved the first two books, but this one just fell
down like 20 flights of stairs, got up, and then fell down 20 more.
I read all 3 of these books in 3 days, and I was all excited
to recommend the entire series to my friends—until the ending. Hopefully things will be changed a bit in the
final book so that maybe I’ll rethink recommending it.
