Rise by Anna Carey

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

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.

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.

Once by Anna Carey

Once by Anna Carey

Won from Andrea at The Bookish Babe

Published by HarperTeen

On Shelves Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Action-packed and romantic

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.

I was heart-broken when this book started and Eve had been in Califia for a few months without Caleb.  I always hate the inevitable split of the two loves because (even though I know it happens in every book), I still keep thinking that maybe, one of these days, we won’t have to go through the heartbreak of watching the two main characters leave each other.  But, even though I was upset Caleb wasn’t there, I was still swept straight into the action.  Plus, it wasn’t long before word of Caleb slipped into Califia and Eve rushed out after him!

The best part about this book was seeing inside the City of Sand—it was easily recognizable as Las Vegas, but it was really cool to hear about how everything had fallen apart since the plague.  You could just picture the dilapidated buildings that the desert was trying to reclaim, and the way Anna described it was beautiful and eerie.  I think many who thought there was a lack in world building will get a little more of what they want in this installment.

I also loved that we got to meet the bad guys—The Kings and his loyal henchmen.  The worst one for me was Lieutenant Stark—grrr!  I just wanted someone to rear back and slug him right in the face…over and over again because he was such a JERK!  The greed and hatred and fear that consumed the King and his men was evident in their word and in their actions, and the tyranny and threat of violence hung heavy in the air.  Anna’s writing was so beautiful and intoxicating that I read this book in less than 3 hours!

I felt like Eve had grown up a bit in this one, realizing the sacrifices that she must be willing to make in order to fight the regime.  However, like in the first book, she made rash decisions that often made things even worse for her.  I wish she would have stepped back, taken a breath, and approached thing more rationally.  Now, I say that, but if I were in her position, I don’t know if I would have been able to think rationally either.

I really loved Caleb in this one—he was smart and strong, and I loved the way he resisted the tyranny of the King.  He didn’t just whine about his predicament, instead, he stepped up and threw himself right into the middle of the rebellion.  He was really a strong character in this one, and it made me love him even more.  Plus, his humor and soft side were much more apparent, and I felt myself falling for him all over again!  There were some great scenes between him and Eve, and I do wish there would have been more of them.  The one really important scene was very “fade to black,” too, and it took me a few pages to figure out what they did/did not do. 

The only thing that bugged me is the ending---oh my gosh, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers!  Thank goodness I had a copy of Rise, or I would have had a conniption.  So, warning—if you haven’t read this one, you might want to wait the two months until Rise is released!  Otherwise, you might have a small book-related stroke.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  I enjoyed it more than Eve, and I really loved getting to see inside the world and characters even more.  Fans of Eve will love this one!

Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Published by HarperTeen

On Shelves Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  A chilling look at a crumbling world

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I will admit, I didn’t even know what this series was about until I received an ARC of the third and final book, Rise.  So, I figured, I have the third book—why not read them all back to back—no waiting, no “oh my gosh, what a cliffhanger” reactions.  I will say, this is the perfect way to read a series!  I loved being able to read them all back to back.  I spent an entire week in Anna’s world, and I will say, I am so glad HarperTeen sent me the third book because, otherwise, I would have totally missed out!

Eve takes place in a ravaged America, after a deadly plague wipes out most of the population.  A King has taken control of the citizens and forced many of the into unspeakable actions in the name of “peace” and “survival” and “hope.”  Many people argue that the problem with Eve is the world-building.  There just isn’t enough, and while I can see their argument, I will say that it didn’t bother me.  I’m much more interested in the action and the characters, so I didn’t need to know more about how the world ended up that way and what not.  I like that the book focused more on the characters themselves—their problems, their losses, and their doubts.

This was definitely a quick read—I read it in one sitting, and went straight on to the next book.  I really like that it was a one sitter, but I wish there would have been more action near the end.  There’s plenty of action throughout the book, but the ending just felt rushed to me.  I wanted to see more passion, more anger, more fear; and I didn’t really get enough of that to really understand the motivations of some of the characters.

Surprisingly, my favorite character was Arden.  She is argumentative and blunt, understanding the harsh realities into which they have been thrust.  She is hardened, and I found myself taking an immediate liking to her, attitude and all.  She wasn’t whiney, and she definitely wasn’t going to bow down to any man—and I really liked that about her.  I felt like she was trustworthy and smart, and I would definitely put my life in her hands if I was Eve.

Eve was up and down for me.  I really liked her character at times because she didn’t just stay in the mold that she was raised in; she dared to question authority and her beliefs, and as a result, she was rewarded with a great relationship.  However, I felt like there were times when she was a bit daft and rash.  She lunged into problems head first without thinking about the consequences, and that is one of my biggest pet peeves in a character.  I know that these rash decisions are what create the action and drama in a book, but I think you can make just as many great scenes without the stupidity.  Especially since Eve was the valedictorian, I would think she would have a bit more common sense, even if she was brainwashed by the teachers into believing false truths.

And of course, I have to mention Caleb—I just love the rough and tough guys.  The only problem I had is that we didn’t see enough or hear enough from him.  I wanted to see more of his talents and more of his background—what made him who he is and why does he care so much about this random girl.  I wanted to see inside his head more, and I didn’t get that.  Maybe a novella will pop out of this world at some point???  I really liked Caleb—he was caring, and strong, and protective.  I just need more of him!

Overall, this was a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to dystopian fans!  I can’t wait to see what’s next for Anna Carey.

Teaser Tuesday: Rise by Anna Carey

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Rise by Anna Carey
Published by HarperTeen
Release Date:  4-2-2013

 

"Within the week, my father would be dead."  ARC, pg 8

 

"Come on people,' he said, raising his voice to a yell.  'Can't you see what's happening?  The city is under attack.'"  ARC, pg 73

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I started Eve 3 days ago, and since then, I have made it through Once and now am halfway through Rise!  I'm really excited to see how this series ends.  I'm so glad HarperTeen sent me an ARC of Rise, otherwise, I might never have picked up this series.