Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Rachel Rambles About Once

Once by Anna Carey
From Goodreads:
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.


Before I started reading this, I had convinced myself that there was no way it could live up to Eve. I don't really know where I got this idea that Once would disappoint me, but I do know that it was completely inaccurate. Pretty much as soon as I started reading, I realized that Once is even better than Eve.

I'VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO BE WRONG!

This book BLEW ME AWAY. It is extremely fast-paced and action-packed. There is something new and exciting happening on every page. The plot takes many twists and turns that I totally did not see coming, and the overall experience of reading this book is basically I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BUT I LOVE IT.


In the first book, it took a little while for me to like Eve. She made a lot of decisions that really frustrated me. But in Once, I loved her from the very beginning. She's been through so much in such a short period of time, and it's obvious that she has learned a lot. She's been forced to grow up a lot, and she becomes a really strong and independent character.


Caleb and Eve's relationship is kind of impossible, for a number of reasons. Basically, they aren't supposed to be together. But will that stop them? HELL NO. They go a long time without seeing each other, without even knowing if the other person is alive, which had me biting my nails and frantically flipping pages waiting for them to reunite. And then when you think that they'll finally be able to be together and just be happy, something else happens to tear them apart. It's cruel really. These characters just can't win, which kind of breaks my heart a little but I keep reading anyway because this book is so freaking good. ANNA CAREY WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!?!


There are some new characters introduced in Once that I love, and some that I hatehatehatesomuchhate. Also, a certain someone from Eve comes back, which made me really happy because this person is such a fascinating character. But even with an entire cast of characters, the story is mostly about Eve. It's about Eve's journey and Eve's struggles and Eve's life, which I absolutely love. Eve discovers a lot about herself in this book, and I feel like I know her so well now.


The story moves very quickly in this book. As soon as you start reading, it is almost impossible to put down. What's really amazing about Once is that there is seriously never a dull moment. No matter what happens, the story never slows down. Something crazy or scary or exciting or shocking is always happening, on every single page. I am kind of in love with this book.

Also: the ending?!?!?!?!?! Can I read Rise now please?!

-Rachel

2 comments:

  1. I thought the same thing! Can't wait for Rise! I am a new follower, your blog is awesome!

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