{A Kelly M Review} Once by Anna Carey

Title: Once
Series: Eve #2
Author: Anna Carey
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: HarperCollins

Synopsis:

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.

The sequel to Eve proved to not just be a filler book like most sequels in a trilogy are. The same amount of action and events occurred during the course of the story as well. The twist in the story that you are represented with is a complete shocker. It was something that I honestly never expected. Luckily the sequel wasn’t as depressing as the first book. It had a more determined feel and you see Eve grow as a character, from a scared little girl to a woman who should not be underestimated.

It starts basically where we left off. Eve is still in Califia, adjusting to the refugees’ camp that is just for women. She works in a bookstore and is under the impression that she is safe and well cared for. That is until Arden finally shows up looking like a man. The women panic and start saying that if Arden could find them and Eve so easily, why shouldn’t the King’s army not be able to? Eve and Arden overhear them plotting to give Eve up to the army if the time ever comes so they end up running away again. Only this time they do get caught. Arden is sent back to the schools and Eve is taken to the King where she learns the shocking truth about why she is really there. And to me it was quite a shocking revelation. If I was drinking water I would’ve done a spit-take worthy of legends. Thank God I didn’t coz my book would’ve looked like something out of the Lost Library Of Alexandria, not in excellent condition.

I really loved where the story ended up going and was surprised a few times, but some of the things were also a bit predictable, like arranged marriages, suspicion of certain people and so forth. Eve wasn’t as naive and infuriating as she was in the first book and I ended up really loving her. I ended up felling really sorry for her because most people who she meets ends up betraying her in some way or the other.

Caleb and Eve do reunite’ thank the Lord, but way to few times for my liking. They do end up doing the horizontal mambo (as Kristin would say =P) but the effect is short lived and does end quite tragically in a sense.

Anna Carey did what some authors lack in doing. She kept you captivated through the entire book, which is difficult to do in a sequel book. I enjoyed reading it and recommend it to everyone. Give it a try. It might surprise you.