Great plot twist ( )

Eve is back, and finally settling into a comfortable routine. Califia is finally becoming her new home. That is, until she figures out their true motivation for letting her stay. Anna Carey quickly reacquaints her readers who the world that she built in the first book. Eve's world is one that holds both beauty and danger. From the beginning I was able to slide right back in with the story line, and I have to say that I really loved the descriptive writing in this book! Carey shows her prowess at writing vivid scenery that just bleeds off the page. Califia and the City were in my head the entire read, and it was easy for me to see what Eve saw. That, above anything else, is what I really loved about this book.

However, sadly, that's really where my love for this book stayed most of the time. Eve herself drove me crazy. In the first book I was willing to forgive her a lot, especially because of her upbringing. In Once we see a new Eve. One that is more of an individual and actually a lot stronger. When she first came into the story I was impressed. Then, as time wore on, she kept making mistakes that were selfish and frustrating. It drove me mad. I am certain there will be others that disagree with me, and that's okay. It's just that I personally couldn't stand her the majority of the book.

On top of that Caleb, my favorite character, really doesn't get much face time in this installment. The boys that he left behind aren't really mentioned at all either. In fact, Caleb seemed really washed out to me. Story wise, his whole existence revolves around seeing and being with Eve. No matter what the consequences. I know this can be sweet. I know that it works well in a lot of other stories. For me though, this felt forced. I missed Caleb from the first book. A lot.

The twist that Once brings to the table definitely does make this worth a read though. Especially if you were a fan of Eve. Again, I won't go too into detail so that way I don't spoil it for you. Still, it was a great addition to the story! I have to give credit where credit is due. It was this new development that kept me reading on to see what would happen next.

At the end of the day I have to admit that Once wasn't my favorite read, but I do see a lot of potential. Eve can be a strong character when she tries. Caleb is adorable and swoon worthy. Best of all, it is the world itself that will really draw you in. Fans of Eve, as well as fans of dystopian fiction, really need to give this story a shot. ( )

This review is posted on Reading with AngelaRenea

Part two in a pretty typical YA dystopian series. I enjoyed this book marginally more than Eve but it still did not really wow me. I expected something more, although like book one, I'm not sure what that was.

It was a pretty typical second book, like I said. I still enjoyed the unique setup for the first book of schools where girls are groomed to be breeding stock, but that's where the uniqueness is pretty well over. Even the fact that in book one Eve was pretty useless in the wild and it was not one of the unbelievable stories where the girl is all of a sudden able to do all manner of things, doesn't follow through to this book. The straight forward love interest morphs into a love monster (that's what I'm calling it. I do not apologize. It's not exactly a love triangle but it's something where everyone inter connects).

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. It was OK. The back story was pretty interesting, and it was, like book one, a quick read. The change of setting was nice, and I liked seeing the City of Sand.

To be honest that's about it. I did like it, and will finish the series, but It didn't wow me. I think it would appeal to someone new to YA, who hasn't over read these plot lines. ( )

Really good. ( )

So there were surprises here, and I was always kind of surprised by how many risks Eve and Caleb were willing to take. It's kind of interesting to envision how the story would have gone if Eve had never seen what Arden was up to in the first book, but I think Eve wouldn't have been completely taken in by the City of Sand regardless. I was very upset by the ending, but I held on to suspicions that carried me through the end of the trilogy. ( )