Once

October 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-In Once, Carey continues the story of Eve, a teenager living in a postapocalyptic world. In Eve, she escaped becoming a forced child-bearer only to discover that she had been specially marked by the King of New America and could not get away so easily. Here, she is being sheltered in an enclave for escaped women, another look at the series' theme of separation and distrust between the genders. When she is drawn out of her safe haven to search for her lost true love, Caleb, all does not go as planned. A twist quickly changes Eve's situation, but unfortunately fails to make her story any more probable. Likewise, detailed explanations of the formation of New America don't illuminate the story so much as reveal the poor foundation on which it is constructed. Interesting side characters are regularly shunted aside in favor of the bland protagonist and her cardboard love interest, and attempts to explore larger ideas fizzle before they develop. Purchase only where the first book was popular.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2012
This second book in the Eve series finds Eve trapped in the tyrannical City of Sand in this near-future dystopia. Sometime in the mid-21st century, the world tries to recover from a plague that wiped out most humans. The former governor of California has established a repressive monarchy that controls the lives of the population under his jurisdiction, while most cities, including San Francisco, are abandoned. Eve, running from The New America, became separated from her boyfriend, Caleb, in the previous installment. This time she's captured by New America soldiers and taken to the former Las Vegas, now ruled by the King, who's rebuilding the city with slave labor. There, Eve learns that she has a whole new privileged identity with the royal family. When Caleb contacts her, however, she sneaks out to meet him and becomes involved with the dissidents who intend to foment a rebellion. All does not go well, and Eve finds herself in a situation wherein she must make a desperate bargain with the deceitful King. Carey delivers a believably devastated world, sparsely populated by savvy survivors, and keeps pages flipping throughout most of the story, although the romance is standard stuff. If the book's crisis is a bit predictable, the sudden, menacing ending ought to propel readers to the next book in the series. Suspenseful. (Dystopian romance. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2012
Grades 10-1 In this sequel to Eve (2011), Eve is now living in a female-only enclave in Califia, safe from New America's soldiers but missing her love, Caleb. After she is betrayed by a settlement resident, she is taken to the King's City of Sand, where difficult truths and unexpected discoveries (including an underground resistance to the King's oppressive policies) bring dilemmas and tough decisions, putting both Eve and others in jeopardy. Despite some predictable story lines, Eve's first-person, intimately detailed narrativewhich incorporates suspense, romance, and fantasy elementsmake this dystopian fiction an absorbing, well-paced read. An open-ended conclusion leaves room for another installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)