The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was a really interesting concept but wasnât sure what to expect as if not read any books by either of them. And initially for me, the first bit is a little glossed over, so I didnât get a draw. And when it started in earnest it did take me a little while to get into it. But by the end I was reading fast to find out what happened!!
Itâs not always spectacularly written, especially in the first half, but the concept is really well executed, and the impended and ever building sense âthey did WHATâ is really well timed. I loved the general background about what happened to the planet (though Iâd have loved more on this!) and thought it was probably accurate that women would end up both sidelined into breeding and segregated completely, even if it made me really sad. I think that was actually one of my major things I wanted more from the book - I wanted someone to represent that women arenât just for breeding or even that men can control themselves around one.
However I love Eve, and her ways of picking things up - it just surprised me she got to 18 without doing more of it. And I love the whole concept of Holly and the pilots and even the mothers. I wanted more on what happened with Vivian but I loved the backstories we got on some of the others. And Bram was awesome. Though it must be odd pretending to be a girl sometimes! And I liked when he started to click just what was going on.
I definitely agreed with the Freevers when they were introduced and more and more as the book went on.
Itâs hard to talk about too much without spoiling so I shall finish by saying - if youâre struggling at the start to stick with it, as the last half really started to fly by for me. And Iâm definitely going to be checking out the sequel!
I thought this book was a really interesting concept but wasnât sure what to expect as if not read any books by either of them. And initially for me, the first bit is a little glossed over, so I didnât get a draw. And when it started in earnest it did take me a little while to get into it. But by the end I was reading fast to find out what happened!!
Itâs not always spectacularly written, especially in the first half, but the concept is really well executed, and the impended and ever building sense âthey did WHATâ is really well timed. I loved the general background about what happened to the planet (though Iâd have loved more on this!) and thought it was probably accurate that women would end up both sidelined into breeding and segregated completely, even if it made me really sad. I think that was actually one of my major things I wanted more from the book - I wanted someone to represent that women arenât just for breeding or even that men can control themselves around one.
However I love Eve, and her ways of picking things up - it just surprised me she got to 18 without doing more of it. And I love the whole concept of Holly and the pilots and even the mothers. I wanted more on what happened with Vivian but I loved the backstories we got on some of the others. And Bram was awesome. Though it must be odd pretending to be a girl sometimes! And I liked when he started to click just what was going on.
I definitely agreed with the Freevers when they were introduced and more and more as the book went on.
Itâs hard to talk about too much without spoiling so I shall finish by saying - if youâre struggling at the start to stick with it, as the last half really started to fly by for me. And Iâm definitely going to be checking out the sequel!
olivia_v's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
leah08855's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Confinement
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Death
heather34's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
cozyfantasy_chelle's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this! Was a great teen dystopian world story. Love a little adventure and a twist to find out a backstory! Only thing is I found it a bit slow in the middle but the beginning and end had me hooked.
hazelrayson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dungareece's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading it, it was such an easy read. There is some really interesting commentary about Eveâs duty, but the world itself has a few holes and fell a bit flat. There is no discussion around lgbt+ relationships in this at all, and I feel like it would be a massive consideration in this type of society. What if Eve herself was a lesbian, what would that mean for her duty? Overall, it was good enough to make me buy the sequel immediately after finishing, i want to see what happens next.
kibadreams's review against another edition
4.0
The quality of this story is so much better than I was expecting it to be, and I'm surprised I enjoyed it so much regardless of the fact that the issues I feel should have probably been explored... weren't.
The worldbuilding for this universe will not be complete until we learn what happened to the lesbians, transgender individuals, gay men and other LGBT marginalised individuals 'Before Eve' and since then. You can't raise a story - a 'what if' - that revolves pretty much ENTIRELY around the concepts of gender roles without talking about all genders and sexualities. That is the thing that irked me, nagged at the back of my mind the whole time while I was reading it. Tom and Gi did seem to be trying to dab their toes into it - there was 1 (one) passing reference to mlm, and I was pleased how Bram viewed himself through Holly. I can't quite put my finger on how this aspect of the story (an area that really falls into the area of gender exploration) managed to not be problematic towards trans people and non-binary individuals, but it wasn't. So I'm pleased. Stay put for book two and three I guess?
And for a book that threatens the idea of an infinite number of sex-hungry men Eve was never really at the threat of being raped. Thank god, that would have been a mess.
So yeah, that whole thing was a big 'Uh,,,' for me, but the story itself is well-written, Eve is the female dystopian protag written in first person present tense that we were pretty much waiting for. I'm flabbergasted about how much I didn't dislike her even though she was really just a damsel in distress for the entire novel. Her characterisation is excellent. Thanks Fletchers ;)
Bram??? idk, he seems a little bland, and the pacing of certain parts of his arc seemed very rushed, but he's a pure soft soul that just wants to Free Eve and that's good enough for me right now. Their romance is convincing, and didn't feel forced at all. Yay!
Overall yeah I really liked it??? Not my usual cup of tea and I hate admit it, but I picked up this book solely for the fact that the young child in me still hasn't let go of the McFly years. Nice job!
The worldbuilding for this universe will not be complete until we learn what happened to the lesbians, transgender individuals, gay men and other LGBT marginalised individuals 'Before Eve' and since then. You can't raise a story - a 'what if' - that revolves pretty much ENTIRELY around the concepts of gender roles without talking about all genders and sexualities. That is the thing that irked me, nagged at the back of my mind the whole time while I was reading it. Tom and Gi did seem to be trying to dab their toes into it - there was 1 (one) passing reference to mlm, and I was pleased how Bram viewed himself through Holly. I can't quite put my finger on how this aspect of the story (an area that really falls into the area of gender exploration) managed to not be problematic towards trans people and non-binary individuals, but it wasn't. So I'm pleased. Stay put for book two and three I guess?
And for a book that threatens the idea of an infinite number of sex-hungry men Eve was never really at the threat of being raped. Thank god, that would have been a mess.
So yeah, that whole thing was a big 'Uh,,,' for me, but the story itself is well-written, Eve is the female dystopian protag written in first person present tense that we were pretty much waiting for. I'm flabbergasted about how much I didn't dislike her even though she was really just a damsel in distress for the entire novel. Her characterisation is excellent. Thanks Fletchers ;)
Bram??? idk, he seems a little bland, and the pacing of certain parts of his arc seemed very rushed, but he's a pure soft soul that just wants to Free Eve and that's good enough for me right now. Their romance is convincing, and didn't feel forced at all. Yay!
Overall yeah I really liked it??? Not my usual cup of tea and I hate admit it, but I picked up this book solely for the fact that the young child in me still hasn't let go of the McFly years. Nice job!
devinelybookish's review against another edition
4.0
On the first day no one really noticed. Perhaps there was a chuckle among the midwives at the sight of all those babies wrapped in blue blankets, not a pink one in sight. On the second day, they frowned. On the third, the media took light of it. It continued like this all over the world for fifty years.
Until Corrine, after many miscarriages, became pregnant. With a girl. Against all odds, she survived. The first girl born in fifty years.
They called her Eve.
I love the premise of this book. Eve is the first female born in fifty years. She is kept in a facility, protected and taught to be the saviour of humanity. Shrouded from the real troubles of the world. She is the beacon of hope.
The story is told from a dual POV of Eve and Bram. Bram is Eve's friend. They don't meet in person. Bram control's the hologram of Eve's friend in the Dome, Holly. Until one day, they collide and Eve recognises Bram as her holographic friend, Holly.
The writing is simple and easy to read, probably aimed at younger teenagers, but still enjoyable for any age. I loved the story and the plot. The information is fed slowly and we watch Eve turn from a passive character to a one who begins to question her upbringing and then retaliate against it.
My critique to this story would be the side characters. They just fall flat for me. So when there are any deaths or whiff of deaths, I'm just not emotionally invested enough to care. Some of the plot is also rushed leaving you to question how things happened so quickly.
There's also a suspicious lack of LGBTQ+ rep, especially considering the circumstances of the story. There was some subtle allusion to it mentioned once if you managed to pick up on it, but I feel when the whole population is male, there should probably be more gay spice thrown in and the writers could have taken advantage of that.
Overall, I give this book a 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed reading it and I will be reading the second installment to find out what happens.
Until Corrine, after many miscarriages, became pregnant. With a girl. Against all odds, she survived. The first girl born in fifty years.
They called her Eve.
I love the premise of this book. Eve is the first female born in fifty years. She is kept in a facility, protected and taught to be the saviour of humanity. Shrouded from the real troubles of the world. She is the beacon of hope.
The story is told from a dual POV of Eve and Bram. Bram is Eve's friend. They don't meet in person. Bram control's the hologram of Eve's friend in the Dome, Holly. Until one day, they collide and Eve recognises Bram as her holographic friend, Holly.
The writing is simple and easy to read, probably aimed at younger teenagers, but still enjoyable for any age. I loved the story and the plot. The information is fed slowly and we watch Eve turn from a passive character to a one who begins to question her upbringing and then retaliate against it.
My critique to this story would be the side characters. They just fall flat for me. So when there are any deaths or whiff of deaths, I'm just not emotionally invested enough to care. Some of the plot is also rushed leaving you to question how things happened so quickly.
There's also a suspicious lack of LGBTQ+ rep, especially considering the circumstances of the story. There was some subtle allusion to it mentioned once if you managed to pick up on it, but I feel when the whole population is male, there should probably be more gay spice thrown in and the writers could have taken advantage of that.
Overall, I give this book a 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed reading it and I will be reading the second installment to find out what happens.
pip_reads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is such a great read and so enjoyable.