The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ekearle's review
5.0
I just finished and wow. Jenna had me gripped through the whole book, and I actually had to force myself to stop and savour it (I did binge the last quarter in one sitting, oops). I cried, I cringed, I got angry on behalf of Eve- this book had a bit of everything in it I needed. I was pretty smug and thought I worked out the twist but of course Jenna was a step ahead and bamboozled me, and I am genuinely shocked by that. Most importantly of all though, she had the perfect ending. 10/10 recommending to everyone I know.
corporal_bookish's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. When I initially read it I thought it was pretty well written and had a moderately intriguing plot with the right amount of hazy details and revelations provided later on... but after watching some of Shaelin Bishop's writing videos I looked back over Eve and found it filled with so many common writer's mistake, it was embarrassing. (Thanks Shaelin, you made me a somewhat better reader with your videos).
A few problems with Jenna's writing style: She uses substituted for 'said' WAY TOO OFTEN. It kind of distracts from the flow of the speech, and shouldn't be used as often as people think. It felt like Jenna had deliberately gone and searched for a word just to replace 'said', when 'said' would've worked just as well. In other places dialogue tags aren't even needed. She uses a lot of superfluous description.
And frankly, her characters aren't very likable. Even the 'nice' ones like Percy. His character was so shallow and boring to read, I honestly felt pity for all the half-wits who find him entertaining. And I get it, he and Sanch are the 'comic' characters, but writing these days requires something more complex than dominant character traits to appear believable... It's kind of sad that Jenna has done this.
Honestly I think she does not deserve her popularity (maybe I'm just a sad jealous author who no one knows, or maybe I just think she doesn't follow her own advice...)
After skimming the book again I find it hard to believe she put this through a professional editor... Her book must have been a first time editors 'guinea pig' (quoting from her latest video).
Another thing:
THERE. WAS. TOO. MUCH. ACTION.
The fight scenes lasted more than 5 pages sometimes, and after a while I was too bored to actually read entire paragraphs. I would skip them, getting the idea that 'Yeah, yeah, it's 'impossible odds' but dw Eve will do it.'
Also: You need A HELL of a lot of willing suspension of disbelief for this book. At the end, Eve gets stabbed I don't know how many times, and Jason is BATTERED, but she still has the strength to defeat the enemy (trying not to spoil it here) and JASON HAS THE STRENGTH TO FRIGGIN CARRY HER ASS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LAIR, AND THEN HAVE A ROW WITH A BUNCH OF PATROLMEN AT THE UNIVERSITY?? Come on Jenna, I don't believe that.
Characters that were annoying, there are plenty of: Madison, JJ, Heather (OH MY FRIGGIN GOD HEATHER WAS SO ANNOYING FML KILL ME).
There is a nice bunch of plot twists, ones that I definitely did not see coming - a big positive.
As for the book's DESIGN: Hardly 3/5. It's way too big - 6 x 9 just isnt a comfortable size for a paperback these days. The pages were BLINDINGLY WHITE (like, whiter than Miley Cyrus' teeth), and the font was not really unique. There was no 'about the author' page, which is sad because those really help personalize a book.
One thing I found annoying was the capitalization when Jenna was trying to (I assume) indicate shouting or something. It was pretty distracting.
OVERALL: I'd say this was far better than I thought it would be, but it's nowhere near perfect.
A few problems with Jenna's writing style: She uses substituted for 'said' WAY TOO OFTEN. It kind of distracts from the flow of the speech, and shouldn't be used as often as people think. It felt like Jenna had deliberately gone and searched for a word just to replace 'said', when 'said' would've worked just as well. In other places dialogue tags aren't even needed. She uses a lot of superfluous description.
And frankly, her characters aren't very likable. Even the 'nice' ones like Percy. His character was so shallow and boring to read, I honestly felt pity for all the half-wits who find him entertaining. And I get it, he and Sanch are the 'comic' characters, but writing these days requires something more complex than dominant character traits to appear believable... It's kind of sad that Jenna has done this.
Honestly I think she does not deserve her popularity (maybe I'm just a sad jealous author who no one knows, or maybe I just think she doesn't follow her own advice...)
After skimming the book again I find it hard to believe she put this through a professional editor... Her book must have been a first time editors 'guinea pig' (quoting from her latest video).
Another thing:
THERE. WAS. TOO. MUCH. ACTION.
The fight scenes lasted more than 5 pages sometimes, and after a while I was too bored to actually read entire paragraphs. I would skip them, getting the idea that 'Yeah, yeah, it's 'impossible odds' but dw Eve will do it.'
Also: You need A HELL of a lot of willing suspension of disbelief for this book. At the end, Eve gets stabbed I don't know how many times, and Jason is BATTERED, but she still has the strength to defeat the enemy (trying not to spoil it here) and JASON HAS THE STRENGTH TO FRIGGIN CARRY HER ASS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LAIR, AND THEN HAVE A ROW WITH A BUNCH OF PATROLMEN AT THE UNIVERSITY?? Come on Jenna, I don't believe that.
Characters that were annoying, there are plenty of: Madison, JJ, Heather (OH MY FRIGGIN GOD HEATHER WAS SO ANNOYING FML KILL ME).
There is a nice bunch of plot twists, ones that I definitely did not see coming - a big positive.
As for the book's DESIGN: Hardly 3/5. It's way too big - 6 x 9 just isnt a comfortable size for a paperback these days. The pages were BLINDINGLY WHITE (like, whiter than Miley Cyrus' teeth), and the font was not really unique. There was no 'about the author' page, which is sad because those really help personalize a book.
One thing I found annoying was the capitalization when Jenna was trying to (I assume) indicate shouting or something. It was pretty distracting.
OVERALL: I'd say this was far better than I thought it would be, but it's nowhere near perfect.
cressreads's review
5.0
This book was amazing (in my opinion.
I loved the characters. The protagonist was great. The love interest wasn't a jerk. The bromance was awesome.
I loved the plot.
I just loved the story overall.
I loved the characters. The protagonist was great. The love interest wasn't a jerk. The bromance was awesome.
I loved the plot.
I just loved the story overall.
millennialbookreview's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like Eve: The Awakening, but to be honest, it just wasn't right for me. It's not a terrible book, but I didn't really enjoy very much of it. There were too many extra elements that weren't needed, too many side plots which took me out of the story. Considering this is Jenna Moreci's debut novel, I wouldn't say that it was bad, just a bit disappointing. Perhaps I set my expectations too high going into this novel.
gothmomauthor's review
4.0
Though this started off as the typical YA story with the tropes that annoy me (Oh no, I have powers but I just want to be normal!) it quickly became interesting. The questionable decisions made, the growth of characters, the delving into new friendships; all these aspects fit the age group perfectly.
The story itself was a fun ride that I found hard to put down. Head hopping was a bit of an issue, but overall, I enjoyed this story and want more. No, I need to more of Eve and Jason's story! I would certainly love to see Jenna write a new book in this series now, after so long. Funny to watch her make videos about the tropes she hates and to see them in this book, but authors learn and grow just as much as their characters do.
I hope once her Savior series is done she circles back to this series.
The story itself was a fun ride that I found hard to put down. Head hopping was a bit of an issue, but overall, I enjoyed this story and want more. No, I need to more of Eve and Jason's story! I would certainly love to see Jenna write a new book in this series now, after so long. Funny to watch her make videos about the tropes she hates and to see them in this book, but authors learn and grow just as much as their characters do.
I hope once her Savior series is done she circles back to this series.
stephnsketch's review
2.0
Good: The writing style is refreshing. The main character squad is likeable (possibly stereotypical), and Eve really knows how to kick ass. It just takes a looooongg time before it happens. The actions scenes were done very well and the plot points followed through. If she cut her book 50 pages, it would probably have been a much more enticing and enjoyable read.
By buying this book, you'll be supporting an awesome lady who gives great writing advice.
The cons:
It takes half of the book to get into, it's unnecessarily lengthy, the high school drama does not work in the college setting (very 'Mean Girls'-ish), and the hatred towards the main character is way too forced. The mean girl characters lacked redeemable traits, leaving many to be flat and one-dimensional. On another note, though I do understand the setting revolved around the young and the wealthy, it does take away from the main storyline.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't.
By buying this book, you'll be supporting an awesome lady who gives great writing advice.
The cons:
It takes half of the book to get into, it's unnecessarily lengthy, the high school drama does not work in the college setting (very 'Mean Girls'-ish), and the hatred towards the main character is way too forced. The mean girl characters lacked redeemable traits, leaving many to be flat and one-dimensional. On another note, though I do understand the setting revolved around the young and the wealthy, it does take away from the main storyline.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't.
felidae_'s review
5.0
Eve: The Awakening is the perfect book for those who want human v alien action, a sub-love story, and events that keep you guessing. I was engrossed in the first few pages, being sucked in by Jenna Moreci's fabulous writing style and organized plot. Though the chapters were long, I was not bored at all.
The book is set in the not so distant future, and Jenna has beautifully created an alternate culture that isn't so different from our own, but the vernacular is distinctly different. It's thrilling to read stories that introduce a new way to talk, giving the feel of the future.
The characters are easy to bond with, an understanding could be felt as soon as the first few pages were read. And as new characters were introduced, you could sympathize and relate to them all. This is a refreshing alien invasion story that rivals The Fifth Wave/ The Infinite Sea in surprise factor, action, plot, characters, and overall enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Jenna deserves all the love in the world for her beautifully crafted book!
I do hope there will be a sequel!
The book is set in the not so distant future, and Jenna has beautifully created an alternate culture that isn't so different from our own, but the vernacular is distinctly different. It's thrilling to read stories that introduce a new way to talk, giving the feel of the future.
The characters are easy to bond with, an understanding could be felt as soon as the first few pages were read. And as new characters were introduced, you could sympathize and relate to them all. This is a refreshing alien invasion story that rivals The Fifth Wave/ The Infinite Sea in surprise factor, action, plot, characters, and overall enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Jenna deserves all the love in the world for her beautifully crafted book!
I do hope there will be a sequel!
eve_boobies's review
5.0
Oh boy did I like that book. The characters had such a great dynamic, the story was engaging and the world building was nothing short of lovely. This book played like a film in my head as I read it which was amazing and something I’ve never experienced before. There were of course a few let downs but they were overshadowed by the positives.
juliahersum's review
4.0
This was certainly a page turner. Although I found some of the characters and relationships to be a bit pidgeon holed, this was a very impressive first novel an Eve was a kick ass protagonist, and the romance was so swoon worthy. Can't wait for book 2!