kmpuzzled's review against another edition
not what I was expecting, unsympathetic heroine
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of fun. I liked the concept of a post-apocalyptic frozen waste land, and the ever looming threat of Bane was effective. The romance was charming and I liked the pace, it felt believable and I was a fan of this couple. The world building was a wee bit shallow, some details were plopped in awkwardly and I felt the past connections could have been unveiled more organically. Also the repetition of some words and phrases ("masculine smile" anyone?) could have done with an editor being a bit stricter. But these are minor complaints for what proved to be a compelling ride. And if you can sell me a hero named Wizard of all things, it really must be enjoyable.
a_novel_ty's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 3.75
I needed a little break from all of the contemporary romance feels I was getting from the most recent books I've completed. Crazy! I know. But I didn't want to depart too much from the romance. I wanted something adventurous, fast paced and fun with just a touch of feels thrown in and I immediately thought about Eve Silver (Kenin.) I've read two different series by her in the past, one adult and one young adult and enjoyed them immensely so I decided to give her older series Northern Waste a shot.
I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy Driven, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting or going for. Reading Driven, I could tell this was a series that was written earlier than the series' that I have read by Eve in the past. There was very little exposition and the plot seemed to jump around from time to time, especially when it came to the relationship between the two main characters Raina and Wizard.
Raina is a trucker, on a quest for a million dollar prize to take care of her and her newly discovered sister but running for her life and constantly looking over her shoulder at the same time. Driven opens with her at a diner in the frozen wastelands waiting for her connect to arrive and supply her with the pass she needs to lead her to the million dollar reward and autonomy and safety for her sister. So it's just her luck (or not so much,) when the elusive and mysterious Wizard shows up drawing all kinds of unwanted attention to himself and Raina. They end up teaming up to fight off and outrun the thugs and miscreants sent by the very person Raina has been running from her entire life.
Raina and Wizards relationship in Driven starts off feeling steamy and organic but as soon as the initial attraction between the two is acknowledged, Eve fell into the trap that a lot of authors seem to fall into when writing romance in books that aren't focused on romance. Instead of continuing with the organic progression of their relationship, Wizard and Raina basically fell right in love. What made it more jarring was the fact that Wizard is introduced as a very logical and analytical character. Because of his upbringing and design, he doesn't feel emtions or understand the emotions of others. So when he and Raina fall into this whirlwind romance after only knowing one another for a couple weeks, it threw me off.
The romance wasn't the only issue I had with Driven. The plot was also a little bit all over the place. Driven starts off with a clear cut point and final destination. Raina wants to get the load on her rig to Gladow station so she can collect her million dollars and take care of herself and her sister. But about halfway through the book, that goal is completely dropped and the story takes an aimless turn. There were times I was reading it and I had no idea where the story was going or what the point of continuing on with the book would be.
It wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the banter between Wizard and Raina and the genuine moments they had. I enjoyed the action sequences and all the dangerous stunts Raina, Wizard and their team engaged in, in order to survive the many attacks aimed at them. The twists were a bit predictable but not so much so, that I felt like not completing the book. All in all, despite all the flaws and misgivings, Driven was a solid read and I do plan on reading the next book in the series.
I needed a little break from all of the contemporary romance feels I was getting from the most recent books I've completed. Crazy! I know. But I didn't want to depart too much from the romance. I wanted something adventurous, fast paced and fun with just a touch of feels thrown in and I immediately thought about Eve Silver (Kenin.) I've read two different series by her in the past, one adult and one young adult and enjoyed them immensely so I decided to give her older series Northern Waste a shot.
I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy Driven, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting or going for. Reading Driven, I could tell this was a series that was written earlier than the series' that I have read by Eve in the past. There was very little exposition and the plot seemed to jump around from time to time, especially when it came to the relationship between the two main characters Raina and Wizard.
Raina is a trucker, on a quest for a million dollar prize to take care of her and her newly discovered sister but running for her life and constantly looking over her shoulder at the same time. Driven opens with her at a diner in the frozen wastelands waiting for her connect to arrive and supply her with the pass she needs to lead her to the million dollar reward and autonomy and safety for her sister. So it's just her luck (or not so much,) when the elusive and mysterious Wizard shows up drawing all kinds of unwanted attention to himself and Raina. They end up teaming up to fight off and outrun the thugs and miscreants sent by the very person Raina has been running from her entire life.
Raina and Wizards relationship in Driven starts off feeling steamy and organic but as soon as the initial attraction between the two is acknowledged, Eve fell into the trap that a lot of authors seem to fall into when writing romance in books that aren't focused on romance. Instead of continuing with the organic progression of their relationship, Wizard and Raina basically fell right in love. What made it more jarring was the fact that Wizard is introduced as a very logical and analytical character. Because of his upbringing and design, he doesn't feel emtions or understand the emotions of others. So when he and Raina fall into this whirlwind romance after only knowing one another for a couple weeks, it threw me off.
The romance wasn't the only issue I had with Driven. The plot was also a little bit all over the place. Driven starts off with a clear cut point and final destination. Raina wants to get the load on her rig to Gladow station so she can collect her million dollars and take care of herself and her sister. But about halfway through the book, that goal is completely dropped and the story takes an aimless turn. There were times I was reading it and I had no idea where the story was going or what the point of continuing on with the book would be.
It wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the banter between Wizard and Raina and the genuine moments they had. I enjoyed the action sequences and all the dangerous stunts Raina, Wizard and their team engaged in, in order to survive the many attacks aimed at them. The twists were a bit predictable but not so much so, that I felt like not completing the book. All in all, despite all the flaws and misgivings, Driven was a solid read and I do plan on reading the next book in the series.
izzy_happyfornow's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 there was a lot of promise, but I was left feeling like too much Mary Sue in Raina. Overall the story idea was really solid just lacked character development.
bookishrabbit's review against another edition
2.0
Ice road truckers meets sexy times. Crazy, "I am a bad guy just because" villain. Way too much repetition and inner dialogue in awkward spots. I love frozen post apocalyptic settings, but I barely made it through this one. Oh, and "Wizard" is not a name you want to scream out...ever.
reading_rainy's review against another edition
4.0
*3.5* A very unique dystopian, sci-fi romance.
Human, but raised by computers, Wizard is an unemotional powerhouse. He has to be partially cyborg with beyond excellent vision and hearing, and he's very robot-like in his wooing technique.
Human, but raised by computers, Wizard is an unemotional powerhouse. He has to be partially cyborg with beyond excellent vision and hearing, and he's very robot-like in his wooing technique.
"Your eyes are appropriately spaced," he whispered.Raina was raised by an ex-military father who trained her to fight, by beating her every time she lost. Both had brutal upbringings but find commendality under all their emotional walls. This story is like ice truckers meets Mad Max.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
2.0
I read this for the Vaginal Fantasy Book Club, May 2015.
First off, I read this as part of an 8 book bundle called Women of the Apocalypse. It was on sale for only $.99 and cheaper than just getting the book I wanted. Can I tell you that I hated reading it this way? Especially since I really just wanted it to be over and I had NO idea where I was at in it since all 8 books were smooshed together in one big file. Blech.
This is something I never would have picked up on my own. The premise was fine, just not something I'm usually into. I do like future dystopian, but I felt that's where this book really failed. It was in the future...some indeterminate future where things are bad, but why? If the author knows, she's not telling.
The author was VERY repetitive. Every other page, she calls Wizard (Seriously? Wizard?) some sort of gun trucker. Which is great, since if we're talking literally, she's more of a gun trucker than he is. We get the same inner monologue in her head over and over again. Yes, it's realistic, but it makes for BORING reading.
Did not like.
First off, I read this as part of an 8 book bundle called Women of the Apocalypse. It was on sale for only $.99 and cheaper than just getting the book I wanted. Can I tell you that I hated reading it this way? Especially since I really just wanted it to be over and I had NO idea where I was at in it since all 8 books were smooshed together in one big file. Blech.
This is something I never would have picked up on my own. The premise was fine, just not something I'm usually into. I do like future dystopian, but I felt that's where this book really failed. It was in the future...some indeterminate future where things are bad, but why? If the author knows, she's not telling.
The author was VERY repetitive. Every other page, she calls Wizard (Seriously? Wizard?) some sort of gun trucker. Which is great, since if we're talking literally, she's more of a gun trucker than he is. We get the same inner monologue in her head over and over again. Yes, it's realistic, but it makes for BORING reading.
Did not like.
lberestecki's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars.
This was super silly and ridiculous and had a weird premise, but it was fun. It wasn't a masterpiece, and it is definitely the kind of book you need to be in the right mood for, but it's good for when you want an easy & quick read. Everything works out a little too easily, but I was never terribly annoyed with the plot. I really liked Yukiro as a character, and the other characters were all fairly likable. I didn't care enough about them to continue with the series though.
This was super silly and ridiculous and had a weird premise, but it was fun. It wasn't a masterpiece, and it is definitely the kind of book you need to be in the right mood for, but it's good for when you want an easy & quick read. Everything works out a little too easily, but I was never terribly annoyed with the plot. I really liked Yukiro as a character, and the other characters were all fairly likable. I didn't care enough about them to continue with the series though.