REVIEW: RISE BY ANNA CAREY.

Title: Rise (Eve #3)
Author: Anna Carey
Edition: Paperback (ARC)
Published: April 2, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 310
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Category: Dystopia, Romance
Trailer: not applicable

Synopsis:

How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

Rise is the best ending to the trilogy!

I've mentioned this before and will always be proud to say it over and over again, that Eve is one of the first series that showed me the way back to reading and tops my favorite series of all time. I was so lucky to have been provided an advance copy and I was just beaming with joy since I first pet Rise's cover! It is indeed the best feeling ever!

Eve is lamenting over Caleb's death and would really want the war to end. With Moss' instructions, she has to poison the King and pursue with their plan -- she has to escape while the rebels are fighting. Because of some unexpected turn of events, she has to flee immediately to save herself and some of her friends from being executed. She has to go back to Califia and take chances even if it means she has to risk their lives.

I've read Once last year so I was ecstatic to finally read Rise and find out how Carey ended this epic series. The world Rise showcased here doubled the chaos and cruelty that definitely made me shiver. I couldn't imagine living in such dark place. The gravity of rebellion leaps through each page as if it was happening in real life. And the twists Carey prepared took my whole world apart. Ironic thing is, I loved every bit of it.

I missed Eve, Caleb, Arden and Charles. Eve's transformation from being a frail teenager to now a brave and all grown up woman who fights for what is right is so visible I still couldn't grasp that it's Eve I am reading. She's changed so much through the course of the series and I can't help but admire her. She has a huge heart and the way she handled her pain from losing Caleb is so nerve-wracking. She handled it well I could say. Though she's bereft, she still managed to focus on things she needed to prioritize than wallow in misery. She believed so much in her cause and her unfailing trust toward the right thing is empowering. She showed that a woman can make huge decisions under difficult circumstances on her own. And though she lost a lot of her loved-ones, she managed to make it through.

Rise sure did have tons of surprises that made my stomach churn from excitement! Carey made such perfect ending to a beautiful series and I couldn't ask for more. Rise ended everything in the right place, at the right time with the right person and I loved it from Eve's page one up until Rise's very last! This is the ending Eve deserves!

Thank you so much Christine from Harper Collins for providing the ARC!

VERDICT:

"This is where he used to be. How can I possibly live with all these empty space?"

REVIEW: ONCE BY ANNA CAREY.

Title: Once
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve #2
Edition: Paperback, International
Publication: January 1st 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Bought from FullyBooked
Pages: 354
Genre: Dystopia, Romance

Synopsis:

In the second book of this thrilling dystopian adventure, Eve will come face to face with the king who has been ruthlessly hunting her and learn the shocking truth about who she really is.

Having managed to evade the soldiers hunting her, Eve finally reached Califia, a haven for women determined to live outside the oppressive rule of the King of New America. However, Eve's freedom came at a price: she was forced to leave Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve learns that Califia may not be as safe as it seems she sets out once again in the hopes of being with Caleb only to fall into a trap that sends her to the City of Sand and directly into the hands of the King.

Once at the stronghold of the King, Eve will uncover the real reason he was so intent on her capture, and the unbelievable role he intends her to fill. When she is finally reunited with Caleb inside the city walls, Eve will risk everything to be with him.

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THERE MIGHT BE SOME SPOILERS. BE WARNED.

Several months of waiting for Eve's sequel which is this book, Once, has tormented me big time. Eve has become one of my favorite series and ending it with such cliffhanger made me anxious to read its finale, Rise. Reading it gave me shivers because is the book is a knock-out and totally worth the wait.

Few months after Caleb left Eve to Califia, she tries coping with her life away from him and believes she's safe outside the King's radar. Though she manages, Eve's always longing for Caleb, wishing they'd be together even if it means having a rough life running in the wilds. Overhearing some girls premeditating how she would be turned over to the king once their location is found and that Caleb is alive, she grabbed her chance of finding him, only to be caught and brought to the City of Sands without knowing what awaits her.

What happened after Eve was brought to the king was something I didn't see coming. Honestly. That was something I wasn't really prepared for. I was so surprised seeing how her life dramatically changed that she took everything she have learned level-headed. She could've used her newly acquired power over the people of New America but she didn't. Instead, she remained herself and didn't stop thinking about her friends and Caleb. She continued to search for him in her own little ways and little did we know that fate would lead her to him. This is a dystopian world and you can see so much of it through Anna Carey's spectacular world building and the right amount of romance in it, which doesn't have an annoying love triangle, perfectly fits with the story it tells.

I adore Eve much more because she's so focused. She definitely knows what she wants and nothing in the story ever changed her mind, specially about Caleb. Unlike some female characters I've read before, Eve isn't easily bribed with anything grand thinking what she have been through. She also still managed to think about her friends and tried her best to save everyone she loves even if it costs her. Though her character is is typical, I love it because she's brave, smart and kind, so as Caleb. Its like no matter what fate throws at them, they would always find a way to each other holding the same intense love. I also love how they try to protect each other and how they communicate through codes despite the desperate situation they're in. It's a love story I think I haven't read before. Yes, it's a love story but it is something just perfect for my taste.

Its fun reading Once. It definitely transported me into the New America world and for 8 hours, I was so into it I completely forgot where I was! The pull is so strong that it feels as if I was seeing everything through the character's eyes and that's one thing that made this series my favorite: the story transports me.

""You do anything for the person you love,” she said finally. "And then when you don’t think you can give any more of yourself, you do. You keep going. Because it would kill you not to.""