Once

Today's post is on Once by Anna Carey. It is the second in her Eve trilogy. It is 354 pages long and is published by Harper. The cover has Eve standing with her back to the reader facing a long stone tunnel. The intended reader is someone who has read the first one, likes dystopian, and love stories. There is implied sex, some mild language, and voilence in this book. The story is told from Eve's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- When you're being hunted, who can you trust?
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

Review- A solid second novel. In general I liked this novel. The only thing I would have liked more in it, it that Eve and a young woman named Clara started working together far sooner. Their interactions, I felt, did add to the overall story. But we get a good look at how the country is being run and a really good look at the king. I think he maybe a bit of a wooden villain but he does the job. He believes that he making a stronger New America by forcing young women to have four babies at once for ten years. I will give him this, he does not even pretend to care that he is harming this women. He just believes in his vision and nothing else matters. The love story is still good and the cliffhanger is not bad.I am curious how Carey is going to wrap things up.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift.