Wendy Godding's Reviews > Once

After reading the other reviews on here I agree with most that is hard to write a proper review without giving away too much of the plot and the huge twist which - like everyone else it seems - I didn't see coming and is a great addition to the plot.

First the good. The premise is excellent. The writing is good too, Carey has a talent for getting the reader to read on, to always want more.

Now, the negatives. Eve is the most selfish character fathomable. I didn't actually find her that selfish in the first book, even though she had been reviewed as such, but in this book she really is selfish. She spends an awful lot of time in a 'woe is me' head space with barely a thought to her friends left at the school or the danger Caleb is in. And again she makes poor decisions that are so obvious, trusts everyone that opens their mouths to her and seems to take risks with everyone's lives without ever really seeming to take that guilt on or even acknowledge the consequences of her choices. I didn't feel sorry for Eve at any point which was a shame as she did make a sacrifice, but if she hadn't harped on about it so much I might have felt it.

And Caleb.... he seems to have been dumbed down for this book, making some questionable decisions.

The plot and world building was also questionable. Set only thirty years in the future they talk about a world where there were once buildings a hundred stories high. What happened to them? How did a plague get rid of skyscrapers? I didn't get it. The plague is only fifteen years old, surely there are still people alive who remember the world 'before'. Maybe Carey needed to set it further in the future, or have something else change the world as I didn't understand how a plague brought down buildings.

In all, it was an enjoyable read and I will look out for the next book in the trilogy simply because Carey has left us with another cliff hanger. If you loved Eve you will enjoy this, if you didn't love Eve, I'd say give it a miss.