Title: Once (Eve #2)
Author: Anna Carey
Release date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 368
Source: Publisher

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.

While I still felt that Once was a little lackluster, I enjoyed it much more than Eve and I think it did a great job of setting things up for the final book, Rise.  Anna Carey’s books may not be my favorites but I can definitely see why so many people like them.

Eve is not the same girl from the first book.  She is much stronger, braver, smarter, and, in my opinion, easier to like.  She can manage on her own now.  In the first book she really did expect others to do everything for her but now she is better about doing things for herself and for others.  Instead of just trying get by she is not trying to learn how to make a life in the Wilds.  Her whole outlook is different and she really is a better character.

Now I know everyone wants to know about Caleb.  Sadly there wasn’t actually a whole lot of Caleb in Once.  When he was present he was just as great as ever though.  He’s such a sweet guy!

And while I wouldn’t call it a love triangle, a new guy does enter the scene and he definitely has some romantic feelings for Eve.  I didn’t think of him as a bad guy, he just could never take the place of Caleb.  I’m not sure if Anna Carey really added him in for a love triangle effect or if he has a greater purpose later on.  We will have to wait and see.

As for the king; let’s just say his role is not quite what I expected it would be.  I should have seen it coming but I didn’t and I was pleasantly surprised by that.  I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t say anything other than that it was a real shocker.

Really though I think the thing I liked about Once is the hint of more to come.  Once is quite an action-packed book but it really makes you think that Rise is going to be kick-ass.  The rebellion is coming and it’s not going to be pretty.

Overall, Once was definitely a step up from Eve and it’s left me with very high hopes for Rise.