Member Reviews
Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
I thought this was a well written dystopian novel. It all starts off so innocently and you feel like Eve is definitely doing the right things. In actual fact she is being manipulated and used. Like everyone else. The whole premise of the book is power and who holds it and can wield it.
I loved the characters, even the ones that I really disliked. They’re well thought out and the personalities and plot keep you wanting more. I’m assuming there is another part to this story from the way things ended in this one. Can’t wait to read that too!
I love a good end of civilization book and this didn't disappoint. It was so quirky with it being that all the babies born in the world are boys one day until Eve is born. So can't deny that Eve, Bram and Hartman were my favourite characters. I found the storyline really engaging but there were some slow parts that I felt could have been made more interesting. Overall a very enjoyable read
At first it was just an anomaly. The nurseries were full of blue blankets without a pink one in sight, but as time went on and not a single girl was born it was realised that humanity cannot survive.
By some miracle Eve is born! She is immediately swept away to be safeguarded away from nearly everyone. She is the hope of the world. Eve grows up almost literally in an ivory tower! The tower is protected by sophisticated electronics. She is cared for by a group of 'Mothers'- none of whom are her actual mother. As she approached sixteen she prepares to meet her 'Potential' match - someone genetically chosen to breed with her in the hope of the birth of another girl. The only companion near her own age is Holly, a highly advanced hologram piloted by a group of various young men. Eve is an intelligent girl, she has been highly educated and given her own Garden of Eden but as her fate approaches she begins to question what she wants
There is one of the 'Hollys' that is her favourite. Bram is her pilot and as time goes on he falls for her and questions if what they are doing is the right thing- even if his father is the lead scientist!
The world outside has descended into a dystopian wasteland. A group called the 'Freevers' frequently try to storm the tower & Bram finds that he has some sympathy with them.
Told from the perspective of both Eve & Bram we get a good overview of this broken world. I knew this was the start of a trilogy. I knew I wouldn't get a satisfactory ending- I wasn't quite so prepared to be so desperate to know what happened next!!
Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- please can I get Books 2 & 3 really soon??
Loved the dual points of view and the overall unique concept of this plot. Preferred the female POV and was a tiny bit uncomfortable with the kind of background feel that males could be uncontrollable and overwhelmed by their hormones/instincts. Loved the world building overall but found it a tiny bit repetitive in places.
Imagine a world full of men and no women. That’s what the future looks like when no female babies are born for over 50 years until Eve. Sixteen years later, Eve has grown up in a paradise created just for her, and she’s ready to embark on her mission to save the species. But how much of what she has been told is a lie, and is she really with the people who want what’s best for her?
I think I need to formally apologise to Tom and Giovanna Fletcher because this book was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I found the idea intriguing but I just assumed this would end up being a weird mish-mash of all the other dystopian books that have come before and be just an ‘alright’ read. But it was actually really good.
Eve of Man definitely stood up on its own for me, and I was instantly captivated by Eve’s character, as well as Bram’s and their different but equally sheltered worlds. The age of technology in this novel is also fascinating but it does make you wonder if they can do so much stuff with holograms, and conscious AIs, why can’t they create baby girls? Obviously a lot of this gets explained over the course of the book but I liked being able to ponder about it by myself for a while.
There is not a whole lot of world building in this book, at least for the first there quarters anyway as both Eve and Bram are in a very sheltered building away from the real world that is basically just gone to hell (because that’s what happens when things are left to men, duh).
One of the things that did bother me slightly was the lack of queer representation in this book. Surely, in a world full of men there would be A LOT of gay/bi/queer characters??? There was one brief mention of men kissing and that was it. I feel like there was the potential there to have some fantastic openly queer and proud characters and the Fletchers just didn’t take it up. Hopefully in the sequel!
On a side note - there was mention that the make-up industry was practically dead because of the lack of women. Umm men wear make-up too? The drag community alone would probably keep that industry going!
I loved this book! The concept was quite unique and there was a huge scope of spectaculation a lot. There were multiple plot twists and no information dumps. I'm still eager to know more about the book's world.
There were a lot of character deaths and I cried as some of my favourite ones died. I loved Eve's character and her development too as she realises how powerful she really is. Bram was sweet and strong, ruled by his emotions which made him all the more interesting. The Mothers had quite different personalities and I liked reading about them, especially their past. Hartman was a pretty entertaining character too!
There wasn't much happening in the middle and I loved the first part of the book best as the second half held more of action scenes but nevertheless this really is a wonderful book and I can't wait for it's sequel to come out!
My immediate reaction after finishing reading this was to post a tweet tagging the authors:
"Anyone else hate it when you're reading a brilliant story, totally engrossed in it, desperate to know what happens next and you see those three dreadful words:
To be continued . . . .
Argh!!! Eve of Man by @TomFletcher and @MrsGiFletcher - I need the next two books now, please!!"
I still need those next books, please!
This is a dystopian story in which no girls have been born for fifty years, well, no girls except for Eve. For sixteen years she’s brought up in relative isolation in the Dome, away from contact with anyone other than a variety of older ladies who act as her mother figures and Holly, a holographic girl who is actually controlled by one of three young males, one of whom is a similar age to Eve. Now she’s sixteen and is going to be introduced to the three males who have been selected as potential mates for her . . . . She’s been compliant until now but with a future as a brood mare for the human race the only thing she has to look forward to for herself and any girls she gives birth to she starts to reevaluate her choices and expectations.
This is an enthralling read with great world building and plenty of drama. It is an action packed exploration of relationships, power struggles, personal choices and so much more. It has an engaging plot line, great characters and I didn’t want to put it down, it was a real page turner. Now I really can’t wait to read the sequels in this disquieting view of the future.
I requested and was given a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.
An intriguing story that had me hooked from hearing about it - Eve is the first girl to be born for 50 years and lives in a 'Dome' to protect her from the outside world which is slowly dying. She is seen as the saviour of the human race and on her 16th birthday is introduced to 3 potential suitors who are chosen for their suitability for repopulating Earth ( no pressure then!) she has to choose one of them but things don't go to plan and Eve starts to discover that her life until now is not what it seems. With the help of her best friend Holly (who is a hologram and controlled by men one of whom is Bram the same age as her and who has been one of the Hollys' all his life) she discovers things are hidden from her. The chapters alternate between Eve and Bram. If you like a Dystopian love story with a splash of The Truman show then I think you will enjoy this!
Looking forward to book 2!!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced reading copy of this book.
As a fan of dystopian books I was intrigued by the premise of this one. For me it was a bit of a slow starter, it as soon as the story kicked up a gear I was totally drawn in. I love the fact this is the start of a new series and am extremely excited about where the author will take the story next.
50 years where only boys were born. The earth is in trouble, then an unlikely couple have a miracle. Eve the first girl born. Living in a dome to protect her, is she the answer to save the world.
Bram, pilot and son of one of the powerful men in the EPO. He has know Eve for a long time thanks to high tech technology.
But what if they both want something different?
Eve lived a lonely life, whilst she lived in beautiful surrounds and had the “Mothers” with her throughout her growing up, she had no one of her own age. What she learned was from archives and watched 24/7. Her only companion was Holly an AI. Even though she had a sheltered life, she was wise to the EPO tricks. As she grew up she started to question her existents and the reason behind her imprisonment.
Bram was one of the pilots of Holly. Being the son of one of the big bosses, did not go down well with some of his team. But he was good at what he did. However when he began to get to close to Eve and question authority, he had to make a stand.
With an unique storyline, this story captured my attention from page 1. As the story progresses you find out the character’s history and even though Eve and Bram had not officially met, they had a similar background. Bram was a strong character and this was probably due to his abusive father. His true leaderships skills comes to force further in the book. The relationship between Eve and Bram was innocent and sweet and you want to carry on reading to see how their friendship developed. Whilst some of the mothers’ history was revealed in the story, I would like to know about the them as they remind me of a group of nuns.
Like any dystopian story, you have the downtrodden and this book is no different. The Freevers are a group of people that are not happy with the situation with the EPO. Wanting to free Eve, they work in the shadows for their cause. Whilst technology plays a big part in the story, the authors managed to blend some lower tech into the mix, so look out for a Rubiks cube the bane of many 80s child’s life. The book has a steady flow to it, and the action builds up to a dramatic climax which leaves you wanting more.
Although this book is written by two authors the style of the writing makes it impossible to tell who had written what. This book is ideal for young and old alike and if you are looking for your first dystopian novel this will be a perfect read. Be warned this does finish on a cliff hanger and I hope that I do not have to wait to long for book 2. A great start to this series.
I asked to read this novel based on its description; I hadn’t read anything by either author priot to this and I wondered how the dual authorship might work. I have been pleasantly surprised; the narrative flowed, it was excitng and engaging throughout. I liked the characters and the development of characters and plot. I also enjoyed dual narrative between Eve and Bram. This genre has been well explored by many authors, but I liked this writing style and the story was not completely predictable. I can’t wait for the next installment. I have pre-ordered for my school library; students will love it.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I'm honestly a little disappointed in this one. The premise sounded fantastic and it came pretty highly recommended from netgalley so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to that expectation. Maybe I think too much into these things but there's an awful lot that's not explained in this book.
I just felt like 50 years was a little too long? And why were no other girls born after Eve? Obviously something changed that meant she could survive, but why no more? Not to mention the obvious moral issues of repopulating the Earth using only Eve and her blood relations.
The novel itself was good. I enjoyed the dual perspective, and there were some great action-y parts. There were just so many unanswered questions.
It’s no brainer that I absolutely love dystopian sci-fi, there’s literally no brain cells required. And the fact that the synopsis was super intriguing also helped a lot while I wondered if I wanted to request the book or not. The synopsis really made me want to read it and luckily, I was approved for it, it’s a heavily requested book from what I understood. So, I am just glad that I got to read it in advance.
The book starts with a prologue that gives us the sense of surrealism, one day girls just simply stopped being born. There were only boys and no matter how much the scientists and the doctors tried, there was no girl being born in the whole world. At first, it was considered something of a novelty, how funny that there were no girls born but then, people began to notice that the novelty wasn’t a novelty after so many tries and months. That’s when the true panic spread.
Then after many years, a girl is born. After fifty years. She is the special one; she’s the first one after so many years. She is named Eve. She’s kept away from the public for very obvious reasons, men being men might try to do away with her and all that jazz. She’s sheltered and has Mothers tending to her, rearing her. I loved the Mothers, they each other their own personality and it was shown in a brilliant way. Eve’s relationships with her Mothers was a joy to read, they each other their own way of treating Eve, of behaving around Eve.
As we are introduced to Eve’s life, we are also given hints of what’s happening out in the world. I am hoping that we get to see more of the world that’s left after the ruination. Mere vague hints are not enough! I want more. We are also introduced to Holly, a friend created specifically for Eve. She has pilots who run her and programmers who look after the coding.
One of the pilots, Bram, feels a real friendship for Eve, understands her problems more than the other pilots because he has grown up with her. Sure, he was Holly in front of her but all that Eve shares with him remains with him. He is genuinely fond of her.
Eve turns sixteen and potential mates for found for her, she’s after all the Saviour of humanity. I loved the plot and the way it unfolded so far. There are some really good scenes in the book and I hope everyone gets to read them. We can see the good and the bad in men, men who have not seen women for a while. Men who are desperate enough that they think it’s alright to kidnap or rape or even kill her. Then there are men who are conflicted but make the right decisions in the end. There’s an almost trigger scene in the novel where a man has Eve cornered and maybe he did want to protect her at first but there were signs that he had ideas for something much worse. He doesn’t want to do it but we can see the temptation and that’s scary and too real, frankly. Which is why I kind of loved the fact that they decided to put it there.
It starts out as such a good story, seriously. I love the premise and I loved the first half of the book, it was well-written and well-paced. The thing with the rest of it, well, this is where the young adult part comes in, I guess. The basic plot is not bad but since they tried to use some very familiar tropes, it turned into a very typical read for me.
Till the moment they introduced the romance, I was really into the book afterwards though, it just felt like I was reading a typical YA novel. That’s why I can’t give it more than 3.75 stars. There’s so much potential but falling prey to the tropes is what made it less. It’s a trilogy so I am hoping there’s some redemption for this because I really, really enjoyed the first sixty percent of the book. It’s a good book with just a dash of problems.
Also, call me vain or whatever but I really liked the cover? It’s so pleasing to the eye.
Overall, I really loved the premise and even the characters of the book, to a point. There came a point however when I couldn’t really love it? I am hoping that the next books will make it better. So, if you are a fan of science fiction, or young adult fiction or dystopian novels in general then you should definitely give it a try.
What’s it About? The first in a new trilogy by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher. Fifty years ago, women stopped giving birth to boys. The human race is on the brink of distinction until an elderly couple give birth to a daughter, Eve. Flash forward 16 years and Eve just wants to be a teenage girl but that’s kind of hard when the fate of the human race is on your shoulders. Three potential males have been selected and it’s going to be up to her to provide the females the world really needs. She’s always been kind of ok with that. But then there is Bram. Is it selfish to choose love over the fate of actual humanity?
What I liked It’s clever and different and intriguing. And kind of unputdownable; I read it in a day over the bank holiday. I am such a sucker for a good dystopia and I love when somebody finds a twist on that, that hasn’t been done to death. I enjoyed the split narrative, that we got both Eve and Bram’s take on things and they were both clear and interesting characters. Eve perhaps a little moreso than Bram. Their individual voices were really distinct too; I wondered if Giovanna and Tom had written one of them each – I’d love to know their writing process on this book actually – and even though a lot of the story centres around the miniscule part of the world Eve has been allowed to see, we still got enough of a hint of the outside world to imagine what was going on out there. Despite a slow part in the middle, I flew through this book and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
What I liked Less There’s the fact it really did get slow in the middle, it’s repetitive too and a lot of time was spent going over and over Eve and Bram’s feelings for each other that wish had been spent getting into the nitty gritty of the story. Things I really wanted answers to seemed to be glossed over so a couple of times I was left thinking ‘but how did that happen, though’ and there was a lot of tell and not enough show and whilst I appreciate that it might not have been the story they wanted to tell, I felt like there were quite a lot of missed opportunities: there’ve been no women born for 50 years so let’s talk about gender roles; women are kept away from men because men cannot be trusted to control themselves so let’s talk about rape culture and gender (in)equality and so on and so forth. As ever, I am greedy, all the time, for more.
For the past 50 years only baby boys have been born, no one can explain it, then a unassuming couple at the end of their fertility unexpectedly fall pregnant to the long awaited girl. She is called Eve – the savior of humanity! Eve is now 16 and ready to fulfil her destiny but Eve is developing a mind of her own and is realizing that things may not be as they seem.
This is a really interesting book, classed as a YA dystopian novel but actually I think it is much more than that –‘with no future generation to inherit our world, we abused it beyond anyone’s imagining.’ It raises some really interesting moral and ethical dilemmas which personally I would have loved to have delved a little more into, had it been written for adults maybe they would have, but that didn’t detract in anyway from my enjoyment of this book.
The story is told from two viewpoints Eve and Bram, swapping regularly throughout. Bram is the son of the scientist that invented Eve’s ‘world’ as she knows it, an artificial dome (think Truman show) that is designed to keep her happy and compliant, as part of this they give her Holly, an artificial friend that is piloted by Bram. A chance encounter between them changes everything. I liked both characters, they were strong and willing to fight against unbelievable odds and difficult beginnings.
The action is fast paced and well written. I massively disliked the characters Vivian and Dr Isaac Wells, there was nothing there to warm me to them, which I think is the point, however, I would have liked to have read a little from their points of view, to see what their motivation was – there is also a big unanswered question for me concerning Vivian – hopefully this will be answered in future books.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I really hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book in the trilogy! Big thank you to Penguin Random and House and Netgalley for giving me a copy to review.
Eve is the first woman to be born for 50 years. As she is now 16, she is expected to chose her partner, from three men who have been specially selected, and try for another baby, to start what will hopefully be the next generation of girls.
Eve has a seemingly wonderful live protected in a tower surrounded by loving ‘mothers’ (her own having died in childbirth). She would not want to be a part of the normal world at ground level where her life could be in danger. But is all as it seems? Will Eve be able to chose an appropriate match for herself?
I really enjoyed reading this YA book written by husband and wife team, Tom and Giovanna Fletcher, even though I am well outside of their target audience. It can be read as a self contained book, but certainly sets up the story well as the first in the trilogy, and I cannot wait to read the next one.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The idea of a society where children are no longer born is not new, but the idea that only girls are no longer born is more unusual. Eve is the only girl who has been born in a generation, and as such she has been kept isolated in a specially constructed dome. This is both to keep her safe and also to control her. Now that she is sixteen, it has become vital that she meets the 'right' man in order to procreate and keep the species going. The book centres around whether the right man is the one chosen for her or the one that she loves.
I did enjoy this book, and there were some great ideas in it. I did think that it would have been better if some of these could have been developed further, and others omitted as at times the book felt a bit overcrowded with them to me. I really liked the character of Bram, but Eve felt less developed and more of an idea than a believable person. This is an interesting book, and I would read the rest of the trilogy, but I hope that the character of Eve becomes more likeable and real.
Thank you to nettgalley.com for giving me a free copy of this book to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I am so happy that I got my hands on this book, this book gripped from the second Giovanna announced the trailer on her Instagram. Despite the fact, I knew it wasn't a wholly original take on dystopian fiction, I was excited about it all the same.
The novel started off well and had me sucked in from the beginning, although I have to admit it took me a while to realise who Holly was, at first I assumed she was an older woman because obviously, Eve is the only girl in existence. It threw me off when Holly began to act the same age until I realise the character wasn't even real to begin but created for Eve as a way to connect with someone her age. The middle of the novel started to drag for me, which is why I've given the overall book four stars. In all honesty, I began not to think much of it as I was hitting a busy time in my life and had forgotten about but I'm glad I went back to it because the final part of the novel began to pick up and left me utterly excited for the next book.
I'm finding it quite hard to know how to rate this book. There were some really excellent things about it, but other aspects left me feeling that I needed something more. however, that is in part, I think, to the fact that it os part one of a trilogy.
This is a really well written book and visually, the descriptions were excellent, transporting me to a well-imagined future world where no baby girls are born for fifty years. And then Eve arrives. Gradually, Eve's understanding of her situation and the life that she lives, her purpose and her future all start to become clear. I thought that aspect of the book was really well done and the characters were well drawn and believable. I especially enjoyed Eve as a character and the Mothers who looked after her.
I think the problem for me was that the plot was completely obvious right from the start, barring a few sub-plots. It was absolutely clear what was going to happen. Not that this ruined the story, as we found out more about how the EPO operated. But it meant it lacked the wow factor.
A solid four stars for me and I will definitely look forward to the next instalment.
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Giovanna Fletcher's books and am just starting to delve into the sc-fi / fantasy / dystopian genres a bit more so when I heard she had started a trilogy, and with her hubby, I thought I'd give it a crack. Although, I believe, targeted as a YA book, and being the ripe old age of, well, 40something, I have to say that I really rather enjoyed it. Just one last thing to say before I start proper is that this is book one of a trilogy. Although it does end at a good point, the story is nowhere near done and you will need to "sign up for" the next two books. So you do need to bear this in mind before you start.
So, one day a strange thing happened. No baby girls were born. Next day, same thing, and so on until... you get the picture. There are now no females being born. Until however, one day, there was Eve. And boy was she scooped up and hidden away in the dome of a great tower, protected until, well basically, she could be used to kick start the human race. Now of age and still the last girl to have been born, the time is nigh for her to meet her destiny, and meet the three potential partners that have been selected for her. But something happens and Eve spies Bram, and recognises something in him. And there's a spark, a something between them. But it's forbidden and definitely not in the plans that the powers that be have for Eve. But is Bram about to scupper those plans? And, if successful, where does that leave the human race?
I've already said that I haven't been a YA for a very long time but this book gave me plenty to get my teeth into. As you can imagine from the synopsis, and indeed when you start reading, there are more than just a few moral and ethical dilemmas to be found within its pages. Not overly preaching though I hasten to add. I did find it hard to completely accept that Eve was still the only girl to have been born since 50 years, but some of my niggles on this were mostly explained later on in the book and I know that fiction isn't always fact and the rest of what I was reading held up the issues I was having so I was able to accept and move on quite easily.
Characterisation was good, I warmed to both Eve and Bram quite quickly and I got to know them better through their narratives and learned more about their backgrounds as they took it in turns to "tell" the story. It did start off a bit slow for me but then I guess it was expected being as there was a world to create and science to explain and the rest of the scene to set and the characters to introduce.
Apart from my small niggles, the plot was well done and the action well played out. I've already mentioned that this being a trilogy, the story is not complete but, this first part ends at a very good moment. No spoilers here so I can't explain but, if you've ever read a trilogy you'll know that splitting the story into the parts is a whole other skillset to being an author and here, it looks like they may have cracked it.
All in all, a good opener to a trilogy which I am eager to get my hands on part two (and probably three!) of. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.