BOOK TITLE: Eve: the Awakening
AUTHOR: Jenna Moreci
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Science Fiction
GRADE: Pass
X-Men meets Mississippi Burning in Jenna Moreci’s debut
novel, Eve: the Awakening. College student Evelyn Kingston is part of a race of
powerful superhumans known as chimeras, the most hated culture in this
futuristic world. After a lifetime of racist cruelty, Eve just wants to blend
in as a normal human and leave her past behind. Studying at Billington University
The racist characters that Eve has to put up with in this
story are grating to read about, especially as they come in large doses all at
once. The worst offenders of the bunch are easily Heather, Madison, and Hayden,
who live up to the Mean Girls stereotypes in every way from being spoiled and
rich to being downright nasty with their dialogue. Chin Dimple, a football jock
in Eve’s combat class, is every bit as vicious with his fighting abilities as
he is with his sexism and racism. Dr. Richards is the evil teacher that Pink
Floyd warned us about: condescending, conformist, and intolerably angry. There
are more villains in the book who act like Trump supporters on steroids. Much
more! Sometimes it’s unbearable to read about, but that’s the whole point: to
make readers uncomfortable and make them question the hatred around their own
world.
In addition to characters the reader loves to hate, there
are eventual allies for Eve that can be easily rooted for. The relationship she
forms with fellow chimera Jason Valentine is charming on all levels, though
you’ll have to wait patiently to get what you want out of this pairing. Dr.
Clarke is a breath of fresh air when it comes to teachers since he’s
progressive and caring instead of a blatant racist like everyone else. Even
though Captain Ramsey, the combat instructor, is a hardnosed, tough guy
teacher, it’s hard to root against him due to his sense of loyalty and
genuinely wanting the best for Eve and her friends. Allies like these and many
more come later in the story, but we as readers are thankful they’re here.
After all of the hatred Eve endures up until that point, she could use a few
heroes by her side. I like being able to escape from the horrible stuff every
now and then, just like Eve wanted to escape from her past. Good on you, Ms.
Moreci!
Let’s talk for a minute about the fight scenes, whether
they’re from combat class, with Interlopers, or with other students. These
scenes are so well-written that I can legitimately get excited for them
whenever they arrive on the page. Every punch, every kick, every fired bullet,
no matter what action is being performed in combat, you can bet your bottom
dollar that it’ll hurt the reader as well as the characters who’re fighting. The
way Jenna Moreci describes bruises, blood loss, broken bones, and explosions
makes me believe that someone’s life really is at stake, which is how all
fights should be portrayed. The higher the stakes, the more believability every
fight has. Excellent work on this front!
The racism against chimeras as well as the drama of school
can get on the reader’s nerves all too easily. But I urge you all to press on
and not tap out so easily. This is a brilliantly-written book from beginning to
end. The author makes life so difficult for Eve in this book that her odds of
surviving at all are slim to none. The key word is surviving, because if she
doesn’t get past these roadblocks, she will die. There’s no in between for Eve,
no shortcuts to victory. She either lives or dies by her own prowess. That
alone should be enough reason for you to pick up a copy of Eve: the Awakening.
A passing grade is what Jenna Moreci deserves for her debut novel!
No comments:
Post a Comment