About the Book
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Authors:
- Katherine Applegate
- Michael Grant
- Genre:
- Science Fiction
- Voices:
- Cis Boy
- Cis Girl
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Now THAT’S How You Use An Apple On A Book Cover!
BFF Charm: Sure!
Talky Talk: He Said, She Said
Bonus Factors: Science, Yo; Awesome Pop Culture Reference; Learning Games
Relationship Status: If I Were To Create The Perfect Book…
Cover Story: Now THAT’S How You Use An Apple On A Book Cover!
Okay, so I totally teased this book when we were hanging out about how it had an apple on it. Alternate Cover Story title: Put An Apple On It! But really, I’m just joking. I mean, what else do you put on the cover of a book with that title? A fig leaf? Somehow the puzzle pieces and binary code wouldn’t have worked as well with that.
The Deal
Evening Spiker lives a life pretty much like you or me — if you or me happen to be the 16-year old daughter of a mega-rich geneticist who owns her own biotech company and lives in San Francisco — until she’s in an accident that pretty much crushes her body. Vaguely aware that her mother has her transported to Spiker Biotech, Evening (Yes, yes, the names are silly, silly, silliness. Now roll your eyes, call her Eve, and let’s move on.) doesn’t question why she heals so quickly. At first. But once the questions do start rolling in, they don’t stop. And Eve has to ask herself how far she’s willing to go.
Meanwhile, she meets Solo Plissken, a boy who’s lived his whole life at Spiker Biotech, and who comes with questions of his own. Solo believes there’s something sinister afoot at Spiker, and that Eve’s mother is behind it. Eve dismisses his accusations as she begins a project set to her by her mother as something to do during her convalescence: use a new computer simulation to create the perfect boy — an endeavor with absolutely no repercussions whatsoever, of course. But as she continues to spend time with Solo, the two uncover the secrets that could change the world as we know it.
BFF Charm: Sure!
I really liked Eve, and appreciated what a good friend she was to her BFF Aislin — who needed a good BFF, if anyone ever did — so I figure I’d be in safe hands with her, even though I didn’t get a full understanding of who she is as a person. As a fan of Michael Grant, I’m used to him developing his characters slowly, over book(s) plural, so I’m not fussed by this. Both Eve and Solo developed enough in this story for the reader to understand what they would or wouldn’t do under the high stress situations they found themselves, and for this book that was enough for me.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
The swoon that develops here is all awkward glances and fluttery tummies amid a real mystery and suspenseful storytelling. But there’s also wry humor and sarcastic asides from the characters, which not only makes them more lovable, but keeps the whole thing from taking itself too seriously. Like this, a momentary glimpse into the mind of our boy Solo:
I have good shoulders, might as well reveal them. I know she’s checking me out. Fair enough, because I’m checking her out. Eve cries out suddenly. She’s in pain. So it’s possible that she’s not really checking me out.
Talky Talk: He Said, She Said
From the power couple that have individually brought us the Gone series and the freakin’ Animorphs, comes this joint venture told in alternating narrative. I’m not exactly sure how Applegate and Grant divvied up the writing of this book, but it feels like they had a lot of fun doing it. Eve & Adam starts with a bang (or more literally, a crash) and keeps the pace it set for itself throughout the story. While this book might not change your life, it’s solidly written, and reads like a serial: fun, fast, and managing to focus on some very serious topics, all while not being very serious about itself.
Bonus Factor: Science, Yo
I believe that the science in this book is the science of the future, not the science of now. But then again, my grade school curriculum was the A Beka Book :: Excellence in Education from a Christian Perspective, and according to that dinosaurs are a secret atheist plot, the world is only 6,000 years old, and J. Edgar Hoover was a good Christian man who rid this country of Communists. So you know, I’m always open to new information.
Also? Texas, I’m looking at you.
Bonus Factor: Awesome Pop Culture Reference
This book contains what is quite possibly my all-time favorite use of pop-culture ever, with its naming of Solo Plissken. I mean, seriously, Solo AND Plissken?!!! Two of my favorite male fictional characters of all time combined into one ridiculously named MLD? I just about died of happiness. But more than that, it gave me great satisfaction to know that thousands of young’uns reading this book could now be exposed to something that will BLOW THEIR WEE LITTLE MINDS.
Bonus Factor: Learning Games
I’m always annoyed, I mean, amazed when I see a 2-year old with more knowledge about how to operate an iPad than me, or when a little beats me at Mario Kart. However, kids are learning all kinds of things with computer-type games these days, which is raising test scores, increasing the number of high school graduates, and ultimately leading to a more successful middle class… oh, right. I guess not. But at least we can rest assured that a smarter, more evolved group of people will be running things when we’re olds. Right?
Relationship Status: If I Were To Create The Perfect Book…
…I would put lots of action in it, and fun, relatable characters, a good dash of science fiction — but set it in modern times — and then throw in a good sense of humor and a little romance, and hey! That sounds like this book! Of course, then I’d realize that there’s hardly really any such thing as a perfect book, so I’d have to accept it for its flaws, as well as its good qualities. Which is just fine.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my review copy from Macmillan. I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Eve & Adam is available now.
