⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠 (4.5/5)

Perhaps don’t read this review if you have not read Eve of Man, it may give away or allude to some things about the first novel.

Having read Eve of Man a couple of years ago, I preordered this novel and looked forward to seeing what would happen next, especially because the first book ended on such a cliffhanger.

The first thing I am going to say is that I do wish I had reread the first novel before I read this one. As it had been a couple of years, I think I needed to refresh my mind, but I enjoyed this book anyway, I’ll just definitely be rereading books one and two before I read book three whenever that one is released. That said, The Eve Illusion picks up right where Eve of Man left off which is good.

This installment was darker than the first, but overall I think it was better than the first book. I would say this is to be expected as the tension and stakes are higher.

I don’t usually read dystopia, so for me a section of this novel was a bit too unpleasant and I did skim and skip a few pages, but I got the gist and Tom and Giovanna definitely explored a darker side of the EPO. Although we saw some darkness to the EPO before, now that their plans have changed due to Eve’s escape, we really begin to see what they are capable of and some truths are revealed.

A key theme of this novel is freedom. I found this very interesting and there were questions about what freedom is, what does it mean to be free, how should one use freedom? These were the big questions in the novel and I think they were handled well. They also gave me some things to think about which I like from a novel.

This installment is told from three perspectives: Eve, Bram and Michael. Michael played a big part in this novel and having him as one of the narrators was a good choice. He has some tough decisions to make during this novel which throw light on what a lot of the other characters are doing and what their motives are.

I particularly enjoyed Eve’s development in this novel. Being able to see her now that her eyes are being opened to the realities of the world and now that she has escaped the tower and control of the EPO was compelling. In many ways, this novel felt empowering for Eve and I loved that. She begins to understand and learn to utilise the power that she holds and I think that was great to see at this stage as she was highly controlled in the first novel. Seeing how different groups of people view her was definitely interesting and there is an emphasis on what is best for Eve vs what is best for humanity.

Something that I love about this trilogy is that I have no idea what is going to happen. So far I have been gripped by the first two books. This second one had me particularly hooked as it had more tension, plot twists and turns and higher stakes. I have definitely become emotionally invested in this trilogy, and this novel highlighted my investment to me in a big way. This also shows how well created and crafted the books have been so far and I’m sure the third installment will have more of this.

Overall, I have a few ideas about how the trilogy may end, but I’m not sure at all, and the cliffhanger at the end of this book has made me desperate for book three so that I can find out what will happen!

Have you read any of the trilogy? What do you think will happen in the end?

G x