2 out of 4 stars
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Eve of Awakening is the first installment in The Onoma Series written by Alisa Hope Wagner. The novel primarily deals with a mixture of religious and science fiction themes. This book takes place after the Second Civil War, leading to the formation of New America. In New America, society is divided into two groups: the Efficientists and the Colonials. The Efficientists spend their lives maximizing their efficiency and working on their LPS’s or life production systems. The Colonials reject this style of life and instead live in communities similar to that of early America. Eve Pallue is the top-ranked Efficientist in New America. Her life is forever changed after she experiences an Awakening, an event in which a person wakes up prematurely while in a Sleeper. Now, Eve must find her own truth and decide where she stands.
I thought that the premise of Eve of Awakening was quite unique. The conflicting ideologies between the Efficientists and the Colonials were explained and developed thoroughly. The dystopian future presented in this novel could also soon become a reality. The focus on becoming more efficient at the expense of experiencing and enjoying life is a topic that is becoming more prevalent in our society. As a college student, I currently experience the pressures of maximizing my productivity, leading me to neglect my personal happiness and wellbeing. I thought that Wagner did an excellent job of expressing the dangers of an overly productive society. Eve was a perfect example of this. Before her Awakening, Eve was a slave to efficiency. Afterward, she encountered many new experiences that most people would take for granted. For example, she had never been on a picnic or driven a car. I enjoyed the scenes were Eve was able to partake in new experiences; they added depth to a very closed off character.
Eve of Awakening contained some issues with world building, character development, and pacing. It was mentioned in the novel that the Efficientists spoke in a variety of shortened dialects of English. While this was partially shown, the portrayal of the dialect did not match up to the description given by Eve. For the most part, the dialect just seemed to be one or two word utterances. Additionally, I found Eve’s portrayal after her Awakening to be unrealistic. Before the event, Eve is immersed in the lifestyle of an Efficientist. Once she undergoes her Awakening, her personality changes rapidly. One major lifestyle change was her conversion to Christianity. In less than a week, Eve goes from being an atheist to a devout Christian. I thought that this seemed a bit far-fetched and that it would have made more sense for her transformation to take place over a longer period of time. Additionally, I thought that the second half of the book was drawn out. Little action took place and the section mostly discussed the virtues of Christianity. I would have liked to have seen the science fiction aspects of the book discussed in greater detail. However, this may be more of a personal preference.
Eve of Awakening contained some errors. Examples include excessive spacing and incorrect verb tense usage. While the errors were not severe enough to detract from my enjoyment of the novel, they do indicate that the book still needs to undergo professional editing.
I rate Eve of Awakening 2 out of 4 stars. While the premise of the novel was unique and I enjoyed its message concerning the dangers of overproductivity, the issues concerning the pacing of the second half and the typographical errors prevent me from giving it a higher rating. I would recommend this book to Christian readers and those who enjoy dystopian novels. Non-religious readers probably would not enjoy the emphasis on Christianity. Additionally, sexual assault is mentioned in the novel. Readers who are sensitive to such content should be forewarned.
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Eve of Awakening
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