Review: EVE-0 by Danielle Gomes

Review: EVE-0 by Danielle Gomes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s incredible how quickly things change. Whether changes that occur be good or bad, the speed with which they happen has always been a bit surreal to me. That said, it has always been interesting to me how real-life events and the changes that occur in life can inspire new narratives and stories.

I open with this because Gomes’ story has elements in it that feel incredibly familiar given the past few years and how the world has changed in that time. That said, somehow the world presented to the reader also feels distant.  

Before we get into the details, though, let’s look at what the story is about.

Summary

In a world devastated by pandemics, Dr. Gabrielle Gale is trying to care for her patients when she is called on a mission that could change everything. In a meeting with a company called Amcorps, she learns that humanity only has a few more years to survive unless a cure for the pandemics is found. On the mission to find the cure with a select group of individuals, however, she finds that there are people looking to use it for their own selfish ends.

Will Gabby be able to stop those looking to steal the cure before it’s too late?

Thoughts

So, as I hinted before in that opening on change, one of the main subjects this story discusses is incredibly timely. If this had been written anytime earlier than 2019, I am not sure the concept would hit as hard as it does. That said, that may be the point. I find the ideas the story presents rather interesting. And without divulging too much, I will say that I was surprised by certain concepts that were incorporated into the narrative.

However, despite the intriguing premise, I did see issues with the story’s execution that ended up affecting my overall feelings about it. The ideas being presented in this narrative are fascinating, but I did see some problems with the execution that affected how I viewed and experienced the story.  

That said, let’s talk about the characters!

Characters

Dr. Gabrielle (Gabby) Gale

So, I admit I have mixed feelings about Gabby. This is not because her character is unlikable, but in quite a few cases I did not like the way she was treated. I feel like other people on the mission are usually taking charge for her and this makes her feel more like a passive observer than an active heroine. I do understand that she was thrown into the situation rather suddenly, but she was called on the mission for a reason and I feel like – when everyone works as a team – she is often left out of the loop.

That said, I do like her reaction to this situation. Her feelings about the role she plays on this venture somewhat mirror mine and it makes me think that down the road she may end up taking part in a bigger way, which I would like to see. I would love for there to be a problem that allows her to take full command, where she knows what to do to fix it and is allowed to do so without help or input from others.

Christopher Silver

I am a bit bothered by how Chris is presented, too. He is written as a nice guy and he and Gabby quickly warm up to each other. He is kind to her, and they have a great rapport that was nice to see, given Gabby does not know a lot of the individuals on the mission personally. I like that he has no problem approaching her in a friendly manner and the two of them clearly care for one another.

However, I think the way Chris divulges information to Gabby does not work as intended. In certain cases, he learns more as the situation evolves and there was something that didn’t feel right about the way the information came about. I think it is more the speed with which these interactions occurred than the information being given and where it came from, but while I was reading, I frequently felt annoyed with him because he would suddenly know what they needed to know or what their next course of action should be, and the interactions felt too quick. There is a solution to this, but I think it is more appropriate to discuss it in the structure section because said solution doesn’t just apply to Chris.

Lucien Sabara

Lucien is probably my favorite character in this. I find his personality and ultimate goal gripping! However, I do think there is more that Gomes can explore with him, and I am interested to see what comes next with his character. I feel like he has an incredibly interesting backstory and goal, and the result ended up being my becoming highly invested in who he is and the role he plays.

I am interested to see where things are headed next with him. After all that has happened, I want to see what his next steps are, and if he will end up having an even larger presence in the story than he did here. If he does, how will it affect the wider world? I want to see what actions he will take and the repercussions that will follow.

Structure

In terms of the story’s structure, I think there were some issues. One problem ended up being the pacing, and it occurred in more than just character interactions. I understand the situation Gomes is trying to set up, but the story moves at breakneck speed in the opening chapters, not giving the reader enough time to get properly settled into the world of the story before the plot kicks in. I understand the reason behind things moving that quickly now, but it felt a bit jarring when I first started the story, and it took me time to get into what was going on as well.

Now, to discuss what I hinted at in the character section. Basically, there are moments where we step away from Gabby’s point of view and see those of other characters. However, I think the different viewpoint technique needed to be used a bit more to better flesh out certain plot elements present in the story. What I said earlier about Chris getting information, for example, could have possibly worked if the reader were with him when he learned the information he relayed to Gabby. The same technique could then be used for other characters, allowing for the reader to both see the plot unfolding and anticipate what comes next.  

Writing

The prose in this novel is one of the best aspects of this story in terms of building scenes. In particular, I find the setting both fascinating and horrifying! Each scenario is built with enough detail and descriptive language that it comes to life and is not difficult to imagine. This made it easy to get pulled into the story and remain interested. However, there is one problem with the writing that I can’t neglect to mention. This ties into the perspective idea I mentioned earlier as well.

While Gomes does a fantastic job building each scene and the setting of the story, there is an unfortunate lack of subtlety in certain areas of the prose and dialogue. The scenes that need the most intensity are not built up to in a way that leaves the reader anxious and wanting more. Instead, they are introduced in a rather abrupt manner that feels very jarring compared to the rest of the prose. This makes it difficult to be excited for whatever is to come from said revelations, which is a shame because it is clear what the intent is with them.

Conclusion

I wanted to like this more than I did. I think the concept Gomes is playing with is very interesting, but the execution left me feeling rather underwhelmed. While I am still interested in continuing this story, I will admit that I am left feeling somewhat disappointed by the first volume in this duology. Because of this, I am afraid I am only able to give this story two stars.