Review: Lucien by Danielle Gomes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I picked up EVE-0 by Danielle Gomes, I was disappointed that the story ultimately did not click with me in the end. However, there was a concept that was introduced that kept me interested in the sequel. I have had reading experiences in the past where the sequel ended up being more fulfilling for me than the prequel. I was hoping that that would potentially happen with this duology given what I was anticipating would be explored.
And the good news is, I did end up liking this story more, for multiple reasons. Gomes’ ideas continue to fascinate me, and it felt like a lot of the things I complained about last time did not impact this story as much.
Before I go into it further, let’s see what the story is about.
Summary
After some time fighting the global pandemics, the world finds itself desperate for a cure, and Dr. Lucien Sabara has one with his EVE-0 treatment. However, Dr. Gabrielle Gale knows that his cure is not just a cure, but a treatment that will allow Lucien to recreate humanity in his own image.
As the world becomes more desperate for the pandemics to end and Gabrielle learns more about Lucien’s plan, even she must wrestle with what is right, as the geneticist’s offers begin to tempt her as well.
Will Gabrielle overcome the temptations to do what is right? Or will Lucien’s power overcome her?
Thoughts
So, there were many different aspects of this story that I liked a lot. Because EVE-0 was largely set with Gabby’s group and only occasionally cut back to Lucien and his allies, I never really got to see exactly what the repercussions for Lucien’s actions were. I absolutely adore that we see what his projects are doing in more explicit detail in this sequel! It explains a lot of what occurred in the previous volume, while also expanding upon several things that were hinted at in EVE-0.
However, there is one plot development in this story that I am having a difficult time buying. While I do see the idea behind this concept, in my opinion, it did not work as intended. I will explain further in the structure section.
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s look at some of the characters!
Characters
Dr. Gabrielle (Gabby) Gale
Gabby goes through significant changes in this volume compared to the last. I was hopeful upon finishing EVE-0 that her character would get involved quite a bit more. I am very excited about the role she plays in this story! While we do still see moments of her needing aid from others, I feel like she is more active in the story’s plotline! Seeing her decisions directly impact the story and how she does her best to cope as the narrative unfolds is amazing! I like seeing her make decisions and go through with them despite any repercussions they may have for her.
Aside from that, there is a new element with her character that I want to discuss. It is interesting to see how, as she learns more about what Amcorps is doing, she starts to doubt her own judgement in the situation and considers what they offer her. Not only is this a very intriguing change of pace, but it shows just how after everything she has been through, she wants a normal life after years of living in pandemic after pandemic. It felt relatable to see her so tired after everything that all she desired was a sense of what she used to have.
Dr. Lucien Sabara
Seeing Lucien’s goals start to come to fruition is incredible! It is horrifying to see just how powerful this man has become and how his actions will affect others. I mentioned in my review of the prequel how previously we only got a taste of this, but seeing it in full here from Lucien himself is amazing!
However, it is not just what his actions lead to that is impactful. Seeing how Lucien reacts to the results of his actions is gripping, and it makes any scene with him incredibly difficult to put down. He truly believes that his goal is for the better of humanity, but to see the reality right up against his beliefs provides an amazing comparison between the two.
Structure
While Gomes does not change the structure for this installment too much, there are a few things I want to point out. First and foremost, there were more character perspectives that helped significantly to flesh scenes out. However, there is one perspective in here that I did not like. We get this perspective through video messages, and in my opinion, it did not work because they felt jarring and out of place, and I also didn’t buy the messages, either.
Moving back to the positive things, I loved that there were sections solely following Gabby! There weren’t too many of these in the previous installment, so I feel it is important to highlight how they changed the structure of the narrative. They do add more to her character, but they are also used to drive up the stakes of the plot and create conflict and anticipation. I was looking for something to build anticipation in the last book, so to see it happen here and in this way feels like the narrative is coming full circle.
Writing
There is one thing I want to mention about the prose. Mainly, I want to discuss the use of mood and tone. I’ll start with Lucien himself first, because Gomes uses the tone of the narrative to illustrate the context of his scenes beautifully. The mood whenever he is around suggests a degree of opulence and arrogance, where he has so much but still wants more. The prose has a snap to it that makes his sections incredibly interesting!
I love how Gomes shows what he wants, but the actual reality doesn’t fail to account for the disturbing aspects of his actions. That said, sometimes calling out the disturbing details went too far, and there were times where the writing was a bit too on-the-nose, but these situations were ultimately rare and didn’t take me out of the story for too long.
Conclusion
I am very excited about how much I enjoyed this sequel! I think Gomes has woven together a rather interesting story that I am glad I stuck with, a narrative that ultimately ended up having a message that will stay with me for a while. For this reason, I will be giving this conclusion to the duology four stars.
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