Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.
While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.
Goodreads Summary
From the get go, I knew I would like this book. The cover alone tipped me off to expect an exciting plot and a lot of action. Evening “E.V.” Spiker is the daughter of a Biopharmaceuticals mogul-scientist. After being in a horrible accident, E.V. goes to stay at the Spiker research facility while she heals. To keep E.V. occupied, Terra Spiker, E.V.’s mother, has E.V. test new software for the company. E.V. will be “playing God” and building a Sim person on the computer by manipulating genes. Solo has lived at the Spiker research facility since he was eleven and his parents died. A computer genius, Solo knows everything and everyone associated with Spiker technology. Solo wants to take down Terra Spiker, he believes she is the reason his parents died. The attraction to E.V. that Solo feels has nothing to do with E.V., but just with the fact she is the only other person his age at the research facility. That’s what Solo has been telling himself, at least.
Although E.V. is arguably the main character of this novel, my favorite character is Terra. “Terror” Terra Spiker is driven, tough, and knows what she is doing. Her morals may be questionable, but Terra Spiker is awesome! I love and admire her. E.V. is a lot like her mother. E.V. will find a way to get what she wants and protect the people she cares about. Solo is more of a wildcard who is driven by revenge, but unconsciously seems to want to be a better person. All the characters in this book are really interesting. Eve and Adam could be loved by a teen or young adult reader of either gender. The plot and characters have a universal appeal. Grant and Applegate did a fantastic job. Eve and Adam also promises to be a series; this news put a smile on my face.
5 Stars
*Reviewed by Kristin*
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Interview!
1) Do you have a particular interest in genetics? If not, how did you decide to write a book concerned so much with genetics?
M: Well, we have the Google over at our house.
K: The Google and the Wikipedia.
M: But actually we had a pre-existing interest in the subject -- particularly in the ethics of genetic engineering, what it means for society, what it means for our concepts of credit or blame, what it means for notions of virtue, how much this will inform child-rearing and other issues.
K: Which he learns about on the Google.
2) Did you have a favorite character to write about?
K: I think we both liked writing the mother, Terra, who of course plays the role of God the Father in our little pseudo-allegory. Extreme characters and villains are always the most fun to write.
M: I liked Solo a lot. We tend to like difficult characters. Solo isn't a fawning, slavish, secretly-watch-you-sleep kind of guy, he has an agenda, he has a mission of his own. And Eve is not there to just be the love-object. Adam, too, has problems despite being essentially perfect -- he knows there are holes in his awareness. We always want our characters to be real. Easy people are boring.
3) How do you think hearing from two different perspectives adds to a novel?
M: Mostly it's a practical thing that allows you to do first person but jump between stories.
K: It allows you to look at characters from both inside and outside. To see and understand what they think they're doing, but also to see how those actions may be interpreted differently by someone else.
4) Did this book require you to draw on any of your own experiences?
M: My experiences as a genetically-modified, super-humanly beautiful man? Yes. That was soooo my life.
K: Uh huh.
5) What can we expect from Eve and Adam?
K: More biblical, sci-fi, rom-com thriller action. In other words we haven't thought about it yet.
M: We may raise or lower the amount of either the rom or the com.
6) What is one of your favorite scenes from Eve and Adam?
M: We both love the reference to "sphincter head." For some reason that struck us as absurdly funny and we laughed about it for days. It's just a throw-away line, not really a scene.
7) Are you currently working on a novel now?
M: I'm doing edits on LIGHT, the final book in the GONE series, as well as starting THE MAGNIFICENT 12 #4.
K: I'm working on a book which is thus far nameless. But it's going to be great. Just as soon as I figure out what it is.
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Must read this book. My friend's mother really is a geneticist, this would be fun to read about what happens when one goes bad.