Eve of Man

The end of the world may well be upon us, but from something which we could never have predicted. One day in the future girls stopped being born, it didn’t take long for everyone to sit up and take notice then. Days turned into weeks which turned into months and then years. Still no girls were born. Along with panic, this strange phenomenon also brought with it regulation and control. Some embraced it, others did not.

With no girls having been born for 50 years, it was obviously headline news globally when one day a girl was finally born. She was named Eve, and she was destined to be the saviour of humanity from the first breath she drew in this world. A big responsibility for any one person to grow up with. Perhaps too big.

The premise of Eve of Man is a frightening one, but one that brings to mind so many questions of what if this were to happen one day in our future. It’s the first book in a new trilogy co-authored by husband and wife team Giovanna and Tom Fletcher. The story was so unique that it captivated me from the first page, and as I neared the end of the book I had only one regret, that once I’d read the final words on the last page I would have to wait to continue the story in the second book!

You will get to know Eve, and the Dome inside the Tower where she’s been raised. Since the fate of humanity lies with her, she is guarded, kept under surveillance and kept away from men. Sadly, in order to maintain her belief in her fate, she is also kept away from the truth, both the truth of her past and the truth of the reality of the outside world and what has happened since girls stopped being born. But Eve has turned sixteen and must now choose from three potential males to fulfil her destiny to save humanity – she must bear a child, and not just any child, she must bear a daughter.

Despite everything Eve does meet a man (and not one of the three potentials either). She feels she has known him her whole life and begins to fall in love. But with the fate of humanity in her hands it soon becomes clear that the Extinction Prevention Organisation are willing to do whatever it takes to keep her locked up and ‘safe’ while others will risk everything to save her.

How far will anyone go to save Eve of Man? And are they really saving her?

Eve of Man is available from bookstores and online retailers and is available for a recommended retail price of R290. It’s recommended for young adults, but I would recommend this for adult readers too.

Thanks to Penguin Random House for introducing me to Eve.