I found myself quickly lured into O'Connor's book. Eve is brimming with an urgency that I found irresistible, almost as if I were overcome with Eve’s thirst for knowledge. The author’s prose is evocative, really forcing the reader to feel the weight of Eve’s experience and decisions. There were moments when the narrative took turns that I wasn’t anticipating (largely the second half of the story) but it made for a rich reading experience. The story exceeds at capturing the same excitement and tension found in similar fantasy novels as Adam and Eve find themselves living in a strange world after being expelled from Paradise.

O’Connor’s approach to Eve and the Abrahamic mythology makes for quite the captivating read. It was exciting and I found myself eager to discover what happened next, forming judgment of characters and asking the same questions as the titular heroine. It was difficult to suppress the desire to throttle Adam as I made my way through the story and I grappled with my own questions about free will, like Eve often finding myself angered by God’s rationale. Eve is a feminist take on Christianity’s first woman, dealing strongly with themes of agency and self-determination, that will be of strong interest to readers who enjoy works by authors like Madeline Miller or Jennifer Saint.

I like how this book took a sympathetic look at a woman who has been blamed for thousands of years. It shows how Eve was misunderstood. I like how Eve grows from innocent to repentant. Therefore, this was a compelling and moving novel! I recommend this for fans of Jill Eileen Smith!

The story of Eve has always been told to keep women small. This novel rips that story apart. Eve is a bold, unflinching story of curiosity, rebellion, and intellect.

Eve is a gut punch to the tired, patriarchal version of the world’s oldest story. This isn’t a gentle retelling of Genesis. It’s Eve, fully alive, fully awake, fully unwilling to stay in the cage that history built for her. She’s curious, questions, leaves, learns, and in doing so, she drags the whole narrative of “original sin” kicking and screaming into the modern era. The old story treats women like cautionary tales. “It was her fault.” “Women caused humanity to fall.” This one treats them like humans with brains, desires, and power. The novel doesn’t shy away from the costs of autonomy. Exile isn’t necessarily a punishment here, but more of selfhood being born through fire and loss. Eve’s relationships, her wanderings, the lonely weight of motherhood are all there, brutal and real. And the book doesn’t punish her for wanting more. It honors the complexity of being a woman in a world that still tries to define what that should mean.

What makes Eve crackle is how the story becomes political without ever being preachy. Her search for knowledge, her defiance, and her attempts to create spaces where women can learn and exist freely are mirrors of every fight for rights, recognition, and voice that’s happening right now. The echoes are loud: controlling women starts with controlling stories, and reclaiming them is revolutionary. It’s a very important novel being published when it’s needed the most. The times we live in might be modern in theory, but women’s rights are being suppressed again, and the literary world needs more Eves to fight back with words and stories.

This book isn’t subtle. It’s angry, smart, and unapologetic. Eve is a force, and reading her story is a reminder that myth, like history, is only as truthful as the people who get to tell it. By the time you finish, you’re left thinking about everything: power, freedom, motherhood, identity, and how much of the world is still waiting for its Eve to stand up.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t a book for Christians looking for comfort in familiar texts, or for anyone who prefers the Bible served in neat, unquestioned packages. If your instinct is to protect the “sanctity” of Genesis or to defend traditional interpretations without question, Eve will make you squirm. It challenges dogma, tears apart inherited narratives, and shows that the first woman (like every woman after her) was never meant to be obedient or invisible.

If you want myth served neat, move along. This is a necessary book for thinkers, rebels, and anyone ready to question everything they thought they knew.

Tropes & Vibes
Reimagined biblical figure
Feminist reclamation of origin stories
Exile as self-discovery
Forbidden knowledge as empowerment
Motherhood complicated by autonomy
Quest for learning and agency
Transformation through loss and choice
Moral ambiguity and personal ethics
Urgent, contemporary resonance
Empowering, raw, and visionary
Quietly radical critique of tradition

Wow, my brain is on fire (in a good way) after reading this book. “Eve: A Novel” is a reimagining of the story of Adam and Eve. It creates connective tissue for the tale, pondering the why behind Eve eating the forbidden and then being exiled and then creates its own story as Eve intersects with other civilizations and deities. Adam, Eve, their creator, their children, and Lucifer are fully formed, complex, flawed characters each serving the story in new, redefined ways. The book defends Eve’s choice to know and her innate longing for knowledge. Eve is a feminist character filled with feminine rage about the world that punishes her for wanting to understand it, tries to make her submissive, and tethers her to her motherhood as a weapon. It is political in many ways without being overtly so. It was a fascinating read that I will likely be digesting for a while.

You will probably like this book if you like:
A reimaging of well-known Biblical story
Feminist musings in prose
Complex relationships between humans and between humans and deities
Knowledge as power

The prose was beautiful and created vivid scenery and visceral emotions. For me, the pacing on the last half was much faster because that is when it became its own story and I was no longer trying to map certain plot points onto what I know from the Biblical story. Eve goes on a long quest which was the most gripping part of the story.

The book ponders big themes like: contentment versus curiosity; roles for women in society; the expectations of mothers versus fathers; the idea of free will and freedom; the concept of love and what binds us in relationships (note that in exploring this there is infidelity which I know can be a trigger for folks, so just a heads up); the meaning of life (that one is a doozy). The message about Eve’s desire for knowledge as a means of freedom and power was super clear. I felt like some of the other themes were a bit more unclear like the concept of love and partnerships and there are some relationships that I feel like I am still mulling over in my head. And you could honestly write a dissertation on each of the characters portrayed here because there is so much meat on each of their bones. It sometimes felt like a philosophy class, so if you enjoy that, you will love this book.

Ignorance was not bliss for the Eve portrayed in this book and understanding the why behind things was essential to her. Sometimes the answers were a bit confusing but I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while to come.

Thank you Histria Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.
Publication Date: February 10, 2026

As an English major who studied Paradise Lost in college, this retelling is so well done, and it made me think so much as I was reading it. I have pages of highlights in my kindle, all of which made me think about Eve’s position and choices in the Garden of Eden, why the tree of knowledge would be banished from the perfect first male & female, and how Eve has impacted the portrayal of women since first creation. The first part of this book follows Paradise Lost and the Bible more specifically, but I really enjoyed the second half better. This is Eve’s odyssey that parallels her abandonment of her children to seek knowledge and purpose while questioning God’s abandonment of her. This definitely has a feminist tone, and a motif of men choosing to dominate instead of lead. Pursue passion k ahead of purpose. I really enjoyed it and the portrayal of Lucifer is really interesting as well, varying more complexity than simply being evil and fallen. we all contemplated our purpose and place in society, maybe our society would be less ego-centric and more connected?

4.5~ I greatly enjoyed this book! The book balances the idea that life is gray well; All the characters in this novel are flawed, and it makes them feel very human. Eve is the main focus of the story, and I felt most of her pain through the story, even though she made some questionable decisions and wasn’t always right, she never changed. She was always pursuing knowledge, wanting to be the leader for women to change what they were bound to in society.

This is truly one of the most beautiful books I have read. Eve is my favorite female book character now; she is brave. wise, and had a deep yearning for knowledge and social change. She travelled and taught women their worth and was willing to leave everything behind for the sake of others. There were many religious elements that deeply resonated with me; I grew up mormon and have been deconstructing and figuring out my stance on who or what god is. What sets this book apart from other books was that God was portrayed as the antagonist. Lucifer was an incredible character that I grew to love very quickly. Not only was christianity discussed, buddhism was tied in as well. On Eve's journey, she is able to reach enlightenment through her seeking truth and knowledge. One of the key elements to reach enlightenment according to an unknown writer is, "Enlightenment is seeing the world and one's own existence as they truly are, free from illusion and misunderstanding." Eve is set free from the God and came to understand the meaning of life, she saw it how it is and because of that she was able to reach enlightenment. If I could give this book a million stars, I would. This was one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I have ever read. It will stick with me for the rest of my life.

EVE uses intelligent, lyrical prose to tell a well-known story in a way we’ve never known it. Several smart, unexpected twists kept me engaged…and Eve’s unquenchable quest for wisdom awakened a fresh thirst in me. This retelling is brave, and perhaps - more honest and logically compelling than the OG we’ve all been taught. I would call this essential reading for all women on the planet earth. And also for all fathers, sons, and partners. It won’t be long before it’s required reading for educational institutions across multiple languages and faiths. Brava.

If you loved 'The Alchemist,' this one is for you!

The author does a stunning job retelling the Adam & Eve myth, literally stating in the epilogue that she wanted to reopen that biblical narrative for re-interpretation.

As someone who grew up Christian, I appreciated how this book challenged me to re-examine a story I always thought was fact through a mythological lens. It's packed with fantastic one-liners and is truly food for thought.
The plot can be a little cyclical, but the depth is well worth it.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what our world would look like today had Eve’s decision to bite the forbidden fruit been celebrated rather than shamed, this book is for you.

(Truly, this is something I have spent a great deal of time wondering about: What if we lived in a matriarchy free of the concept of original sin?)

I believe it truly fortuitous that I found this arc on netgalley one day when I had a little too much time on my hands…this was one of the best books I have read all year!

The concept had me hooked immediately and the author’s clear, descriptive writing style allowed me to consume this story in just a few days. Once I made it past the first few chapters I was unable to put it down.
Out of respect for the arc, I will not be sharing quotes until after publication but there were soooo many good ones!

For me, the true mark of an amazing story is the emotion and introspection it inspires and this one really had me thinking and feeling deeply. (Cue me crying on an airplane while finishing this book.)

This is the kind of novel that I would assign as required reading, had I the power or authority to assign reading to anyone but myself. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc!

A beautiful exploration of biblical femininity, God and the illusion of choice. I loved this book; a wonderful story that gives agency and purpose to a character who traditionally had none. Eve is left questioning her creator, struggling to find purpose and contentment in her quest for knowledge, to be more than what she was made for. It’s an incredibly well written retelling and one that I’m so so glad I read.

This was hands-down a five-star read for me, with the following caveat: this book will not appeal to everyone, and that is not a flaw in the writing but a matter of audience. If you are not interested in examining religion, history, and long-held beliefs, especially where women are concerned, this will likely not be your book. If you are interested in interrogating those frameworks and questioning what we have accepted as truth, then this is something special.

This novel is listed as a retelling of Milton’s Paradise Lost, but that description feels a bit reductive to me . While the influence is there, Eve is doing far more than retelling. O’Connor centers Eve not as a villain, not as a cautionary tale, and not as the origin of humanity’s downfall, but as a seeker of truth and understanding. The book turns the familiar narrative completely on its head by questioning whether Eve’s “choice” was ever truly a choice at all, and whether ignorance can be considered virtue when it is enforced rather than chosen.

What resonated most deeply with me is how clearly this text understands that religious stories have been told, retold, translated, and interpreted through the lens of men, within broken systems, across centuries. I believe in God, in Jesus, in creation, but my understanding of faith is deeply at odds with the rigid interpretations I was raised with. My relationship with Christianity is shaped by deconstruction, religious trauma, and a belief that much has been lost or distorted over time. Reading Eve felt like encountering thoughts I’ve carried quietly for years, articulated plainly and without apology.

This book functions as a thoughtful analysis of women in early religious texts, particularly within Abrahamic traditions, and challenges the idea that women are inherently culpable, lesser, or morally suspect. Instead, it foregrounds women’s interior lives, their strength, their love, their motherhood, and their struggle to understand both themselves and the divine. It asks difficult questions about God’s intention, humanity’s purpose, what we are denied in the name of obedience, and what is gained through knowledge, even when that knowledge carries consequence.

It is also unmistakably dense. This is not a breezy or comforting read, and it does not soften its questions for the sake of accessibility. The research and care behind the text are evident throughout, and this becomes especially clear in the acknowledgments and author’s notes, where O’Connor’s process, heart, and intellectual rigor are on full display. My copy is aggressively highlighted and annotated, which is usually my clearest indicator that a book has done something meaningful to me.

This is not a book I would recommend casually or universally. But for readers interested in feminist critique, religious history, and the reclamation of women’s roles within these narratives, Eve is powerful, challenging, and deeply affirming. Read it with a critical, academically open mind. And if it speaks to you, please read it and then immediately contact me for further discussion. I will, quite sincerely, be waiting.

If you grew up in a religion with questions in your heart that earned you dirty looks from your Sunday school teacher (or whoever taught your religious texts), then you'll adore this book. Eve is a masterfully, powerfully written epic of the first woman that I wish the Bible had taught. Without changing the words of the Bible (very much), O'Connor imagines what life was like for Eve, why she took the fruit, and what she did with her formative years between being kicked out of Paradise and raising children. Eve is full of fire and questions, unsatisfied with her role as Adam's companion from the beginning. She makes it clear that she would have chosen the fruit, no matter if Lucifer had tempted her with it or not. She and Lucifer also grow close, close enough to make a zealous Evangelical squirm, and I have to say I like that quite a bit. About halfway through the book, after Adam and Eve have been kicked out of Paradise, you think you know where the book is going - and then it hits you with a curveball you didn't expect, one that throws a huge monkey wrench into the Biblical timeline that is simply explored, but never explained. This is the catalyst that sets Eve off on a journey of self-discovery across the known and unknown world.

The author's note at the end of the book sums up the message poignantly: Eve wasn't lured away from God's wishes by promises of riches or beauty, but by knowledge: why hasn't that been portrayed through history as women's greatest folly, to know the world? Well, we can guess why. Eve is a defiant, beautiful woman in O'Connor's book, not a wilting flower that couldn't think for herself, and it will leave a deep impression on you way after you're done reading.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

How can a few lines ever do justice to the beauty and quiet magnificence of this retelling of a story we grew up with? The author breathes new life into Eve, reshaping her not as a symbol of shame or sin, but as a seeker, driven by curiosity, courage, and an enduring hunger for knowledge.

This is no longer a story about downfall, but about possibility. About what could have been, and what still might be. I devoured this book entirely, right through the appendix and beyond, lingering over every note, reflection, and source. The author’s research only deepened my admiration for the care and thought that went into this work.

I especially loved how the desire to learn is portrayed, not as a flaw, but as something that expands us, a continuation of our mortal souls reaching outward. Eve’s curiosity feels fully justified here, and once you meet this version of her, it’s impossible to unsee her.

A truly striking and thoughtful reimagining.

This was an easy 5⭐️ read for me.
I loved Eve's quest for knowledge, the discussions of true love and faith. Through Eve's travels, she meets so many different people and gods/goddesses who are captivated by this mysterious lone woman trekking through barren lands seeking knowledge.

Eve is so relatable with her constant questioning of God and Adam. She is not content with being told "that's just how it is. Trust me". She must have solid reasoning and answers!
Lucifer plays such an interesting role as he pops in and out of Eve's mortal life.

Lucifer may actually be my favorite character which feels so wrong to say!! But he was truly there for Eve in ways she needed and the two felt like kindred spirits!