Title: Evaleneās Number
Author: Bethany Atazadeh
Genre: YA Christian dystopian
Rating: āāā
Synopsis: Evalene Vandereth is the child of high-Numbered parents in a society, called Eden, where everyone is issued a number from God at the age of thirteen. Numbers one through ten are the top of Edenās social ladder. Evalene never had any reason to believe she wouldnāt remain in the one-percent. But when her Number is revealed by it being tattooed onto the side of her neck, her world is turned upside-down. Itās then tilted further as questions of Edenās Number system are brought more to life and she comes in contact with the leader of a rebellion. She has to search inside herself her identity and worth, but does Edenās indoctrination run too deep?
Review: Reading Evaleneās Number helped bring back good memories of when Iād seek out dystopians, wanting to see all the ideas different authors had when it came to how these societies would work and come to be. A person rising to power in a time of chaos and desperation and using religion as their sword definitely feels realistic, and I enjoyed that while Eden was self-enclosed, we got to see one of the outside nations, Hofyn, and got details of how it worked in contrast of Eden.
Edenās number system also felt more grounded, especially when it was noted that kids of parents with high Numbers could usually be expected to be high Numbers themselvesāa reflection of how wealth often came from wealth being passed down, not someone suddenly rising up from the dirt.
When I first read the synopsis, I assumed Biblical numbers would be used, as numerology is important in the Bible (three meaning completion or unity or seven being the number of God or divine perfection). (Or angel numbers, like 888 meaning abundance is coming, but I usually see angel numbers associated more with those who practice or dabble in Christian mysticism, not typical Christianity, so I wasnāt surprised to not find angel numbers being used.) I had first thought Evalene might be given a 40 (like the forty days and nights of rain in the Noahās Flood story or the punishment of the Hebrews being forced to wander the wilderness for forty years ), but I liked the bookās straightforward Numbering system more. It made keeping track of the Numbersās classes easier.
The contrast of Jeremiahās and Evaleneās childhoods was interesting to see, Evalene born with privilege and suddenly shoved at the bottom of the societal ladder while Jeremiah was born to low-Numbered parents and was then orphaned but got adopted by a high-Numbered woman who not only sympathized with the lower-Numbered population but also held secret church meetings that were seen as treason in Eden. Their personalities fit together well, and I could believe the budding relationship and hoped to see them together.
When it came to the story, though, too much seemed to happenĀ āoff-camera,ā especially when it came to the rebellion, and major details pop up right at the end and seem to come out of nowhere, Sol and Evaleneās Tree of Life necklace coming to mind first.
Iām sure there are Regulators that donāt agree with the system and would wish to fight against it. One of the bulletins Jeremiah made noted that thousands of people had been made Regulators on their Numbering Days, making it look like an army was being built. So I would expect people to be fearful or even resentful, building into eventual longing for a dismantling of the system. Sol, though, seemed to come out of nowhere. It would have helped more if there had been Regulator characters brought in earlier in the book. Not Sol specifically, though an inkling of this sort of strain among at least some Regs would have helped build up the suspense towards the coming dismantling of Edenās system. Instead, Sol pops up and appears as barely more than an outlier in an otherwise faceless group of people who had no personality beyond bullying and following orders.
The necklace, namely the fact that itās some kind of badge of protection, could have been brought up earlier, too. Itās mentioned after Evalene finds out that her dad must have been about to tell her what the necklace meant after giving it to her when they were interrupted.
This would have been one of the times it would have been nice to have a chapter in someone elseās POV than Evaleneās or Jeremiahās, like Evaleneās dad. Sol says heād only ever seen people Numbered 3 or above wearing those necklaces, which signaled to Regs that they could not be touched. Evaleneās dad was a 4, and, sure, itās only one Number lower than a 3, but heād been slowly pushed out of his usual circles in Eden due to his wife having helped the rebels during the Bloom Rebellion, something that happened when Evalene was a young child. He was pushed out of circles further when Evalene was given such a low number, 29, which Jeremiah says that those Numbered 29 were believed to have been cursed by God and thus usually could only find the most grueling work, if they could find any at all.
Where did Mr. Vandereth get such a highly-prized necklace and how?
I do like itās shown throughout that despite being distant, he really does care deeply for Evalene, to the point that his love goes against the Number system. Evalene may have had to work as his servant, but she got a bed to herself, and while itās not said, I wouldnāt be surprised if he made sure to get books he knew Evalene would like, knowing she would take some from the library to read in the scant time she had to herself.
It makes me wonder why heād marry someone like Ruby, though, unless it was a union that would have helped him nudge his way back into his old circles or at least keep himself from being shut out completely. This is another question that could have benefited from a chapter from his perspective, as it feels like Rubyās only there to irritate Evalene and also provide her with her ID and money for the escape later.
And back to the Regs: It was mentioned early on that people were whispering about how many more people were Numbered to become Regs than usual. People were saying it felt like Eden was building an army. And while itās mentioned again in Jeremiahās bulletin that gets passed around to different households, this information otherwise feels like itās just droppedāforgotten.
It feels like the number is only there to build suspense, make the rebelsā odds feel worse and make them even more of the underdog. But that falls flat, and during the actual battle, it doesnāt feel like thereās actually that many Regs against them. Itās mentioned theyād be too out-numbered if reinforcements from the other cities reached Delmare, but it felt like with just a snap of the fingers, they made it to the media tower and took the Number Oneās manor and captured him.
Taking the media tower was interesting to read, and whenever I was interrupted during those chapters of the rebels reaching Delmare and going against the Regs, I was antsy to return to the book and continue reading. However, the capturing of Number One was one of the things that happenedĀ āoff-camera.ā There was no tension there, and if it wasnāt for there only being a few chapters left of the book, I would have thought it was a trap for the rebels with how easily they got in and captured Number One.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book. Evaleneās Number was published some years ago, and Atazadehās writing has a lot of promise. Iām interested to read some of her more recent books and see how sheās grown.
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