This isn't my favorite Tamara Thorne book, but it's still entertaining. ( )

The Sorority Trilogy focuses on three girls, (Eve, Merilyn, and Samantha) who were friends as children, but have now grown, lost contact, and are about to be reunited at Greenbriar University.

In this first segment, the primary focus is Eve, a naïve girl eager to fit in and make a name for herself amongst the popular crowd. Her ticket is cheerleading, and she soon becomes accepted in the sorority’s squad; her delights are plentiful, until the truth slaps her in the face.

The plot isn’t complex at all ­ it’s a simple story that’s not that hard to figure out as you go along with it. However, it never claims to be something it isn’t. I suspect Thorne purposely weaved the series to turn out this way, providing what she did ­ pure, light fun.

Thorn whips up a light and fun atmosphere that makes great reading for the series.

To me Eve is as sweet as apple pie, with a little too much sugar sprinkled on top. She’s also the most eager to fit ‘in’, and be accepted. Because of how the story progresses, there is not as much build up in her character; as a result, she seems a little more one-dimensional than the other two. But she IS acceptable because she’s likeable, and the story around her remains more interesting than what’s in her head. Professor Timothy Piccolo is there for much amusement. Malory Thomas, bitchy president of the sorority, is convincingly twisted and shallow. Brittany comes off as cute but with secrets of her own, and also a bit too smug to like.

Every trilogy or series has events occurring in installments, but the pace had to be kept up with to ensure the novel remains interesting. Thorne accomplishes this with a clever opening (all three girls at Applehead Lake in better years), and then continues to climb from there.

Thorne writes with a style heavy on the humor. Her vocabulary is simple, with the sentences easy to comprehend. As a result, the series would be well suited for people of all ages.

Eve is a great start to a fun trilogy. The opening grabbed my attention, the plot continued on an enjoyable path, ending with a cliffhanger of sorts. After finishing Eve I was anxious to grab the second, which is what a trilogy should set out to do.

That’s not saying this novel is perfect, however. As mentioned before, it’s pretty light reading. Don’t go in expecting work heavy on psychology, motive, or sophistication. Also, due to Eve's character and the others not being around as much, I couldn't give this one more than a three. However, the novel can be read quickly, digested easily, with the flavor turning out pleasurable enough to be worth it. ( )

June 7, 2003
Eve (The Sorority)
Tamara Thorne

Well, this wasn’t bad, but I was a little disappointed to find that it was more of a teen thriller than an adult novel. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, since the main character is a college freshman, but there are plenty of adult books written with the POV of a young person. It’s a bit racy for a teen thriller, I guess – a little more adult than the average teen fare – but it could have been racier, and longer. There are two more in the series coming out – Samantha and Merilynn – and I imagine I’ll read them too. The premise of the story is great: a secret society of witches hidden within a larger, prestigious sorority. Now I can’t remember the high priestess’s name, but she is an old being – something not quite human who has been around for centuries, more like a vampire. At the end of the book a ritual takes place and something terrible happens to Eve, though it’s not clear if she’s dead or not. I think she is. I’m looking forward to reading the others, even if they’re more simplistic than I would like. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?book=998 ( )

This was a fairly quick read, but it could also be because I didn't want to put it down! As expected, there were some things left unresolved so you're left really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

The book opens with a frightful scene that takes place at a cheerleading camp on Applehead Lake when Eve is 8 years old. Eve and two other girls, Merrilyn and Samantha, "borrow" a boat while the rest of the camp is on a field trip and row out to Applehead Island to do a little "investigating" with regards to Holly Gayle, who supposedly haunts the lake. What they discover isn't a simple apparition, but something that haunts Eve for the rest of her days.

When Eve attends Greenbriar University eight years later, and pledges the Gamma Eta Pi sorority, she never expected to run into Merrilyn and Samantha again. But the sorority has a secret of their own, and some of the sisters may just know a thing or two about Holly Gayle and the mysterious Greenbriar Ghost!

A few Amazon reviewers didn't care for this book for one reason or another, but a constant theme I saw was because you don't feel a sense of empathy towards Eve. I must agree that the author doesn't portray her in such a way that makes you feel any strong emotion towards her, but I believe this was done for a purpose, which becomes clear as the book draws to a close. It would've been a lot harder to take what happens to Eve at the end, possibly leaving the reader quite angry, were the reader more sympathetic towards Eve's character. ( )