Eden Review

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Title: Eden
Author: Keary Taylor
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: June 6, 2011
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 408
Source: Author

Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She's seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn't just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve's reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won't stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of.
Eve lives in a world that's devastated and ruins since the technology began having a mind of its own. Once made to be a cure, the tech now controls most of the Fallen world, leaving just a few bands of humans still alive and Eden as their one, true sanctuary. Their world is at war between the living and the machine, and Eve is at war with herself, fighting a constant inner turmoil to survive and reconcile her forgotten past with her present. But life is even more confusing when it comes to the two men in her life who give her a focus and a center. West might very well be for her, but Avian is a rock, and she's known him half her life. Will Eve's love for all those in Eden be enough to keep them all alive, or will they soon be a part of the Fallen?

Eden is, perhaps, the epitome of dystopian fiction, creating a world that's so devastated by mankind's greed and lust for advancement that it seems like there is very little hope left at all. The brainchild of indie author, Keary Taylor, Eden is her first stab at dystopian fiction after her popular and successful Fall of Angels series, including Branded, Forsaken and the forthcoming Vindicated. Well-written in the challenging first-person POV, Eden allows you direct access to Eve's mind as she makes her way through a crippled world where love is a luxury at best.

We all know how much I love dystopian fiction, and Eden has such an amazing premise that promises a dark, haunting story that is both painful and hopeful. The world within Eden is a series of stark contrasts, portrayed almost as black and white. You have the ruined world that's been consumed by technology and cybernetics with one goal - to eliminate humanity. Then, you have the lush gardens of Eden where the remaining humans are living at the base level of humanity, surviving on love, compassion and the mere basics. That, was the highlight of Eden for me. I did, unfortunately, have a few issues with Eden though. The story starts with a bang, then settles into a lull of backstory for a few chapters that, while necessary, could probably have been interwoven later in the story to better help the flow. I also felt that it took a long time to get into Eve's head. She had this whole life before Eden, but I struggled to get a grasp on it because she was so stubborn ad shrouded in mystery. Avian and West were both strong male characters with a great impact on the plot, but I felt the romance often overshadowed the action in the book, which is a struggle for me - especially if it's a bit of a triangle. All that said, though, I still want to remark on what an amazing world there is in Eden because it's one of the best I've read of in a while.

All in all, Eden is so, so close to being a really great dystopian, but because of some flaws, it ended up just being good for me. As far as I can see, this is a stand-alone book, so make sure you read it for that. I give it a strong 3 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all YA fans, especially those who enjoy upper YA and dystopian fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

15 comments:

  1. Technology having a mind of its own is a scary possibility! :O I think the book has a great premise, despite the flaws. However, it's kind of annoying when the romance part hinders the progress of the actual story.
    Thanks for the review!

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  2. A standalone book sounds good to try right now! I feel like all the books I read are a part of a series. lol. It would be a nice change.

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  3. Too bad it wasn't perfect but it does sound good. I'm not a huge dystopia fan, but I do love the idea of dystopian utopias. That's what the lush gardens made me think of.

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  4. Whoa, that cover is intense! I like it!
    The concept of Eden sounds really cool! It's a bummer that it was not as fabulous as it could've been, though. Great review! :)

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  5. Such a creepy cover! And that is an amazing concept. Despite the near miss of perfection, I think I'll have to check it out. A good dystopian is still worth a read, right? Thanks for the great review.
    Happy reading,
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  6. The cover is creepy indeed but as I hate love triangles and romance overshadowing the main problem so maybe perhaps I will pass...

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  7. Too bad about the various flaws. I especially dislike it when the romance overshadows the actual action in the book. Still, I love its concept!

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  8. This sounds like an interesting world. I'm sorta on the fence with the flaws but I'm still curious.

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  9. It certainly does sound interesting and rather an epic undertaking. Even despite your reservations, I'd be keen to read it. I'm interested to hear more about this Fall of Angels series so now I'm going to click your links.

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  10. Although I agree with you as much as I can without having read it, I think I'll still add it to my list as I'm a sucker for dystopian and it seems as if it's almost there.

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  11. The description of this book sure sounds scary. What will happen if technology has its own brain... that is pretty creepy! Though like you, I think I will also have problem with the book that let the love story (whether its triangle love story or not) comes first before action.

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  12. I have never heard of this book before and while it sound super unique, I don't know what to think of you only giving it 3 out of 5 stars. I do think that I will eventually read it, but I don't be in a rush to do so.

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  13. I actually just finished this one, and thought it was really great, but can totally see why you feel the way you do :) Great review!

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  14. Too bad! It's so rare when an author really nails a dystopian world, so it's a shame that the romance overshadowed things too much and wasn't up to par.

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  15. I'm glad for your review, I won't be reading this one. I'm iffy on dystopians anyway and one that you're just okay on is a no go for me. I can imagine this world though. I watch my kids with all their gadgets and they don't even know how to pick up a phone and dial their friend's house. It's plausible.

    Heather

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