Saturday, August 13, 2011

Review: Eden by Keary Taylor


Title: Eden
Series: Standalone (as far as I know)
Author: Keary Taylor | Author Website
Available: Now
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Source: Received from author












Description via Goodreads:


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. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.



My thoughts:


The first thing that grabbed my attention was Eden’s cover. So creepy, but so very cool! After reading the synopsis I knew this was a book I had to read. As a huge fan of any doomsday type of premise I couldn’t pass this one up! Human beings consumed by their robot like parts who then seek out other humans until they eradicate any remaining flesh on the face of the earth. Yes, please! This is the stuff nightmares are made of and for some reason I just can’t get enough.


When I sat down to read Eden I never expected to finish it in one sitting. This is a pretty hefty piece of literature at 400+ pages. I was so intrigued by the world and characters the author created it made finding a suitable stopping place impossible. I had to know what happened next. 


Eden isn’t nearly as action packed or fast-paced as other dystopian novels I’ve read, but it moves at a smooth and steady pace guaranteed to keep you hooked. As more of a character driven reader this really worked for me. I appreciated the amount of care Keary Taylor put into creating well developed characters in a well presented futuristic world. You can tell she is an author who becomes fully invested in the characters she creates and wants readers to grow to love them as much as she does. She did an amazing job of creating a world that readers will find both engaging and entertaining. I love that she was able to combine complex world building and well-crafted characters without sacrificing the quality of either. I really liked Eve and enjoyed watching her evolve over the course of Eden. I felt for her when she lost those she cared about and didn’t envy her precarious position at the center of the love triangle involving the older Avian and reckless West. There is also an amazing cast of secondary characters who make up the world Eve is living in.


Keary Taylor is an author who I can’t help but be awed by. Not only is she able to write great books with small children in her home, but said books are then self-published. Having read my fair share of self-pubbed books over the last year I must say her work is some of the best. On that note if you haven’t checked out Keary’s books I highly recommend you do (&soon!). 


My Rating:


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FYI: Eden for Kindle is just 99 cents!

4 comments:

  1. I loved this novel as well! Great review!!

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  2. So glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the great review!

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  3. So glad you loved this as much as I did. I can't wait to see what else Miss Taylor comes up with.

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  4. I'm really scared of 400+ pages. I mean there's always the possibility that I wont like it & I wasted my precious reading time. lol. ;) But you loved this one, yay, and I really want to give it a try. I think I will love this one. ;)And I agree that cover is creepy.

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