Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Review: Dark Eden by Patrick Carmen

Dark Eden
by Patrick Carmen
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780062009708

Where to Buy:
B&N | Amazon | The Book Depository
Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Patrick Carman's Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality. (Goodreads)
Dark Eden is as engrossing as it is suspenseful, and it will have you guessing up until the end. The story revolves around a group of 7 teens, all which have crippling phobias. Together, they are sent to a rehabilitation center by their therapist, in an attempt to help them face their fears.

We read the story from Will’s point of view. I found will to be a very interesting character. I was really able to connect with his character because we have a phobia in common, although mine is not quite to the extent that his is. I enjoyed reading the book through his eyes.

The secondary characters were quite interesting as well. The other teens were well developed; I really enjoyed them, and would have enjoyed reading more about them. Each teen had a distinct phobia that set them apart, and I found them all to be interesting. There were a few characters in the book that were really mysterious to me. They are the ones that you will love to hate, mostly Rainsford.

While the book was a bit slow in some parts, for me, it was just building the suspense. I just had to know what was going to happen! The book was still very quick paced, and I had it finished in just a few hours time. Toward the end of the book is where we see most of the action, and it was definitely an ending I wasn’t expecting.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely a lot different from a lot of the books I have been reading lately, and it was a really nice change of pace.

Check out this awesome book trailer!

11 comments:

  1. This one sounds really interesting. I haven't heard of it before. Adding to my wishlist.

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  2. This sounds really interesting. I really like it when it's a guy's POV. Great review. I'll be reading it shortly as well!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  3. You have me intrigued! I am excited to read it now. =)

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  4. This one is next on my list, so glad to see you enjoyed it Christy! I love a book that builds suspense the whole way through and you just feel compelled to keep going so you know what's going to happen:) I'm looking forward to this one, it's different from my typical reads as well.

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  5. Oh wow, awesome book trailer! And great review! I'm going to keep an eye out for this one!

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  6. Despite the slow bits, it sounds really good! I love the concept and the whole phobia thing. How cool that it builds on itself -- just what I like.

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  7. Adding it to my ever growing TBR pile. This just sounds too good and different. Phobias?!

    It sounds like it has some amazing characters.

    Awesome review!

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  8. This one sounds awesome! I'm going to see how much it is to pre-order it on Amazon. It was first brought to my attention last week. I'm glad that you found it interesting. Thanks for the review!

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  9. Oooh I like the sound of this. First review I've read for it and you've sold me! I like the idea of exploring 7 different teens each with a different phobia. And I love when the ending surprises you! Will definitely be checking this out :D

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  10. This one looks really interesting. I hadn't really heard of it till now! I really like the idea of all the phobias!

    Thanks for the review!

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