Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.In a Sentence: Dark Eden is a creepy, unique book with a mystery that will have you guessing until the end.Review: Hmm... I enjoyed Dark Eden for the most part, but unfortunately I had a few problems with this book.I think that the book dragged and and was kind of boring until about page 200. I wasn't really invested in the book until then. Also, the romance between Will and Marisa seemed a bit forced. It seemed to me that Will and Marisa met and it felt like another one of those love-at-first-sight type situations (which I've been finding is becoming pretty common in YA books...). I liked the mystery aspect, but like I said, I wasn't really invested in the story until about page 200 and therefore really didn't find the mystery intriguing before then. However, once the story picked up, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
I expected the ending to be sad, or at least, not a "happily ever after; THE END" ending, and I guess I got that right. But the ending surprised me as to what the character's future would end up being. I've seen some reviews where the reader didn't like the ending or the epilogue, but I think the book wrapped up nicely.
I think Dark Eden was a really good book despite some of my problems with it. It's one that will make you think and will stick with you after you're finished with it.✰✰✰ and ½ ➌.➄ STARSCover Thoughts: 4.5/5 I think this cover is really pretty, and I really like all of the colors on the walls that are blending into each other.
-Brynne
