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atschakfoert's review against another edition
3.0
Started out well but by the end I was bored and disappointed. I don't think this should be considered YA, though that's how it's categorized. I'd say it's more of a tween read.
romiress's review against another edition
2.0
One star because it kept me reading. otherwise, bland and with a terrible twist.
andye_reads's review against another edition
5.0
About the audiobook:
I really enjoyed this audiobook, I thought the guy who read Will's parts read well and he also sounded like I felt Will would sound. But, Dr. Stephens's lines were read by someone else, she didn't have too many parts, but still, she drove me completely insane. She sounded like she was talking to a three-year-old, I don't know about you, but I'm not three. Other than that I really did like this as an audiobook... Just not Dr. Stephens.
My Review:
This book exploded my mind. Initially I thought it was pretty good, I enjoyed it, it was interesting, but I pretty much knew what was going on, which was disappointing. And then, boom. Mind blown. I love books like that, ones that I can't figure out.
Will was cool. It was nice to read about a guy who wasn't perfect, who wasn't the best at everything, the cute nerd, or the perfect jock. He was just Will. And I liked that, it was a nice change and it made him extremely relatable. He's afraid, but not just of little things like everyone else in the world, he's seriously afraid, and he's going to Fort Eden to be cured. There's only one problem: he's afraid of that too. So he falls back on the way there, he lets the other's go into the menacing fort and he finds someplace to hide. He slowly watches them be cured, but there's something seriously wrong at Fort Eden, he just doesn't know what.
So, if you enjoy having your brain explode, go read (or listen to) Dark Eden. Now.
-Kit
Reading Teen
Sexual Content:
Minor
Language:
Mild
Profanity:
Mild
I really enjoyed this audiobook, I thought the guy who read Will's parts read well and he also sounded like I felt Will would sound. But, Dr. Stephens's lines were read by someone else, she didn't have too many parts, but still, she drove me completely insane. She sounded like she was talking to a three-year-old, I don't know about you, but I'm not three. Other than that I really did like this as an audiobook... Just not Dr. Stephens.
My Review:
This book exploded my mind. Initially I thought it was pretty good, I enjoyed it, it was interesting, but I pretty much knew what was going on, which was disappointing. And then, boom. Mind blown. I love books like that, ones that I can't figure out.
Will was cool. It was nice to read about a guy who wasn't perfect, who wasn't the best at everything, the cute nerd, or the perfect jock. He was just Will. And I liked that, it was a nice change and it made him extremely relatable. He's afraid, but not just of little things like everyone else in the world, he's seriously afraid, and he's going to Fort Eden to be cured. There's only one problem: he's afraid of that too. So he falls back on the way there, he lets the other's go into the menacing fort and he finds someplace to hide. He slowly watches them be cured, but there's something seriously wrong at Fort Eden, he just doesn't know what.
So, if you enjoy having your brain explode, go read (or listen to) Dark Eden. Now.
-Kit
Reading Teen
Sexual Content:
Minor
Language:
Mild
Profanity:
Mild
brunalabbadia's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
shanella's review against another edition
3.0
Seven teenagers, all with irrational fears, are chosen by their therapist - Dr. Stevens - to take part in an experiment to help them overcome the fears. The chosen seven are taken to Fort Eden - located in a remote area - where they are told they will be cured in a week.
The story is narrated by Will, who, in the opening scene, is at Dr. Stevens’s office, having a conversation with her about the new treatment. Will acquires the files of the other six participants while Dr. Stevens leaves the room to answer a phone call. The mystery of the other six and their fears, the remote site and the treatment slowly unwinds after this, and Will gives the reader bits of information from the files and from what he observers.
Dark Eden had a strong start, so much so that I had very high expectations for the ending - which, I admit, was not very strong at all.
The enigmatic Rainsford, the rooms that each participant disappears into, the creepy caretaker, the mystery of the fears, all come together to produce a page-turning and chill-inducing read. The characters, all described in detail by Will, came alive and I found myself rooting for them - and confused as to whether I wanted them to be cured or not.
I was very thrown in the end, it was not what I was expecting. I’m trying not to spoil it, but either I missed something huge throughout the story or the ending really did come out of the blue. It seemed quite convenient to me, and while it explained things I felt as though it was a quick and inferior explanation. I think many readers will enjoy this book, but, I’m not sure many will find the ending satisfactory.
The story is narrated by Will, who, in the opening scene, is at Dr. Stevens’s office, having a conversation with her about the new treatment. Will acquires the files of the other six participants while Dr. Stevens leaves the room to answer a phone call. The mystery of the other six and their fears, the remote site and the treatment slowly unwinds after this, and Will gives the reader bits of information from the files and from what he observers.
Dark Eden had a strong start, so much so that I had very high expectations for the ending - which, I admit, was not very strong at all.
The enigmatic Rainsford, the rooms that each participant disappears into, the creepy caretaker, the mystery of the fears, all come together to produce a page-turning and chill-inducing read. The characters, all described in detail by Will, came alive and I found myself rooting for them - and confused as to whether I wanted them to be cured or not.
I was very thrown in the end, it was not what I was expecting. I’m trying not to spoil it, but either I missed something huge throughout the story or the ending really did come out of the blue. It seemed quite convenient to me, and while it explained things I felt as though it was a quick and inferior explanation. I think many readers will enjoy this book, but, I’m not sure many will find the ending satisfactory.
novelgoddess's review against another edition
4.0
**3.5 Stars**
Just what are you afraid of? Do your fears keep you from experiencing life to the fullest? If so, than we at Fort Eden have the cure for you! But we only take 7 people, preferably teens, and after your week at Fort Eden, we guarantee you will no longer be afraid! Miraculous you say? You might be right, but our statistics don’t lie!
Or do they?
This was a really different book. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting but this wasn’t it. Which made for a pleasant surprise.
The story is told from the perspective of Will. He is one of the 7. Initially we meet Will while he is in his therapist’s office. Where he does something completely unethical! I must say he doesn’t endear himself to the reader…but over time all is revealed and our feelings for Will change. The fears of Will, Marissa and Avery are especially debilitating. We do eventually find out what everyone fears, and they all undergo the “cure”…and everyone’s cure is different, which made the story more interesting. Without revealing too much…there is a lot of mystery and cat-and-mouse going on which made for a read that was hard to put down. There is a second book in the works which will have to take a completely different path than Dark Eden did…which makes me interested in reading what comes next.
Just what are you afraid of? Do your fears keep you from experiencing life to the fullest? If so, than we at Fort Eden have the cure for you! But we only take 7 people, preferably teens, and after your week at Fort Eden, we guarantee you will no longer be afraid! Miraculous you say? You might be right, but our statistics don’t lie!
Or do they?
This was a really different book. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting but this wasn’t it. Which made for a pleasant surprise.
The story is told from the perspective of Will. He is one of the 7. Initially we meet Will while he is in his therapist’s office. Where he does something completely unethical! I must say he doesn’t endear himself to the reader…but over time all is revealed and our feelings for Will change. The fears of Will, Marissa and Avery are especially debilitating. We do eventually find out what everyone fears, and they all undergo the “cure”…and everyone’s cure is different, which made the story more interesting. Without revealing too much…there is a lot of mystery and cat-and-mouse going on which made for a read that was hard to put down. There is a second book in the works which will have to take a completely different path than Dark Eden did…which makes me interested in reading what comes next.
mimifrancis's review against another edition
2.0
Will Besting suffers from phobia, a phobia so crippling that his parents and doctor feel they must send him away to be cured. So Will joins six other teenagers in the mysterious Fort Eden where they will all face their fears, led by the mysterious Rainsford. Facing their fears will embolden the teens in ways they never imagined, but what will it cost them?
Patrick Carman deftly weaves an interesting tale, combining current social issues with a subject usually found in paranormal stories. There is no lack of intrigue in this story, it keeps you constantly guessing at the motivations of all the characters; you never know who can be trusted. Dark Eden also shows a side of phobias that is not always explored—the fact that those phobias can strike even the young. Carman keeps the reader guessing right up until the end, pushing the reader to solve the mystery themselves.
While I found Dark Eden to be an interesting read, it was not an appealing story to me. I am sure this is in no way a reflection on Carman, but rather on my particular tastes. I also figured out a couple of things early on, leaving no mystery for me to solve. That kind of took the excitement out of the ending for me. While Dark Eden is a good book, it just wasn’t the book for me.
Patrick Carman deftly weaves an interesting tale, combining current social issues with a subject usually found in paranormal stories. There is no lack of intrigue in this story, it keeps you constantly guessing at the motivations of all the characters; you never know who can be trusted. Dark Eden also shows a side of phobias that is not always explored—the fact that those phobias can strike even the young. Carman keeps the reader guessing right up until the end, pushing the reader to solve the mystery themselves.
While I found Dark Eden to be an interesting read, it was not an appealing story to me. I am sure this is in no way a reflection on Carman, but rather on my particular tastes. I also figured out a couple of things early on, leaving no mystery for me to solve. That kind of took the excitement out of the ending for me. While Dark Eden is a good book, it just wasn’t the book for me.
endlessreader's review against another edition
5.0
Like the title of this review says, I LOVED Dark Eden! But I sort of knew I was going to the moment I read the premise for it. I'm someone who has always been interested in the different phobias that exist and how some of the more ridiculous ones (that tended to show up on the Maury show...a show I've NEVER watched...not at all) tended to make people freak the hell out. Basically, I'm interested in the psychology of it all. And since this book was a psychological thriller, it had the potential to be full of win for me. Which it was. Yay!
What I loved most about Dark Eden (besides the insight into phobias, I mean) were the characters. This is one of those books where you have 7 teens vastly different from one another, yet they're relateable in that you immediately think that you know someone like them. It's very easy to fall into the trap of having them come out cartoonish or stereotypical. Luckily for everyone involved, these characters fell far from stereotypic. Another good thing is that I could see where every single character's fear was coming from. It seemed like it was something so tied to their personality that I didn't think the writer just pulled a particular fear out of thin air and just pressed it upon whatever character tickled his fancy. Each one of the fears made sense. And it was sort of fun for me to try to figure out which character would have which phobia. Sometimes you can tell immediately (like with Will), othertimes it took a while for me to figure out, yet when it cropped up, I thought "Of course!"
However, the most awesome thing about Dark Eden were the elaborate twists and turns that even I couldn't figure out ahead of time (and I almost ALWAYS figure it out ahead of time). Seriously, some of the twists and turns just came out of left field, but still somehow made absolute sense. And were sort of creepy, to boot. I'm awed at how the author's mind works when you take in how it started, with the phobias, and how it ended, with something I'm not going to give away. Mind-blowing! So, mind-blowing that I'm going to admit that my ego's a little bit bruised that I couldn't see it coming.
So, I loved Dark Eden. It was a semi-creepy, psychological thriller that I really want a second installment of (even if it really wouldn't make much sense). It was fantastically written, immensely interesting, and overall full of awesome. However, as I read this as an ARC, I didn't get the app that's supposed to be included in it. In fact, I find that whole aspect of it to be a bit gimmicky, so just know that if you decide to forego that particular item, as I did, you won't be missing much as the story clearly doesn't need it.
What I loved most about Dark Eden (besides the insight into phobias, I mean) were the characters. This is one of those books where you have 7 teens vastly different from one another, yet they're relateable in that you immediately think that you know someone like them. It's very easy to fall into the trap of having them come out cartoonish or stereotypical. Luckily for everyone involved, these characters fell far from stereotypic. Another good thing is that I could see where every single character's fear was coming from. It seemed like it was something so tied to their personality that I didn't think the writer just pulled a particular fear out of thin air and just pressed it upon whatever character tickled his fancy. Each one of the fears made sense. And it was sort of fun for me to try to figure out which character would have which phobia. Sometimes you can tell immediately (like with Will), othertimes it took a while for me to figure out, yet when it cropped up, I thought "Of course!"
However, the most awesome thing about Dark Eden were the elaborate twists and turns that even I couldn't figure out ahead of time (and I almost ALWAYS figure it out ahead of time). Seriously, some of the twists and turns just came out of left field, but still somehow made absolute sense. And were sort of creepy, to boot. I'm awed at how the author's mind works when you take in how it started, with the phobias, and how it ended, with something I'm not going to give away. Mind-blowing! So, mind-blowing that I'm going to admit that my ego's a little bit bruised that I couldn't see it coming.
So, I loved Dark Eden. It was a semi-creepy, psychological thriller that I really want a second installment of (even if it really wouldn't make much sense). It was fantastically written, immensely interesting, and overall full of awesome. However, as I read this as an ARC, I didn't get the app that's supposed to be included in it. In fact, I find that whole aspect of it to be a bit gimmicky, so just know that if you decide to forego that particular item, as I did, you won't be missing much as the story clearly doesn't need it.