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booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
4.0
I thought for a good while on my rating of four stars, thinking about 3.5. This is because I really enjoyed bits but didn’t some of the others. However, I like the start and ending, I (as always!) like the politics and intrigue, and I like where I think it’s going next. So I’m sticking with 4!
The start is really promising, there’s family drama - you definitely get the impression that the kingdom is not where you’d want to live early on! And there’s wind energy which you NEVER see in fantasy and is awesome. I liked that Andreus spends his time learning and with the masters. Carys was harder to get a handle on at first! But through the book my views flipped totally, and Carys was a lot more likeable (if still hard to fully understand) and Andreus is a total bastard who needs to be pushed off the roof. 😂 I get that he’s being influenced but it seems such a 180.
The politics of the kingdom are interesting. The family stuff, like king and queen who seem like poor rules and worse parents, seem fairly typical for fantasy fare these days. But I did like the elders trying to orchestrate the downfall of the royals.
The ending - without being too spoilery, really sort of needed to come earlier as it was super interesting and definitely gives me hope for the sequel!
An interesting and good read, but I’m still a bit conflicted about that 4th star!
The start is really promising, there’s family drama - you definitely get the impression that the kingdom is not where you’d want to live early on! And there’s wind energy which you NEVER see in fantasy and is awesome. I liked that Andreus spends his time learning and with the masters. Carys was harder to get a handle on at first! But through the book my views flipped totally, and Carys was a lot more likeable (if still hard to fully understand) and Andreus is a total bastard who needs to be pushed off the roof. 😂 I get that he’s being influenced but it seems such a 180.
The politics of the kingdom are interesting. The family stuff, like king and queen who seem like poor rules and worse parents, seem fairly typical for fantasy fare these days. But I did like the elders trying to orchestrate the downfall of the royals.
The ending - without being too spoilery, really sort of needed to come earlier as it was super interesting and definitely gives me hope for the sequel!
An interesting and good read, but I’m still a bit conflicted about that 4th star!
lothtor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
shealwaysreads's review against another edition
3.0
Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau is an intriguing novel that manages to be both fast-paced and oddly bland at the same time. While it held my attention throughout, I found myself disappointed by its predictability, ultimately leading me to decide against continuing with the series.
The story revolves around twins Carys and Andreus, who are forced to compete against each other for the throne after the sudden death of their father, the king. The concept of sibling rivalry and political intrigue initially drew me in, and the author's writing style kept the plot moving at a brisk pace. However, as the story unfolded, I couldn't help but feel that it lacked depth and originality.
One of the main drawbacks of Dividing Eden is its predictability. The twists and turns in the plot were easily anticipated, leaving little room for surprise or excitement. This made the reading experience somewhat underwhelming, as I had hoped for more unexpected developments and complex character arcs.
Additionally, the characters themselves felt somewhat one-dimensional. While Carys and Andreus had the potential to be compelling protagonists, their personalities and motivations were not fully explored. This made it difficult for me to truly connect with them or become invested in their journey.
Despite these shortcomings, Dividing Eden does have its strengths. The world-building is decent, providing a backdrop of political intrigue and a divided kingdom that adds some interest to the story. The pacing, as mentioned earlier, is fast, making it a quick and easy read.
In conclusion, Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau is an interesting novel that falls short in terms of originality and character development. While it may appeal to readers looking for a fast-paced, light read, those seeking a more complex and unpredictable story may find themselves disappointed. Personally, I do not plan on continuing with the series.
The story revolves around twins Carys and Andreus, who are forced to compete against each other for the throne after the sudden death of their father, the king. The concept of sibling rivalry and political intrigue initially drew me in, and the author's writing style kept the plot moving at a brisk pace. However, as the story unfolded, I couldn't help but feel that it lacked depth and originality.
One of the main drawbacks of Dividing Eden is its predictability. The twists and turns in the plot were easily anticipated, leaving little room for surprise or excitement. This made the reading experience somewhat underwhelming, as I had hoped for more unexpected developments and complex character arcs.
Additionally, the characters themselves felt somewhat one-dimensional. While Carys and Andreus had the potential to be compelling protagonists, their personalities and motivations were not fully explored. This made it difficult for me to truly connect with them or become invested in their journey.
Despite these shortcomings, Dividing Eden does have its strengths. The world-building is decent, providing a backdrop of political intrigue and a divided kingdom that adds some interest to the story. The pacing, as mentioned earlier, is fast, making it a quick and easy read.
In conclusion, Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau is an interesting novel that falls short in terms of originality and character development. While it may appeal to readers looking for a fast-paced, light read, those seeking a more complex and unpredictable story may find themselves disappointed. Personally, I do not plan on continuing with the series.
juliayoung's review against another edition
2.0
Not worth it. It's boring, and slow paced, with an overused plot and an unspecified curse that seems to hang over every character, despite it only really coming into play once or twice, and not even in scenes when, theoretically, it should've. We didn't learn anything about the mom, the king, or the older brother, and the dynamics between the twins seemed faked. Anyways, not worth the read. I'm glad the font was so big, because if it had been any longer, I may have actually stabbed myself.
Spoiler
With love you can't just stop loving them and try and kill them because of some girl you've had a total of three conversations with. That's not how humans work. Seriously. Read Naruto and look at the interactions with Itachi and Sasuke and tell me to my face that a week old girlfriend that's been married to your BROTHER, can convince you to try and push your sister off of a 40 ft wall.ashleykwbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this story but I felt that this book was a little boring and simplistic. The whole book is basically a set up for the next book. Overall though it was really good and I'm excited to see where the story goes
shamma93's review against another edition
1.0
I've never gave a book one star ⭐️, but this book oh my god I hated Andreus so much!! I hated the trials, the queen and how much Carys loved her brother and protected him while he deserved nothing ahhh I hated the ending as well I hated everything basically 🙂.
jac_atkins's review against another edition
3.0
I felt that this book, the ending especially, was very rushed. I wish a little more time was spent going into what Carys's spoiler power/curse was and why she had it. I'm sure the author will go into it more in the next book, but a little more information would be nice. Also, all of the relationships in this book seemed forced, save Carys's and Andreus's. It seems as if the other characters were only there because the plot needed them to be able to progress, like Garrett and Erikk.
I did enjoy the read, despite all of that, though. It was a nice, quick book with alternate POV's between the siblings, allowing us to know the thoughts of each throughout the story. Cary's is an amazing, strong character who really stood out in this story.
I did enjoy the read, despite all of that, though. It was a nice, quick book with alternate POV's between the siblings, allowing us to know the thoughts of each throughout the story. Cary's is an amazing, strong character who really stood out in this story.
eva_jean's review against another edition
3.0
4.5 stars.
This was a great book! It was sort of predictable (but I do tend to predict things with every book), but other than that, I absolutely LOVE the story! It was full of heartbreak, intrigue, lies, secrets, and deceit. I hope that in the sequel (there is NO way there cannot be a sequel) we see more of Errik. I totally ship him and Carys. Except.... i Don't even know who he is really..... GAH SO MANY LIES AND SECRETS.
anyways, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!
This was a great book! It was sort of predictable (but I do tend to predict things with every book), but other than that, I absolutely LOVE the story! It was full of heartbreak, intrigue, lies, secrets, and deceit. I hope that in the sequel (there is NO way there cannot be a sequel) we see more of Errik. I totally ship him and Carys. Except.... i Don't even know who he is really..... GAH SO MANY LIES AND SECRETS.
anyways, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!
leann_bolesch's review against another edition
3.0
The start was soooooooo slow for me. Props to the author for actually making the nobility act proper and conniving, but too much formality in everything the characters do really made all the setup for the conflict drag.
Once the trials actually began and especially once there was legitimate competition between the twins, I started to get into the book. A lot. If the whole thing read at the pace of the second half, I'd give it an extra star, and I have my fingers crossed for the second book--even if there is worrisome setup for an unbalanced love triangle. (Although not having known that this would be a series at the start, I'm sore about their being more than one book. I never like realizing 3/4 of the way through a book that the story won't fit into one installment.)
Really, once I got into it, it was great. The character motivations were believable, and it was fun to watch everyone conspiring behind one another with multiple factions all playing their own games with wild cards in the mix.
Aside from the early pacing, my only criticism would be the speed with which one of the twins gets power hungry. It takes only a chapter of paranoia to undo years of loyalty, and even if their is foreshadowing about where the two stand with one another, it felt like everything fell apart too fast. I love to see characters spiral downward into monsters, but it's more satisfying when it happens over time.
Once the trials actually began and especially once there was legitimate competition between the twins, I started to get into the book. A lot. If the whole thing read at the pace of the second half, I'd give it an extra star, and I have my fingers crossed for the second book--even if there is worrisome setup for an unbalanced love triangle. (Although not having known that this would be a series at the start, I'm sore about their being more than one book. I never like realizing 3/4 of the way through a book that the story won't fit into one installment.)
Really, once I got into it, it was great. The character motivations were believable, and it was fun to watch everyone conspiring behind one another with multiple factions all playing their own games with wild cards in the mix.
Aside from the early pacing, my only criticism would be the speed with which one of the twins gets power hungry. It takes only a chapter of paranoia to undo years of loyalty, and even if their is foreshadowing about where the two stand with one another, it felt like everything fell apart too fast. I love to see characters spiral downward into monsters, but it's more satisfying when it happens over time.