A review by theawkwardbookw
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

3.0

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q/videos

7 teenagers, including Will Besting, have been sent to Fort Eden, an institution that is supposed to cure them of their crippling phobias. When Will escapes when they arrive, he hides in a bunker covered in monitors that show the entire camp. Using these monitors, he is able to watch the 6 other teens go through their ' fear rooms' and come out cured of their phobias. The only thing is, they are now all experiencing weird pains and symptoms after they've been cured. Something isn't right and Will is determined to find out what it is.

The book is told from Will's perspective, which was a nice change from the typical female POV in most YA books. The book is said to be a psychological thriller, but I didn't find it that thrilling or interesting until the last 100 pages or so when the plot twists came into effect. I found it to be rather boring learning about the 6 other teenagers and their fears. The way the big revelations were revealed only at the end of the book instead of through out the story bothered me, I felt a bit cheated to be honest. There was minimal character and plot development. The artwork in the book was a pretty cool twist though!

There's a website (http://enterdarkeden.com/ ) associated with the book which was interesting to look at after I read the book. It includes little videos and audio files that really help you envision the story and camp more.