Titles: Dark Eden and Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction
Author: Patrick Carman
Year Published: 2011 and 2012
Ashley picked these books, or rather she won the sequel on twitter, and as usual they have creepy covers. I didn't like the cover of Dark Eden with the two attractive "teens". They didn't look anything like the characters to me.
Do you remember school book fairs? The ones at my school usually were in the library and there were stacks, bins, and shelves full of paperback books on sale. These books had that feeling to them. They weren't epic stories, but they were entertaining. There wasn't anything edgy about the series. The fears were interesting, but the most controversial bit was one line in the first few chapters that wasn't expanded upon questioning Alex's sexuality. I was just waiting for that to be brought back up, but it wasn't other than Alex not pursuing a love interest.
Both books used a similar formula of Will being outside the main action as an observer until he had to rush in and try and save the day.
I could not get into the first book. Will wasn't likable or relatable. Throughout both books he went into great lengths of his theories. Can't I as the reader come to conclusions on my own? I did like the Keith character, though. All of the twists at the end made the beginning worth reading.
The sequel reminded me of a horror movie sequel. Let's bring back the same cast. Different situation, but same formula. Even the Amy character was in the same style as the first book.
An aspect of the sequel that I thought was interesting, although I didn't take advantage of it, was the website. There were little references at the bottom of some pages with passwords to use to view certain things. I bet middle grade readers would love this.
Overall, these were entertaining books. I recommend them to someone looking for a light read or for middle grade readers looking for something a little scary. I give this duology a 3/5.
-PAUL
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