Monday, October 21, 2013

Garden of Eden (The Legend of Eden #1)

About Garden of Eden
It has been four years.
Four years since the day the Catchers found her family.
Four years since she escaped capture.
And four years since the day her mother locked her and Will, a boy she hardly knew, in an attic, 'for their own protection'.

Now, Eden White is fifteen, and sick of being a prisoner of parents who all but abandoned her. It was as simple as one walk down a beautiful, foggy beach, but it ended with Eden and Will face to face with Catchers - and this time, there is no escape.

When Eden wakes, she finds herself on an island, surrounded by hundreds of stolen children. Enrolled in the island school, Jordan Hall, Eden quickly learns that the island is not what it seems.
And, in the woods surrounding the school, she discovers a wild, beautiful magic inside of herself - one she has no idea how to control. With three unlikely new friends, Eden begins to realize that the headmistress is hiding much more than the stolen children - and what they learn in the laboratories below the school could cost Eden her life.

Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What made me want to read this book was the dystopian elements the blurb hinted at. Yes, it does have those elements, but there is fantasy, magic, mystery, and many more elements that I didn't even realize. Kate Cowan used these elements to create her own unique world based in our version of reality.

I really like Will. I hated that he melted into the background when they came to the school. I wonder if "Will" is his real name or if he gave Eden a false name. I have a feeling (or I hope) that Will is going to play a more prominent role in the second book.  He seems like he could be a really strong character if given the chance. I also wonder if he knows Eden's secret. If Eden is destined for some cosmic role, then Will could have been strategically placed. Then again, I could be completely over analyzing his role in Eden's story.

This story will make you hate Eden's parents. I mean, what loving parents would really locks their kids up and has no interaction with them? Then to top it off, they leave for days at a time. I know that's their character flaw, but I'd like to know what really went through their minds.

I do like how Eden transformed after she left the attic. She became a stronger character. I loved that she didn't play the victim. She took control of her actions and sought to improve herself. She stood up for those that couldn't stand up for themselves and is trying to help everyone on the island by discovering its big secret. She's turning into a leader, and that makes her interesting.

After the Catchers capture Will and Eden, they take them to the mysterious island/school. There are lots of secrets to uncover here.  Readers don't know who to trust, especially since everyone seems to have a secret. I kept trying to decide who was "good" and who was "bad". Cowan does a good job of keeping readers guessing.

This is the first book in Eden's tale. If you're expecting a full story, you're going to be disappointed. You find out only one of the many mysteries of the island. You will discover one secret that doesn't bode well for people. You will definitely need to pick up the next book in the series to find out more because so many questions are left unanswered.

Readers who enjoy a good mystery with magic should give Garden of Eden a try.

Find it on Amazon   Goodreads

To see what others thought about Garden of Eden, check out the rest of the blog tour here.

About author Kate Cowan:
Kate is an artist, an animation student, a black belt in karate and now, an author. She didn't discover writing
until mid-high school, when she began writing an (unintentionally) hilarious novel involving a teenage girl and a magic necklace. Her current novel series, The Legend of Eden, began as a story of Arthurian magic, but quickly transformed into something much different.

Kate currently lives in Ontario, Canada, in a zoo of a house. When she isn't writing, she's drawing, cooking, or browsing the Internet for new music.

Find Kate  Website   Twitter  Goodreads

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