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charms1976's review
4.0
When seven patients have been unable to be cured of their phobia's, they are sent to the mysterious place called Fort Eden. With its promise of a cure, Fort Eden takes the seven patients to the center of their phobia and confronting it head on.
When Will and the six other patients arrive at the entrance of Fort Eden, Will sneaks off and decides he isn't going to be apart of the therapy. He doesn't want to be there and he doesn't know what to expect. When he does sneak into Fort Eden though, he discovers mysterious rooms, cameras and puzzles to solve to find out just how Fort Eden can cure the phobias. Will watches the other patients on the monitors from the bomb shelter. He tries to figure out how Rainsford is really curing their fears and discovers that it comes with a big cost.
I was pulled into this book from the first page. If you decide to read the book, be aware that you can venture further into the world of Fort Eden through multimedia enhancements including audio and video as well as the written story. While I didn't use either of the other options, I still enjoyed the story as the written journey. Everything you read through the story has some sort of meaning by the time you get to the unexpected ending. Things that you don't think are too important will come to light as a major clue in the story as well.
If you are looking for a creepy and great new read this season, then Dark Eden will capture your interests and drop you into the fears of the seven kids. While it wasn't my favorite of the year, it was a fun experience to read and try to figure out!
When Will and the six other patients arrive at the entrance of Fort Eden, Will sneaks off and decides he isn't going to be apart of the therapy. He doesn't want to be there and he doesn't know what to expect. When he does sneak into Fort Eden though, he discovers mysterious rooms, cameras and puzzles to solve to find out just how Fort Eden can cure the phobias. Will watches the other patients on the monitors from the bomb shelter. He tries to figure out how Rainsford is really curing their fears and discovers that it comes with a big cost.
I was pulled into this book from the first page. If you decide to read the book, be aware that you can venture further into the world of Fort Eden through multimedia enhancements including audio and video as well as the written story. While I didn't use either of the other options, I still enjoyed the story as the written journey. Everything you read through the story has some sort of meaning by the time you get to the unexpected ending. Things that you don't think are too important will come to light as a major clue in the story as well.
If you are looking for a creepy and great new read this season, then Dark Eden will capture your interests and drop you into the fears of the seven kids. While it wasn't my favorite of the year, it was a fun experience to read and try to figure out!
readingjag's review
I'm immediately suspicious of any book covered in QR codes that has, like, exclamation points instructing readers to download the app and the game that goes with the book. This just wasn't very well written and it made no sense. Abandoned after about 60 pages.
christajls's review
3.0
This review originally posted at < a href="http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-dark-eden.html">Christa's Hooked on Books
Dark Eden reads like your average suspense film. Six kids head off to a mysterious location each with their own specific phobias. All of them are deemed “incurable” and this radical new treatment is their last shot. One boy, Will, senses that something is a bit off about the whole situation and slips away from the group. From a seemingly safe distance, the reader watches along with Will as each phobia is identified and treated. Kid by kid these treatments take place in increasingly gruesome and somewhat disturbing ways.
I really like the way this book is laid out. I like that it presents each fear one at a time, instead of throwing all the information at you at once. It gives you time to fully take in and process the situation of each child and it also allows the mystery of Fort Eden to build slowly throughout the novel. There is constantly a feeling a mounting suspicion and dread. You just know something horrible is going to happen to all these kids, but you have no idea what and no idea what can be done to stop it.
Closer to the ending, however, the suspensful tone and subtle clues come to an end as you race towards the conclusion and the explanation of what exactly is going on. The explanation is bizarre and it completely took me by surprise. It was an interesting and creative twist. However, it seemed to be explained very quickly and before you knew it everything was wrapped up. I felt like a little more explanation could have been given and more time could have been spent on the big revelation itself. For a book that wowed me with it's slow and suspensful pacing, a rushed and thrown together ending was a little disappointing.
This is a great book for young male readers. It's a creative and spooky with some really great twists. There are some weird pacing issues, which can be distracting, but don't really take away from the overall enjoyment of the novel.
Dark Eden reads like your average suspense film. Six kids head off to a mysterious location each with their own specific phobias. All of them are deemed “incurable” and this radical new treatment is their last shot. One boy, Will, senses that something is a bit off about the whole situation and slips away from the group. From a seemingly safe distance, the reader watches along with Will as each phobia is identified and treated. Kid by kid these treatments take place in increasingly gruesome and somewhat disturbing ways.
I really like the way this book is laid out. I like that it presents each fear one at a time, instead of throwing all the information at you at once. It gives you time to fully take in and process the situation of each child and it also allows the mystery of Fort Eden to build slowly throughout the novel. There is constantly a feeling a mounting suspicion and dread. You just know something horrible is going to happen to all these kids, but you have no idea what and no idea what can be done to stop it.
Closer to the ending, however, the suspensful tone and subtle clues come to an end as you race towards the conclusion and the explanation of what exactly is going on. The explanation is bizarre and it completely took me by surprise. It was an interesting and creative twist. However, it seemed to be explained very quickly and before you knew it everything was wrapped up. I felt like a little more explanation could have been given and more time could have been spent on the big revelation itself. For a book that wowed me with it's slow and suspensful pacing, a rushed and thrown together ending was a little disappointing.
This is a great book for young male readers. It's a creative and spooky with some really great twists. There are some weird pacing issues, which can be distracting, but don't really take away from the overall enjoyment of the novel.
ambr_media's review
1.0
I'm not sure what I didn't like about this book but I found myself mostly skimming through the entire story, the explanation at the end was kinda wild
saidtheraina's review
3.0
Seven kids are sent to a creepy location to be treated for their phobias.
I started my booktalk with the line "I think my therapist has given up on me." And I think a sad number of middle school kids can identify with the feeling that that invokes. This is often a creepy book, and it goes to places I wasn't expecting it to go. Patrick Carman isn't necessarily the most literary writer out there, but he knows how to hook a book. And horror is all the rage these days. I wanted to get deeper into the characters of the seven kids in this location, but the plot zips along and you don't get to know more than a couple of them very well.
Worth noting: [a:Patrick Arrasmith]'s illustrations at many of the chapter (or is it section?) heads are really really stunning.
I started my booktalk with the line "I think my therapist has given up on me." And I think a sad number of middle school kids can identify with the feeling that that invokes. This is often a creepy book, and it goes to places I wasn't expecting it to go. Patrick Carman isn't necessarily the most literary writer out there, but he knows how to hook a book. And horror is all the rage these days. I wanted to get deeper into the characters of the seven kids in this location, but the plot zips along and you don't get to know more than a couple of them very well.
Worth noting: [a:Patrick Arrasmith]'s illustrations at many of the chapter (or is it section?) heads are really really stunning.
sausome's review
4.0
This was a really good book ... all about a group of kids sent to a kind of bunker to be cured of fears that their therapist can't help them with. One kid hides while the others go into the bunker, and watches video feed of what's going on inside ... he knows what all of their fears are because he hacked into his therapist's computer files. He senses something strange going on, and has to figure it out before he gets caught, because they're looking for him. The twists and turns are intriguing, and gripping -- I read this book in a day, not able to set it down. The ultimate reveal is a bit shaky, but it doesn't ruin the book at all.
Some bit of advice -- if you read this book, skip the "epilogue" at the end. It's the author saying, "Hey, if you didn't get my mysterious, subtle hints about what's happened, let me lay it all out in the form of the main character reflecting on what happened". It's as if the author got eager about making sure the whole book was over-explained.
Some bit of advice -- if you read this book, skip the "epilogue" at the end. It's the author saying, "Hey, if you didn't get my mysterious, subtle hints about what's happened, let me lay it all out in the form of the main character reflecting on what happened". It's as if the author got eager about making sure the whole book was over-explained.
joyousreads132's review
3.0
I give the author props for conjuring up a group of characters whose seemingly normal temperaments belie the crippling fears they have within.
I give the author props for setting up a creepy world where you expect to be horrified at every turn.
I give the author props for writing pages upon pages of ominous scenarios, settings, and landscapes.
And as much as I want to say this book will the scare the pants out of you…I, unfortunately, cannot.
I don’t know why anyone would say this book can be classified as a thriller when it wasn’t even mildly so. I’m not trying to be a jerk by trivializing these kids’ fears but I felt like the entire set up was beyond over the top. The author made a fanfare out of everything - promising too much without really fulfilling. It was disappointing. I read…and read…and read and waited for that moment when my heart would skip a beat but it didn’t happen.
I’ll give you this: The twist near the end almost, ALMOST made reading this book worthwhile. However, it came out of the left field. It was one of those, ‘where the hell did that come from?’ moment. In the end, it was like the majority of the book was a fruitless practice because a major element of the plot was a surprise of an epic proportions. I think this is the first book I’ve ever read where the shock didn’t do much for me.
Incidentally, there’s an app for this book. It might enhance your reading experience better. As for me, I think I’ll pass. I’m sitting here and resisting the urge to pull my hair off their roots. I’ve read reviews for this book and I’m completely aghast that once again, y’all left me at the bus stop.
VERDICT: I don’t think I read the same book as everybody else. Or…there were some subliminal messages that I completely missed. All in all, this book was a disappointment and a half.
I give the author props for setting up a creepy world where you expect to be horrified at every turn.
I give the author props for writing pages upon pages of ominous scenarios, settings, and landscapes.
And as much as I want to say this book will the scare the pants out of you…I, unfortunately, cannot.
I don’t know why anyone would say this book can be classified as a thriller when it wasn’t even mildly so. I’m not trying to be a jerk by trivializing these kids’ fears but I felt like the entire set up was beyond over the top. The author made a fanfare out of everything - promising too much without really fulfilling. It was disappointing. I read…and read…and read and waited for that moment when my heart would skip a beat but it didn’t happen.
I’ll give you this: The twist near the end almost, ALMOST made reading this book worthwhile. However, it came out of the left field. It was one of those, ‘where the hell did that come from?’ moment. In the end, it was like the majority of the book was a fruitless practice because a major element of the plot was a surprise of an epic proportions. I think this is the first book I’ve ever read where the shock didn’t do much for me.
Incidentally, there’s an app for this book. It might enhance your reading experience better. As for me, I think I’ll pass. I’m sitting here and resisting the urge to pull my hair off their roots. I’ve read reviews for this book and I’m completely aghast that once again, y’all left me at the bus stop.
VERDICT: I don’t think I read the same book as everybody else. Or…there were some subliminal messages that I completely missed. All in all, this book was a disappointment and a half.
goodbetterbetsy's review
3.0
Will Besting is afraid. We don't know what he's afraid of, but his fear is strong enough that his psychiatrist is sending him to a special place with 6 other teens with strong irrational fears where they can finally be cured. But when it comes time to enter Fort Eden, Will hides. He knows something isn't right, he just can't figure out what it is. Will is able to observe the curing process from his hiding place and he's determined he will not go through it. But it's already too late.
I had heard pretty good things about Dark Eden. It was all right. It took me some time to get into it and then I zipped along pretty quickly. The story is definitely more plot driven then character driven. The story is also told so that only bits of information are leaked at a time. I know this is generally how storytelling goes, you can't give everything all at once, but this was kind of annoying. I hate when characters talk about something that you don't know and they keep bringing it up again and again and again and again and then when you finally find out what they're talking about it is a total let down. Avery's fear? Totally called it and it wasn't some great big thing like it was built up to be (at least it seemed like they were trying to build it up).
Overall, it was a good story. Not the best, not the worst. I would recommend this to readers who like thrillers and suspense.
I had heard pretty good things about Dark Eden. It was all right. It took me some time to get into it and then I zipped along pretty quickly. The story is definitely more plot driven then character driven. The story is also told so that only bits of information are leaked at a time. I know this is generally how storytelling goes, you can't give everything all at once, but this was kind of annoying. I hate when characters talk about something that you don't know and they keep bringing it up again and again and again and again and then when you finally find out what they're talking about it is a total let down. Avery's fear? Totally called it and it wasn't some great big thing like it was built up to be (at least it seemed like they were trying to build it up).
Overall, it was a good story. Not the best, not the worst. I would recommend this to readers who like thrillers and suspense.
sarahskorupa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0