Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Pages: 336

Publisher: Harper Collins

Perspective: First Person

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: November 1, 2011

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Stars: 4/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

I must admit, I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis of this book. It made it seem creepy and mysterious, which was exactly what this book was.

There was a lot of mystery in the fact that there were a lot of weird things going on when the kids went to go get their fears "vanquished", if you will. It was a fairly fast-paced book, and it definitely kept me entertained throughout the whole time I was reading it.

Not to mention, I can definitely appreciate an original storyline, and this book had exactly that. I've never read (or heard of) a book like this, which I thought was awesome.

Characters:

Even though I am a girl, I do like switching perspectives and reading books from a guy's point of view, especially if there is a girl involved. 

I liked that there was a bit of light shed on each one of the characters, and that Dark Eden didn't only focus purely on the main character, Will. I also thought the antagonists were fantastically written, and even gave me the chills!

Writing:

The way Patrick Carman set up the book and wrote it definitely increased the creepy-ness of the whole thing. He created suspense (so much so that I was holding my breath in some scenes), and he really made the story come alive.

Ending:

Hands down, the ending was my absolute favorite thing about this entire book. It was a little bittersweet, and completely unexpected. I like that all of the loose ends were tied up, and that the explanations didn't feel rushed. 

Cover:

I think the cover definitely captures ominous-ness  and it represents the creepiness of this story well. You can definitely tell the book you're about to read is super creepy, which I like.

The Final Verdict:

Dark Eden is a fantastic, creepy read. I recommend this book for rainy, dark days, because it will totally creep you out!

I haven't read any of Patrick Carman's other books, but after reading Dark Eden, I'll definitely have to look into them.

FTC: Zoe.