Eden by Keary Taylor

e-book & paperback, 408 pages

Published June 6th 2011

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From Goodreads: Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She’s seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn’t just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve’s reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won’t stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.

This is a fascinating premise. I love Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian, and this is a perfect blend of both. The world building in EDEN was amazing. From the first chapter, I pictured Eden vividly, and loved the idea of a small world they created and maintained that they had to keep moving to outrun the Fallen. It’s original and fresh.

Eve was difficult to connect with at first, but after something was revealed (no spoilers) I understood her better, and I truly sympathized with her. What I loved about her was she was tough and just plain out bad. Being able to fight and pretty much kick everyone’s bum is always a plus with girl leads for me.

For those who love the love triangle, this book has you covered. For the most part, I always know whose team I’m on, but Taylor really made this difficult. Both guys were awesome. West truly had me going at first: He’s gorgeous, strong, and has so much to offer Eve, but Avian has all the same qualities LOL I mean, both of them love her to death and would do anything for her, and there’s not a flaw I could find with either one. I loved their banter and tug of war they had going over Eve. Neither of them was willing to back down. In the end, I’m glad she finally made a decision between them and we don’t have to wait for the next book to discover this like most stories.

The plot was strong also. Although a lot of the story centered on the love triangle, I thought the action and twists involving the Fallen was well balanced. Eve’s transformation through the story was evident, and I was left satisfied by the end, except for the future of one character. I really want to know what’s going to become of him. If there’s going to be a second book, I think it will have a lot of him, or at least I’m hoping! This is a great read and I recommend it to anyone who loves Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, smoldering love triangles, and something original in YA.