My Thoughts: Dark Eden, by Patrick Carman

Paperback: 336 pages

• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; Reprint edition
• Release Date:  April 24, 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062009710
• ASIN: B00BJE9I3G

"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?
Patrick Carman's Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality." -Goodreads
______ My Thoughts:
Hmmm... What to say about Dark Eden.... It wasn't too scary, or dark for that matter; but it was a bit twisted. Twisted in an intriguing sort of way.

Like Patrick Carman's Pulse, Dark Eden starts to warm up around 40% through? Some people deem this as a flaw, but I personally wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. The slow build up of suspense, coupled with Will's midnight excursions was enough to keep me engaged.

 Watch out guys! Major supernatural twist at the end. This book is not what you expect it to be..

Onto the characters. As I may observe; Patrick Carman has a habit of creating characters with odd ways of interpreting their world. In Pulse it was Liz; and her quirky obsession with touching and feeling things. In Dark Eden it was Will; who would rather listen to the sounds of the forest than go explore it for himself. These little peculiarities brought forth the characters as a person; and gave them a mysterious quality scarcely seen in rival YA novels.

Interesting enough though, what won me over in the end was Dark Eden's unique plot. A book that dives into fear; in an unorthodox Frankenstein-esque way - has seldom been done before. So I'm glad to say, I did enjoy Dark Eden, and will be picking up the second novel; titled "Eve of Destruction".  (After 2 or so more reviews!)

Rating: 4.1/5
What to expect?

• Phobias!
• The Program
• Cures!
• A bomb shelter/compound

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