The Human (The Eden Trilogy #2)
   by: Keary Taylor


Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review
Page Count: 268 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The city of New Eden is cleared, but it won’t stay that way forever. The Bane continue to advance in horrific ways that will wipe humanity from the face of the Earth. A storm is coming, one none of them could have dared imagine.

When a group of outsiders come to the city, everyone is on edge. They have too many questions and not enough answers about where they are from or what they want. Just because they are human doesn’t mean they can be trusted.

Eve made a choice–one that could have deadly repercussions. Desperate hearts bring about desperate actions. Now she must make another decision as her world continues to crumble: come to terms with who she really is, or risk her sanity. She thought she had unlocked all the secrets from her past, but there are truths still buried that leave her questioning what is real and what is not.

 

When I first saw that Keary had a form to sign up for ARC's of her second book in the Eden trilogy I jumped at the opportunity. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, The Bane, so naturally I had to see what happened next!

We jump back in where we left off- Eve and the crew are settling in at New Eden, trying to establish a life, but always being wary of the threat of the Bane (soulless human machines that are the product of the virus TorBane gone wrong) However, Eve is restless. She is not used to not being in action 24/7 and now she has to deal with the aftermath of some of her choices that she made in The Bane. There was a bit of a love triangle in the first book, but Eve has made her choice (and it is the right one in my opinion!). Still, there are several scenes where Eve is caught in the middle between them and although I did understand the one guy's behavior due to his circumstances, it still drove me a bit crazy. She made her choice! Let it alone!

The community of New Eden does get a bit of a shock when a new group of humans shows up to town. They say they heard their message looking for survivors and are seeking refuge. However, everyone is on the defensive. Eve does not trust this group at all and so the community of New Eden is having to be very cautious. It is sad that there is so much distrust in the air. The human population has been wiped out. People should be banding together to help each other, not fight against each other and sow the seeds of discord. However, there will always be varying opinions on how best to do things.

Eve is still a badass in this book. She still struggles with her emotions and finding a good balance, even though she is getting helped by a doctor in New Eden, who is connected to her past. He does treatments to help straighten out her emotional receptors, but at one point, she fears it's been too much and she really feels herself spiraling out of control. She feels suffocated, trapped, and is really a ticking time bomb waiting to go off on someone (West). I really enjoyed watching her deal with this and this is where Avian really shows how much he cares for her. Both of them are so attuned to one another- he knows when she's on the verge of a meltdown and when she's in need of a break. She is used to living freely and she feels New Eden is more a cage than a new home. Still, he is right there with her, and refuses to let her drown in all of these emotions.

Avian, however, is in love with Eve and doesn't always make the most rational decisions when it comes to her and her safety. We really see a very different side to him than we did in the first book where he was passive aggressive and almost shy. However, his overprotectiveness of Eve does cause some problems later in the book.

West, on the other hand, is as infuriating as ever. He pushes Eve's buttons and refuses to accept the hard truths. He has been through quite a lot (especially after the ending to the last book!) so we have to give him some leniency in the beginning. However, his persistence really started to drive me crazy. Not to mention, he is not exactly trustworthy. He has withheld information from Eve and has lied to her on several occasions in the past. Yet, Eve feels guilty for what has happened to him and for the choices she has made without him knowing.

We find out quite a bit more about Eve and her past in this book, which is going to be critical in the last installment of the series. Keary did a really great job of tying that in with the storyline and really making everything work out seamlessly.

We really have two major storylines in this book: We have Eve finding out more about her past and we also have the threat of the Bane growing larger and larger every day. It turns out the Bane are actually evolving, which does not bode well for the remaining human population. The odds are stacked against them, yet they are resilient and determined to fight back.

The end is not what I would call a cliffhanger, but it definitely has a 'Oh shit!' moment that leaves you ready for the next book.

Overall, the second installment of the Eden trilogy is packed with action and really leaves you breathless at the end. I could not put this one down!

 

ABOUT KEARY TAYLOR:

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, EDEN, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIHFvtnvKU4

The Bane (Eden Trilogy #1)
    by: Keary Taylor

Publication Date: Mar. 5, 2013
Publisher: Keary Taylor Books
Genre: Science- Fiction/ Dystopia
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received from NetGalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 352 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time.

Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance.

                                            -goodreads.com description

This book ended up being a very enjoyable read. I really struggled with it in the beginning- I felt there was a disconnect and I wasn't comprehending the big picture. The book started out a bit choppy and it took a little while to start to understand who the other characters were and how they were going to fit into the main character's world. We are thrown into this post apocalyptic world and are instantly shown how life is being lived among those who are remaining.

We meet Eve, our protagonist, who is dealing with the death of a close comrade, yet while others grieve around her, she does not. She offers help and solace, but is not one of those who is broken over losing a member of her team. Eve's team goes out on scouting missions and is also tasked with keeping Eden (their home) protected from the Bane, souless human machines. They are aggressive, fast, and bent on destruction of the remaining human populace.

We do not learn a whole lot about the Bane, until the story progresses. We discover that a group of scientists created TorBane, which was used for limb regeneration, but it had evolved on its own, taking over human bodies, turning them into monsters.

The men and women of Eden are trying to survive, by avoiding the Bane, but fighting them when necessary.

Human life is very precious, as there aren't many left. Losing a member of their community is very devastating. Eve discovers three humans in the woods nearby on a scouting mission and brings them to Eden. They are tested (to ensure they are completely human) and then gradually accepted into the community.

West, is about the same age as Eve, and she instantly does not trust him. She believes he has secrets. This puts a strain on their relationship, as Gabriel (the somewhat leader of Eden), instructs West to follow and work with Eve. West is a very important character to the novel, as he plays a big role in Eve discovering who she really is and finding out about her past.

I liked West, but I felt like his character needed some more development. We saw his hurt when Eve did not trust him, or when she went against him and we saw his feelings for Eve, but other than that I just didn't get  a whole lot from him.

The same rang true for Avian. Avian, was one of those who found Eve wandering around after the Evolution. He brought her to Eden and became a close friend of hers. However, through the book we start to see that he also has feelings for Eve. He is compassionate and serves on the sidelines as the community's medic. We do not originally see him as a fighter or a leader, but he ends up proving himself to be both towards the conclusion of the novel.

The two love interests are very different from each other and their approaches to Eve. West really wears his heart out on his sleeve and is more aggressive than Avian. Avian strikes me as shy and he doesn't aggressively pursue Eve. West is an explosion of emotion, but I feel Avian is that slow burning fire. Both, however, keep telling her that she needs to make a choice where they are concerned.

All of this is interesting especially since Eve is so devoid of emotion. We learn why this is later in the novel.

Overall, this book had a lot of action and the romance is really what bumped up my rating. (I do love a good romance!) Taylor really does leave you guessing until the end as to what is going to happen with Eve and who she is going to choose. I do like that Taylor resolves many of the story's conflicts in this novel, because I abhor cliff-hangers. There are still many questions regarding the Bane and the fate of the human population, so I'm looking forward to reading the second installment.

*Thank you to Keary Taylor for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.*