Escape from Eden Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my stop on the Escape from Eden official blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share with you and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!!

Escape from Eden

Author: Elisa Nader

Genre: YA Dystopia/Thriller

Release Date: August 18, 2013

Publisher: Merit Press

Description:

Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape.

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?  

Escape from Eden is a thrilling young adult dystopian novel that follows main character Mia as she continues her life at Edenton under the supervision of the Reverend. Edenton is supposed to be a modern day "Garden of Eden" located deep in the jungles of South America. Mia has lived here since she was ten years old and her mother fell under the Reverend's spell. She doesn't dream of the things the other girls do at Edenton - courting and getting married - Mia dreams of escaping for good. When the gorgeous Gabriel and his family arrive at Edenton, Mia believes she might have found her way out. Along the way, Mia and Gabriel uncover secrets of epic proportions - the Reverend and his paranoid plan to save his flock from the corrupt world for good. Will Gabriel and Mia be able to stop the Reverend before it's too late? Or will they have to sacrifice much more than just their freedom in order to save the ones they love?

This was an intriguing dystopian novel filled with twists and turns and tons of secrets. Although the plot wasn't wholly original, as it reminded me of a couple of books recently released, the author did a great job keeping the reader on their toes trying to guess what was going on and what would happen next. The characters were well written, especially those of Mia and Gabriel. I loved getting to know both of them and watch their friendship grow throughout the novel. The setting was an interesting one - a remote jungle in South America - and it was the perfect place for this crazy "utopia" to hide. The writing was well done and had lots of great imagery and details, although at times it felt like the pace was a bit slow. Overall, this was an interesting dystopian novel that will keep readers guessing and racing to find out how it all will end.

Hi. I’m Elisa. I like cheese and reading and TV show marathons. Writing is scary, but not as scary as, say, Civil War amputations. I’m an Aquarius. Uh… let’s see… I’m not very good at writing my own biography. Or autobiography. I guess this is reading more like a slightly incoherent personal ad.

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