REVIEW: After Eden by Helen Douglas

December 22, 2013

Eden Anfield loves puzzles, so when mysterious new boy Ryan Westland shows up at her school she's hooked. On the face of it, he's a typical American teenager. So why doesn't he recognise pizza? And how come he hasn't heard of Hitler? What puzzles Eden the most, however, is the interest he's taking in her. As Eden starts to fall in love with Ryan, she begins to unravel his secret. Her breakthrough comes one rainy afternoon when she stumbles across a book in Ryan's bedroom - a biography of her best friend - written over fifty years in the future. Confronting Ryan, she discovers that he is there with one unbelievably important purpose ... and she might just have destroyed his only chance of success.
*I received this book as a review copy from Bloomsbury for a honest review in return. Thank you*
After Eden is a YA sci-fi novel of sorts that deals with time-travel, friendships and romance. Whilst I didn't find After Eden to be mind-blowing and I did have some minor issues, I speed through it and was kept throughly entertained.  If you're looking for a fun and quick read, then After Eden is it.

Being a small book, After Eden doesn't take very long for to get into the mix of things. It's fast pace and numerous plot twists make it a very captivating and easy read. It tells the story of Eden Anfield, the last person expected to catch the attention of the mysterious new boy Ryan Westland. Yet the latest and gorgeous addition to Perran's local school, only has eyes for her. He can name all the constellations yet can't recognise Pizza, it's safe to say.. that's a little strange. But Ryan has a secret and the harder she falls for him, the harder it'll be to know the truth..

Like my little synopsis? Anyway despite not being a sci-fi fan, I found the whole time-travelling aspects really cool and easy to understand. The premise was really interesting and not something i'd read before. But saying that I did find somethings to be a bit cliché or predictable. I sometimes felt as though the relationship between Eden and Ryan was too sweet and followed the stereotypical pairing of 'the normal girl meets gorgeous new guy'. Somehow reminding me of twilight. Some of the plot twists I sensed from the beginning but it didn't really bug me.

I noticed that it's mostly dialogue filled, which I guess also added to it being a quick book. I found Eden, quite likeable and practical. Ryan was also likeable and quite swoony. But I would have loved more time getting to know all the characters. But despite these small issues which I easily overlooked, I can't help but think about how exciting and entertaining After Eden was. Even though it's writing was simple it was page-turning and exhilarating. So even though I found some small issues with After Eden, I'm giving this a four. Because when I think of it, I think of the overall awesomeness of the plot. For me it worked and I really enjoyed it.


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4 comments

  1. I've been on the fence about this one because I've read some mixed reviews. But I do love the premise and the fact that you enjoyed it so much makes me want to read it. Great review! ~Pam

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  2. I'm not a fan of time travel books but I am intrigued with this one... I'm glad it's fast-paced - I hate slow-paced books with a passion! - and that it progresses at a pace that doesn't make you want to sit it down! I am a little hesitant about the fact it's so short you don't feel like you have quite as much time as you'd like to get a better sense of the characters - character development is essential for me!

    Great review! :D

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  3. I love sci fi so this does sound interesting but the plot doesn't really grab me. Also the fact that it's a short book also turns me off because otherwise I feel like everything is rushed.

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  4. Yay! I'm really glad you liked this. I really did too! I loved the idea and the story but one thing annoyed me- as a sci-fi fan I raged a lot, because there was one detail about the time travel they got wrong!
    *ASPOILERIFYOUHAVENTREADTHEBOOK*
    If he goes back and everything is returned back to normal, he should have been turned back to normal too, forgetting what just happened because the whole thing was reversed in a way. If so how did he come back to Eden? That wouldn't have been possible because he'd forget he'd met herARRRGGGH xD

    Yeah. Rant over. haha :D Great review, Sunny!!

    -Georgia :)

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