A jaded resistance fighter. A magical mutant girl. A quest to save the last beacon of hope in a deadly, dystopian world.
Sixteen-year-old Angela thinks she and her father are the last survivors on Earth. She dreams of adventure and romance but only finds it in books. In the confines of her garden paradise, she’s untouched by contaminants that caused the rest of humanity to mutate into murderous beasts or die. But the lure of the outside world is irresistible.
When a seventeen-year-old boy stumbles upon Angela’s home with news about a thriving community, she dares to leave her garden for the first time. The dystopian society that she finds is deadlier than she expected, and the wardens tasked with protecting the settlement have murderous secrets. Does she have what it takes to stay alive and save humanity in the process?
Amazon Link: Saving Eden (The Eden Saga #1)
Author: K. R. S. McEntire
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was a sort of Tangled/Rapunzel take on a dystopian story, because the main characters was hidden away from the world for most of her life by her protective father–because she has the power to restore life. But Angela doesn’t even know about her abilities at first.
She decides to run away from home to find out more about the world that’s left, more from curiosity than any need, since she knows her dad is hiding things from her but doesn’t suspect anything malicious from him. Her whims drive the story without any real urgency. Even when she finds out that others are lying to her and want to take advantage of her power, she is quick to forgive and doesn’t have a strong sense of self-preservation. The stakes don’t feel very high until her father was abruptly in danger near the end.
Still, the world-building had a few new ideas and I liked some of the secondary characters. It was a quick, light read. The writing felt a little simple, but I might read more to see if the author improves.
I would recommend this book to fans of Sweet Tooth and The Hunger Games if you want a less violent/graphic dystopian world with an optimistic protagonist.
Here is the book in my reading journal:
