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Eden Trilogy #1
Eternal Eden
College sophomore Bryn Dawson is a self-proclaimed poster child for normal. However, the day William Hayward enters her life, normalcy is the last thing Bryn will be able to count on if she wants to be with him. Too mysterious and appealing to be good for a girl, Bryn feels drawn to him in a way that seems out of her control—as if fate is orchestrating it. Despite every red flag and warning siren going off in her head telling her not to, Bryn falls hard for William, knowing he’s categorically different from anyone she’s ever met. She never imagined how right she was. When William takes her deeper into the rabbit hole of his world, Bryn must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to be with him, knowing no matter what, fate always finds a way to have the last laugh.Spinning a new twist on star-crossed lovers, Eternal Eden will put Bryn through a gauntlet of turmoil, challenging her to find the power within herself to become the heroine in her own story. Newly edited version released on 8/26/11. If you purchased a version that contains incorrect grammar or missing words, please call 1-866-216-1072 to request the updated version free of charge. Or for the UK call 1-206-266-2992.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2011
402 people are currently reading
13072 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Williams
52 books9,593 followersNicole is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author who got her humble start dictating books to her parents at the age of three and her big break nearly three decades later when she signed her first publishing deal. She grew up an avid reader and writer who majored in Economics because a Creative Writing degree was lofty and impractical, not to mention a pipe dream. Irony, you wily fiend.
When she isn’t embroiled in a book, she spends her time playing wife and mom to her two favorite people in the world, and referee to their three rescue pets/wildlings. Nicole lives in the Evergreen State on the quieter side, ideal for an admitted recluse who enjoys the diversity of outdoor endeavors the Great Northwest offers.
Nicole loves hearing from her readers. You can connect with her on:
Facebook: Author Nicole Williams
Instagram: author_nicole_williams
Twitter: nwilliamsbooks
When she isn’t embroiled in a book, she spends her time playing wife and mom to her two favorite people in the world, and referee to their three rescue pets/wildlings. Nicole lives in the Evergreen State on the quieter side, ideal for an admitted recluse who enjoys the diversity of outdoor endeavors the Great Northwest offers.
Nicole loves hearing from her readers. You can connect with her on:
Facebook: Author Nicole Williams
Instagram: author_nicole_williams
Twitter: nwilliamsbooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 764 reviews
January 14, 2012
Some books make me angry. This was one of them.
And worst of all, what editor overlooks the horrific misuse and/or misspelling of 'you're', 'loosing' and 'anyways' in a book that successfully manages to spell 'impugn' and 'cornucopia of disarray'?
This entire book just baffled me start to finish, and not in a good way.
As a side note, I probably wouldn't have even reviewed it had it not been for the poor editing. That was the last straw.
Pretty cover, though.
And worst of all, what editor overlooks the horrific misuse and/or misspelling of 'you're', 'loosing' and 'anyways' in a book that successfully manages to spell 'impugn' and 'cornucopia of disarray'?
This entire book just baffled me start to finish, and not in a good way.
As a side note, I probably wouldn't have even reviewed it had it not been for the poor editing. That was the last straw.
Pretty cover, though.
March 14, 2012
I like this book......correction......I LIKED this book up until they fell in love. Actually I take that back. It wasn't when they fell in love but when they started EXPRESSING their love for each other. I don't normally find the lovey dovey thing annoying but seriously. SERIOUSLY! How much could one person love another. How much can one person EXPRESS their love for another. At first I thought that being single and having two too many couple friends made me a little cynical but that's not it. I have read other love stories without getting tired of the love the two characters share for each other. But this one......this masterpiece right here? Yeah I wanted to just scratch my eyes out. Literally EVERY OTHER LINE has something to do with how his eyes were the undoing of her. How he lightly brushed her skin and she fainted. How he smiled at her and she felt like she will never love again. My personal favourite? How he STALKED HER and she felt like she couldn't have loved him anymore than she already did. BUT WAIT A SECOND she could and she tells you ALLLLL about it. What is her name anyway? It is drowned out by how much she loves William. Here's a senerio for you:
Fiction: Boy stalks girl. Girl loves boy BECAUSE he stalked her and preceeds to spend the rest of her life with said boy in happy stalker bliss.
REAL LIFE: Boy stalks girl. Girl calls the police. Gets restraining order. Questions boy's sanity. Maybe calls him at the institution where he is being held and asks why he was stalking her. They never get married. Somehow, one cannot get over the fact that they were being stalked. Girl goes on to marry someone SANE!
Ten guesses at to which one this girl picked. WHAT IS HER DAMN NAME?!?! I don't care enough to revisit the book to check.
Moving on............the first few pages tell you how this girl is REALLY ugly and when I say really ugly I mean REALLY REALLY ugly. These are not my words but HER words. She tells you all the time that no one pays attention to her even though like pretty much all the hot people in this book look at her. How she is unworthy of such godly looks as the ones William posesses. Despite the fact that every hot person in this book tells her how godly she looks. I mean talk about needing to be told your pretty! I'm lucky that I get a compliment like that once a month and I cherish those babies like they were indeed babies. Nothing like a compliment to brighten your dull dull day. This one however is showered with compliments and refuses to accept them. She needs a therapist. It isn't healthy the self loathing she has. If she refuses to get help she better look like an ogre because if she is the slightest bit pretty I will want to hurt her very bad. I need to stop hearing about how ugly she is. It makes me think I'm ugly and this is not my ugly day! RUINED IT FOR ME! UGH!
For all these bad qualities why did I give it two stars? It wasn't generosity. It was because for once, it was the guy that had most of the talent. YES PEOPLE! WILLIAM is the one with the multiple GREAT talents. And they won't let you forget it. He saves person after person. He heads his family. He is just the perfect guy. AND HE ISN'T THE MAIN CHARACTER! How out of character is that? (Pun intended) Sadly that is pretty much it for my likes. I wanted to like the way that it was written but I couldn't get over the whole I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING! YOU ARE MY LIFE! I DON'T SEE THE POINT IN LIVIVNG WITHOUT YOU! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU! WHY LIVE WITHOUT YOU? I'll tell you why! to ease my pain. JEEZ I get it. you LOVE each other. Say it loud say it proud say it ONCE you love each other and get over it.
TWO STARS FOR YOU! Now I must nurse the migrain you created.
Fiction: Boy stalks girl. Girl loves boy BECAUSE he stalked her and preceeds to spend the rest of her life with said boy in happy stalker bliss.
REAL LIFE: Boy stalks girl. Girl calls the police. Gets restraining order. Questions boy's sanity. Maybe calls him at the institution where he is being held and asks why he was stalking her. They never get married. Somehow, one cannot get over the fact that they were being stalked. Girl goes on to marry someone SANE!
Ten guesses at to which one this girl picked. WHAT IS HER DAMN NAME?!?! I don't care enough to revisit the book to check.
Moving on............the first few pages tell you how this girl is REALLY ugly and when I say really ugly I mean REALLY REALLY ugly. These are not my words but HER words. She tells you all the time that no one pays attention to her even though like pretty much all the hot people in this book look at her. How she is unworthy of such godly looks as the ones William posesses. Despite the fact that every hot person in this book tells her how godly she looks. I mean talk about needing to be told your pretty! I'm lucky that I get a compliment like that once a month and I cherish those babies like they were indeed babies. Nothing like a compliment to brighten your dull dull day. This one however is showered with compliments and refuses to accept them. She needs a therapist. It isn't healthy the self loathing she has. If she refuses to get help she better look like an ogre because if she is the slightest bit pretty I will want to hurt her very bad. I need to stop hearing about how ugly she is. It makes me think I'm ugly and this is not my ugly day! RUINED IT FOR ME! UGH!
For all these bad qualities why did I give it two stars? It wasn't generosity. It was because for once, it was the guy that had most of the talent. YES PEOPLE! WILLIAM is the one with the multiple GREAT talents. And they won't let you forget it. He saves person after person. He heads his family. He is just the perfect guy. AND HE ISN'T THE MAIN CHARACTER! How out of character is that? (Pun intended) Sadly that is pretty much it for my likes. I wanted to like the way that it was written but I couldn't get over the whole I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING! YOU ARE MY LIFE! I DON'T SEE THE POINT IN LIVIVNG WITHOUT YOU! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU! WHY LIVE WITHOUT YOU? I'll tell you why! to ease my pain. JEEZ I get it. you LOVE each other. Say it loud say it proud say it ONCE you love each other and get over it.
TWO STARS FOR YOU! Now I must nurse the migrain you created.
November 1, 2011
I am so in love with this book. I can't wait to start book 2.
I am a HUGE fan of soul mates and people who are meant for each other. This book did not disappoint in that aspect. I loved William. He could be sweet or tough when needed, depending on situation.
Bryn was normal and down to earth. She thought like a normal girl would and I loved being in her head. All the characters were believable and Patrick was so hilarious. The bad guy was perfect and the ending, though not a huge cliffhanger, left me wanting to pick up book 2 immediately.
The only thing I would say is that I wish Bryn would stop trying to keep things from William. I know she's trying to keep him safe and doesn't want him to hurt anymore, but they are a team! :) Other than that, I was completely enthralled, in love, turning digital pages on my kindle constantly with this book. I've heard awesome things about this series and am so glad I wasn't disappointed.
Read this book if true love is your thing. There was plenty of romance, conflict, girl drama, boy drama, and action to keep me occupied.
If I could give 6 stars I would! Thank you Nicole for the lovely vacation!
I am a HUGE fan of soul mates and people who are meant for each other. This book did not disappoint in that aspect. I loved William. He could be sweet or tough when needed, depending on situation.
Bryn was normal and down to earth. She thought like a normal girl would and I loved being in her head. All the characters were believable and Patrick was so hilarious. The bad guy was perfect and the ending, though not a huge cliffhanger, left me wanting to pick up book 2 immediately.
The only thing I would say is that I wish Bryn would stop trying to keep things from William. I know she's trying to keep him safe and doesn't want him to hurt anymore, but they are a team! :) Other than that, I was completely enthralled, in love, turning digital pages on my kindle constantly with this book. I've heard awesome things about this series and am so glad I wasn't disappointed.
Read this book if true love is your thing. There was plenty of romance, conflict, girl drama, boy drama, and action to keep me occupied.
If I could give 6 stars I would! Thank you Nicole for the lovely vacation!
June 28, 2015
Before I start, I have to say that unfortunately this is going to be a rather negative review. It is my opinion, and I acknowledge that not everyone will agree with or appreciate my comments.
While reading Eternal Eden (EE) I had a hard time deciding whether it is meant to be taken seriously, or whether it's intended to be a spoof-comedy re-write of Twilight. Looking at the text as a spoof comedy, this is hilarious. Trying to read it seriously (well, as seriously as books in this genre can be taken), as a legitimate YA paranormal romance is very hard indeed.
I won't bother listing all the issues I had with the plot itself because that would take too long, but I will say it's just a bad, ill-thought out re-write of Twilight and leave it there - so you know the story. Just replace vampires with 'Immortals'. I don't even like Twilight.
The characters as a whole are mainly unbelievable, and lacking any realistic traits of human nature. The things they say and do in reaction to events as they occur are just ridiculous. A perfect example is Bryn’s response when she is led to believe that William has left her. She decides to wade into the ocean fully clothed and attempt suicide – though in her mind it isn’t a suicide attempt – or so the narration says (but it is) … apparently Bryn takes a stroll in the icy cold ocean because she believes this will make her feel closer to William (?), seeing as he's abandoned her and all.. but she almost dies whilst doing so. It didn't occur to her that hypothermia and drowning were likely to happen. And we readers are supposed to see this as normal behaviour. This is profound and moving. No. This is dumb.
To me it came off as if the author was trying to romanticise suicide arising out of heart-ache. It’s not romantic and should not be promoted as a rational response to a guy leaving you.
None of the characters have much personality, except for maybe the villain – but he’s your usual cardboard cut-out cartoon villain, so no significant or particularly interesting character development there. The characterisation of Bryn and William as the two main people of interest in the book is bizarre. I thought the protagonist/heroine and her love interest are supposed to be likeable?
Bryn is chronically self-deprecating (to the point where it’s not endearing but just plain irritating). She is whiny, weak minded, weak bodied (she is constantly fainting, collapsing, trembling, palpitating – all of that 19th century lady in a corset stuff), limp, lame and boring. She is obsessed and consumed by this inexplicable, came-out-of-nowhere love for this creep of a male lead who seems more like a daddy figure to her than her lover for all time. Bryn has no common sense and no semblance of rationality in her thinking.
William is a stalker. His fixation with Bryn is weird, to put it bluntly. He spends a lot of the time burning with an ardent desire to take her virginity, and this often clouds his judgement when making tricky life and death decisions about Bryn’s and his safety. He also tries to pressure Bryn on a number of occasions to sleep with him (knowing due to their circumstances it would result in a death sentence for them both), and yet the author presents this subtle ‘rapey’ nature of William’s as if it’s supposed to be romantic and swoon-worthy. It’s not.
The main source of the comedy for me in EE was the language. It is apparent that similes, metaphors and vocabulary are not properly understood here, and are therefore not well executed.
For example, there are 51 instances of the words ‘scream’, ‘screamed’ or ‘screaming’ in the book. I searched it on my kindle and that word was really used that many times in EE. The word is mostly employed in the metaphorical rather than literal sense, and each and every time, the metaphor fails completely. When describing how a peek of William’s skin is making her wild with desire, Bryn narrates, ‘When I lifted my eyes from the exposed skin that screamed its presence at me…’ – what? Really? The skin is screaming at you?
While reading EE I had to stop and wonder why everyone and everything is always ‘screaming’ due to the number of times it appears in the narration.
Another problem is the use of the word ‘speculation’. I am not sure the author knows what this word means. I will quote some lines from the text to demonstrate this:
‘He laughed after reviewing the speculation wrinkling my face.’
‘My face tightened with speculation when he offered me his hand to pull me from the water…’
‘Patrick lifted his eyebrows in speculation.’
‘Patrick throwing around profanities and speculations.’
‘I looked at him speculatively.’
‘I was questioning – more like speculating, given the tumultuous weeks we’d spent dodging disaster after disaster – that this cruel, merciless world we’d been born into, and would now reside forever, had decided to tempt us with the purest of loves to only have us fighting for it every day forward.’
Now unless the author is referring to the stock market or fishing prospects, I cannot for the life of me imagine what she means by ‘speculation’ in these lines. Furthermore, how many times do you need to use the same word (incorrectly) to describe the same thing in a book?
The last quotation also leads me to comment on the exaggerated melodrama the author employs in the narration. This book is packed full of it. Having to trudge through so many pages full of this incessant, moaning, monologue became very tiresome, and for this reason I found myself skipping quite a lot of the book. The following is a perfect example:
‘I also wasn’t doubting something good created this man beside me, and by some incomprehensible miracle, I’d been made to one day be his. There was no denying this, but what if once created and set on our merry ways, that something good washed its hands of us and we were now fated to the whims and fancies of a world that dealt unfair hands to those that experienced a measure of happiness that didn’t naturally occur within this spherical mass rotating in the galaxy?’
Who cares? When you’ve read fifty pages of this kind of bleating, seriously, who really cares? And that last quoted paragraph is all just because they can’t sleep together by the way.
Then there are the nonsensical sentences, like this:
‘I tapped my foot, and while I’d thought it such an unusual response of impatience when I’d seen it performed by someone else, I could understand the relief people found in it.’
Can’t you just say she impatiently tapped her foot? The book was stuffed full of inane lines like this and I wondered how much shorter it would be if all the nonsense like this was edited out. And then there’s:
‘My body rose and fell in unison with his and his heart burst against my back with such force it shook my body.’
That was actually just a description of Bryn and William spooning. Yes.
I would not ordinarily be so scathing in a review. I would usually try to be constructive and highlight some positive points the author can build on. (I suppose the constructive element to my criticism would be to note all the negative things I have pointed out and just not do them in the next book?) I appreciate the author has taken the time and made an effort to sit down and write something. That takes courage. However, you are opening yourself up for some serious criticism if you’re basically going to re-write an extremely popular book series (the Twilight saga) with an equally, if not more popular movie franchise attached and well-established fan base – and then do it badly.
Here are some other quotes from EE (I may comment here and there):
'Paul's eyebrows peaked; mine followed suit...'
Someone does something with their eyebrows 46 times in this book. FORTY-SIX TIMES.
'His eyebrows hardened on William.'
How does one harden their eyebrows? Is that a power?
'...moving her eyebrows up and down like a jackhammer.
'He twitched his eyebrows up and down in furious bouts...'
All of these people and their hyperactive eyebrows need botox.
'...her cupid-shaped lips announced...'
Surely, she means Cupid bow shaped? If they were shaped like Cupid himself I'd recommend cosmetic surgery.
'...he leapt from my balcony to the next one down, a good one hundred feet away.'
A balcony would not be one hundred feet below the one immediately above it. What buildings are built with one hundred feet between floors?
'I let his words enter me and simmer with their implications.'
*Sigh* I just don't know.
While reading Eternal Eden (EE) I had a hard time deciding whether it is meant to be taken seriously, or whether it's intended to be a spoof-comedy re-write of Twilight. Looking at the text as a spoof comedy, this is hilarious. Trying to read it seriously (well, as seriously as books in this genre can be taken), as a legitimate YA paranormal romance is very hard indeed.
I won't bother listing all the issues I had with the plot itself because that would take too long, but I will say it's just a bad, ill-thought out re-write of Twilight and leave it there - so you know the story. Just replace vampires with 'Immortals'. I don't even like Twilight.
The characters as a whole are mainly unbelievable, and lacking any realistic traits of human nature. The things they say and do in reaction to events as they occur are just ridiculous. A perfect example is Bryn’s response when she is led to believe that William has left her. She decides to wade into the ocean fully clothed and attempt suicide – though in her mind it isn’t a suicide attempt – or so the narration says (but it is) … apparently Bryn takes a stroll in the icy cold ocean because she believes this will make her feel closer to William (?), seeing as he's abandoned her and all.. but she almost dies whilst doing so. It didn't occur to her that hypothermia and drowning were likely to happen. And we readers are supposed to see this as normal behaviour. This is profound and moving. No. This is dumb.
To me it came off as if the author was trying to romanticise suicide arising out of heart-ache. It’s not romantic and should not be promoted as a rational response to a guy leaving you.
None of the characters have much personality, except for maybe the villain – but he’s your usual cardboard cut-out cartoon villain, so no significant or particularly interesting character development there. The characterisation of Bryn and William as the two main people of interest in the book is bizarre. I thought the protagonist/heroine and her love interest are supposed to be likeable?
Bryn is chronically self-deprecating (to the point where it’s not endearing but just plain irritating). She is whiny, weak minded, weak bodied (she is constantly fainting, collapsing, trembling, palpitating – all of that 19th century lady in a corset stuff), limp, lame and boring. She is obsessed and consumed by this inexplicable, came-out-of-nowhere love for this creep of a male lead who seems more like a daddy figure to her than her lover for all time. Bryn has no common sense and no semblance of rationality in her thinking.
William is a stalker. His fixation with Bryn is weird, to put it bluntly. He spends a lot of the time burning with an ardent desire to take her virginity, and this often clouds his judgement when making tricky life and death decisions about Bryn’s and his safety. He also tries to pressure Bryn on a number of occasions to sleep with him (knowing due to their circumstances it would result in a death sentence for them both), and yet the author presents this subtle ‘rapey’ nature of William’s as if it’s supposed to be romantic and swoon-worthy. It’s not.
The main source of the comedy for me in EE was the language. It is apparent that similes, metaphors and vocabulary are not properly understood here, and are therefore not well executed.
For example, there are 51 instances of the words ‘scream’, ‘screamed’ or ‘screaming’ in the book. I searched it on my kindle and that word was really used that many times in EE. The word is mostly employed in the metaphorical rather than literal sense, and each and every time, the metaphor fails completely. When describing how a peek of William’s skin is making her wild with desire, Bryn narrates, ‘When I lifted my eyes from the exposed skin that screamed its presence at me…’ – what? Really? The skin is screaming at you?
While reading EE I had to stop and wonder why everyone and everything is always ‘screaming’ due to the number of times it appears in the narration.
Another problem is the use of the word ‘speculation’. I am not sure the author knows what this word means. I will quote some lines from the text to demonstrate this:
‘He laughed after reviewing the speculation wrinkling my face.’
‘My face tightened with speculation when he offered me his hand to pull me from the water…’
‘Patrick lifted his eyebrows in speculation.’
‘Patrick throwing around profanities and speculations.’
‘I looked at him speculatively.’
‘I was questioning – more like speculating, given the tumultuous weeks we’d spent dodging disaster after disaster – that this cruel, merciless world we’d been born into, and would now reside forever, had decided to tempt us with the purest of loves to only have us fighting for it every day forward.’
Now unless the author is referring to the stock market or fishing prospects, I cannot for the life of me imagine what she means by ‘speculation’ in these lines. Furthermore, how many times do you need to use the same word (incorrectly) to describe the same thing in a book?
The last quotation also leads me to comment on the exaggerated melodrama the author employs in the narration. This book is packed full of it. Having to trudge through so many pages full of this incessant, moaning, monologue became very tiresome, and for this reason I found myself skipping quite a lot of the book. The following is a perfect example:
‘I also wasn’t doubting something good created this man beside me, and by some incomprehensible miracle, I’d been made to one day be his. There was no denying this, but what if once created and set on our merry ways, that something good washed its hands of us and we were now fated to the whims and fancies of a world that dealt unfair hands to those that experienced a measure of happiness that didn’t naturally occur within this spherical mass rotating in the galaxy?’
Who cares? When you’ve read fifty pages of this kind of bleating, seriously, who really cares? And that last quoted paragraph is all just because they can’t sleep together by the way.
Then there are the nonsensical sentences, like this:
‘I tapped my foot, and while I’d thought it such an unusual response of impatience when I’d seen it performed by someone else, I could understand the relief people found in it.’
Can’t you just say she impatiently tapped her foot? The book was stuffed full of inane lines like this and I wondered how much shorter it would be if all the nonsense like this was edited out. And then there’s:
‘My body rose and fell in unison with his and his heart burst against my back with such force it shook my body.’
That was actually just a description of Bryn and William spooning. Yes.
I would not ordinarily be so scathing in a review. I would usually try to be constructive and highlight some positive points the author can build on. (I suppose the constructive element to my criticism would be to note all the negative things I have pointed out and just not do them in the next book?) I appreciate the author has taken the time and made an effort to sit down and write something. That takes courage. However, you are opening yourself up for some serious criticism if you’re basically going to re-write an extremely popular book series (the Twilight saga) with an equally, if not more popular movie franchise attached and well-established fan base – and then do it badly.
Here are some other quotes from EE (I may comment here and there):
'Paul's eyebrows peaked; mine followed suit...'
Someone does something with their eyebrows 46 times in this book. FORTY-SIX TIMES.
'His eyebrows hardened on William.'
How does one harden their eyebrows? Is that a power?
'...moving her eyebrows up and down like a jackhammer.
'He twitched his eyebrows up and down in furious bouts...'
All of these people and their hyperactive eyebrows need botox.
'...her cupid-shaped lips announced...'
Surely, she means Cupid bow shaped? If they were shaped like Cupid himself I'd recommend cosmetic surgery.
'...he leapt from my balcony to the next one down, a good one hundred feet away.'
A balcony would not be one hundred feet below the one immediately above it. What buildings are built with one hundred feet between floors?
'I let his words enter me and simmer with their implications.'
*Sigh* I just don't know.
August 22, 2012
So I um... yeah... so... um.............. needless to say I didn't finish this book. I just couldn't, I mean it's Twilight all over again but instead of making us wait until book whatever for Bella and Edward to be immortal together (oh yeah if you haven't read Breaking Dawn... oh hell you knew it was coming, I won't apologize!) everything happens in book 1. And it's weird and awkward and so cringeworthy I feel like cringe isn't even the right word any more. Honestly cringe is the nice way of putting it, like saying "Oh he had the runs" instead of saying "Good lord he had a wicked case of explosive diarrhea".
I understand the need to just get to the point but what the hell was the point in the end? I don't even know!! UGH I'm so frustrated. Why do these types of books keep making their way onto my reader, no wonder the damn thing keeps freezing, it's trying to keep me from reading this stuff and I just keep falling for the 5 star reviews! *MUST LISTEN TO EREADER*
And I'm not entirely sure it's fair to rate a book when you haven't finished it because who knows the ending could have been absolutely brilliant... although if the ending was brilliant one would assume that the rest of the book had moments of brilliance and frankly I saw NOTHING OF THE SORT.
I understand the need to just get to the point but what the hell was the point in the end? I don't even know!! UGH I'm so frustrated. Why do these types of books keep making their way onto my reader, no wonder the damn thing keeps freezing, it's trying to keep me from reading this stuff and I just keep falling for the 5 star reviews! *MUST LISTEN TO EREADER*
And I'm not entirely sure it's fair to rate a book when you haven't finished it because who knows the ending could have been absolutely brilliant... although if the ending was brilliant one would assume that the rest of the book had moments of brilliance and frankly I saw NOTHING OF THE SORT.
May 1, 2012
I love my Kindle app. I've reviewed several self-published digital efforts on this site and many of them I've loved. On my recent reading kick I've read a couple more which will be reviewed here in a glowing fashion. Eternal Eden is not such a book.
It. Was. Dreadful.
Now I've dreamed of being a writer since I was a wee slip-of-a-lass and so I respect the effort that any writer goes to to come up with 400 pages of story. But that respect doesn't mean automatic praise. Even though I imagine it must be painful for an author to read negative reviews of a work they've slaved over, I'm in the business of writing honest reviews. No holds barred.
I can actually sum this book up rather nicely in two words: saccharine rubbish. However, two words does not a review make so I'll expand.
The book actually started off quite decently. Bryn (which is Welsh for "hill", by the way, and which is also a boy's name here in Wales) had some gumption and I was intrigued by her mysterious past. When William, the rather obvious love-interest turned up, I liked the little sparks caused by the clash of personalities. Bryn was narrow-minded and judgemental, but I was willing to forgive that as I assumed her icy presumption was going to be due to her past and a part of the story.
Nope. It was like someone flipped a switch and turned her character from a snarky, smart college student to a love-sick puppy within a matter of pages. Here, for your enjoyment, are a few of my "favourite" and especially sickly pieces of dialogue:
"I knew what I'd been born into this world for, and he was staring back at me."
"Once you've lived in nothing but darkness, when a light suddenly shines through - even the faintest glimmer - it's all you see, all you focus on, and the only thing you live for."
"Seeing you freed me from the clutches of the darkness in my mind."
"It was the kind of love that never gave you a moment's doubt. The kind of love that you knew, if you were not allowed to be with the object of it, you would choose to be with no one at all. The kind of love that would make everything you'd ever done, or would do, pale horridly in comparison, It was beyond comprehension and far beyond words."
Oh...wait a second. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
The most poignant part of the above would be the "far beyond words" part. For something beyond words, Williams uses a lot of them to constantly reiterate the fact that Bryn and William's love is so sweet it'll make your teeth hurt. Furthermore, I remember reading somewhere (maybe in Stephen King's On Writing) that nothing should be beyond the power of words for a writer.
Now, if you shove aside the the thin characters, Bryn's ridiculously tedious self-deprecation, the corny dialogue, the cheesy situations and the fact that William is not only a stalker, but also is apparently a three hundred year old virgin, there is one thing which sealed the lid on the little pot of contempt I have for this dreadful book. It is a book which is about having a boyfriend.
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in love. I believe it's important and life-changing and world-defining. I do not think, however, that the question "Does he like me?" is enough to drive the narrative of a book. You know what was meant to be the conflict of Eternal Eden? Bryn and William are immortals. The rules of their society nonsensically dictate that no immortals may have relationships with anyone outside of designated unions. All immortals have light blue eyes, unless that have sex, which turns them dark blue. So, if Bryn and William have sex, their eyes will change colour and they'll be in trouble. Oh, and some other big important immortal wants Bryn for himself.
Seriously. That was kind of it. It's about having a boyfriend and being denied sex.
I can think of no redeeming feature of the book as a whole, other than it offers me the rare opportunity to post a review which results in a rating of half a star. I think this is the first time I've ever had to do that. If I didn't have reviews to write, I don't think I would have managed to slog my way through to the end of this dismal piece of badness.
It. Was. Dreadful.
Now I've dreamed of being a writer since I was a wee slip-of-a-lass and so I respect the effort that any writer goes to to come up with 400 pages of story. But that respect doesn't mean automatic praise. Even though I imagine it must be painful for an author to read negative reviews of a work they've slaved over, I'm in the business of writing honest reviews. No holds barred.
I can actually sum this book up rather nicely in two words: saccharine rubbish. However, two words does not a review make so I'll expand.
The book actually started off quite decently. Bryn (which is Welsh for "hill", by the way, and which is also a boy's name here in Wales) had some gumption and I was intrigued by her mysterious past. When William, the rather obvious love-interest turned up, I liked the little sparks caused by the clash of personalities. Bryn was narrow-minded and judgemental, but I was willing to forgive that as I assumed her icy presumption was going to be due to her past and a part of the story.
Nope. It was like someone flipped a switch and turned her character from a snarky, smart college student to a love-sick puppy within a matter of pages. Here, for your enjoyment, are a few of my "favourite" and especially sickly pieces of dialogue:
"I knew what I'd been born into this world for, and he was staring back at me."
"Once you've lived in nothing but darkness, when a light suddenly shines through - even the faintest glimmer - it's all you see, all you focus on, and the only thing you live for."
"Seeing you freed me from the clutches of the darkness in my mind."
"It was the kind of love that never gave you a moment's doubt. The kind of love that you knew, if you were not allowed to be with the object of it, you would choose to be with no one at all. The kind of love that would make everything you'd ever done, or would do, pale horridly in comparison, It was beyond comprehension and far beyond words."
Oh...wait a second. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
The most poignant part of the above would be the "far beyond words" part. For something beyond words, Williams uses a lot of them to constantly reiterate the fact that Bryn and William's love is so sweet it'll make your teeth hurt. Furthermore, I remember reading somewhere (maybe in Stephen King's On Writing) that nothing should be beyond the power of words for a writer.
Now, if you shove aside the the thin characters, Bryn's ridiculously tedious self-deprecation, the corny dialogue, the cheesy situations and the fact that William is not only a stalker, but also is apparently a three hundred year old virgin, there is one thing which sealed the lid on the little pot of contempt I have for this dreadful book. It is a book which is about having a boyfriend.
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in love. I believe it's important and life-changing and world-defining. I do not think, however, that the question "Does he like me?" is enough to drive the narrative of a book. You know what was meant to be the conflict of Eternal Eden? Bryn and William are immortals. The rules of their society nonsensically dictate that no immortals may have relationships with anyone outside of designated unions. All immortals have light blue eyes, unless that have sex, which turns them dark blue. So, if Bryn and William have sex, their eyes will change colour and they'll be in trouble. Oh, and some other big important immortal wants Bryn for himself.
Seriously. That was kind of it. It's about having a boyfriend and being denied sex.
I can think of no redeeming feature of the book as a whole, other than it offers me the rare opportunity to post a review which results in a rating of half a star. I think this is the first time I've ever had to do that. If I didn't have reviews to write, I don't think I would have managed to slog my way through to the end of this dismal piece of badness.
June 16, 2011
I want to love this book, but I only ended up liking it. I thought her take on the Immortal life was new and interesting, but that's about it.
My first complaint is that if William and Bryn truly love each other then why do they continue to keep secrets from each other ALL the time. I mean its apparently under the idea that they both will do anything to protect the other, but if your love is all consuming then I would assume you would be a little more transparent with one another.
With that being said 80% of the dialogue is Bryn and William describing how much they love each other. It was fine in the beginning, but it got old and became extremely repetitious. By the end of the book I wanted to kill them both.
I will end up reading the rest of the series when its published because I am extremely curious about how the story unfolds, but Bryn and William are not my favorite characters. I prefer Patrick and Paul to either of them and was close to strangling Bryn and William myself. This is not a "multiple read" book.
But 5 Stars for the cover art. LOVED it :)
My first complaint is that if William and Bryn truly love each other then why do they continue to keep secrets from each other ALL the time. I mean its apparently under the idea that they both will do anything to protect the other, but if your love is all consuming then I would assume you would be a little more transparent with one another.
With that being said 80% of the dialogue is Bryn and William describing how much they love each other. It was fine in the beginning, but it got old and became extremely repetitious. By the end of the book I wanted to kill them both.
I will end up reading the rest of the series when its published because I am extremely curious about how the story unfolds, but Bryn and William are not my favorite characters. I prefer Patrick and Paul to either of them and was close to strangling Bryn and William myself. This is not a "multiple read" book.
But 5 Stars for the cover art. LOVED it :)
October 24, 2011
If you loved Twilight (like me!) You will love this book. There are a few character similarities. Eg Bryn & William = Bella & Edward, Patrick = Emmet, Cora = Alice, Paul = Jacob (kinda) and there is even a chick like Rosalie. I loved it! .99c at Amazon...I would have paid 10 x that. Great book - I didn't really know what to expect and what kind of paranormal this series would be but I got so into this world. Great romance and a few swoonworthy characters...am going straight onto the second of the Trilogy - Fallen Eden. Pick up this book (but you will have to try and ignore some grammatical errors, it can be a little distracting). It was just so sweet!
After completing this series the similarities with this and Twilight aren't that big. Read this series even if you hate Twilight! It's the bomb...
After completing this series the similarities with this and Twilight aren't that big. Read this series even if you hate Twilight! It's the bomb...
February 5, 2012
I'm feeling pretty generous by giving this book two stars. This book reminded me WAY too much of the writing style in the Twilight series, but Twilight got to the point much more quickly and the plot moved along much faster. So if you liked the Twilight books, this is probably a book for you.
The main character Bryn was likeable at first because she was a very independent and strong young woman. Then after she met the dashing William Winters/Hayward, things began to fall apart. The same kind of pining and infatuation seen between Edward/Bella can be seen in this book between William/Bryn, only much stronger and more disgusting. They seem to only live for each other and I would have to say that at least 50 pages of this book could have been taken out because we got the idea that they love each other in the deepest sense and that they would protect each other in any and every way within the first several chapters. The story is told through Bryn's point of view and she goes on for PARAGRAPHS describing her feelings for William and why and whether or not she feels she could live without him, let him become hurt (physically or emotionally) because of her, etc. Then as if she doesn't say enough to let us know how much she loves William, there are PARAGRAPHS where William is trying to convince Bryn just how wholly he loves her. It gets old to say the least.
I did, however, like the plot in this book. The immortal world concept was a cool idea and I liked the creation of some of the minor characters of the book. However, this could have probably been a short story and would have been "just as good" (or maybe just as bad). How on earth did the author decide that she should write 2 more books to follow this up?! I will NOT be reading those.
The main character Bryn was likeable at first because she was a very independent and strong young woman. Then after she met the dashing William Winters/Hayward, things began to fall apart. The same kind of pining and infatuation seen between Edward/Bella can be seen in this book between William/Bryn, only much stronger and more disgusting. They seem to only live for each other and I would have to say that at least 50 pages of this book could have been taken out because we got the idea that they love each other in the deepest sense and that they would protect each other in any and every way within the first several chapters. The story is told through Bryn's point of view and she goes on for PARAGRAPHS describing her feelings for William and why and whether or not she feels she could live without him, let him become hurt (physically or emotionally) because of her, etc. Then as if she doesn't say enough to let us know how much she loves William, there are PARAGRAPHS where William is trying to convince Bryn just how wholly he loves her. It gets old to say the least.
I did, however, like the plot in this book. The immortal world concept was a cool idea and I liked the creation of some of the minor characters of the book. However, this could have probably been a short story and would have been "just as good" (or maybe just as bad). How on earth did the author decide that she should write 2 more books to follow this up?! I will NOT be reading those.
March 10, 2013
It's hard to rate this one. I didn't really like the beginning, and the insta love drive me crazy. I still don't get what is so great about Brynn that everyone wants her. However the last 20% had me in tears, so I apparently managed to get attached to Brynn and William dispite my irritation. Overall I was confused by the story and irritated with some of the conflicts that make zero sense. I mean honestly - the whole you can't get it on without the councils approval just makes not sense at all. I was frustrated with Brynn, and her lack of rational decision making ability. I certainly saw the similarities to twilight, but as much as Bella irritated me, Bryn irritated me more. That was somewhat balanced out by the fact that I did genuinely love William. I'm sure I'm going to see this tillogy through to the bitter end, even if a lot of me doesn't really want to.
January 2, 2013
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I gave this book 3.5 stars but rounded it to 4 for a few reasons. First it was FREE (Thanks Amazon) and I couldn't put the book down. It definitely kept my interest. Read it in just 1 day.
Holy Twilight Batman!!
As I read more and more of this book I realized how similar the two story lines are. But I actually liked the characters and story of this book so much better! The connection William has to Bryn is like no other story I have read before. When he reveals his secret about her, actually his sister in-law Cora does (and I LOVE HER by the way). It made me melt and wish I had a guy wanting me for over 200 years!
I could not put this book down, I kept wanting to know what would happen next between all the characters. I really liked the two lead characters and I adored Patrick and Cora... what wonderful future (possibly) brother & sister in law they will be.
A few negatives is I found some of the scenes hard to follow. Similar to Twilight I just think with all the science fiction aspect of the stories it can be hard to picture in your head and understand the meaning of the words on the pages of the book. It took me the movie to understand all of Twilight so I don't blame the writing. I also kind of got annoyed with Bryn thinking she was dull and boring, when obviously her 5'10 self is not with all the guys wanting her everywhere she goes. I also was getting annoyed with the constant "I LOVE YOU's" from the characters yet William constantly kept secrets from her, she would find out and not care very much he wouldn't tell her the truth even when it affected her greatly. I would be upset if my boyfriend was hiding things from me when it had to do with my life and future.
I did enjoy this book to my surprise. I have started book 2 and will continue the series and on to the Patrick's own books. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
I gave this book 3.5 stars but rounded it to 4 for a few reasons. First it was FREE (Thanks Amazon) and I couldn't put the book down. It definitely kept my interest. Read it in just 1 day.
Holy Twilight Batman!!
As I read more and more of this book I realized how similar the two story lines are. But I actually liked the characters and story of this book so much better! The connection William has to Bryn is like no other story I have read before. When he reveals his secret about her, actually his sister in-law Cora does (and I LOVE HER by the way). It made me melt and wish I had a guy wanting me for over 200 years!
I could not put this book down, I kept wanting to know what would happen next between all the characters. I really liked the two lead characters and I adored Patrick and Cora... what wonderful future (possibly) brother & sister in law they will be.
A few negatives is I found some of the scenes hard to follow. Similar to Twilight I just think with all the science fiction aspect of the stories it can be hard to picture in your head and understand the meaning of the words on the pages of the book. It took me the movie to understand all of Twilight so I don't blame the writing. I also kind of got annoyed with Bryn thinking she was dull and boring, when obviously her 5'10 self is not with all the guys wanting her everywhere she goes. I also was getting annoyed with the constant "I LOVE YOU's" from the characters yet William constantly kept secrets from her, she would find out and not care very much he wouldn't tell her the truth even when it affected her greatly. I would be upset if my boyfriend was hiding things from me when it had to do with my life and future.
I did enjoy this book to my surprise. I have started book 2 and will continue the series and on to the Patrick's own books. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
Want to read
July 28, 2012A paranormal trilogy by the author of Crash?? I'm intrigued :D
October 31, 2020
Sweet story.
Fantasy.
Hero and heroine are virgins despite the heroine believing he is a player when she first meets him.
No intimate scenes beyond kissing.
Part 1 of 3 books.
Fantasy.
Hero and heroine are virgins despite the heroine believing he is a player when she first meets him.
No intimate scenes beyond kissing.
Part 1 of 3 books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2018
For this to be a somewhat enjoyable read and not the irritating one I found it to be, you would have to find the main character likeable. Not perfect or without flaws but at least someone you root for when the chips are down. Unfortunately I found Bryn immensely dislikable to the point I could not understand how William found her to be loving and generous. We were never really shown her redeeming qualities, merely told about them, which just wasn’t enough in the face of her constant need for approval in relation to her looks and quick judgment of practically everybody else.
November 22, 2016
I really had high hopes for this book. I am not too sure why. I think the synopsis got me. It sounded so interesting. I started reading and I was so excited but then I realized that this book was not for me.
It is about a young girl named Bryn Dawson (Dawson = Titanic to me. Tehe) and her parents died due to an unsolved murder and so she decides to transfer schools and start a new life until she meets William. He is the definition of gorgeous. All the girls in the school fall for him but his eyes are for Bryn only. I don't want to ruin anything, but William is not supposed to be with Bryn; and is actually banished from interacting with the Mortal world, but he can't stay away from her. When you read you will find out why. When William realizes that being with her will only lead to her death, he leaves. Bryn decides to try to commit suicide by walking into the water. She calls it 'being closer to him,' I call it 'suicide.' Whatever. I am a hopeless for romance but when it came to this story it just over did it for me and it was every single line. Every thought was something mushy about them being together forever and dying for one another.
There is only so much love I can take and this book just over did it for me. It was very repetitive as well. I get it! You will die for him! No need to mention it twenty-five times. Also, it was very predictable. That is it. If I had to buy the second book I definitely wouldn't read it, but since it is loaned to me by a friend. I will read it - I guess.
It is about a young girl named Bryn Dawson (Dawson = Titanic to me. Tehe) and her parents died due to an unsolved murder and so she decides to transfer schools and start a new life until she meets William. He is the definition of gorgeous. All the girls in the school fall for him but his eyes are for Bryn only. I don't want to ruin anything, but William is not supposed to be with Bryn; and is actually banished from interacting with the Mortal world, but he can't stay away from her. When you read you will find out why. When William realizes that being with her will only lead to her death, he leaves. Bryn decides to try to commit suicide by walking into the water. She calls it 'being closer to him,' I call it 'suicide.' Whatever. I am a hopeless for romance but when it came to this story it just over did it for me and it was every single line. Every thought was something mushy about them being together forever and dying for one another.
There is only so much love I can take and this book just over did it for me. It was very repetitive as well. I get it! You will die for him! No need to mention it twenty-five times. Also, it was very predictable. That is it. If I had to buy the second book I definitely wouldn't read it, but since it is loaned to me by a friend. I will read it - I guess.
July 27, 2012
So I'm reading this book without knowing the premise of the book and I'm thinking, where have I read this before? Oh yeah, Twilight. It's like she liked the story and made a few tweaks to the story, was this a fan fiction?
Anyhow so far like Twilight, the star of the book is a plain Jane but suddenly gets attention from two of the hottest guys. She's angry and sarcastic with no sense of style but what's not to love? Everyone else thinks she's beautiful! Why?
So she falls head over heels in love within, what a week or so? I love epic romances but there's nothing about this to show me why. There's no build up to it, it's just there. Come on!
the object of her affection leaves and she's devastated, and almost dies or did she?
It's taking so friggin long to get to the heart of the story and it's like I'm reading a twist to Twilight. What are you? Says the girl. Will you trust me? Says the boy. Sure says the girl. I almost die and you save me but I'll wait for you to tell me.
I used to really like stories back in m crazy Twilight days but now I hate rip offs of the book. Let's get some originality people not tweak the story and call it our own!
I'm not sure if I can finish this. There are so many good books out there, I don't want to waste my time. Maybe I'll get back to it one day when I feel like re-reading a bad imitation of Twilight!
That is all.....for now.
Anyhow so far like Twilight, the star of the book is a plain Jane but suddenly gets attention from two of the hottest guys. She's angry and sarcastic with no sense of style but what's not to love? Everyone else thinks she's beautiful! Why?
So she falls head over heels in love within, what a week or so? I love epic romances but there's nothing about this to show me why. There's no build up to it, it's just there. Come on!
the object of her affection leaves and she's devastated, and almost dies or did she?
It's taking so friggin long to get to the heart of the story and it's like I'm reading a twist to Twilight. What are you? Says the girl. Will you trust me? Says the boy. Sure says the girl. I almost die and you save me but I'll wait for you to tell me.
I used to really like stories back in m crazy Twilight days but now I hate rip offs of the book. Let's get some originality people not tweak the story and call it our own!
I'm not sure if I can finish this. There are so many good books out there, I don't want to waste my time. Maybe I'll get back to it one day when I feel like re-reading a bad imitation of Twilight!
That is all.....for now.
June 26, 2011
Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams. Read on my Kindle. Purchased for 99 cents.
Why read it?
Imagine Twilight. Yes, I know, not always the most fun thing to do. Vampires, Werewolves, Overdramatic narrator, sometimes (mostly) unrealistic relationship between said overdramatic narrator and moody lover counterpart.
Now, here’s Eternal Eden.
No Vampires. No Werewolves. (However, there ARE immortals with one to three talents each, as well as mortals). A (slightly) overdramatic narrator. A sometimes (mostly) unrealistic relationship between said (slightly) overdramatic narrator and moody (Yes, this one too) lover counterpart.
Why wouldn’t you read it?
There are approximately 50 typos in the book. (If you thought I Am Number Four was bad…well. That book has met its match.) Also, all the reasons as to why you WOULD read it.
That being said, it was an entertaining read. If you have a few hours to spend, go for it.
3.5/5
Why read it?
Imagine Twilight. Yes, I know, not always the most fun thing to do. Vampires, Werewolves, Overdramatic narrator, sometimes (mostly) unrealistic relationship between said overdramatic narrator and moody lover counterpart.
Now, here’s Eternal Eden.
No Vampires. No Werewolves. (However, there ARE immortals with one to three talents each, as well as mortals). A (slightly) overdramatic narrator. A sometimes (mostly) unrealistic relationship between said (slightly) overdramatic narrator and moody (Yes, this one too) lover counterpart.
Why wouldn’t you read it?
There are approximately 50 typos in the book. (If you thought I Am Number Four was bad…well. That book has met its match.) Also, all the reasons as to why you WOULD read it.
That being said, it was an entertaining read. If you have a few hours to spend, go for it.
3.5/5
December 29, 2011
I had a hard time getting into this book initially, but about halfway through, it really picked up. Towards the end of the book, I couldn't put it down. I'm excited to start the next book in the series. I like the progression of the characters. It felt at first a little teenage-ish to me, but the characters really grew on me and with me!
June 12, 2011
I really enjoyed this book! The main character Bryn has a lot of qualities that I love: her sense of humor and her determination. I didn't know that this book would start a series and the cliff hanger ending has me waiting for Fallen Eden.
July 27, 2012
Finished Eternal Eden late last night.
Summary: Eternal Eden is the story of a girl named Bryn who believes the universe has it out for her. After the double homicide of her parents and the attempted homicide on Bryn put together with a history of injuries during her childhood she is lead to believe that the cards are stacked against her. Bryn is instructed to give a new student a tour of OSU, the college she attends. Enter William, seemingly arrogant, over confident, and attracting lots of female attention. Against all odds, William only has eyes for Bryn. Bryn is sucked into Williams world when she is attacked by two men looking for William forcing William to leave with the promise of returning, She is sucked further "down the rabbit hole" when she enters a world not known to the human race: Eden.
I don't want to divulge to much but its fairly obvious that William and Bryn fall in love. My problem with Eternal Eden wasn't that there love went kind of fast...because lets be honest for them it was love at first sight, why move slow?...my problem was how often they had to to tell each other. The author used PARAGRAPHS back and forth between the 2 reaffirming that they did in fact love each other and would never leave etc.
Heres a shortened example (and not from the author, it's my interpretation):
William:"I know I'm pushing all this information on you Bryn and i'm sorry about that. I don't want it to get to be to much and I don't want to loose you!!"
Bryn: No William! I love you and you won't lose me, we'll stay together forever! I can take whatever you have to tell me, I'm strong!
William: I understand if you want to date other people.
Bryn: (gives dumbfounded look at William) I've completely excepted everything about what you are and what I now am. I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Look at me William, I LOVE YOU.
William: As I love you forever and always!!
And you know what? Having some of these types of conversations is OK but when there every other page it gets to be a little too much. By the end I felt like half the book was them telling how much the lovvve each other and how hard it is not to be able to be close all the time. If you like that then this book is for you!
I liked the plot and the writing was't bad at all. There was diversity in the characters but I would have like some more fight and character construction on Bryn.The only description of her physical appearance was that she had strait brown hair and big eyes.
Overall:
Bryn: Girl Power=2/5 she had some in the beginning but lost it when she realized she loved William and would follow him wherever to do whatever. Character Power= 3/5 I get the sense with her emerging power it could get better in the next book though this could just be wishful thinking.
William: Love interest 4/5 he was pretty cute/had good lines but I think the author should have played up the darker side of William a little so he wouldn't be so perfect. Character: 3/5 She made him too perfect.
Read or not to Read: Read it if you have a nook and can get it for free! Read it if you like really gushy, lovey love stories with a little action thrown in with a little intrigue. Don't read it if you are looking for top notch quality and a feisty girl heroin.
Summary: Eternal Eden is the story of a girl named Bryn who believes the universe has it out for her. After the double homicide of her parents and the attempted homicide on Bryn put together with a history of injuries during her childhood she is lead to believe that the cards are stacked against her. Bryn is instructed to give a new student a tour of OSU, the college she attends. Enter William, seemingly arrogant, over confident, and attracting lots of female attention. Against all odds, William only has eyes for Bryn. Bryn is sucked into Williams world when she is attacked by two men looking for William forcing William to leave with the promise of returning, She is sucked further "down the rabbit hole" when she enters a world not known to the human race: Eden.
I don't want to divulge to much but its fairly obvious that William and Bryn fall in love. My problem with Eternal Eden wasn't that there love went kind of fast...because lets be honest for them it was love at first sight, why move slow?...my problem was how often they had to to tell each other. The author used PARAGRAPHS back and forth between the 2 reaffirming that they did in fact love each other and would never leave etc.
Heres a shortened example (and not from the author, it's my interpretation):
William:"I know I'm pushing all this information on you Bryn and i'm sorry about that. I don't want it to get to be to much and I don't want to loose you!!"
Bryn: No William! I love you and you won't lose me, we'll stay together forever! I can take whatever you have to tell me, I'm strong!
William: I understand if you want to date other people.
Bryn: (gives dumbfounded look at William) I've completely excepted everything about what you are and what I now am. I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Look at me William, I LOVE YOU.
William: As I love you forever and always!!
And you know what? Having some of these types of conversations is OK but when there every other page it gets to be a little too much. By the end I felt like half the book was them telling how much the lovvve each other and how hard it is not to be able to be close all the time. If you like that then this book is for you!
I liked the plot and the writing was't bad at all. There was diversity in the characters but I would have like some more fight and character construction on Bryn.The only description of her physical appearance was that she had strait brown hair and big eyes.
Overall:
Bryn: Girl Power=2/5 she had some in the beginning but lost it when she realized she loved William and would follow him wherever to do whatever. Character Power= 3/5 I get the sense with her emerging power it could get better in the next book though this could just be wishful thinking.
William: Love interest 4/5 he was pretty cute/had good lines but I think the author should have played up the darker side of William a little so he wouldn't be so perfect. Character: 3/5 She made him too perfect.
Read or not to Read: Read it if you have a nook and can get it for free! Read it if you like really gushy, lovey love stories with a little action thrown in with a little intrigue. Don't read it if you are looking for top notch quality and a feisty girl heroin.
December 13, 2014
So far this year I've read 23 books and I have to say this one is by far my favorite! It is definitely re-read worthy!
Eternal Eden is a love story. An amazing, addicting, beautifully written love story. It has all the elements of a wonderful read from the well developed characters to the shock inducing, page turning, unbelievable twists in the plot. It is also so much more than that. With its paranormal story line, from page one it was destined to be more than just another sappy love story, and oh my did it meet and surpass my expectations!
I fell in love with Nicole Williams' beautifully written characters. This woman has a unique gift of writing and I cannot wait to read more of what she has to share. She's an excellent story writer! I feel like I'm gushing, but this is truly a gush deserving book!
The characters created all have unique voices. From the nausea inducing John Townsend to the drool worthy William (I loved Patrick as well!!!) Reading this book made me think of a screen play. From words on a page Williams has created very different characters and personalities and it was an exciting journey to experience. Not to mention the emotional responses the writing evoked. I was honestly laughing out loud through some pages and crying through other, I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I've gone insane (but, he'll never understand).
Our main character Bryn is a firecracker. She sets everyone she encounters buzzing, especially the boys, even though she's insecure and can't see what the fuss is about. There are multiple love triangles in this book that kept me guessing about what will happen next.
I will keep my mouth shut on what makes this story a paranormal one. I feel the element of surprise is one of its best factors, it will keep the reader wondering and then being baffled and shocked with how wrong their predictions were! ;)
I usually try and find one thing I think could've been done better in a story but in this case my only complaint would be the end. I need more and I can't wait until this summer :)
Eternal Eden is a hidden gem that I am thrilled to have been given the chance to read and enjoy. It went above and beyond anything I could have hoped for. I recommend this book to everyone, it is definitely a good read and a must read.
Thank you to the wonderful author for this opportunity!!
Eternal Eden is a love story. An amazing, addicting, beautifully written love story. It has all the elements of a wonderful read from the well developed characters to the shock inducing, page turning, unbelievable twists in the plot. It is also so much more than that. With its paranormal story line, from page one it was destined to be more than just another sappy love story, and oh my did it meet and surpass my expectations!
I fell in love with Nicole Williams' beautifully written characters. This woman has a unique gift of writing and I cannot wait to read more of what she has to share. She's an excellent story writer! I feel like I'm gushing, but this is truly a gush deserving book!
The characters created all have unique voices. From the nausea inducing John Townsend to the drool worthy William (I loved Patrick as well!!!) Reading this book made me think of a screen play. From words on a page Williams has created very different characters and personalities and it was an exciting journey to experience. Not to mention the emotional responses the writing evoked. I was honestly laughing out loud through some pages and crying through other, I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I've gone insane (but, he'll never understand).
Our main character Bryn is a firecracker. She sets everyone she encounters buzzing, especially the boys, even though she's insecure and can't see what the fuss is about. There are multiple love triangles in this book that kept me guessing about what will happen next.
I will keep my mouth shut on what makes this story a paranormal one. I feel the element of surprise is one of its best factors, it will keep the reader wondering and then being baffled and shocked with how wrong their predictions were! ;)
I usually try and find one thing I think could've been done better in a story but in this case my only complaint would be the end. I need more and I can't wait until this summer :)
Eternal Eden is a hidden gem that I am thrilled to have been given the chance to read and enjoy. It went above and beyond anything I could have hoped for. I recommend this book to everyone, it is definitely a good read and a must read.
Thank you to the wonderful author for this opportunity!!
June 17, 2011
I read this book after seeing the review from my friend Rachel (yes, the one who never writes reviews. ;D). She has yet to steer me wrong, so when she said how much she LOVED this story, I knew I had to read it. For just $.99 on Kindle, who can resist?
I was drawn into the story from the very beginning; Bryn is a character with which I could easily identify. I enjoyed the way Nicole Williams slowly reveals the cast of characters, their significance and the major plot details throughout the book. She gives just enough information to allow readers to make guesses but not enough to show her hand early. I enjoyed learning about the world of the Immortals and the culture she created. I cannot wait to see what happens with Bryn & William in the sequel; I am anxiously awaiting its release. I have to admit I am almost as drawn to the story of Patrick as I am to Bryn & William. He seems to be the one of the Hayward Brothers that has captured my interest and my heart, and I hope more of his tale will be told in the next book as well.
That being said, the book is riddled with grammatical and punctuation errors. I read a lot of indie, self-published books for Kindle, and sadly I have come to associate this same issue with most of them. Many of these errors could have been eliminated with more editing, but they generally don't detract from the story. In many cases with Eternal Eden, I gave the benefit of the doubt to the writer if misused words were included in dialogue, chalking it up to vernacular or selective word usage. This was such a beautiful story, I think Nicole Williams deserves to have a truly beautiful book in every sense of the word.
I was drawn into the story from the very beginning; Bryn is a character with which I could easily identify. I enjoyed the way Nicole Williams slowly reveals the cast of characters, their significance and the major plot details throughout the book. She gives just enough information to allow readers to make guesses but not enough to show her hand early. I enjoyed learning about the world of the Immortals and the culture she created. I cannot wait to see what happens with Bryn & William in the sequel; I am anxiously awaiting its release. I have to admit I am almost as drawn to the story of Patrick as I am to Bryn & William. He seems to be the one of the Hayward Brothers that has captured my interest and my heart, and I hope more of his tale will be told in the next book as well.
That being said, the book is riddled with grammatical and punctuation errors. I read a lot of indie, self-published books for Kindle, and sadly I have come to associate this same issue with most of them. Many of these errors could have been eliminated with more editing, but they generally don't detract from the story. In many cases with Eternal Eden, I gave the benefit of the doubt to the writer if misused words were included in dialogue, chalking it up to vernacular or selective word usage. This was such a beautiful story, I think Nicole Williams deserves to have a truly beautiful book in every sense of the word.
September 9, 2012
After reading Nicole Williams' Crash and Clash I knew this would be good. Her writing is advanced and really really good. She makes every emotion come alive so you as readers expierience everything the heroin is.
I enjoyed this as much, maybe more than those books but I knew I was going to love this before I started. The story, plot and charachters are all awesome. William was FRICKIN adorable and Bryn was a list soul saved by William. And together they have a bond so strong nothing can break nor penetrate it.. Not even the council who's role is to control every aspect of an immortals lives from their jobs to their betrothed.
Lucky for William he is the leader if the guardians and his dad is chancellor of the council so everything for a second looks OK. However when Williams gifts mean he is able to turn mortals to immortals on his own when it should be a team thing as well as him beimg a strong foreteller- meaning he sees peoples deaths before they happen, his unique strength, speed and wisdom and Bryn's gifts which are not revealed until the end are also very strong and dangerous meaning that the council is scared of her even Williams father. Their netrothal seems more unlikely than ever.
This is one amazing book! Starting the next one RIGHT NOW.
Which reminds me! Go get this FRICKIN book now you dimwits, you. Don't know what your missing!
I enjoyed this as much, maybe more than those books but I knew I was going to love this before I started. The story, plot and charachters are all awesome. William was FRICKIN adorable and Bryn was a list soul saved by William. And together they have a bond so strong nothing can break nor penetrate it.. Not even the council who's role is to control every aspect of an immortals lives from their jobs to their betrothed.
Lucky for William he is the leader if the guardians and his dad is chancellor of the council so everything for a second looks OK. However when Williams gifts mean he is able to turn mortals to immortals on his own when it should be a team thing as well as him beimg a strong foreteller- meaning he sees peoples deaths before they happen, his unique strength, speed and wisdom and Bryn's gifts which are not revealed until the end are also very strong and dangerous meaning that the council is scared of her even Williams father. Their netrothal seems more unlikely than ever.
This is one amazing book! Starting the next one RIGHT NOW.
Which reminds me! Go get this FRICKIN book now you dimwits, you. Don't know what your missing!
June 25, 2012
Nope. Sorry. I just couldn't do it. I tried to see why some people were jumping on the bandwagon with this novel, and now I know, it practically screams Twilight! In the vampire aspect, I found Twilight to be original because Stephanie Myer decided to think outside of the box and make vampires into something different than the "usual". It was appreciated, but the storyline and main character totally sucked lemons!!! The same happened to be true with this novel as well. It starts off great with something thats different and original, but then you just start to see right through the main character and William. Bryn was just too transparent to me and started to annoy me about halfway through this novel. And her unhealthy and retareded relationship with William was just too much after a while. If I never have to read another book with meaningless I love you's from people who have barely known each other a month then it will be too damn soon! Books like this upset me beyond belief. One second they're talking and the next they're proclaiming their undying love to the world, and then I think to myself " When the hell did this happen"? This book just wasn't for me, but if you liked Twighlight then you should like this too.
March 20, 2012
This book started out horribly. The protagonist seems nasty and rude. She judges people based on assumptions. She has a secret. She's got problems. Blah Blah Blah. We're supposed to believe that the captain of the basketball team, who she has 3 to 4 interactions with, falls madly in love with her - yet her actions/behavior would give him no reason to. I understood later in the book why William put up with her nonsense in the beginning but it didn't make up for her behavior. The book was very formulaic and I could read "twilight" ripoff in it with the dancing, tiny, musically voiced sister-in-law, a hulking brother, another sister-in-law who doesn't like her... She's consistent in her "I'm so ugly" mindset even though everyone else in the book sees her as this "beautiful" creature. It was also blindingly predictable. I knew she would be betrothed to the bad guy the moment she got interviewed in the cave. We can't be together, we can be, we can't, we can, we can't because I want to protect you... no I want to protect you. It just wasn't written well. Will I read the second book - I don't know.
June 12, 2013
This book was like the car accident y can't stop looking at. I had to finish it but it was so horribly written, I spent a lot of time chuckling at the absurdity of it. First off its a Twilight rip off. From the "immortality" to the no sex until you're "betrothed" to even similarities between other characters. (Alice and Cora and Emmett and Patrick). This author's writing made Stephanie Meyer's writing look like Wuthering Heights. Half the time I couldn't understand what she was talking about. Way too much professing of love and sacrificing for the other person. I love a guilty pleasure YA book when I need a break from thinking but this was not a guilty pleasure. I felt brain cells dying.
June 11, 2011
You know the phrase "breath of fresh air"? That's exactly what this charming story is.
The main character Bryn is struggling to discover what her supernatural gifts actually are, at the same time as exploring a forbidden romance with handsome William.
And William... all I can do is sigh when I think of William. :)
Ms. Williams' narrative is like prose, her plot is imaginative and her execution is smooth and liquid.
The ending left me chewing on my lip (in a good way) wondering what will happen to William and Bryn, because this author has you so invested in their characters by the end. I personally can't wait to read the sequel.
Well done, Ms. Williams!
The main character Bryn is struggling to discover what her supernatural gifts actually are, at the same time as exploring a forbidden romance with handsome William.
And William... all I can do is sigh when I think of William. :)
Ms. Williams' narrative is like prose, her plot is imaginative and her execution is smooth and liquid.
The ending left me chewing on my lip (in a good way) wondering what will happen to William and Bryn, because this author has you so invested in their characters by the end. I personally can't wait to read the sequel.
Well done, Ms. Williams!
November 10, 2014
WTF is this?!?!?!? This is pure TORTURE!!!! And now I have a fucking migraine.
This just proves the point, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's like she just woke up one day and was like I think I'll write in the wrong genre today.
I WANT THE HOUR AND FORTY-ONE MINUTES OF MY LIFE BACK!!!!
I'm glad I listened to the Crash Series before this, or I would have skipped it and missed out.
August 13, 2012
Life's to short for books this bad!
February 27, 2017
I had issues with this book from start to finish. I am no longer taking recommendations from my sister. I liked that there was a paranormal aspect, sadly that was about it for me.
I try to keep my bad reviews short because I hate to tear down someone's work. This was just not Williams best work. Or even her most okay work. But hey! I would for sure recommend collared by her!
I try to keep my bad reviews short because I hate to tear down someone's work. This was just not Williams best work. Or even her most okay work. But hey! I would for sure recommend collared by her!
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