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Eden #1
Eden
Imprisoned for brutal crimes against his wardens, Fly became an unwilling experiment and was transported, with other criminals, to a hostile planet. Full of mutiny, anger and a desire for revenge the experiment was never going to be successful and Fly became the only survivor when the craft crashed.
Then the human ship arrived -- and Jenny.
With a malfunctioning spacecraft she was in for a fight for her life, but her problems were only just beginning when her crewmates abandon her on Eden.
Jenny's on her own... or so she thinks.
Then the human ship arrived -- and Jenny.
With a malfunctioning spacecraft she was in for a fight for her life, but her problems were only just beginning when her crewmates abandon her on Eden.
Jenny's on her own... or so she thinks.
312 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2009
77 people are currently reading
1387 people want to read
About the author
Louise Wise
14 books107 followersLouise Wise is a British author from the Midlands in England. Her debut novel is the acclaimed sci-fi romance EDEN, followed by its sequel HUNTED in 2013.
The forthcoming JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series is themed on the above Eden and Hunted books and is written under the pen name T E KESSLER.
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO book 1
SURVIVING HER DOMINANT book 2
SPIDER book 3
MOON AND BACK book 4
NEMESIS book 5
TILL FOREVER FALLS APART book 6 (coming 2024/5)
Wise decided to write under the name of T. E Kessler for her JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series because of their more mature themes. Her other works include:
Eden (sci-fi romance)
Hunted (sci-fi romance)
A Proper Charlie (romantic comedy)
Oh No, I’ve Fallen in Love! (dark, comedy romance)
Wide Awake Asleep (time travel, romance)
Wise enjoys writing comedy and finds a place for it in ALL her books. She has written numerous short stories for women’s magazines, such as Take a Break and Woman’s Own.
The forthcoming JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series is themed on the above Eden and Hunted books and is written under the pen name T E KESSLER.
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO book 1
SURVIVING HER DOMINANT book 2
SPIDER book 3
MOON AND BACK book 4
NEMESIS book 5
TILL FOREVER FALLS APART book 6 (coming 2024/5)
Wise decided to write under the name of T. E Kessler for her JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series because of their more mature themes. Her other works include:
Eden (sci-fi romance)
Hunted (sci-fi romance)
A Proper Charlie (romantic comedy)
Oh No, I’ve Fallen in Love! (dark, comedy romance)
Wide Awake Asleep (time travel, romance)
Wise enjoys writing comedy and finds a place for it in ALL her books. She has written numerous short stories for women’s magazines, such as Take a Break and Woman’s Own.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 9, 2012
Ugh. ANOTHER "scifi but really a romance but with no sex or romance" book. Why do I keep reading them?
Oh, and I shouldn't say "no sex," as they DO actually have sex. But it's pretty lame. The most graphic it gets is when he TRIES TO RAPE HER and she's crying and screaming while he inserts fingers into her or something. A couple of weeks or months later, she fall in love with him. He feels bad about the whole attempted rape thing, you see. What! He was horny!
So much of this book made absolutely no sense. Everyone's actions/reactions just made no sense at all.
Awful awful awful.
Oh, and I shouldn't say "no sex," as they DO actually have sex. But it's pretty lame. The most graphic it gets is when he TRIES TO RAPE HER and she's crying and screaming while he inserts fingers into her or something. A couple of weeks or months later, she fall in love with him. He feels bad about the whole attempted rape thing, you see. What! He was horny!
So much of this book made absolutely no sense. Everyone's actions/reactions just made no sense at all.
Awful awful awful.
September 5, 2012
Firstly, the information blurby thing that provides the reader with some indication about what this book is about is scant. I got this for my Kindle after trawling through pages and pages of recommends off of my trashy reading habits and this little gem popped up. All sci fi? Some romance?- I wondered. Either way the other reviews on Amazon piqued my interest.
[For those interested this is Prime eligible on Amazon]
I would NOT categorize this a futuristic science fiction romance, people. Is there a relationship? Uh yes, there are relationships. I don't really know how to articulate what necessarily makes this LESS a futuristic "romance" vs straight up sci fi but my gut instinct tells me that some women will find this book borderline horrible, more males that like sci fi and don't mind an actual relationship happening provided it isn't bodice ripper wtfuckery will find this book has enough of a more realistic sci fi feel that they might prefer. Yes, I said "realistic"- I mean that there isn't an "aliens needs woman" trope going in here, the males in the story are not provided for the sole satisfaction of floating us women down the river of relationship fantasy. These characters are being shown to us ugly violent warts and all. No lace here, no princesses from a far galaxy. I just don't want to mislead you- ye space erotica or futuristic romance fans ok?
This is a story about survival. Normally I despise anything that focuses on crazy depressing elements but sometimes a story can keep you wondering what happens next and how the hell your protagonist is going to keep going on and you cannot put it down. I felt this way reading this. This would probably make a really great sci fi flick (better than Prometheus for SURE lol).
We have Jennifer, our protagonist, and her two crew members; Matt and Bodie. Jennifer is a high achieving do gooder who wants to prove to the world that she can do anything her star astronaut father did and do it better. Matt is just a major prick. You'll agree with me I think..well mostly. While Matt is a man you would want to slap a few times for good measure every time he opens his mouth- he does have very valid reasons for at least resenting certain things that do happen. I'll give him that. Yeah Matt, I can see why you're pissed. But after that Matt? Grow up and everything you do in this book practically makes me wonder how you ever ever got past psychological screening for any space endeavor through a governmental agency. Bodie is Jennifer's uncle. All of these people have their good points and extremely grand flaws. Jennifer is the most likeable of the three crew members but I will be honest despite my love for this tale- my gripe on Jennifer is that she will mention a few times how she's known for being some apparently hard core bitch back home on Earth because she's just so Alpha at her job. I can see how being stranded on an alien hostile world would reduce a normal human to almost idiocy. Even stellar people like astronauts probably would have issues too when experiencing a castaway situation like this. But I didn't see this whatsoever in her character as she struggles on Eden (her supposed driven Alpha-ness). So that was incongruent in my opinion.
Then you have Fly. You'll meet Fly. I don't think I should say anything else about him. He's....interesting. Read all about him.
Anyway - my mind is meandering like crazy so I'll wrap this up and say this is a quick read and it's a good tale.
I gave it five stars because I enjoyed this immensely and found this refreshing. Wise does not take the easy way out with the relationships in this book (mostly) and I appreciated reading that.
[For those interested this is Prime eligible on Amazon]
I would NOT categorize this a futuristic science fiction romance, people. Is there a relationship? Uh yes, there are relationships. I don't really know how to articulate what necessarily makes this LESS a futuristic "romance" vs straight up sci fi but my gut instinct tells me that some women will find this book borderline horrible, more males that like sci fi and don't mind an actual relationship happening provided it isn't bodice ripper wtfuckery will find this book has enough of a more realistic sci fi feel that they might prefer. Yes, I said "realistic"- I mean that there isn't an "aliens needs woman" trope going in here, the males in the story are not provided for the sole satisfaction of floating us women down the river of relationship fantasy. These characters are being shown to us ugly violent warts and all. No lace here, no princesses from a far galaxy. I just don't want to mislead you- ye space erotica or futuristic romance fans ok?
This is a story about survival. Normally I despise anything that focuses on crazy depressing elements but sometimes a story can keep you wondering what happens next and how the hell your protagonist is going to keep going on and you cannot put it down. I felt this way reading this. This would probably make a really great sci fi flick (better than Prometheus for SURE lol).
We have Jennifer, our protagonist, and her two crew members; Matt and Bodie. Jennifer is a high achieving do gooder who wants to prove to the world that she can do anything her star astronaut father did and do it better. Matt is just a major prick. You'll agree with me I think..well mostly. While Matt is a man you would want to slap a few times for good measure every time he opens his mouth- he does have very valid reasons for at least resenting certain things that do happen. I'll give him that. Yeah Matt, I can see why you're pissed. But after that Matt? Grow up and everything you do in this book practically makes me wonder how you ever ever got past psychological screening for any space endeavor through a governmental agency. Bodie is Jennifer's uncle. All of these people have their good points and extremely grand flaws. Jennifer is the most likeable of the three crew members but I will be honest despite my love for this tale- my gripe on Jennifer is that she will mention a few times how she's known for being some apparently hard core bitch back home on Earth because she's just so Alpha at her job. I can see how being stranded on an alien hostile world would reduce a normal human to almost idiocy. Even stellar people like astronauts probably would have issues too when experiencing a castaway situation like this. But I didn't see this whatsoever in her character as she struggles on Eden (her supposed driven Alpha-ness). So that was incongruent in my opinion.
Then you have Fly. You'll meet Fly. I don't think I should say anything else about him. He's....interesting. Read all about him.
Anyway - my mind is meandering like crazy so I'll wrap this up and say this is a quick read and it's a good tale.
I gave it five stars because I enjoyed this immensely and found this refreshing. Wise does not take the easy way out with the relationships in this book (mostly) and I appreciated reading that.
October 21, 2016
This book was incredible, the second book even more so.
(Cover was awful on second book though)
Every time I started a re-read with the specific purpose of making a good thorough review from it - I would get engrossed in the story all over again and not write a review.Bah.
(Cover was awful on second book though)
Every time I started a re-read with the specific purpose of making a good thorough review from it - I would get engrossed in the story all over again and not write a review.Bah.
June 25, 2013
Typical sci-fi this book is not. Sure there are all the fancy gadgets, alien creatures, and multiple moons, but at its heart this book is mainly a space themed bodice ripper of old. While I did overall enjoy the story, the heroine was so naïve and wishy washy with her emotions, she could have easily been wearing a Victorian style gown rather than a space suit for all the futuristic setting actually did for her. So much so, that I never fully grew to really like the character, mostly resulting from my frustration with her interactions with Fly the alien. Yes, he was aggressive and caveman like, but he never pretended otherwise. He was straightforward all the way through, while she seemed to go back and forth with her thinking every other line. She always stubbornly did the opposite of everything anyone told her, and yet always seemed surprise when said decisions seemed to go badly. By the time they finally got together, even though it was only little more than 5 lines describing their coupling, I was cheering in triumph, only to groan in frustration a few chapters later when all the angst and wishy washyness came back.
By the time the book ended I was worn out. The only reason this book remained a 4 star rating rather than a 3, because despite my frustration the book did manage to keep my attention, I liked the world the author created even though it was a bit underdeveloped, and Fly was a great character.
By the time the book ended I was worn out. The only reason this book remained a 4 star rating rather than a 3, because despite my frustration the book did manage to keep my attention, I liked the world the author created even though it was a bit underdeveloped, and Fly was a great character.
July 30, 2014
Well, this book was certainly more than I expected. I've been on a sci fi romance/erotica kick for a couple weeks now and I read one to two books a day- really need to find out how to make a job out of it that won't suck the pleasure from it:) I happen to love, love, love survival stories and as it turns out, this book is such with the bonus of sci fi and romance and a handy moral at the end.
Quick Rundown: Chick gets stranded on a thought to be uninhabited planet for study purposes but finds aggressive animals that aren't what they appear, proof that Earth isn't the only space-capable being nor the most intelligent of species and a deep love for an individual whom one would believe most incapable. There is a struggle to survive in a fairly inhospitable planet. A struggle to understand and get past prejudice of the alien "dude" who is a hard and harsh character to understand. Dude struggles to understand a person who thinks mainly with emotions and to win her over so he won't be alone anymore. Not giving away anything else because the book is too epic for that!
World Building: Excellent! Very rich without being overloaded. Only complaint on this is no map though I think this is a problem for me as I am a direction minded imaginist. As characters move about a land, I picture it in my head so without north, south, etc directions, I find I "lose my way" when imagining the travel between locations. So, can't really fault the author for this. I think the Game of Thrones intro has caused this issue for me:)
Characters: Very well done- complex and interesting. Main chick- Jennifer- grows a lot throughout this book which you don't really notice till you get through it. All her reactions made perfect sense- the good and the bad. They were realistic as were all the characters but one. The dude- Fly- was a fascinating example of an alien and the author did a great job of not only putting us in his mind but of explaining why he is the way he is and justifying his "alien" responses to another human/"alien". Dude was a horrible being but still likable for me and I think if you keep an open mind while reading, you'll find the same. Bodie is also a great character though he has his flaws. Matt was a bit over the top for me. As another reviewer pointed out, out of nowhere, he becomes psychotic in nature and stupidly antagonistic which came off as unbelievable. And this psychotic nature does a complete 180 in a matter of minutes which was unbelievable considering how manic he was. It didn't make sense but I was able to ignore it so it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment.
Ending: I found it fulfilling and not too much of a cliffhanger. It spanned multiple years but didn't leave me unsatisfied. If I had read this just after release, I don't think I would have expected a sequel. And the sequel was just as spectacular and certainly faster paced and action oriented. Definitely worth reading on.
Issues: One issue was my version had a complete repeat of a whole chapter which at first made me think my ereader malfunctioned. No biggie but annoying. Another issue was the humans were from the UK and besides a few words, there was no feel of an accent. At first, I thought that there would be less autonomy among the culture being 200 hundred years in future. But with the ONLY occasional use of British terms we were also told that the UK remained as a world contender and still its own country so despite those few terms, I never got the British voice that I would have liked to have. Besides, I love accents as long as I'm not beat over the head with them. I'm sure the author didn't intend for an accent when writing but I would have enjoyed Jennifer more with it.
This book is not fluff. It is a complete spectrum of events, emotions, issues, life and death, survival, the good the bad and the ugly all of which is well fit into a small 300 pages. It's a win-win all the way around with excellent writing. Enjoy!
-Spuffed, "Half stars are for pansies and one gif is plenty."
Quick Rundown: Chick gets stranded on a thought to be uninhabited planet for study purposes but finds aggressive animals that aren't what they appear, proof that Earth isn't the only space-capable being nor the most intelligent of species and a deep love for an individual whom one would believe most incapable. There is a struggle to survive in a fairly inhospitable planet. A struggle to understand and get past prejudice of the alien "dude" who is a hard and harsh character to understand. Dude struggles to understand a person who thinks mainly with emotions and to win her over so he won't be alone anymore. Not giving away anything else because the book is too epic for that!
World Building: Excellent! Very rich without being overloaded. Only complaint on this is no map though I think this is a problem for me as I am a direction minded imaginist. As characters move about a land, I picture it in my head so without north, south, etc directions, I find I "lose my way" when imagining the travel between locations. So, can't really fault the author for this. I think the Game of Thrones intro has caused this issue for me:)
Characters: Very well done- complex and interesting. Main chick- Jennifer- grows a lot throughout this book which you don't really notice till you get through it. All her reactions made perfect sense- the good and the bad. They were realistic as were all the characters but one. The dude- Fly- was a fascinating example of an alien and the author did a great job of not only putting us in his mind but of explaining why he is the way he is and justifying his "alien" responses to another human/"alien". Dude was a horrible being but still likable for me and I think if you keep an open mind while reading, you'll find the same. Bodie is also a great character though he has his flaws. Matt was a bit over the top for me. As another reviewer pointed out, out of nowhere, he becomes psychotic in nature and stupidly antagonistic which came off as unbelievable. And this psychotic nature does a complete 180 in a matter of minutes which was unbelievable considering how manic he was. It didn't make sense but I was able to ignore it so it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment.
Ending: I found it fulfilling and not too much of a cliffhanger. It spanned multiple years but didn't leave me unsatisfied. If I had read this just after release, I don't think I would have expected a sequel. And the sequel was just as spectacular and certainly faster paced and action oriented. Definitely worth reading on.
Issues: One issue was my version had a complete repeat of a whole chapter which at first made me think my ereader malfunctioned. No biggie but annoying. Another issue was the humans were from the UK and besides a few words, there was no feel of an accent. At first, I thought that there would be less autonomy among the culture being 200 hundred years in future. But with the ONLY occasional use of British terms we were also told that the UK remained as a world contender and still its own country so despite those few terms, I never got the British voice that I would have liked to have. Besides, I love accents as long as I'm not beat over the head with them. I'm sure the author didn't intend for an accent when writing but I would have enjoyed Jennifer more with it.
This book is not fluff. It is a complete spectrum of events, emotions, issues, life and death, survival, the good the bad and the ugly all of which is well fit into a small 300 pages. It's a win-win all the way around with excellent writing. Enjoy!
-Spuffed, "Half stars are for pansies and one gif is plenty."
May 17, 2015
Ever watch a horror movie where the characters are the dumbest people in the world and almost deserve to die gruesomely? This was a lot like that. It's like the author could not figure out a better way to get her characters in the situation she wanted without making them stone cold stupid.
If there was a first contact protocol any normally cautious explorer would have followed, they didn't.
OMG, the heroine! Why was she even on this mission? She did not seem to have any real skills and could not follow orders.
And our Hero, He seemed like he was trying but every time the author described his appearance, parts of it made me sick.
Now I get that he'd been through a lot, and that he was a survivor but I really wanted them to get back to civilization so they could fix . It seriously just grossed me out every time his facial appearance was described -- and the author did it often with what felt like copy and paste. Leaving him looking like that felt like a betrayal of the character -- but that is probably me.
And the ending sadly fit this wreck of a story. It didn't make any sense but neither did most of the book. I love my man quite a bit but I would not when there was any chance of a better life together with him.
There are much better reads out there and it saddens me that after some awesome and thoughtful world building that the author so badly failed on execution. There is only one smart character in this book and she made him a monster.
If there was a first contact protocol any normally cautious explorer would have followed, they didn't.
OMG, the heroine! Why was she even on this mission? She did not seem to have any real skills and could not follow orders.
And our Hero, He seemed like he was trying but every time the author described his appearance, parts of it made me sick.
Now I get that he'd been through a lot, and that he was a survivor but I really wanted them to get back to civilization so they could fix . It seriously just grossed me out every time his facial appearance was described -- and the author did it often with what felt like copy and paste. Leaving him looking like that felt like a betrayal of the character -- but that is probably me.
And the ending sadly fit this wreck of a story. It didn't make any sense but neither did most of the book. I love my man quite a bit but I would not when there was any chance of a better life together with him.
There are much better reads out there and it saddens me that after some awesome and thoughtful world building that the author so badly failed on execution. There is only one smart character in this book and she made him a monster.
April 14, 2010
One small step... into Eden!
What do you do when you break the rules, go forward to satisfy your curiosity in the face danger then, when the chips are down, you turn back for the support of your comrades only to find they have left you alone and desolate on the surface of a far-off, new-found world – with only wolf-like monsters and an similarly isolated alien for company? Scream?
No! I have read science fiction in the past. I was a fan of the genre then, so I thought, hey! Here goes! And what a surprise. It is not long into Louise Wise’s Eden, before you stop noticing the science in the fiction and you become engrossed in the relationship that grows, inexorably, between the two central characters, Jenny and Fly. This is a love story. It is not, however, Gone with the Wind, neither is it the sort of romance that I would never read! It is the sort of cross-genre book that can reach out and pull in those that would otherwise not read such a title. It broadens the possibilities of each genre and Louise is to be congratulated on a plot well conceived and executed.
There are aspects of the editing I feel could have been improved, however much of this can be very subjective and it should not detract from what I believe is a recommendation for any fan of science fiction or romance genres who are looking for something just that little bit different!
What do you do when you break the rules, go forward to satisfy your curiosity in the face danger then, when the chips are down, you turn back for the support of your comrades only to find they have left you alone and desolate on the surface of a far-off, new-found world – with only wolf-like monsters and an similarly isolated alien for company? Scream?
No! I have read science fiction in the past. I was a fan of the genre then, so I thought, hey! Here goes! And what a surprise. It is not long into Louise Wise’s Eden, before you stop noticing the science in the fiction and you become engrossed in the relationship that grows, inexorably, between the two central characters, Jenny and Fly. This is a love story. It is not, however, Gone with the Wind, neither is it the sort of romance that I would never read! It is the sort of cross-genre book that can reach out and pull in those that would otherwise not read such a title. It broadens the possibilities of each genre and Louise is to be congratulated on a plot well conceived and executed.
There are aspects of the editing I feel could have been improved, however much of this can be very subjective and it should not detract from what I believe is a recommendation for any fan of science fiction or romance genres who are looking for something just that little bit different!
August 1, 2017
An absolute fantastic read! It kept me up late until I was forced to stop reading, and couldn’t wait to finish it come morning. There was so much growth in the characters, especially Fly. I adored him, even when he was rough around the edges in the beginning. It made me love him all the more when he started to change so that he could have Jenny.
There was so much world building and the descriptions leapt off the pages. I could see the deadly plants, see the beautiful flowers Jenny loved so much, and envision the ship as well as their home. Their love scenes were short, but meaningful (not going to say I didn’t wish for longer ones!). I was on the edge of my seat and constantly worried about what was going to happen between Jenny, Fly, Matt, and Bodie. There was so much tension and I was just flat out wanting Jenny to just leave them. But I’m happy with how it turned out.
Highly recommend Eden. It’s a sci-fi romance with a lot of depth. It was enthralling.
There was so much world building and the descriptions leapt off the pages. I could see the deadly plants, see the beautiful flowers Jenny loved so much, and envision the ship as well as their home. Their love scenes were short, but meaningful (not going to say I didn’t wish for longer ones!). I was on the edge of my seat and constantly worried about what was going to happen between Jenny, Fly, Matt, and Bodie. There was so much tension and I was just flat out wanting Jenny to just leave them. But I’m happy with how it turned out.
Highly recommend Eden. It’s a sci-fi romance with a lot of depth. It was enthralling.
January 24, 2016
This was an awesome read. The slow character development made the emotional connection between Fly and Jen more believable. Even with the detailed description of Fly's scars and mangled features I found him to be sexy as hell. I got a little exasperated with Matt and Jim, all their scheming and plotting to kill Fly - but it did lend more to the story in the end. Now I'm off to read the second book with high hopes that it will be at least as good.
May 1, 2019
The progression was just too fast and underdeveloped for me. There was no real emotional pull or anything. It doesn't even deliver on the erotica. I've definitely read better alien stories and better erotica. It's supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling but outside of Fly being scarred and Matt being antagonistic I didn't see too much of a comparison.
I stopped about 60% in and skimmed the rest. I have no interest in the sequel.
I stopped about 60% in and skimmed the rest. I have no interest in the sequel.
April 20, 2017
I am totally blown away by this story! It was not what I expected at all, yet everything that I love in a great story. I adore Fly! He is a true hero and a wonderful alien. Jen got on my nerves but she was spunky and she really lived up to my hopes. I truly loved everything about this story and now I'm going to read the next one!
January 21, 2014
Started out decent but devolved in to a hot mess. More 2 1/2 stars.
November 12, 2024
More a 3.7
There were several elements in this sci fi romance that appealed, and other things not as much.
The overall experience was still a positive one, for the most part!
There were several elements in this sci fi romance that appealed, and other things not as much.
The overall experience was still a positive one, for the most part!
December 9, 2014
1.5 stars.
The version of this book I read was a huge, seemingly unedited, mess with serious formatting problems. It really ruins my enjoyment of a story when I have to actively work to decipher what the author meant to say and what they actually said, and having random halves of a chapter offset by an inch when other bits aren't is just deeply annoying.
As for the story itself, well...
I liked the general survival theme and the details we were given about the planet, from the dim binary stars and seven moons to the killer flora and fauna (Eden is apparently one of those sci-fi worlds where everything eats everything else, including the plants). I also liked Jen and Fly slowly coming to an uneasy understanding and eventual friendship. I was a little "meh" when that turned in to a sexual relationship, not because I really hated it (after a rocky start I actually quite liked both characters), but because we didn't really see that develop. It was all glossed over in a few time lapsed moments from "please don't kill me!" to "okay, I guess we'll have sex now" and it came across as rather sudden and unsatisfying to me.
What I didn't like was Bodie and Matt, who seemed to be entirely too thick-headed and judgmental to be entrusted with the first manned exploration mission of a distant, life-bearing, world. They were very condescending and patronising towards Jen and for some reason they hated Fly on sight for simply being an alien, even though he did nothing but help them. In my notes I have a good rant about these two characters and how they just didn't seem to react in any rational or sane manner, but I think I'll spare you all. Let's just say that until the last 10% of the book I loathed them both and wished they'd die in some unpleasant manner.
I'd also have liked some more details and/ or interaction with the "wolves". From the beginning they were clearly not just animals, but despite how many times they get mentioned they really don't get a lot of exposure.
I give the story itself 2 stars, but I'm deducting half a star because of how awful it was to read (it very literally gave me a headache). If this ever gets re-edited to get rid of the typos, poor formatting and lack of convincing detail with everyones motivations, then I'd possibly consider giving this another star.
The version of this book I read was a huge, seemingly unedited, mess with serious formatting problems. It really ruins my enjoyment of a story when I have to actively work to decipher what the author meant to say and what they actually said, and having random halves of a chapter offset by an inch when other bits aren't is just deeply annoying.
As for the story itself, well...
I liked the general survival theme and the details we were given about the planet, from the dim binary stars and seven moons to the killer flora and fauna (Eden is apparently one of those sci-fi worlds where everything eats everything else, including the plants). I also liked Jen and Fly slowly coming to an uneasy understanding and eventual friendship. I was a little "meh" when that turned in to a sexual relationship, not because I really hated it (after a rocky start I actually quite liked both characters), but because we didn't really see that develop. It was all glossed over in a few time lapsed moments from "please don't kill me!" to "okay, I guess we'll have sex now" and it came across as rather sudden and unsatisfying to me.
What I didn't like was Bodie and Matt, who seemed to be entirely too thick-headed and judgmental to be entrusted with the first manned exploration mission of a distant, life-bearing, world. They were very condescending and patronising towards Jen and for some reason they hated Fly on sight for simply being an alien, even though he did nothing but help them. In my notes I have a good rant about these two characters and how they just didn't seem to react in any rational or sane manner, but I think I'll spare you all. Let's just say that until the last 10% of the book I loathed them both and wished they'd die in some unpleasant manner.
I'd also have liked some more details and/ or interaction with the "wolves". From the beginning they were clearly not just animals, but despite how many times they get mentioned they really don't get a lot of exposure.
I give the story itself 2 stars, but I'm deducting half a star because of how awful it was to read (it very literally gave me a headache). If this ever gets re-edited to get rid of the typos, poor formatting and lack of convincing detail with everyones motivations, then I'd possibly consider giving this another star.
July 21, 2016
The atmospheric world and alien-human relationship Louise Wise created stuck with me for months after I first read this book. It is a favorite re-read of mine.
A trio of space travelers from Earth land on an unexplored planet and through various circumstances the lone female in the crew, Jenny, is left behind to contend with native creatures, a dangerous but beautiful environment and one distinctly hostile, marooned alien. The plot is equal parts survival story, romance and action thriller - with a tinge of mystery. Why is Fly there with the remnants of a ship? And how did he come to be the only survivor? With a hero as dangerous, deadly, harsh and dark as Fly, one's imagination skids in many directions as the story unfolds. As with others, I felt the story was best when it revolved around Jenny and Fly. However, Jenny's crewmates provide essential climactic tension for resolution of emotion and plot.
This book is touted by some as "a sci-fi beauty and the beast" but the references to a biblical Eden shouldn't be overlooked. Jenny is a temptation to Fly both physically and on a deeper level. Given the stoicism of his race, Fly finds Jenny an enigma - one that he first looks at with scorn. This is a story of the evolution of love in a beautiful and dangerous place. Wise's descriptions of the alien planet are so vivid I can almost smell the meadows, taste the fruit, feel the geysers and hear the unfurling trees. She has the ability to immerse you so deeply in the texture of her world that one loses track of the present.
Disappear for a while into Louise Wise's Eden! You won't regret it.
A trio of space travelers from Earth land on an unexplored planet and through various circumstances the lone female in the crew, Jenny, is left behind to contend with native creatures, a dangerous but beautiful environment and one distinctly hostile, marooned alien. The plot is equal parts survival story, romance and action thriller - with a tinge of mystery. Why is Fly there with the remnants of a ship? And how did he come to be the only survivor? With a hero as dangerous, deadly, harsh and dark as Fly, one's imagination skids in many directions as the story unfolds. As with others, I felt the story was best when it revolved around Jenny and Fly. However, Jenny's crewmates provide essential climactic tension for resolution of emotion and plot.
This book is touted by some as "a sci-fi beauty and the beast" but the references to a biblical Eden shouldn't be overlooked. Jenny is a temptation to Fly both physically and on a deeper level. Given the stoicism of his race, Fly finds Jenny an enigma - one that he first looks at with scorn. This is a story of the evolution of love in a beautiful and dangerous place. Wise's descriptions of the alien planet are so vivid I can almost smell the meadows, taste the fruit, feel the geysers and hear the unfurling trees. She has the ability to immerse you so deeply in the texture of her world that one loses track of the present.
Disappear for a while into Louise Wise's Eden! You won't regret it.
September 10, 2010
This novel has a very original idea and appealed to me straight away. The cover image is beautiful and likewise is the language incorporated in this science fiction story. A must read!
As the future is laid out in Eden written by author Louise Wise, the reader is taken on a journey of new plant life, futuristic spaceships, aliens, danger and adventure all carefully constructed under an imaginative and clever hand.
Questions I had while reading, which keeps the readers engaged, is this the future or is this really the past….is this really another planet or is this really earth?
I love this line which adds more intensity: Then she heard it. She started fearfully and jumped to her feet, heart beating furiously and adrenaline rushing her body. The noise was a howl. It was sub-human, evil; and the blood-freezing howl of some creature not too far away from where she had been sleeping.
Jenny, Matt, Bodie, Kate…are just some of the characters the reader will meet. Committed to each other or enjoying the torments of each other? Louise Wise writes the characters so that they become alive and more intriguing than mere one-dimensional characters written in some novels.
Eden at its core is a sci-fi journey that shows the reader how life could have evolved on another planet and even on earth, and how though on the outside we may appear different, on the inside we are all very much the same, no matter how far you travel.
I really enjoyed the twists and characters. I recommend this read to any lover of science fiction or fantasy.
As the future is laid out in Eden written by author Louise Wise, the reader is taken on a journey of new plant life, futuristic spaceships, aliens, danger and adventure all carefully constructed under an imaginative and clever hand.
Questions I had while reading, which keeps the readers engaged, is this the future or is this really the past….is this really another planet or is this really earth?
I love this line which adds more intensity: Then she heard it. She started fearfully and jumped to her feet, heart beating furiously and adrenaline rushing her body. The noise was a howl. It was sub-human, evil; and the blood-freezing howl of some creature not too far away from where she had been sleeping.
Jenny, Matt, Bodie, Kate…are just some of the characters the reader will meet. Committed to each other or enjoying the torments of each other? Louise Wise writes the characters so that they become alive and more intriguing than mere one-dimensional characters written in some novels.
Eden at its core is a sci-fi journey that shows the reader how life could have evolved on another planet and even on earth, and how though on the outside we may appear different, on the inside we are all very much the same, no matter how far you travel.
I really enjoyed the twists and characters. I recommend this read to any lover of science fiction or fantasy.
April 28, 2010
The book Eden is about a young space traveler named Jenny who ends up marooned on a strange planet called Eden, accidentally left behind by her two male shipmates. She’s not alone on the planet, and along with strange and feral creatures, there’s also someone else who’s been marooned. He’s not human, but he is dangerous. Jenny realizes her best hope for survival will be to make contact with this “alien.” At first, trying to trade him some coffee for some food (she’s already found and drank all his “whiskey”) she forms a tentative friendship with him. Cautiously, the two try and understand each other. And little by little, while waiting for rescue by her two shipmates, Jenny finds herself falling in love with this strange alien.
The book is well written, and truly British. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gives the story a unique charm of its own. Just as the relationship blossoms between Jenny and “Fly” her two male, human shipmates end up crashing on the planet and are also marooned. Injured and frightened, the two men have a much harder time accepting the alien. After exploring the alien’s crashed ship, it’s discovered that “Fly” may have a hidden past, one that might threaten all three humans. Just when things start to seem like they will turn out well, the author takes you in a different direction. Well written, and a worthy read for both science buffs, and romance lovers alike! A very good start for a new author!
The book is well written, and truly British. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gives the story a unique charm of its own. Just as the relationship blossoms between Jenny and “Fly” her two male, human shipmates end up crashing on the planet and are also marooned. Injured and frightened, the two men have a much harder time accepting the alien. After exploring the alien’s crashed ship, it’s discovered that “Fly” may have a hidden past, one that might threaten all three humans. Just when things start to seem like they will turn out well, the author takes you in a different direction. Well written, and a worthy read for both science buffs, and romance lovers alike! A very good start for a new author!
May 21, 2016
The first book in the Eden series by Louise Wise. Jenny is one of 3 that came to the planet they call Eden to plant probes. But she is left by her crew mates when they discover an alien being on the planet. To be fair, her crew believed she was right behind them. But their ship was malfunctioning and it is impossible for them to come back down and retrieve her. Meanwhile, Jenny encounters the alien several more times and finally realizes he is not going to kill her.
The book started good and had a few good moments throughout but also had a few "what?" moments for me. It was one of those stories where two different species forced to live together and ultimately find love. I see that a second book in the series has been published continuing the story of Jenny and Fly. I may continue the series.
The book started good and had a few good moments throughout but also had a few "what?" moments for me. It was one of those stories where two different species forced to live together and ultimately find love. I see that a second book in the series has been published continuing the story of Jenny and Fly. I may continue the series.
May 22, 2019
One word .. awkward !
The planet is supposed to be frozen when they arrived (-35 at night) but when they explore on foot
There are dense forest with green leaf , grass and fruit everywhere !
And i dont mention when jenny ( the heroine)
Say ....( one part of her knew fly was leading her to her rape,and that part was going to allow it to happen,because the other side was lying dormant through fear and exhaustion ) euh just no 🤦🏻♀️ a big wtf
I also notices the famous bodies in the alien ship...
fly is the only survivor for 2 cold and 1 warm saison so i figure 2 years and the bodies are still in putrefaction...they have still flesh!eternal zombie 🧟♀️
And I had enough of ... bo & matt with their oh you sleep with the alien only to survive, Jen tarzan got you brainwashed so I will plot to kill him 🙅🏽♀️
The planet is supposed to be frozen when they arrived (-35 at night) but when they explore on foot
There are dense forest with green leaf , grass and fruit everywhere !
And i dont mention when jenny ( the heroine)
Say ....( one part of her knew fly was leading her to her rape,and that part was going to allow it to happen,because the other side was lying dormant through fear and exhaustion ) euh just no 🤦🏻♀️ a big wtf
I also notices the famous bodies in the alien ship...
fly is the only survivor for 2 cold and 1 warm saison so i figure 2 years and the bodies are still in putrefaction...they have still flesh!eternal zombie 🧟♀️
And I had enough of ... bo & matt with their oh you sleep with the alien only to survive, Jen tarzan got you brainwashed so I will plot to kill him 🙅🏽♀️
May 15, 2020
Needs some work
I liked the premise of this book however the execution of it was not great in my opinion. The storytelling was bland and the characters felt so unlikable and confusing i didn’t know whose side to be on. I wanted to DNF the book around 44% because I grew confused on how the author wanted to portray her characters. Was Jenny really manipulated by Fly, was Matt a jealous ex, did Bodie have any clue what the heck he was supposed to do as a commander/uncle? Idk and I still don’t know after having finished the book. The characters were stale and had no internal thoughts that made you really want to like them. I felt the book had a pretty weird vibe to it the entire time. I won’t be continuing to the second book.
I liked the premise of this book however the execution of it was not great in my opinion. The storytelling was bland and the characters felt so unlikable and confusing i didn’t know whose side to be on. I wanted to DNF the book around 44% because I grew confused on how the author wanted to portray her characters. Was Jenny really manipulated by Fly, was Matt a jealous ex, did Bodie have any clue what the heck he was supposed to do as a commander/uncle? Idk and I still don’t know after having finished the book. The characters were stale and had no internal thoughts that made you really want to like them. I felt the book had a pretty weird vibe to it the entire time. I won’t be continuing to the second book.
December 18, 2012
No way to even go into the story without giving it away but its mostly a sci-fi space exploration that turns into a romantic story.
I really ended up liking this one after a pretty slow start for me. I talked a couple people into reading it with me and 15% in I was like "ut oh kind of missed on this one." Not too far after that the relationships started coming together and I was just burning through the book. Some of the stuff that happened was just maddening and I wanted to chop up one of the characters into tiny pieces through most of the book. I am sooo glad that at some point there was some real chemistry going on and the book just zoomed by.
I really ended up liking this one after a pretty slow start for me. I talked a couple people into reading it with me and 15% in I was like "ut oh kind of missed on this one." Not too far after that the relationships started coming together and I was just burning through the book. Some of the stuff that happened was just maddening and I wanted to chop up one of the characters into tiny pieces through most of the book. I am sooo glad that at some point there was some real chemistry going on and the book just zoomed by.
May 12, 2019
Forget the blurb,it says nothing about the book. First off-it is a nice read.Not THE best but definitely worth the time,if you love believable alien story.I guess it was why I liked it so mutch.The heroes were believable and understandable,the story progressed a bit rushed but I wouldn't have minded bigger page count. This is a story of survival,of making the best in seemingly hopeless situation,in revealing emotions you didn't know you had.It is a love story.Not in an erotic way,but developing feelings while trying to remember who you want to be.Of not choosing the easier answer to maintain your morale.
Jenny is pretty mutch the epicenter of the book and events.Even though for someone ,who claims to have fought for her own life and success,she come across as too helpless and too dependent.Her character growth is the smallest of them all,however she is the reason for growth of other characters.I can't say I really liked her,but I do understand her choices.Even the antagonist of the book is understandable and acceptable.
Fly...well,he is interesting and in my opinion the best character in book.He received the biggest growth and changes.But to perceive him correctly, you have to read the book.
The writing is really good,story flows,but I was tiny bit irritated on how writer switch to different characters.It can get confusing in the first sentences ,as you are not warned of the switch.And sometimes if could be just a few sentences between switches.It makes story jumbled and not as easy to read as I would have liked.Got the feeling the author had too mutch on the mind and was rushing to get it all out on paper before the idea disappears.A professional editing and advice could have made the book worth all 5 stars.
I do recommend reading it to alien story lovers.Just disregard the cover(it is terrible) ,don't rely too mutch on blurb(it does not advertise the book properly) and pick it up,give it a chance it deserves.I read it after "Venomous" and was not disappointed.
Jenny is pretty mutch the epicenter of the book and events.Even though for someone ,who claims to have fought for her own life and success,she come across as too helpless and too dependent.Her character growth is the smallest of them all,however she is the reason for growth of other characters.I can't say I really liked her,but I do understand her choices.Even the antagonist of the book is understandable and acceptable.
Fly...well,he is interesting and in my opinion the best character in book.He received the biggest growth and changes.But to perceive him correctly, you have to read the book.
The writing is really good,story flows,but I was tiny bit irritated on how writer switch to different characters.It can get confusing in the first sentences ,as you are not warned of the switch.And sometimes if could be just a few sentences between switches.It makes story jumbled and not as easy to read as I would have liked.Got the feeling the author had too mutch on the mind and was rushing to get it all out on paper before the idea disappears.A professional editing and advice could have made the book worth all 5 stars.
I do recommend reading it to alien story lovers.Just disregard the cover(it is terrible) ,don't rely too mutch on blurb(it does not advertise the book properly) and pick it up,give it a chance it deserves.I read it after "Venomous" and was not disappointed.
December 23, 2012
Eden is a beautiful story. At its heart it is a science fiction romance, a retelling of beauty and the beast. However, it has a lot of depth, exploring the themes of survival and discovery, overcoming prejudice and redemption. It is also full of action and adventure. It defies being put into a specific genre or even sub genre and in my opinion it is books like Eden, which should be winning major literary awards.
In Eden, Jenny is a pilot on a space shuttle team sent from Earth to survey the planet Eden, the others being Commander Brodie and Matt, the Mission Specialist. Just as they are about to descend to the surface, the shuttle is damaged by asteroids. Nevertheless the crew descend onto the planet in their buggies. Once there, after a brief foray into the immediate environment to assess its flora and fauna, they discover a large crater containing the remains of an alien spaceship, which appears to have crashed some time ago. Excited, yet full of trepidation, as no evidence of extra terrestrial life forms has been found by humans, they approach the craft. Jenny impulsively enters and is apprehended by a large, dark, humanoid, alien who drags her back outside. Brodie and Matt, followed by Jenny, who escapes the alien, run towards their buggies intending to return to the shuttle. However, Jenny falls and is knocked unconscious. Do not read any further unless you do not mind encountering some SPOILERS.
Jenny finds herself stranded on the planet with the alien, whom she names Fly, as it sounds like a shorter version of his name in his own language (they are able to communicate with the aid of an alien translation device which has survived). What follows next is an extremely original story of survival in a hostile yet strangely beautiful environment. Fly is intrigued by Jenny and recognising that she is female views her as a potential companion to satisfy his sexual needs. Jenny is initially terrified of Fly, who although humanoid in appearance has expressionless black eyes and a battered face and is unemotional and at times violent. Fly is pretty upfront about what he wants from Jenny and for some time she lives in constant fear of rape which puts a severe strain on their relationship.
During this time Jenny manages some sporadic communication with Brodie and Matt, using the transmitter on the buggy. She ignores their advice to keep away from Fly as she recognises that she needs his help to survive and she initially plans to gain his trust and kill him. The shuttle is severely damaged and is losing fuel and they too are effectively trapped with nowhere to go. Jenny spends a number of nights taking refuge on the buggy. However, one night some of the native wolf- like creatures violently attack her whilst she is in the buggy. Matt and Brodie hear her screams and the creatures’ howls over the transmitter and believe that she has been killed, although she is eventually saved by Fly. The buggy is badly damaged and she loses contact with the shuttle. Matt and Brodie repair the shuttle as best they can and argue about whether to return to the surface to confirm what has happened. Meanwhile Fly, seeing that Jenny is afraid of him, seeks to try to gain her trust and encourage her compliance. Through sharing his food and shelter with her and eventually teaching her valuable survival skills they slowly get to know each other, discussing their respective cultures and form a growing mutual attraction, friendship and eventually fall in love. They begin to build a life together on Eden.
I do not want to give away any more of the plot, but suffice to say that the love between Jenny and Fly is severely tested in the remainder of the book as the both face prejudice and danger and revelations about Fly’s past.
The two main characters held my interest from the start. Jenny, the human, is a strong, feisty individual at the start of the book, but is severely challenged by the situation she finds herself in. She is ashamed of her initial dependence on Fly for her survival and is repulsed by the very idea of physical contact, let alone sexual relations with him. Fly has been damaged physically by the crash but he is also harsh and unemotional, making it clear to Jenny that is only because she is female that he has not killed her. For a long time she fears that he will rape her to get what he wants and there is one harrowing scene where it appears that her fears are being realised, before Fly redeems himself and begins to open up emotionally. I loved the way the relationship between them progressed and the turning point in the book where Jenny sees Fly as just another person and they succumbs to their mutual attraction is beautiful. I liked how their love for each other enabled them to grow and learn from each other.
There is a lot of sexual tension in the book between them, but the sex scenes themselves are not graphic, just a natural expression of their feelings at the time. The descriptions of the flora and fauna on Eden are also believable and the planet, which starts off as cold and uninviting, begins to thaw and reveal its beauty mirroring the relationship between Fly and Jenny.
The secondary characters, Brodie and Matt appear weak in comparison with Fly and Matt’s personality in particular is not attractive. He is jealous of Jenny’s professional achievements and like Brodie opposes her relationship with Fly. Brodie is very defensive of Jenny and her safety for reasons that become clear in the book. They too have to grow as individuals and overcome the prejudice they exhibit.
I read a lot of science fiction romance and I can say that this story stands head and shoulders above the others in its freshness, depth and intensity and character development. I would recommend this book to lovers of straightforward romance, science fiction romance and straight science fiction adventure novel enthusiasts. I read the book in one sitting so eager was I to find out what happens. The story can stand alone but Louise Wise’s website states that a follow up novel, dealing with the further adventures of Jenny and Fly, will be released in 2013. I will be purchasing this novel as soon as it is released.
In Eden, Jenny is a pilot on a space shuttle team sent from Earth to survey the planet Eden, the others being Commander Brodie and Matt, the Mission Specialist. Just as they are about to descend to the surface, the shuttle is damaged by asteroids. Nevertheless the crew descend onto the planet in their buggies. Once there, after a brief foray into the immediate environment to assess its flora and fauna, they discover a large crater containing the remains of an alien spaceship, which appears to have crashed some time ago. Excited, yet full of trepidation, as no evidence of extra terrestrial life forms has been found by humans, they approach the craft. Jenny impulsively enters and is apprehended by a large, dark, humanoid, alien who drags her back outside. Brodie and Matt, followed by Jenny, who escapes the alien, run towards their buggies intending to return to the shuttle. However, Jenny falls and is knocked unconscious. Do not read any further unless you do not mind encountering some SPOILERS.
Jenny finds herself stranded on the planet with the alien, whom she names Fly, as it sounds like a shorter version of his name in his own language (they are able to communicate with the aid of an alien translation device which has survived). What follows next is an extremely original story of survival in a hostile yet strangely beautiful environment. Fly is intrigued by Jenny and recognising that she is female views her as a potential companion to satisfy his sexual needs. Jenny is initially terrified of Fly, who although humanoid in appearance has expressionless black eyes and a battered face and is unemotional and at times violent. Fly is pretty upfront about what he wants from Jenny and for some time she lives in constant fear of rape which puts a severe strain on their relationship.
During this time Jenny manages some sporadic communication with Brodie and Matt, using the transmitter on the buggy. She ignores their advice to keep away from Fly as she recognises that she needs his help to survive and she initially plans to gain his trust and kill him. The shuttle is severely damaged and is losing fuel and they too are effectively trapped with nowhere to go. Jenny spends a number of nights taking refuge on the buggy. However, one night some of the native wolf- like creatures violently attack her whilst she is in the buggy. Matt and Brodie hear her screams and the creatures’ howls over the transmitter and believe that she has been killed, although she is eventually saved by Fly. The buggy is badly damaged and she loses contact with the shuttle. Matt and Brodie repair the shuttle as best they can and argue about whether to return to the surface to confirm what has happened. Meanwhile Fly, seeing that Jenny is afraid of him, seeks to try to gain her trust and encourage her compliance. Through sharing his food and shelter with her and eventually teaching her valuable survival skills they slowly get to know each other, discussing their respective cultures and form a growing mutual attraction, friendship and eventually fall in love. They begin to build a life together on Eden.
I do not want to give away any more of the plot, but suffice to say that the love between Jenny and Fly is severely tested in the remainder of the book as the both face prejudice and danger and revelations about Fly’s past.
The two main characters held my interest from the start. Jenny, the human, is a strong, feisty individual at the start of the book, but is severely challenged by the situation she finds herself in. She is ashamed of her initial dependence on Fly for her survival and is repulsed by the very idea of physical contact, let alone sexual relations with him. Fly has been damaged physically by the crash but he is also harsh and unemotional, making it clear to Jenny that is only because she is female that he has not killed her. For a long time she fears that he will rape her to get what he wants and there is one harrowing scene where it appears that her fears are being realised, before Fly redeems himself and begins to open up emotionally. I loved the way the relationship between them progressed and the turning point in the book where Jenny sees Fly as just another person and they succumbs to their mutual attraction is beautiful. I liked how their love for each other enabled them to grow and learn from each other.
There is a lot of sexual tension in the book between them, but the sex scenes themselves are not graphic, just a natural expression of their feelings at the time. The descriptions of the flora and fauna on Eden are also believable and the planet, which starts off as cold and uninviting, begins to thaw and reveal its beauty mirroring the relationship between Fly and Jenny.
The secondary characters, Brodie and Matt appear weak in comparison with Fly and Matt’s personality in particular is not attractive. He is jealous of Jenny’s professional achievements and like Brodie opposes her relationship with Fly. Brodie is very defensive of Jenny and her safety for reasons that become clear in the book. They too have to grow as individuals and overcome the prejudice they exhibit.
I read a lot of science fiction romance and I can say that this story stands head and shoulders above the others in its freshness, depth and intensity and character development. I would recommend this book to lovers of straightforward romance, science fiction romance and straight science fiction adventure novel enthusiasts. I read the book in one sitting so eager was I to find out what happens. The story can stand alone but Louise Wise’s website states that a follow up novel, dealing with the further adventures of Jenny and Fly, will be released in 2013. I will be purchasing this novel as soon as it is released.
September 6, 2018
I gave up only 4 chapters in. Sentences were badly formatted (a few commas would've made it a lot more readable). The big put off was the use of "there" instead of "their"; spelling wasn't good either. A valley was slopping instead of sloping.
July 7, 2014
The sci-fi aspects of this book were very weak and the romance was only slightly stronger. Many inconsistencies from the world building to the characterization expelled me from the story time and time again.
We are told how the Heroine was considered to be "hard" or "tough" prior to arriving on Eden, that others were even known to fear her; however, I never the saw this at any point. The heroine is too stupid to live at times, neither of her comrades show any respect for Jenny let alone fear.
The wolf like creatures are trying to kill Jenny, Fly rescues her and we are told that as long as she is with Fly she will be ok but also not wander too far from him or the safety of the camp or she will be attacked BUT later in the book, Fly leaves Matt unconscious at the wolf/creature den and tells everyone that Matt will be fine as Fly told the creatures not to hurt Matt. Matt was able to walk out of there den, surrounded by creatures, even stumbling over them, without any danger. WTF! So either Fly was being a manipulative jacka$$ earlier making Jenny even more dependent on him and putting her in danger repeatedly OR her just didn't care enough to tell the creatures to leave her alone? Meanwhile the characterization of Fly throughout the book is that he wants to protect Jenny and doesn't want her in any danger...
Then there is the characterization of the human space exploration team. So Earth sends 3 people on this mission: Bodie (commander), Jenny (Bodie's niece) and Matt (Jenny's Ex who now has a chip on his shoulder)...since when is it ok for someone to be commander over a relative and out of all other candidates would they send a relative of Bodie's and her ex-lover? No one is professional, no one follows protocol and no one seems to have any training for exploring a new planet even though that is the purpose of there mission.
At one point when Jenny is first stranded and comes across water, and wonders if it would make good drinking water. Later she drinks the water and notes to herself that it tastes pure and sweet. It was never mentioned if humans can drink the water on this planet, they never tested it or anything else on the planet when they were there and once drinkable water is discovered, isn't it common knowledge that you should always boil it first so that you kill off any bacteria or parasite???? None of the humans seemed to have any survival training.
Goodreads has this listed as erotic romance sci-fi but I wouldn't classify this as erotic. The love scenes are few, far between and glossed over which worked with the authors writing style; however, if that is the type of book your looking for, you will be disappointed. IMO, I would classify this as a survival sci-fi with romantic elements.
Overall, this book was a lot of TELL with little actually shown and what was shown was usually a contradiction of what was told to me. This would rate a 2.5/5 stars for me which was raised to 3 since Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars. It had a great premise, but fell short and flat on execution.
NOTE: Was anyone else disturbed with the reference to the alien appearance being similar to a disfigured North American Indian and then having the text constantly refer to him as a savage???
We are told how the Heroine was considered to be "hard" or "tough" prior to arriving on Eden, that others were even known to fear her; however, I never the saw this at any point. The heroine is too stupid to live at times, neither of her comrades show any respect for Jenny let alone fear.
The wolf like creatures are trying to kill Jenny, Fly rescues her and we are told that as long as she is with Fly she will be ok but also not wander too far from him or the safety of the camp or she will be attacked BUT later in the book, Fly leaves Matt unconscious at the wolf/creature den and tells everyone that Matt will be fine as Fly told the creatures not to hurt Matt. Matt was able to walk out of there den, surrounded by creatures, even stumbling over them, without any danger. WTF! So either Fly was being a manipulative jacka$$ earlier making Jenny even more dependent on him and putting her in danger repeatedly OR her just didn't care enough to tell the creatures to leave her alone? Meanwhile the characterization of Fly throughout the book is that he wants to protect Jenny and doesn't want her in any danger...
Then there is the characterization of the human space exploration team. So Earth sends 3 people on this mission: Bodie (commander), Jenny (Bodie's niece) and Matt (Jenny's Ex who now has a chip on his shoulder)...since when is it ok for someone to be commander over a relative and out of all other candidates would they send a relative of Bodie's and her ex-lover? No one is professional, no one follows protocol and no one seems to have any training for exploring a new planet even though that is the purpose of there mission.
At one point when Jenny is first stranded and comes across water, and wonders if it would make good drinking water. Later she drinks the water and notes to herself that it tastes pure and sweet. It was never mentioned if humans can drink the water on this planet, they never tested it or anything else on the planet when they were there and once drinkable water is discovered, isn't it common knowledge that you should always boil it first so that you kill off any bacteria or parasite???? None of the humans seemed to have any survival training.
Goodreads has this listed as erotic romance sci-fi but I wouldn't classify this as erotic. The love scenes are few, far between and glossed over which worked with the authors writing style; however, if that is the type of book your looking for, you will be disappointed. IMO, I would classify this as a survival sci-fi with romantic elements.
Overall, this book was a lot of TELL with little actually shown and what was shown was usually a contradiction of what was told to me. This would rate a 2.5/5 stars for me which was raised to 3 since Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars. It had a great premise, but fell short and flat on execution.
NOTE: Was anyone else disturbed with the reference to the alien appearance being similar to a disfigured North American Indian and then having the text constantly refer to him as a savage???
August 10, 2015
Hello people!
It took a lot to squeeze a review out of me for this book. I had a lot of clashed feelings about it and it really drove me crazy...Why? It just didn't win me over. Simple. I felt intrigued for the first few chapters, then it turned to wonderland nonsense.
Warnings!!!>
-Scifi/adventure, mild sort of romance and no sex. The sex is only mentioned like someone ate a burguer. Not suggested or explicit.
-Do not expect it to be fuzzy and nice.
-Rushed scenes and floating unnecessary information.
-Sneaky, intriguing introduction wich turns sloppy and bores.
I read reviews, I tried to look for good things. I made a re-cap to be just, so excuse me if my opinion does not agree with you. The story itself is avarage. There is a good intro, a good even intresting heroine and mild world building. It starts slow as it introduces us to Jenny who is onboard a ship that's looking for habitable planets. When they land in one, her friends abandon her for fear of their own death and because there is an alien on it already. There's a good deal of character build up till this point and it is interesting how the different crew members interact with our heroine and their singular personalities. Everything seemed good to me until the heroine meets fly. The initial interactions were slow paced and well developed. The problem is when the begin to develop attraction and feelings for each other. It felt sloppy, the pace and essence of the beginning turns into cut scenes and unrelatable events. The reactions and ubrupt actions of neither character made sense, exactly from the moment Fly slips and attempts to rape Jenny and it's awkward because the alien although with urge seems to be the kind of character who endures very dificult things. I'm not saying he's a saint, because he's a warrior, violent and highly inteligent alien. Strong by mind, body and conviction. He proves to hold his ground...Until in my opinion, the author goes cucu and just forces the rape scene out of nowhere to put a little angst or drama which was unnecessary and did not fit with the character. From that point on, it's full of nonsense.
Alice in wonderland made more sense than this book!
So...This was definitely not my cup of tea! Not even the world or the adveture made sense! If it didn't have the romance I wouldn't have cared if the story had a good structure as the initial build-up of the characters.
2.5 stars, for the mild character and world build-up...I bid you farewell and may your next reads be fab!
It took a lot to squeeze a review out of me for this book. I had a lot of clashed feelings about it and it really drove me crazy...Why? It just didn't win me over. Simple. I felt intrigued for the first few chapters, then it turned to wonderland nonsense.
Warnings!!!>
-Scifi/adventure, mild sort of romance and no sex. The sex is only mentioned like someone ate a burguer. Not suggested or explicit.
-Do not expect it to be fuzzy and nice.
-Rushed scenes and floating unnecessary information.
-Sneaky, intriguing introduction wich turns sloppy and bores.
I read reviews, I tried to look for good things. I made a re-cap to be just, so excuse me if my opinion does not agree with you. The story itself is avarage. There is a good intro, a good even intresting heroine and mild world building. It starts slow as it introduces us to Jenny who is onboard a ship that's looking for habitable planets. When they land in one, her friends abandon her for fear of their own death and because there is an alien on it already. There's a good deal of character build up till this point and it is interesting how the different crew members interact with our heroine and their singular personalities. Everything seemed good to me until the heroine meets fly. The initial interactions were slow paced and well developed. The problem is when the begin to develop attraction and feelings for each other. It felt sloppy, the pace and essence of the beginning turns into cut scenes and unrelatable events. The reactions and ubrupt actions of neither character made sense, exactly from the moment Fly slips and attempts to rape Jenny and it's awkward because the alien although with urge seems to be the kind of character who endures very dificult things. I'm not saying he's a saint, because he's a warrior, violent and highly inteligent alien. Strong by mind, body and conviction. He proves to hold his ground...Until in my opinion, the author goes cucu and just forces the rape scene out of nowhere to put a little angst or drama which was unnecessary and did not fit with the character. From that point on, it's full of nonsense.
Alice in wonderland made more sense than this book!
So...This was definitely not my cup of tea! Not even the world or the adveture made sense! If it didn't have the romance I wouldn't have cared if the story had a good structure as the initial build-up of the characters.
2.5 stars, for the mild character and world build-up...I bid you farewell and may your next reads be fab!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2016
1.5 stars
The writing was okay for the most part, but at times it was choppy. What I mean by that is that the author would abruptly switch POVs even after only 1 paragraph in one POV.
The characters were half believable. I wasn't convinced all the way of their realism. The MC describes herself as intelligent, advanced, and takes no bullshit from anybody, but I didn't see much evidence of that. As for the other characters, Matt does an abrupt change and the male MC just wasn't depicted as well as could have been. Aside from his actions, I had no reason to believe he even loved the female MC.
Now, all that could have been forgiven if not for the plot. There's no way for me to properly convey my grievances without spoilers, so here they are (the spoilers hidden):
The plot builds up on the tension between the alien MC and the female MC's two male crew members. The distrust is so high that the crew members are all for killing the alien MC. All except the female MC. She's in love with him, you see. She sees beyond his scary exterior, but why can't her human crew members see that? But... But, when tensions are the absolute highest (one crew member is dead set on killing the alien), never mind the female MC's blind, stupid faith that maybe things can be peacefully resolved, a convenient
Basically, the plot keeps building up on a promise of a major showdown, and in the end we get the rug pulled out from under us.
Me: Book, how could you? You built up my expectations into a tall house of cards only to have it topple down on me.
Book: Woopsie, had you fooled, didn't I? You were really looking forward to that climax you thought was going to happen. But don't fret, dear reader. At least the story ended happily. Wasn't that what you were aiming for from the very beginning?
The writing was okay for the most part, but at times it was choppy. What I mean by that is that the author would abruptly switch POVs even after only 1 paragraph in one POV.
The characters were half believable. I wasn't convinced all the way of their realism. The MC describes herself as intelligent, advanced, and takes no bullshit from anybody, but I didn't see much evidence of that. As for the other characters, Matt does an abrupt change and the male MC just wasn't depicted as well as could have been. Aside from his actions, I had no reason to believe he even loved the female MC.
Now, all that could have been forgiven if not for the plot. There's no way for me to properly convey my grievances without spoilers, so here they are (the spoilers hidden):
The plot builds up on the tension between the alien MC and the female MC's two male crew members. The distrust is so high that the crew members are all for killing the alien MC. All except the female MC. She's in love with him, you see. She sees beyond his scary exterior, but why can't her human crew members see that? But... But, when tensions are the absolute highest (one crew member is dead set on killing the alien), never mind the female MC's blind, stupid faith that maybe things can be peacefully resolved, a convenient
Basically, the plot keeps building up on a promise of a major showdown, and in the end we get the rug pulled out from under us.
Me: Book, how could you? You built up my expectations into a tall house of cards only to have it topple down on me.
Book: Woopsie, had you fooled, didn't I? You were really looking forward to that climax you thought was going to happen. But don't fret, dear reader. At least the story ended happily. Wasn't that what you were aiming for from the very beginning?
September 3, 2017
Okey, first of all, let's make some things clear. When you see an abandoned spaceship on an alien planet, you do not go in it exploring, especially alone. Secondly, when you find dead alien bodies on the said spaceship, you do not proceed with your exploration. You turn the other way and you run like hell. What's so hard to understand here? Like, every sane person knows that nothing good can come out of that situation.
So, the story had a bumpy beginning, with some decisions that I simply could not wrap my head around. But over time, gradually, I started to warm up to the characters and the story. I still don't think it was all that good and the writing in places made it harder to read, the unexpected switching between the POV especially confused me. Though I did like the description of the natives of Eden, they were fascinating in a really creepy way.
So in the end, as a whole the book was okey.
So, the story had a bumpy beginning, with some decisions that I simply could not wrap my head around. But over time, gradually, I started to warm up to the characters and the story. I still don't think it was all that good and the writing in places made it harder to read, the unexpected switching between the POV especially confused me. Though I did like the description of the natives of Eden, they were fascinating in a really creepy way.
So in the end, as a whole the book was okey.
dnf
February 21, 2016DNF about half way..
Jenny and her uncle and Matt are explorers from Earth sent to explore a planet far away. There is very little world building for that side of the story. Most of the effort is for the world they end up stranded on. Also stranded on the planet is Fly (short for an unpronounceable alien name) who is the sole survivor of his crashed ship. It starts out pretty interesting, but somehow fell flat for me and after a while it felt like a chore reading it. I got tired of each character thinking the worst of the others. I liked the character of Fly and his character seemed to be the most thought out. It's kind of a gloomy depressing book and not something I want to read in February when everything is kinda gloomy outside anyways. I never got the feeling that Fly cared for Jenny beyond her being female...
Jenny and her uncle and Matt are explorers from Earth sent to explore a planet far away. There is very little world building for that side of the story. Most of the effort is for the world they end up stranded on. Also stranded on the planet is Fly (short for an unpronounceable alien name) who is the sole survivor of his crashed ship. It starts out pretty interesting, but somehow fell flat for me and after a while it felt like a chore reading it. I got tired of each character thinking the worst of the others. I liked the character of Fly and his character seemed to be the most thought out. It's kind of a gloomy depressing book and not something I want to read in February when everything is kinda gloomy outside anyways. I never got the feeling that Fly cared for Jenny beyond her being female...
December 17, 2012
I was really impressed with this book. It's the first time I've heard of this author so I was a little hesitant when I started reading it not to mention the main character Jenny seemed a little annoying at the start, but soon enough I was flying through the pages and couldn't get enough of Jenny and Fly.
The reason I'm only giving it four stars despite how much I enjoyed it was because I thought that so much more could have been done with the story. On a new planet with an unknown Alien, the ideas could have been endless. But this was a very clear cut story of trying to stay alive and the lengths some will go for survival. I really enjoyed the ending and thought it was a perfect way to finish the book.
Thanks to Tom for the recommendation :)
The reason I'm only giving it four stars despite how much I enjoyed it was because I thought that so much more could have been done with the story. On a new planet with an unknown Alien, the ideas could have been endless. But this was a very clear cut story of trying to stay alive and the lengths some will go for survival. I really enjoyed the ending and thought it was a perfect way to finish the book.
Thanks to Tom for the recommendation :)
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