Eden Uniting

The Dark Sanctuary #4

by Shade Owens

After learning the awful truth about Eve and the death of her mother, Lucy vows to take the bitch down once and for all. But her plan comes to a screeching halt when the evidence she needs goes missing. Meanwhile, Freyda is on a mission of her own—one that involves betraying Eve and helping a fugitive escape prison. What choice does she have? The man she loves took the blame for something he didn’t do. It isn’t long before Eve discovers that people are conspiring against her. Desperate to maintain control, she makes a bold move—one that will ensure no one can ever disobey her again. Will good finally defeat evil, or will Eve sink her claws into everyone around her? Find out in the dramatic fourth and final book of The Dark Sanctuary series.

Genres: Dystopia

349 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2022

Reviews

[Sherie Miklas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so disappointed with the ending of the third installment of the series that I almost didn’t want to read this last book. I couldn’t believe that Eve could emerge from Vrin’s office covered in blood spatter and successfully accuse another of the murder. As with any thought provoking book though, this started a few interesting conversations with my family. Who doesn’t remember the boasting of the former president about shooting someone on 5th Ave. and getting away with it? I’m pretty certain now that that would definitely be the case. At least 30% of the population would claim fake news and witch hunt. Eve had the same hold over many of the women in Eden. It’s a cautionary tale on many levels. We must pay attention to our leaders. Our democracy is very fragile when our checks and balances are ignored, and our rights are slowly eroding. This series is definitely a “what if?” And worth reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Laura (auntieyorgareads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an ending to a dynamically AMAZING dystopian series! I'm sad that this is the last book, but I enjoyed the series so thoroughly that I've added it to my "Books to Re-read" list. :-)

Eve is still on a mission to make all the people of Elysium worship the ground she walks on, but her grasp on reality is tenuous and her mental health plummets. Lucy is still hell-bent on seeking revenge against Eve for what she's done, but she and Lucas find themselves on the run. Freyda has a new plan and she and Gabriel stumble upon something that nobody expected. Big things are happening, and in the end, it seems that everyone might just unite to rebuild the United States of America. If only it were this easy...

"So now, we need to come together. Not just women, not just men, but everyone. I don't care what color of skin you have, what language you speak, what you believe in, what gender you identify as, or what sex you're attracted to. We're all human beings, and we're all the same, despite our differences. It's time to put all of this hateful bullshit behind us and do better. We can't let corruption win. We can all do better."

The Dark Sanctuary series is one that I would recommend to just about anyone! The social issues that are tackled in this series are relevant to today's problems and it all boils down to power, greed, and corruption being the things that destroy all that's good in our world. It hits a little too close to home, but the HEA ending gave me hope that perhaps we just might be able to figure it all out in our world too.

I received a digital review copy of this book for free from the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily as a courtesy.

CW: Mentions of rape & sexual assault, general violence, violence against women, and war. Not for readers younger than 16!

[Penny Cipolone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good conclusion to a very uneven series of books. This volume was the oddest of all. Seems like the author realized that this was her last chance to cram everything in. "Oh, there's a problem; here's another light gadget to solve that. Wraps up quickly and inconsistently with interesting endings for most of the characters - even if you haven't heard of them in this book at all. Provided a good laugh.

[Glitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the -action- of this book, but was truly bummed at the end.

[Lise Levesque McWilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow !

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden Uniting is the fourth and final book in The Dark Sanctuary series and I must say that I am sorry to see it go. I have truly enjoyed reading this series. I love the world that was created for The Dark Sanctuary. The characters are all great and amazing people even the bad ones as they do play their roles well.

Eden Uniting was just as good if not better than all the books that came before it in The Dark Sanctuary series. Each book was unique in its own way. Eden Uniting would not be the book it is if it were not for the three that came before it.

The world-building, descriptions, and wonderful characters are what kept the pages turning as well as all the twists that kept me hanging on page after page not knowing what to expect next. Eden Uniting is a fast-paced read that kept me glued to my seat as I raced to the end to see how it all turned out. I couldn’t flip those pages fast enough to reach the end on one hand but on the other, I didn’t what to reach the end as I didn’t want it to end.

In The Dark Sanctuary series, men and women were divided by all the evil of the men. By how the men treated the women and things were just getting worse and worse. The women knew that their evilness was not going to stop so one woman stepped up to lead the woman to the promised land. But I don’t think that promised land was all it promised to be once all the secrets and lies started to make their way to the surface.

Lucy learns the truth behind her mother’s death and the one person responsible for her death. When Lucy learns the truth she sets out to exact the revenge she wants for her mother.

Eve’s world is falling down all around her. But she will do whatever it takes to hang on to what she has and what she has created. But I think that everything that is going on hits Eve hard especially when all her secrets start to come out. Can Eve save what she has built? Or will it all come tumbling down around her?

I would highly recommend Eden Uniting to all dystopian fans! Grab your copy of Eden Uniting today! Oh and I also highly recommend each and every book in The Dark Sanctuary series!

[K_IndieWoods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh, the perfect end to the perfect series. Eden Uniting is the fourth book in The Dark Sanctuary series by Shade Owens. I completely devoured this series and am so glad to have had the opportunity to review this for BookSirens.

This is a series full of wonderful characters, never ending action and so many twists and turns. The theme of the Dark Sanctuary series hits so close to recent events it will keep running through your mind long after you've completed each book.

Throughout this entire series Shade Owens strongly has you questioning why each character is the way they are. What in their past lives lead them to the choices they are making now. There is a continued sense of hope and in the end one of my favorite characters Freyda delivers a speech that really sums up the weaknesses in our own society today.

This is a series I will insist each of my daughters read and I know I'll be revisiting again and again.

I received an ARC from BookSirens and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lesley Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book, the war in the US between men and women is well over. The women of Eden need to move to survive resources are diminishing and Gabriel has found Area 82. Technology is available, a plane is sent and the women of Eden move to Elysium. Now Eve's mental health issues become more obvious to Lucy and a few others. Her need to rule leads to the leader being murdered and Gabriel is arrested. The twists and turns of this epic book series reach an amazing conclusion.

Yet again I could not put it down, characters were developed even further, the interplay between men and women, power, romance, and so on, was cleverly written and this incredible book series reached its conclusion. What am I going to read now!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look I have to be honest here. I thought these books were so dumb. How can people live in isolation for five years with like 300 other people and not know everything there ever was to know about them. I live in a town of 100,000 people and know something about just about everyone. But Lucy meets up with a girl her own age from Eden and she's like "Hi I'm Lucy. Who are you?"
And Eve doesn't know anyone's name.
And then we have a teen boy who somehow worked with the military when it's been years since the military went down.
That is so damn silly.
But I loved it. I loved it the way I love the Twilight memes. If this series was 53 books I would read all 53 and love the absolute silliness of them.
This needs to be a series of silly movies.
Write more.

[Brenda Beegle · Rating 4 out of 5]

by far this was def better than book 2 and 3...kept me engaged til the very end but then I wish there was a little more story line of the accountability of Eve...she is just kinda got captured and then it ends...def happily ever after but I would have liked Lucy and her tovtalk again or maybe get Eve some high tech meds to fix her crazy and let her realize what she had done or something....otherwise very good series

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another wonderfully done entry in the Dark Sanctuary series, it had what I enjoyed from the previous books. The characters were wonderfully done and I enjoyed going back into this world. The plot was what I was hoping for and and can't wait to read more from the author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jolandie Mielitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can really, truthfully say enjoyed this series. This last book just made it worth reading. I mean I have read the last 3 books in 3 days, and I almost didn't sleep because I could simply not stop reading. Highly recommend this!
Note:I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Melissa Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The “ending” was crammed too tightly into the last 25% of the book and honestly fell flat for me. There was very little conflict or suspense, just a litany of things happening. I enjoyed the series so this was really disappointing. Every circumstance was just too perfect and there are a lot of unanswered questions about enormous plot points.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, well written, excellent storyline. In her twisted mind, Eve only wants the best for 'her people' meaning women, and stops at nothing to become 'Queen' of Elysium. Fortunately not everyone believes in her and work together to try to end her reign. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

High five

I'm so happy that the standard of writing kept up throughout the whole series, my one and only complaint is the ending felt very rushed. It felt like there are a lot of loose threads left to tie off. I'm chuffed with how it ended in general though and the direction it went

[Gail Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author

Wow what a fantastic series this has been. It’s one of those stories that you are desperate to read to the end but are then disappointed that you’ve come to the end and there is no more.

The last few chapters are an emotional roller-coaster ride for both the characters and the reader.

[Cathleen Brethauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

The four books in this series could easily have been one. The story flows quickly between them like chapters . I'm sure there are financial and business reasons to publish this way.
That said, I enjoyed the story and the characters . I finished all 4 books in a week.

[Deborah Alexander-Odom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this down!!!

What a wonderful and well written series of books! I can’t wait to read more from this author! It was truly a pleasure not to see grammatical errors and run on sentences like so many of the dystopian books I have read. The only thing I didn’t like was not seeing Gabriel give Emily the keychain from her father. (Yes, I’m into sappy moments!)

[GMR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this. The first book blew my mind and the second was also great. Then somewhere in the 3rd book things started to go off the rails and it culminated into this one. It was messy, unrealistic, and felt like the author was in a rush to tie up a neat end. It felt lazy. I was just reading it to be finished at one point. Disappointing end for a great series start.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden Uniting by Shade Owens is an epic end to The Dark Sanctuary series. I was hooked from the first page. The drama, betrayal, and strong emotions kept me on edge. Lucy, Freyda, and Eve all shine in their final showdown. The twists were wild, and the ending felt perfect. It’s intense, powerful, and unforgettable. I wish it were a TV show already. This is a must-read!

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing!

As a woman, this book really hits home for me. While it may be a work of fiction, its themes are very realistic. It was well written and fast paced and I’m excited to get into another series by this author!

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so hard to do without giving anything away. I will just say that I love Shade's work.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Karen Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book of the series. An exciting read. Loved the series. This would make a great miniseries. Recommended.

[Susan J. Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thought-provoking stories! I highly recommend the series.

[Rachel Bustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

good ending

A good ending to the series, but would have liked to find out what happens next with certain characters! I did enjoy the whole 4 books!

[David Ruebensaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series. Last book wrapped it up quick.

Book came to a rapid close. Could have taken longer. Saw the end coming about 100 pages out. Still a good read.

[Susan Stirzaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild and thrilling end to the series

The last book of the series ties up all the loose ends, with some unexpected twists and turns. A hopeful ending with positive vibes.

[Gaye Suhling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!!!

One of the best books I’ve read in a while…. The dystopian tale is a must read and is so exciting!!!

[Liz Fully Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4th and final book in the series and it's a good one.