sometimes_samantha_reads's Reviews (283)

I received an ARC of When Eden Falls, and it was a great read! What a cool debut novel.

Set 3,000 years in the future, humans are now inhabiting a planet outside of the original solar system. Earth is considered a myth. But when a  retrieval crew is tasked with finding a lost ship, it's quickly revealed that Earth is, in fact, real - and it's still inhabited. 

The main cast of characters becomes stranded on Earth as well and must place their trust in the hands of a distant human species. It's a risky decision, but is it one that pays off???

When Eden Falls is a perfect sci-fi novel for sci-fi lovers and sci-fi newcomers alike. Wilson writes in an easy to read style that is less daunting than some other more intense sci-fi books, making it more accessible to the casual reader. But, by no means does this categorize the writing as bland! The description in When Eden Falls appeals to all the senses. I was entranced by Wilson's vivd world building and read nearly 70% of the book in one sitting - which is rare for me! It was easy to imagine all of the sights, sounds, feelings, smells, and even tastes throughout the duration of the book. 

Another highlight was the fast pacing. The concise style of writing added to the feeling of adrenaline and anxiety that you get as the characters experience this new world before them. Regardless of some time skipping on some chapters, nothing felt rushed. If anything, the only rush would come from the desire to know what happens next, as When Eden Falls leaves off on a wide open cliffhanger.

Though I truly enjoyed this book, there was one aspect of it that fell flat for me, and that was the romantic plot. I didn't really feel drawn to either romantic interest as I felt both of them were somewhat superficial and didn't have much depth - and when they did, it read as arrogance. I think overall, the romance was a bit stiff and out of place at times. I think When Eden Falls could've been COMPLETELY devoid of any romantic plot and it would've been better for me (and that comes from a self-proclaimed romantasy fan). 

Regardless, do yourself a favor and buy yourself a copy when it comes out. You won't regret it.

If I'm being honest, I was disappointed by this book because it had a lot of potential! I think there were many "small" details that were glossed over and as they accumulated, there was a lot of emerging plot holes and instances where the flow felt choppy and disconnected. I thought Hana was incredibly naive and short-sighted a lot of the time. She was also extremely wishy-washy. She was rightfully angered and on edge about the possibility of losing her family's restaurant to  gentrification and  she  became so soft once she started having a crush on the owner. That's all it took was a little crush to forgive possibly losing her family's SOLE livelihood. Not only that, but her "best friends" were not well developed and seemed shallow. I didn't like them and I wasn't rooting for them at all. I wasn't rooting for anyone at all, except for Hana's family to save the restaurant. 

There was a lot of potential with this story but the writing to me just seemed rushed and disjoineted.

"The Dreamers will have to 
learn to struggle themselves, to understand that the field 
for their Dream, the stage where they have painted themselves white, is the deathbed of us all."

What a thrilling book! Every single character was weird as hell and the story was crazy but everything truly made sense in the end. I'm excited to read the next one ASAP! 

As always, I throughly enjoyed this installment in the ACOTAR series. Despite the 751 pages, I felt the ending on Ramiel was rushed and could do with more clarifying details on how that situation really resolved itself. Perhaps through Cassian's perspective? But either way, I can't WAIT for the next book! In the mean time I'll get started on The Throne of Glass series and The Cresent City series.

I'm not normally a big fan of holiday novellas. This one was a welcome surprise and a great reprieve before the next book. Sweet and funny but also somber and reflective. 

Another reason aloud for my 5th grade class! We used it as a mentor text to teach fantasy. They loved it! They were begging for "one more chapter" every day and they were diligent notetakers because they loved the story. It also encouraged them to inquire about the vocabulary words they didn't know, which had been like pulling teeth all year when reading other books. They also really liked the art. It was helpful for making predictions and inferences whole reading.

The only thing that was difficult about it was that, having been published in 92, students struggled to relate to the characters at some points. But it was a great exercise to broaden their horizons.