A YA Apocalypse and a Dark Adventure

Eden's Root by Rachel Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eden's Root was a fascinating read. From the writing and detail alone I would give this four stars. Everywhere throughout the story the author's passion for research and attention to the subject matter was evident.

Eden's Root is the tale of a slowly unfolding apocalypse brought about by the arrogance of our science and culture. Civilization as we know it begins to crumble when the world is faced with starvation on an unheard of scale. Soon it's up to fourteen year old Fi to lead her 'Family' down a path of survival and hope that would lead them to a destination that ultimately may or may not exist.

Like many good science fiction novels,the reader can clearly imagine the global catastrophe as a plausible event. The ideas behind the story were well thought out and presented flawlessly. However, I'm not certain that I would classify the story as just science fiction. It had the science, action and tense situations - but it really was more of a story about the characters than anything else.

I recommend this book to readers of young adult novels - old and young - who enjoy a longer, well told story. It's worth the cover price (currently $1.99 as an e-book - which is a little under priced in my opinion).

Even though I did give the novel four stars based on the writing and details, there were some things that held me back. I found the characters to be unrealistic at times and, several conflict outcomes just felt unlikely. However, that's just my opinion as a reader. I think the author is very skilled and I look forward to her future works.
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The Speed of Darkness by Sarah Baethge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in what could be an exciting series. Although it is more of a novella, it has a quick pace, interesting concepts and plenty of action. I liked it. In a way it's a classic adventure of the good organization (The Solar Flare) vs. the evil organization (Eclipse) with somewhat hapless characters - a werewolf (Eric), a shifter (Nigel) and a hacker (Hillary) - caught in between. There was a little humour injected in the story which is always a nice touch.

As I said, I liked it. However, there were a few places where I found it a little hard to follow, and I really felt strongly that it could be tweaked to improve the flow. I hope the author considers going back to edit a little more and uploads a new edition. It is good, but I think with a few changes it could be so much better.

I think this author has a lot of potential and I look forward to her next publication.
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