Review: YA Parallel worlds story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2014
I received this book free from the author for a 'book of the month' read on Goodreads.While I usually stay away from YA and NA, sometimes I find little pearls among them. Eden Forest was one of these. The characters were mature, which for me, makes a big difference in whether I will like or not. The prologue starts with the story of Sarajane's mother, which surprised me with its length; however, it acquainted us with Marta and was a great set up for the rest of the story.  I was just a bit disappointed that the first chapter didn't continue where the prologue had left us.Over all, the pace was good, the characters believable, and of course, the story also.  However, somewhere between 60% and 70%, the book could need a little editing. Descriptions lacked life (to be is used too much) and words were repetitive, others were quite disturbing, but it picks up well after that. Here is a strange sentence that comes to mind: 'As we crossed the drawbridge, I look behind me as it rises.' I don't know but if the drawbridge rises as they cross… that makes for a very dangerous situation.  That said, there might have been a few of these but not enough to stop me from reading, and as stated, it's just a pass in the book. Soon it returns to a much better writing quality. There were also a few gems along the way to compensate. I particularly like this sentence where she is looking at herself in a mirror: 'The girl that looks back at me is a princess. I smile at her, causing her to smile back.' (And yes, I smiled too reading it.)The book is the first in a series so it leaves us with, I wouldn't say a cliffhanger, but rather a view on what's coming next. I would recommend the book for anyone young at heart, from 14 to 100.