If you're looking for magical kingdoms surrounded by monsters, starring royal twins, and/or hosting entertaining skill contests, this is the book for you.
I started off the first of the year reading this novel. * And so far, I can tell you it's my favorite read of the year! ** This book is full of sibling rivarly, Carys wanting to protect her brother, Andreus, and his "secret", and epic contests between the two in order to determine who is more capable of what it takes to rule.
*that doesn't necessarily make it special, considering I read 3 books that day
**haha, I'm so funny as I've only read four books this year
‣ The epic contests that Carys and Andreus have to participate in.
I don't care how much this concept is used on YA literature. I do not care. I will love reading it forever, no matter how over-used or cliche it may become to other readers. I loved the contests and though I've seen in many other reviews that people don't like the over-used concept, I thought that Joelle Charbonneau did a great job making it unique and putting her own original twist on it.
‣ The lack of romance in the plot.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, I love love love romance in the books I read. If I'm being honest, the romance is what makes or breaks a book for me. Usually, if there's not enough romance, that immediately takes the book down a star. However, the lack of romance in Dividing Eden was surprisingly not a big deal to me. In fact, I think the lack of romance helped the book be more real and believable. I think that the book was actually really good without romance deeply embedded into it.
“Because everyone wanted something, and when someone coveted a thing enough, rarely did they question the price.”
‣ The writing, or, more importantly, the writing of Joelle Charbonneau.
Holy crap. I loved Joelle Charbonneau's writing in the Testing trilogy. I even read that series twice! And somehow, I didn't even look at the name on the cover of Dividing Eden until I was already halfway finished with the book. And whenever I saw it was Joelle Charbonneau, I became instantly more excited for the remainder of the book. She certainly doesn't disappoint. The writing was amazing and I loved every ounce of it.
‣ Princess Carys.
I've heard some complaints about Princess Carys' character in some reviews that I have read, but I do not have any of those same complaints. I adored her character throughtout the entirety of this book. She was so selfless and willing to sacrifice a lot to keep her brother safe, which I cannot say about Prince Andreus.
‣ The "secret" which is mentioned over a dozen times in the first three chapters and then was revealed to be really lame.
In the novel, the POV kept alternating between Carys and Andreus. And in the first few chapters both Carys and Andreus kept stressing about some huge secret of Andreus' that they were trying to hide. This secret was mentioned practically a dozen times throughout the first three chapters.
And when it was revealed? I was so disappointed with the turnout. I was expecting something more scandalous than what it ended up being. So that was slightly disappointing.
‣ Prince Andreus.
Oh my gosh, I can't even put into words how much I detested Andreus' character. He has so much ambition, it's morally corrupting him and also, he's so vain that he'd go to incredibly selfish lengths in order to help himself. The things he was willing to give up and the way he was willing to turn his back on his sister despite everything she did for him is truly revolting to me.
At first, whenever I started reading about Andreus, I immediately saw that he had faults. It was clear enough. But as I read, the number and severity of those faults kept multiplying and multiplying until it became something I could no longer brush aside. Prince Andreus had major character flaws and huge problems with his judgement. To me, he seemed self-absorbed and also he felt like he deserved to have everything handed to him. I did not like this about him. I found it really hard to sympathize or pity him whenever he acted bratty and selfish whenever he wasn't given his way.
And I know that basing a book rating on an unlikable character is something that should not be done. And I know some authors intentionally create characters that are going to be unlikable but I really feel like my dislike for Prince Andreus did have a pretty significant effect on my reading experience. Some of the things he did were just so unforgivable to me.
I literally fumed in seething anger while reading his bits and could not stand his character by the end of the book. I'm definitely going to read on in the series, but I don't expect to take a liking to Andreus at all. Ever. No matter how much time passes or how much his character may change for the better.
“The council will create a series of trials for our prince and princess to participate in that will decide the true successor to the Throne of Light.”
‣ What even are the Xhelozi??
Okay, I'll admit that the idea of these monsters was really cool and I was intruiged to find out more about them. But that's just it. I never did.
There was literally no description of what the monsters looked like, how they acted (besides eating people), and where they come from. I was sorely disappointed by the lack of description. This made the whole monsterous concept of this world seem super flat and definitely lacking.
In the end, I am still a supportive Joelle Charbonneau fan! I may just revisit The Testing trilogy for a third-time read, since I'm in the mood. This book was good and had tons of potential. If it weren't for the lack of detail in spots and the despicable character that is Prince Andreus, Dividing Eden really could've been a top read for 2018.
Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau
336 Pages / Hardcover
Published June 6th, 2017
Publisher / HarperTeen
Rate / ★★★☆☆
Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.
But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.
As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.
With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?
