Review: Crashing Eden by Michael Sussman

For one boy and his friends, the path to Paradise comes at a cost—one they may not be prepared to pay.

When a biking accident leaves 17-year-old Joss Kazdan with the ability to hear things others can't, reality as he knows it begins to unravel.

A world of legends exists beyond the ordinary life he's always known, and he is transported to the same Paradise he's studying in World Mythology. But the strange gets even stranger when his new friends build a device that delivers people through the gates of the Garden of Eden.

Now Samael, the Creator God, is furious. As Samael rains down his apocalyptic devastation on the ecstasy-seeking teens, Joss and his companions must find a way to appease Samael—or the world will be destroyed forever.

Thanks to Leah Gonzalez of Novel Publicity for contacting me and allowing me to do a review of Crashing Eden.

 

:Review:

Crashing Eden is one of those books that makes you rethink, or at least wonder about, all that you thought you knew or thought you might know about the world, what makes it tick, and what could bring it to an end. Michael Sussman concocts an imaginative world where science and religion of all kinds combine, creating a path to the enlightenment of the human race.

The story line is very fast paced and simple to follow which made it easy for me as a reader to keep the pages turning. As it progresses, enlightenment becomes achievable instantaneously to anyone who was willing to give it a try, but rather than bringing people together as one, it brought people at odds with each other, not to mention totally ticking off the Creator God. The world gets torn to bits and can only be saved through what boils down to forgiveness. There were a few key moments that I wish had been expanded upon, but there is a great message here of compassion and complete acceptance leading to peace.

Joss, our main character, is a kid who's been put through the ringer by his family and his own self-deprecating thoughts. He sees himself as a no-good, juvie punk, but although he says he's done some major damage, I never really saw it for myself as I read. Joss tells us rather than shows us how bad he is (or was, really), which leads me to believe that most of the "evil" he sees in himself was a reaction to a horrible situation in the past, not who he truly is. He has it in him to be good, as we see with his relationship with his sister, Callie, but he tends to focus on the negative. How can he not? With crap for a mother and the blame for everything horrible that's happened to his family constantly falling on his shoulders, how else is a guy supposed to feel?

Most of the other characters, with the exception of Callie and Alessa, were very much in the background. They didn't really stand on their own, had similar voices, and I didn't feel much of a connection to them, except in relation to Joss and his actions. I loved Alessa's strength and courage, and while I felt that her relationship with Joss was a bit forced, I did appreciate the reaction she got out of him. It proved that he did indeed had a heart, even when he thought he it was impossible, and that even he deserved forgiveness despite everything, which seems to be a recurring theme in this novel. Again, the positive messages in this novel are undeniable.

The writing style is fluid and easy to read. The tone is a nice mix of serious depth layered with light humor, making this a novel for a wide range of ages. As I've mentioned, the novel is based on the ideas of many religions, combining and morphing them into "One" idea. Where religion is involved, there's bound to be some friction and a crazy, wide range of opinions, so just keep that in your open minds :). But it's fiction, it's fun, and it's an interesting, thought provoking read ~ I'd recommend :).

:Author Bio:

Michael Sussman is the author of Crashing Eden, a YA fantasy/paranormal novel, and Otto Grows Down, a children’s picture book featuring illustrations by Scott Magoon.

Dr. Sussman is a clinical psychologist and has also published two books for mental health professionals. He’s the author of A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy and the editor of A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice.

He resides in the Boston area with his son, Ollie.

Visit Michael via

Website ~ GoodReads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

:Need it on your shelf?:

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Amazon

OR, you could just swing on over to the giveaway page for your chance to win a paperback copy! You know you want to ;), so just click here.

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Review: Requiem by Jamie McGuire

“Jared paced, brooded, and once in a while, when his thoughts were particularly tormented, he winced. The color had long left his face as he played back the different scenarios in his mind. Back and forth he paced, so many times that I watched the floor, wondering when he would wear a trail. His inner turmoil could have set the room on fire. It was unbearable to watch, but I couldn't leave him; not when he was planning my death.”


Dreaming of the dead might mean a restless night for anyone, but for Nina Grey it was a warning. 

Still healing from her last run-in with Hell, Nina struggles with not only her life as a Brown University student, but also as an intern at Titan Shipping, her father's company. Recurring nightmares about her father's violent death have become a nightly event, but being overwhelmed with guilt from Ryan's unexpected departure to the Armed Forces, and heart ache over Claire being across the ocean to protect him, Nina believes her sleepless nights are the least of her problems—but she's wrong.

Worried about Nina's declining health, Jared must steal back Shax's book for answers. Fighting new enemies, and with the help of new friends, Jared's worst fear comes to fruition. Desperate, he is faced with a choice: Fight Hell alone, or start a war with Heaven.

This is when it gets thick ~ helluva sequel. I loved Providence, but as I said in my review, I wished there would be more background, history, something. I got more than enough in Requiem. With a surprise on every page, Requiem went at a racing pace, bringing Nina deeper into the depths of Heaven and Hell, allowing her to make the discovery that she's not as displaced in Jared's world as she once thought. 

So much happens in this sequel, my head is spinning trying to figure out what to write first. My favorite element was the history provided, the little details that caused Nina's world to head in a downward spiral.When you're reading Providence, you start to believe that this is going to be a simple love story, and Jared and Nina will always have to fight fate to be together. As if that obstacle wasn't difficult enough, Requiem makes their problems in the first novel seem like sweet indulgences. I didn't expect freakish, practically fulfilled prophecies and full on battles with Hell, but that's what I got, and I gladly accepted. 

I had to look up the meaning of Requiem. A requiem is a "mass for the dead." I don't know why they can't simply say 'funeral,' so I'm assuming it's much more complex than that. The dead reach out to Nina in her sleep, sending her messages in hopes to help her and Jared with this overwhelming prophecy she's a part of that will supposedly alter the balance between Heaven and Hell. That, and Nina and Jared's destiny isn't exactly full of life, so I suppose the title is also in relation to that. (I'm trying to be vague here; don't want to spoil too much for ya.)

As for Nina and Jared's relationship, it's reached that peak where there love holds fast and nothing can keep them apart. It's the other characters that are focused on here such as Claire, Ryan, and even Kim. I love that McGuire expands on these other lovable characters and brings them closer to Nina and the shadows she faces. As if the demonic and historic storyline weren't enough in this book, the growth of all these characters gives the story even more ground to stand on. 

Definitely a must read. This book blew my mind, and as soon as I turned the last page, my thumbs hastily brought up the Kindle store to purchase the third and final installment, Eden. Worth your time, I promise.

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~  

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, I have two teasers! Double the fun :)

First, a few intriguing lines from Jamie McGuire's Eden (Providence #3):

"The priest brought in an extra chair, and he and Jared opened the book. Immediately the room turned cold, and I wrapped my arms around my middle. The Others knew we were here, and that we had the book."







And the other comes from Fire by Kristin Cashore:

"She watched him, crestfallen. He was so physical in his arguments. He loomed and gestured, his face went dark or burned with light. His eyes blazed. And he was just as physical with his love and his joy, and this was why they all fell in love with him, for in a world that was dismal he was alive and passionate, and his attentions, while they lasted, were intoxicating." 




Enjoy!!

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~