Eden at the Edge of Midnight is the first book I have read by this author. It was quite enjoyable with its weird well-crafted characters and fast-paced storyline.

It has a secret realm and sixteen-year-old Sammy who has come to the rescue. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

I was provided this book in exchange for my honest opinon.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I tried getting into it multiple times, but I never seemed to be in the right mood to get wrapped up in this one.

I liked but I did not love the book. I liked the idea of travelling to an alternate universe and all of the different things to be experienced, sights and sounds and such. Unfortunately, I did not really get into the chatacters.

Besides having a clueless, inexperiened, somewhat whiny brat of a hero in the form of 16 year old girl Sammy Ellis, who has complexity issues as the main hero of the book, and who for almost all the length of the book doesn't do anything active herself but is more than ready to take the credit for the work done by others to help her fulfill the aim in the book, this book was actually quite fun to read!

The world building of the parallel realm of Perseopia (Eden) with its giant mushrooms, magis, sorcerers, warriors, crabmen army, the demon Ramaask, an adorable gastrosaur with an egg shaped cottage on top of it, and the prophecy which can be the undoing of this realm is great and is quite Arabian Nights in its makeup.

The only other thing that didn't sit well with me (besides the female lead) was this love story (of sorts) between Sammy and Mehrak, the man who rescues her from the Fungi Forest early on in the story..it just felt forced and bleh considering the zero chemistry between them.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an e-ARC. Giving this one a rating of 3.5*.

The description of the story & the cover caught my attention right away.
For the most part I liked the story but I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character, Sammy, she was very immature & kind of annoying. But the more I think about it, I realize she acts like a lot of girls her age. I would have liked it if she was a bit more mature in actings & attitude.
I thought the flashbacks were very interesting. They actually caught my attention more than the actual story of the book. It was interesting & riveting. I wouldn’t have minded reading more about what had happened before Sammy.
I think students would enjoy this story but it wasn’t my absolute favorite. But I’m interested in finding out what happens to Hami & everyone in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley , the publisher and the author, John Kerry, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Eden At The Edge of Midnight in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I was initially intrigued by the premise of the storyline which is why I was happy to receive a copy to review.
Unfortunately, I struggled to finish the book. I found it hard to connect with the central characters. Also found the plot very slow going. Not a book for me.

DNF at 30%.
Although I hoped to enjoy the whimsical tone of this book, in reality the childishness of the main character bothered me. Her stated age of 16 does not match her actions and emotions, which are more like a 12 year old. This makes the romantic way another character feels about her seem very creepy and wrong.
Although the plot started out interesting, the pacing suffered after her initial entrance into the other world. From there I lost all sense of urgency in the plot. They wandered somewhat slowly and aimlessly. The mushroom forest is delightful, but I think the author enjoyed describing it too much. We spent way too long just traveling.
The flashback scenes to explain the history of the world is an effective and interesting way to inform the reader. Unfortunately, I found that story a lot more interesting.
The author did too much "telling" and not enough "showing" when it came to character development. I hate having to read the characters unrealistically self-aware thoughts about their emotions and intentions. And Sammy was so childish and annoying in the way she thought and acted.
I just couldn't work up the desire to continue reading after I felt like I'd given it a fair chance.

So I'm flabbergasted.... just gonna throw that out there.

Wow, what a hooker. I was amazed.... and now I'm still not thinking coherently. So let me gather my thoughts on a ramble...

This book deals a lot in horror. Just gonna point that out, because I wasn't prepared. So for me horror, is horror. I normally don't read stuff like this... because it's fear inducing and for someone who finds my own imagination freaky I'm not gonna pick up a horror story. So I was scared, a lot. *weak laughter*

The details.... whew.... they were extraordinary. Spectacular, just gorgeous. The world was so amazing ( aside from all the dark creepy things ) that I couldn't stop reading it!!

The characters ~ I was a little critical on their behavior and I picked Hami out immediately as someone not worthy of complete trust. And I don't care if Mehak's wife was dead or not... his dealings with Sammy was something like Adultery. So I stared down my crooked nose at that. But the character development was good and their sharp fascination with reality was perfect. I noticed also the perfect villain had been created, although it doesn't hint much on his backstory..... so he was as "human" as I would like him to be ( because it's the antagonist's humanity that makes them so evil ).

Samantha : I did notice she was more boyish than any other girl character I have read about. I think that might have to do with the author's personality, but I did notice that she didn't seem completely girl to me. If that makes sense... xD

Overall I appreciated the high level of action ( although it was slow in the beginning ) and realistic religious beliefs. Somethings were majorly unnerving though... for example ... the high level of horror, the extreme use of confusingly evil tinted magic powers, the demonic use and hints in the religion, and the main course of the religion itself. Therefore my reason of 3 stars.

Psychedelic adventure into a magical world... Why yes please 😘

I felt like this was an Alice in Wonderland retelling with a twist 🍄 it took a little while to get fully attached to the story but literally the moment I finished I hunted down the sequel and bought it because I NEED to know what happens next 🙈

The world is mystical and fantastical but it felt like the first half of the book was just world building and traveling with no real purpose or plot. 😩 to be honest, I was thinking of dnf-ing but I had a long wait in hospital that made me push through and for the last half or even quarter of the book I'm so glad I did 😆

I don't know if the first half was tedious because I've been feeling like I'm in a slump and having to DNF more books than usual or if it's a common thing for readers but as I said, I enjoyed the end so much I literally immediately bought the sequel so I think that's a big deal ❤

With elements of Labyrinth, the Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, John Kerry has created a world that is both enchanting and wholly vibrant. Sammy Ellis, our main protagonist is thrust into this new universe and a destiny that she could never previously fathom. The story is extremely fast paced, if a little rushed at times towards the beginning, and you certainly won't be bored reading Sammy's story. Without putting spoilers in this review, we do encounter the "chosen one" trope, however this is managed in a unique way and I quite enjoyed it. Sammy is very funny, and the kind of character I would have loved reading about when I was younger. Her reactions to what was happening in the story were definitely a stand-out feature of this book for me, as it injected some complementary humour to the richness of the world-building.

The story itself did not keep me as engaged as I would have hoped and I found myself thinking that this could have been rectified with a touch more editing of the final draft. That being said, I am a major fantasy fan so it is hard to impress me and I may not be part of the book's intended audience! The highlights of the book were its unique world and friendships between characters, and it is one that I would definitely revisit. Eden at the Edge of Midnight was perfect escapism and something I have no hesitation in recommending for younger or middle-grade readers.

Rating: 3-3.5 Stars

Like other reviews have stated, I liked and disliked Eden at the Edge of Midnight. I do like the premise of an evil Garden of Eden. I did enjoy the vivid beautiful descriptions of everything. It's lovely really. The plot is intriguing and entertaining. On the other hand, I disliked the main character. I don't think a child was the right choice for this role. Maturity would have been better. She's not believable. I wanted to know more about the other characters too. So, it's good and bad, but overall it's a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was very intrigued by the blurb for this book. The cover is very eye catching and further made me want to read this.

That's about all the good I really have for this. I don't know why, but the main character really didn't seem relatable. I really didn't like the almost baby talk at times. I also feel that the "Daddy Issues" is very distracting and a bit overwhelming. I mean we all have problems and it just seems a bit exaggerated

The concept for the story seems really good. The execution needs some work.

Eden at the Edge of Midnight is an adventure story about a teen girl named Sammy who desperately wants to be noticed, and her inadvertent foray into the former garden of Eden, now called Perseopia. When a mysterious old woman asks her to hold onto a bracelet she claims is magic, Sammy thinks she's weird but doesn't believe her. At first.

When Sammy is transported to Perseopia, she meets with danger almost at every turn. But a chance encounter with a dinosaur-like creature named Louis and the man who lives in a house on his back, Mehrak, seems to be her only hope. Can Sammy make it back home to what Mehrak keeps calling the Mother World? Or will she be stuck in Perseopia forever? And is she really the chosen one that the old woman spoke of? Or just another teenager?

I had a great time reading this book, not only for the story but for Sammy's personality. She reminds me so much of myself, and she's completely geeky for science fiction and movies and video games. The pop culture references spattered throughout the book were welcome reminders that there is another world to which Sammy belongs, and that she is a normal teenager who just happens to mean something to someone.

Mehrak's age is never made clear, nor is Hami's, the mage who inserts himself into the journey. But they must have been close enough in age to Sammy for her to be "interested" in both of them. It's never really clear just how much she feels for them, although that kiss at the end (I'm not saying with whom ;)) was pretty nifty. Mehrak is married, but his wife was taken by crabmen and he's on the hunt for her. Hami is convinced Sammy is the chosen child, but his plotting takes so many twists and turns it's always hard to tell whether he truly cares for her or just wants to use her to achieve his own ends.

The end of the book sets it up nicely for book 2, and I wonder what role Sammy will play in the next installment. It looks like the magi are in danger and maybe Sammy will be able to help.

Highly recommended for people who love humor and suspense, with a teen heroine who isn't annoying (for once), and is as big a geek as we fantasy readers tend to be ;)

eden at the edge of midnight is fantasy inside a stinken fantasy! Its nuts and Im not sure if thats good or not. I liked in some what but in a way it was a bit out there at times. the original Garden of Eden, but this is unlike the Garden of Eden we have heard before; it is filled with evil, and dangers no one,

I’m not sure that I liked the protagonist of this book. Sammy is a sixteen year old with all of that baggage that comes with that era. When she arrives in a distant realm accidentally, she’s kind of a whiny little brat who is unappreciative of the people who are helping her. I didn’t like her from the beginning and the guy who is helping her is also a little unlikeable. The alternate realm is interesting but not as compelling as in other stories. Overall, I just didn’t care about any of the characters enough to read the next book in this series. It’s not a bad book but I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a very interesting read. The book starts a bit slow and a bit confusing to me.

The positives: The world building is incredible. Once we get to Perseopia (Eden), the things pick up for a while until the action dwindles to a bit of a snoozefest than picks up again at the end.

The storytelling is great, the action scene are excellent. The dialogue parts not so much. It's a bit clunky and uneven, it needs a bit of working, but nothing that cannot be fixed.

What didn't work for me:

The main heroine, Sammy, just does not work for me at all. She is too naive, too inexperienced for her age. She also have a huge thing for her dad's approval, which I totally get. My parents divorced when I was young and I lived with my grandma, because my mom was not able to. When I was young, I tried so hard to make my dad proud and the more he didn't have time for me, the harder I tried. It took me years to figure out he wasn't really worth it. So I get her need and desire to win her father's approval and love, but somehow her attitude is just all over the place. She is a bit too needy and whiny about everything. She is just too clueless about most things and blindly follows others instead of trying to figure out things on her own or questions other character's intentions and actions.

Also her relationship with Mehrak is all sorts of inappropriate and feels incredibly wrong somehow. There shouldn't have been a romantic plot involved between these two. It would have worked much better if they were just friends. But that's just my opinion.

One figure of speech bugged me to the max: when the author describing as someone "kneading their eyes". It's just not right. You rub your eyes, not "knead them", sounds all sort of wrong.

Anyways...this story would have been amazing, have it not been for the main heroine, who should have been the strongest character in the series. Not strong in a sense of power, but more fleshed out as a person. She really should have been the funny sidekick instead of the hero of the story. It would have worked better.

The dinosaur with sign language is the most amazing and creative creature ever. I've never seen anything close to this type of world and it was just fantastic.

Give Sammy more badassary, less cluelesness and reliance on others and you have a solid hero on your hands.

In this novel, you will find a fantastical world, an impressive journey and a slight-mistake which lead our protagonist to the destination they've always meant to be in. Kerry effectively creates, and further builds a world, in which the characters stand out roughly from their background, and develop throughout their trials and tribulations. With purposefulness, the author uses plot-devices to create a new, and inspiring story line, that leaves you wanting more. While the ending seemed a tad rushed, the rest of the novel stood out, and was very well done.

Thank you to Doubleday Books, for the arc of this book.
I struggled with the beginning of this book, but I am glad I stuck with it, didn’t see the twist coming.

Eden at the Edge of Midnight, is a fascinating fantasy about a girl named Sammy who finds herself transported to another realm...the original Garden of Eden, but this is unlike the Garden of Eden we have heard before; it is filled with evil, and dangers no one, let alone Sammy, could expect. To make matters worse, the realm needs the chosen one to banish the evil, but Sammy accidentally shut her out when she traveled there. The story follows Sammy's journey navigating this new realm, the evils within, and her quest to get home.

This story is one that I personally haven't come across before, meaning I cannot think of any others quite like this, and that alone had me interested. The world building is amazing in this book, so enchanting, and mesmerizing that it painted a perfect and beautiful imagery in my head whilst reading. I cannot explain how happy that makes me in a book. I would also like to mention that the history of the realm itself, and how it descended into chaos was rich and quite frankly great.
The history is told throughout the book,and we even get to experience it in scenes where we travel back to that time, which I really enjoyed; it was nice to be shown the history instead of told, and it gave me, the reader, the sense I was there in it. Another thing I really loved about this book was the creatures. There were so many great creatures both mythical and prehistoric, that it was difficult not to love. One in particular had my devote affection throughout the book.
On page 2 of this book, I remember laughing (like out loud in front of strangers) because I found the protagonists humor to be amusing. I remember thinking to myself at that point "well this is off to a good start."
I also loved the magic and the magus in this book. It was a great way to add physics and magic into a unique splice, and worked greatly for me.

Despite all I loved in this book, there were small things that niggled at me. Firstly the protagonist is only 16 years old, and that is fine, but I felt uncomfortable with the relationship that built between her and her 'savior' / 'love interest'. He was in his 20's and married, and she only recently landed in the realm without anyone to rely upon, not to mention she is only 16. It felt strange to me that she would be jealous of his wife, and that he would scold himself for his feeling towards Sammy. In short it wasn't something I personally enjoyed, or really understood, but it really isn't a main focus in the story and therefore it did not overwhelm my joy for the book in general.
I will add that I also found Sammy's naivety unrealistic at times. Being a 16 year old, she would know how to recognise signs of domestic abuse. Even if she hadn't realised it at the time, she should be able to, at 16, look back and see it for what it is. I found it did not fit with a girl her age, and especially one who had been predisposed to her upbringing. 16 year olds nowadays know these things.
Lastly I found, that whilst the book started off extremely strong, I personally felt that pacing wasn't as great as it could have been. Sammy's arrival was quick, and exciting, but she soon began to plod along with others, and had no real goal; it meant that I didn't feel the tension, and desperation of her need to complete these goals, and as a result the book lost a little tension in the middle section. Thankfully this was rectified, and a goal was established for Sammy, things came together in a way that were able to crank up that tension, and keep those pages turning.

Overall, I did enjoy Eden at the Edge of Midnight, and there is definitely incentive to continue on with the series.

It's fair to say that this book has a very mixed bunch of reviews.

But I definitely enjoyed it!

Right from the first page, I was sucked into the story. And by the end I was wishing there was more.

This was quite a fast paced story, with a very... Weird cast of characters. But then again, the world was pretty crazy.

The tension built and built and I thought the ending was incredible.