The Bane: A Post-Apocalyptic Romantic Thriller (The Eden Trilogy Book 1)

I picked this book up solely on the back cover copy. It was a very interesting premise. And I enjoyed the book - was invested in reading to the end. However, I have to agree with everyone else that I did not care one whit about either guy in the love triangle. That said, because of certain things that happened to Eve when she was with one of them it was obvious that the author was showing she felt more for him, even if she didn't realize it. So in the end, when she chose the other guy, it felt like a bit of a betrayal - like the author had purposely misled us, but I couldn't really dredge up any anger or other feeling about her decision. It just was...Part of this story's problem was the fact that is was written from first person POV. So we never got to know any of the other characters besides Eve. The story would have been better served were it written from tight 3rd so that we could feel invested in a few of the other characters.There were also several spelling errors - one mention of of a "medal" table comes to mind, another of "to" being used when it should have been "too" - I know there were others that I'm not remembering right now.Toward the beginning of the story I felt like the book bogged down in unnecessary, dragged out scenes of hunting and scouting. We get it... let's get to the action already. And at the end of the story the solution for powering the humankind-saving-device was literally quite ludicrous. They plugged in a big extension cord? And these Bane who were smart enough to fly helicopters and burn down gardens and set traps to kill people wouldn't be smart enough to unplug the thing? Eve also had the ability to control the Bane with her thoughts and words, but multiple times after she figured that out she still chose to fight them instead of simply stopping them with a word? And lastly, I was disappointed that, while the book remained clean, the author missed the opportunity to pass on the message to the youth that will read this story that it should be marriage before sex - not the other way around.Overall, I probably would give this 3.5 stars, but rounded up. And I'll probably at least read the excerpt of the next book to see if it grabs me enough to buy it.

4 StarsThis might be an odd way of doing things, but I can't write this without explaining my thoughts on the series as a whole (no spoilers, I promise) because this is one of those times when the series is much more than the sum of its parts.This series was intense. The physical intensity was similar to that of many dystopian/post-apocalyptic books, what with people fighting, getting injured, dying, etc., but the emotional intensity was significantly stronger than others I've read because the character development was fantastic, and the emotional hell of these characters came through really well for me to masochistically enjoy through them without it ever feeling contrived or over-dramatic.The other thing I loved was the series's amazing job of exploring humanity and just how far people will go when they get scared and desperate. That sort of issue is inherent in a lot of books of the genre, but I've yet to see one that explored it as realistically and heart-wrenchingly as this series, especially in the second and third books.But the author never pushes this in an obnoxious way. You have to pay attention if you want to catch it, but I recommend that you do, that you try to understand the actions of these characters. And the way Keary Taylor stayed tightly focused on just a few characters and showed all this through their actions, the thoughts and emotions behind them, the events that led up to them, the fallout that came after them---that's what had a real effect for me.There was also a romance plot throughout the books, but the story is so much more than that, and Eve is a strong and mature yet compassionate girl who puts the safety of her people and loved ones above all else.There was a love triangle, but it was resolved by the end of the Book 1, and I felt it was done right. I understood why the characters had the feelings they did and why Eve needed time to figure things out, especially when she was trying to stay focused on the safety of her colony and not get distracted. And the fact that I liked all three characters involved added to the emotion because I really didn't want them to get hurt.So, despite the fact that I never thought I'd like a book described as "The Terminator meets The Walking Dead" (I'm pretty sure I didn't see that line before starting the book), I really liked it, and the next two books only get better!Original Review on Blog: http://wp.me/p6ovgw-2H

Title: The BaneSeries: The Eden Trilogy (#1)Author: Keary TaylorFrom: NetgalleyGenre: ApocalypticRelease Date: 5th March 2013Challenges: 2016 Reading Assignment, 2016 Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge,2016 Blogger ShameLinks: Goodreads - AmazonSynopsis (from Goodreads): Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time. Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind. The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance.So I want to start with a slight note about the fact this is a part of a trilogy, just because I know some people may avoid starting books because there are more in the series and they don't want that. While this is part of a trilogy I'd say that it could be read as a standalone. Having got to the end of it I was satisfied with the ending, and while I can see why there is enough story to go on for a trilogy, it could just be left there. If you don't read this book because it's part of a series though then you're missing out.I loved the twist on the zombie apocalypse genre, which is the closest thing to this I could think of, and actually I would say that the blurb's description of this being between The Walking Dead and Terminator (without the time travel) is spot on, and I don't often feel that. It was a great take on what could happen if technology took over and I liked the back to basics approach that the characters had to take.I loved Eve too. She was strong, independent and yet complex. She was just learning how to cope with things (especially emotions, because of reasons that I don't want to ruin) and that caused conflicts within her. At the same time she fulfilled what would probably be more traditionally a male role in these books; protector, hunter etc. She did a lot of discovery about herself and I easily bought into that.What I didn't buy into was the love triangle. On the one side there's Eden's doctor, Avian, and on the other there's newcomer West. Now to be clear I liked both of them as characters, they were complex with their own motivations and strengths. What I didn't buy into so much was Eve's decision between them, and I'm not sure either outcome would have sit quite right with me (though maybe this is where the trilogy comes into play). However the ending for Eve and her man was perfect in it's setting, it worked really well.Even with me not connecting so much with the love story, this was a fantastic read, interesting and compelling with a complex lead character.

The blurb for Eden (also published as Bane) didn't really do it for me so I had a look at some of the reviews and was easily sold and I'm definitely glad I gave this book a chance. But there were a few niggles for me along the way that really detracted from my initial love of the book.Eden is an apocalyptic world, or rather a group of survivors living in a community not that dissimilar from many depicted in young adult fiction at the moment. In fact, I was particularly reminded of Carrie Ryan's "Forest of Hands and Teeth" world - a world I love to dip back into from time to time. The concept of an infection isn't therefore a particularly new one. But what was, was the concept of a form of robot-apocalypse quite like this one.The development of a cybernetic chip, by a company known as NovaTor Biotics, living underneath the skin of it's host is a radically new and exciting development for the world of medicine. Imagine needing a new limb, new muscle and tissue, a new organ altogether. Now imagine the development of a simple chip inside your body which will allow your body to regenerate that which has been lost. The process of this involves the hardening of the bodies cells to regenerate into a metal. Unfortunately for NovaTor (and everyone else!), this regenerative medicine just keeps on regenerating causing the metal to spread throughout the entire body thus making us machines with a lack of human emotion.Of course not everyone was affected by the chip, but the body is beginning to evolve to function with the effects of the chip causing the host to lose all that is human about them - causing them to turn on everyone else to assimilate further. Essentially, this is a story of the spread of a mechanical infection. How is it then spread to those unaffected? All it takes is one single touch from an infected and that's it, you're infected too!All except for Eve, our leading lady. Experimented on as a child, Eve is a half-human, half-robot hybrid who until recently had no knowledge of her past or her half robotic state. The advantage to Eve's "condition"? She can't be infected nor can she infect others, she's fast and strong just like the infected and does not feel pain. The down-side? She's also unemotional and incapable of understanding human emotions, such as grief for instance, due to her half-robot make-up. Which leads me nicely onto the love triangle, and some of the things I didn't enjoy so much.The love triangle in this book is handled okay. Eve and her boy love interests are a little angsty for my liking - just pick one! I very rarely enjoy a love triangle; it's just so over done and really detracts from more interesting relationships which could be built up within a novel. What's wrong with some genuine friendships between Eve and one of the guys? Why did it have to get all heart-broken and angsty?I enjoyed the characters that Taylor had created. They were well-woven, interesting and actually really likeable. Having said that, I couldn't tell you what Eve looked like if I tried! I'm not convinced she was even described to us aside from having long hair. Avian and West however, the two guys involved in the love triangle, ARE really well described and they were both really intriguing - I think the fact they were so similar actually made it quite hard to predict which, if any, Eve would end up with.I did find Eve a little annoying at times, which was a shame because it's really important to connect with the main character for me. Eve is quite cocky. Once she discovers her true nature, she basically acts self-entitled and speaks to other characters, and about herself, as though she is the only person that could possibly handle anything. If she's missed out from a situation, for example a scavenging hunt, she can't comprehend why because she is all the power Eve. This did get on my nerves. I don't mind bulshy characters, I even sometimes like them when they're confident and a little arrogant but she wasn't funny with it - it's entirely serious!The plot runs smoothly and does have some really exciting "fight" scenes within it between the infected and uninfected. Of course we also get to see the infection take hold of a few people which gives us a nice insight into how it works. What I also liked was the insight into how people would actually manage in an apocalyptic lifestyle hunted by machines and what might happen to those people without access to medicine anymore. I thought that was handled really well and in an almost-believable manner.Keary Taylor has an incredible imagination without question but her writing in terms of grammar and spelling was so poor at times that I actually got close to throwing the book across the room in frustration - which is shocking, because I really love books! I can forgive the odd mistake, in fact it really doesn't bother me that much at all, but after the middle of the book it was almost like her editor quit and the writing just went downhill. It's only little things I suppose, like saying "passed" instead of "past" or "their" instead of "they're" which at first is easier to let slide but then there just seemed to be words that made no sense at all. One example I noticed a couple of times was that there would be a "has" instead of "was" or even "as" or just a word missing entirely. Really quite major typos which confuse the reader and distort the meaning of the sentences. Additionally, there was actually a whole line repeated at one point - and not for dramatic effect!Anyway, despite the odd error here and there which did detract from a brilliantly imaginative story line I actually did enjoy Eden. I think Keary Taylor has the potential to create fantastic books because her ideas are conveyed and layered well enough that they are actually different and interesting.Overall, a unique and fun read with some excellent characters. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this author. I recommend getting yourself a copy, unless errors really do your head in!!

After reading the Fall of Angels series but Keary Taylor, which is brilliant you should all read it!, I thought i would have a look and see what else she had written and having read the description I thought "well this is right up my alley!" and downloaded it - I really struggled to put it down! and after 3 nights of almost no sleep because i just kept thinking oh one more chapter then i'll turn in, I'd finished- Fab story, well thought out and written, in fact I could easily see this being an excellent film.Lots of action, fabulous story, immense characters and one hell of a love triangle to boot! Had to download book 2 "The Human" immediately after finishing will review that one shortly.Well done Keary Taylor yet another fabulous book.

I downloaded this book as it was on 'free offer'. I have been disappointed with other self-published works, so wasn't expecting much. To my surprise, I was delighted to be enthralled from the start.The author paints a colourful picture of a (mostly) believable post-apocalyptic world where the majority of humans have been 'infected' by a Borg-like electro-mechanical virus, and the surviving 'normal' humans gather together to run and hide and try to scratch a living, fighting back where they can.I find the 'verse and the characters intriguing, so once I have a few pennies to spare, I'll be downloading the sequels.

A very interesting and well thought out idea which explored the advances in technology and how it can develop past it's original use. Reminded me of Cybermen from Doctor Who but with a more serious undertone.Poignant start but would have had more of an emotional impact later on, but it was an immediate way of the reader finding out the severity of the plot. The backstory was introduced gradually and at relevant points in the plot.Written very well, with believable characters and intricate description.