Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway ~ Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Hey guys, welcome to my stop on the Escape From Eden blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the tour! :D

Title: Escape from Eden 

Author: Elisa Nader

Release date: August 18th 2013

Publisher: Merit Press

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian 

271 pages

Source: Review copy

Blog tour organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

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~ Synopsis ~ 

Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed "Garden of Eden" deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend's strict but arbitrary rules - even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape. 

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound's facade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend's paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who's only concerned about his own secrets?

~ My Thoughts ~

My Rating: 5 / 5 

Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader is a fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. My heart pounded so many times while reading with the anticipation of what would happen next. There are certain scenes that will most likely stand out in my mind forever - two of which made me shed some tears. This is a dystopian novel that takes place in a crazy religious cult that would be a nightmare for anyone to live in, especially for the kids whose parents forced them there without any choice. 

Mia is everything you want in a heroine - she's brave and clever and asks questions. While everyone else are either too afraid or too brainwashed to see that what's going on is wrong, Mia begins asking questions - questions that the Reverend doesn't want her to ask. I really admired her because I don't know if I could be as fearless and strong as she is. I felt sad that her mother chose this religious cult over her own daughter, which was obvious every time Mia was admonished by her for asking to leave. 

I loved every page, every paragraph with Mia and Gabriel. Gabriel made me laugh with his sarcasm and spoke his mind no matter what the consequences. He had a sparkle and a liveliness that made me think in other circumstances, he'd play pranks on friends and family. He has that kind of personality. There was a ton of chemistry between Mia and Gabriel, too, and I kept hoping they'd end up together. 

Escape from Eden is a superbly well written Young Adult dystopian novel with plenty of mystery, suspense, and action. I was shocked with some of the actions the Reverend took - so shocked I read certain scenes two or three times to fully grasp the magnitude of what just happened. I wanted to relive the powerful emotions I was feeling right then and there. There were twists and turns I never saw coming that hit me as hard as a punch to the gut. This is a novel that you'll love and will stay with you afterwards for a long time.  

~ Purchase Links ~

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble | Powell's | IndieBound

~ Meet the Author: Elisa Nader!  ~

Hi. I'm Elisa. I like cheese and reading and TV show marathons. Writing is scary, but not as scary as, say, Civil War amputations. I'm an Aquarius. Uh... let's see... I'm not very good at writing my own biography. Or autobiography. I guess this is reading more like a slightly incoherent personal ad.

~ Social Links ~ 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest 

~ Giveaway ~ 

  

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