Review for The Bane (The Eden Trilogy #1) by Keary Taylor

Eve doesn’t know her history. She was found wandering around at 12 with barely any clothes and no memory of life before the Evolution. TorBane was an exciting new technology that was imbedded cybernetic material into human DNA and make it possible to regrow human organs and limbs. When it was first announced people were overjoyed at the possibility of finally getting the new organ they had been wait-listed for or regrowing the limb they had lost. Something went terribly wrong and the mechanical bits starting taking over. All too quickly the soul was gone and what remained was a malicious Bane determined to assimilate the rest of the population. Eve is now part of Eden, one of the last few remaining human colonies. With 30+ members, they all wondered if they were all that was left of humanity and with the Bane getting more aggressive and cunning by the day, they wondered how much longer they would last.

Eve is that kickass female character that we all want to be. She’s strong, confident, and determined to protect Eden, no matter what. She is somewhat emotionally impaired, having difficulty understanding grief and other strong emotions, but she loves the people of Eden and will protect them until her last breath. She has negative qualities as well, with a low tolerance for deception and a recklessness that can lead to trouble. She also enviable because she can survive with less food and less sleep than anyone else. What I could accomplish if I only needed 4-5 hours of sleep per night is unimaginable.

Then there are Sarah and Avian, a brother and sister who have more or less adopted Eve into their lives. Sarah is kind and caring, helping Eve in any way she can and being the best girl friend you can share everything with. Avian is strong and intelligent. He is the official doctor of their camp, though he never did earn his doctorate. He had a couple years medical training in the army before the Bane started taking over. I find it interesting that the same parents who gave Avian such an interesting name gave Sarah such a boring one. It is pretty obvious from the beginning that Avian has a thing for Eve and I was rooting for them from the moment he gives her that necklace. ::swoons::

West is the other corner in the inevitable love triangle. He’s the outsider, the newcomer who is full of secrets, some about the past that Eve cannot remember. He basically becomes Eve’s stalker, following her around and becoming part of her hunting party and so on. He makes her feel passion, but is that all a relationship should be built on?

Then we have my favorite part, the plot. This had a very I-Robot feel to me, even though the concepts are pretty different, I couldn’t help picturing the bots from I-Robot as the Bane. Robots, even robot-human hybrids, dominating the planet holds a mystical interest for me (except the original Terminator movies, which I will NEVER watch). Seeing the humans outwit the machines is something that just fascinates me, especially when the machines have become so advanced. This mechanical virus spreads quickly. A single touch will infect you and there is absolutely nothing that can save you. With the Bane outnumbering the humans so greatly, how can there be any hope for our survival? Because the members of Eden are determined to live, to survive and annihilate the bots, even if they die trying.

This really is an amazingly intense read, filled with romance and mystery. ****SPOILER****Though the part about Eve being the original hybrid is ssssoooooo predictable.****END SPOILER**** It gets knocked down from 5 stars because I really do loath love-triangles and also because of the ending. No one important dies at then end, but someone is on the brink and I wasn’t happy about it. Really though, if you like dystopians with a bit of romance, this is for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and I can’t wait to read the next one.

****Thank you to Keary Taylor Books for providing me with an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review****

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NOTE: To read spoilers, simply highlight the text (or blank space) between the spoiler warnings. I haven't figured out how to hide them like I can on GoodReads, so I just turn them white for now.
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