First of all, there’s nothing wrong with this book, but honestly, I did not really enjoy it. One of the main things I did not enjoy was how the main character was being handled by her own family and that people were just constantly lying to her even though she should have been the one that would have been able to enjoy a normal life instead of her brother. For me, it doesn’t really make any sense that her brother who has been sick and nearly died when he was born was actually used as the first child even though Rowan was perfectly healthy at birth and she is also the first born child. The reason why her dad constantly just hates her and it’s like mean to her for no reason at all it’s not even really explained and the explanation that is given doesn’t really make any sense and it’s not just the way of why her dad is acting like that to her. With that being said I only don’t have more to say about this book and therefore I’m just gonna give it a low rating. I am going to read the other two books at some point, but as of right now I’m not even going to finish this book.

Children of Eden was one of those books where I kept waiting for the moment it would finally grab me — but it never really happened. Although the premise is intriguing and the world itself is described vividly, I found myself reading painfully slowly, as if I was constantly pushing through fog. There was never that feeling of flow or momentum that keeps you turning pages. When it comes to the writing style, it didn’t work for me either. Instead of feeling light, accessible, and energetic — the way I usually expect from a YA dystopian novel — it felt unnecessarily heavy and not as easy to follow. Because of that, it didn’t pull me in emotionally or stylistically. I also struggled with Rowan, the protagonist. To me, she came across as too naïve and childlike, especially considering the seriousness and danger of her situation. It made it difficult to fully connect with her or understand her decisions. The one character I genuinely liked was Lachlan. He felt more grounded and emotionally believable, and I found myself wishing his presence were stronger throughout the story. While the worldbuilding is thorough and visually strong, it constantly reminded me of a blend between Divergent and Uglies — just without the same character depth, drive, or emotional pull those series offered. In the end, Children of Eden became a book I finished out of determination rather than enjoyment. A great concept — but for me, the execution simply didn’t land.