As for 'read to impress'... I am drawing a blank.  I've read plenty to 'annoy', but never to 'impress', eh... *shrugs*

I definitely hadn't read the book before, and the Cornwall setting signals that this is new. But there's no denying the pervasive sense of déjà vu in After Eden's first seven chapters: so much like Twilight, Hush, Hush, and whichever other books that follow some "teen paranormal romance" formula.

Had NetGalley not categorised this as sci-fi, I would've given up early. But wait for the sci-fi element, and it emerges in the eighth chapter. Because I haven't really encountered it before, it's rather welcome and interesting. Yay, science!

But the story itself; the task that the protag must accomplish and how to do it...you'd be forgiven for eye-rolling. The characters and relationships just don't ring true - yes, even in a sci-fi novel the sci-fi element is somehow the most realistic. At least, it's the most likeable, and the book's saving grace. I'll stick around for the sequel because of the science. But if you want to find that kernel of awesome in this book, you'll have to wade through a lot of formulaic faff first.

Going with something whimsical today.  It isn't exactly a novel, either.

A copy of this novel was provided by Bloomsbury Australia in exchange an honest review.

 

Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of Chasing Stars. I liked its predecessor, After Eden, but the things I really loved about that book were all absent in Chasing Stars.

 

First of all: nothing really happened. In the first few chapters Ryan is taken into custody because the government of the future thinks he broke a law by going back in time and saving Eden’s life. So all the ‘yay they’re back together’ disappears after only a few scenes. The entire book is Ryan being in custody and then Eden eventually deciding that she is going to save him. Literally, that is all. Those two things.

 

Looking back on Chasing Stars, I kind of wonder what else happened in the 350 odd pages. We’re introduced to Ryan’s friends from the future, of which only one was interesting and fleshed out. We had the token bitch, and then two geeky twins who had about ten words between them in the entire novel. All Eden does with these friends of Ryan’s is drink, eat, and party. Seriously. That. Is. All. They. Do. Which is fine once or twice but when YOUR BOYFRIEND IS FACING TRIAL – THAT IS NOT OKAY. I mean, Eden was getting plastered almost every night and Ryan was in a jail cell. Caring and concerned girlfriend? Not so much.

 

And then we have the weird weird weird relationship between Eden and Ryan’s best friend, Pegasus. Seriously freaking weird. They’re all flirty but they claim to be in love with other people. And then Eden MOVES IN WITH PEG, and just somehow becomes comfortable enough with him to strip down to her underwear in front of him – numerous times. Caring and concerned girlfriend? Not so much.

 

Fast forward repeated and indistinguishable scenes of underage drinking and little world building and we get to the end. Which is left open. After all that. After all the nothing and all the ‘what the hell’ing – we get an open ending? We don’t know where they end up? Or when? We just have to be content with the flipping of a coin and a possible future that we don’t get to see at all?

 

No. I’m not content with that. Not after liking the first book and pushing myself through this one. I am not content at all. In fact, I am quite disappointed in this sequel altogether.

 

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

 

Your Turn: Have you read many disappointing sequels? Do you think it might be a symptom of the new duology phase?

 

    

 

Der April, der war ziemlich durchwachsen ... nicht nur vom Wetter her, sondern auch von meinen Leseerlebnissen :) 

 

Meine Titel lauten, die ich geschafft habe: 

 

 • Arno Strobel - Abgründig

 • Kiera Cass - Selection

 • Helen Douglas - Eden & Orion: Lichtjahre zu dir

 • Hannah Harrington - Speechless [Sprachlos]

 • Christin Terrill - Zeitsplitter: Die Jägerin

 

 

Monatshighlight: -

Gelesene Bücher: 5

Gelesene Seiten: 1.516

 

 

Ich weiß, ich weiß. Ich war doch so begeistert von "Zeitsplitter: Die Jägerin", aber es fühlt sich für mich nach keinem Monatshighlight an - und die anderen Bücher waren ja eher so mittelmäßig. Auch, wenn Selection eine ziemliche Überraschung war. 

 

Ich freue mich schon darauf, was mir der Mai so bringen wird. Allerdings bin ich ab Sonntag für 6 Tage auf einem Seminar und komme von daher schon mal eine Woche lang nicht zum lesen. Wird etwas traurig dann vielleicht werden, weil ich noch so viele tolle Bücher lesen will, aber ich werde es überleben xD

Einen wunderschönen Mai wünsche ich euch und noch viel Spaß mit euerer aktuellen Lektüre! 

Liebe Grüße, 
Vee