Review by Eareeves99 -- The Eclipsed by Dara Kent
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Review by Eareeves99 -- The Eclipsed by Dara Kent
More often than not, life can seem unfair. We are governed by rules and expectations that are often set by powers before our time. Our choices are to accept the standards and embrace them or to fight against them to change the world-sometimes at the cost of our own comfort or safety. What causes us to care enough to fight? The common answer across creation is often love.
The Eclipsed by Dara Kent is an intriguing work of fantasy that creates fully imaginable other-worlds that are strongly connected and influenced by our own. Our hero, Eighty-nine, is known only by her number and lives in an environment where emotions, individuality, and curiosity are discouraged. Despite this, Eighty-nine develops a close friendship with another of her kind. This connection sends her traveling across time and realities on a path of self-discovery and love while attempting to reconcile the rules and purpose of her existence with her ever-increasing emotional awareness.
Many elements made this book enjoyable. The characters and settings were fully developed so that I had no trouble picturing the story in my head. The themes of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice are strong enough to make even the most casual readers stop and think about how every decision creates a ripple effect through time. I believe our agitated world would be more peaceful if more people would stop and consider the implications of an emotional reaction over an intentional response to real-life situations. My primary delight in this book, however, was the ending. I love a solid ending that doesn’t leave me wondering. Without giving it away, all I can say is that the ending was such that it begged to be reread and contemplated from different perspectives.
That being said, there were only two elements that gave me pause. The first is the amount of material that was repeated. I believe that a bit less repetition could have still pointed us to where the character is in time. This was only a passing thought and not one that diminished my overall enjoyment. The second element that gave me pause, and the only one I truly disliked, was the language. I understand that such profanity is commonly used in the world and therefore used in writing for a realistic feel, but it is my opinion that it is unnecessary to the story.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I was hooked in the first chapter and couldn’t wait to continue reading the next night. The book is well-edited, containing minor errors that do not detract from the flow of the story. Personally, I would not recommend this book to young teenagers due to the use of profanity, but would definitely recommend to older teenagers and adults who enjoy fantasy.
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The Eclipsed
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