In Review: New Eden
Last year, I reviewed a new YA sci-fi series, The Ark Trilogy. It’s an ongoing trilogy by Ruth Fox, and ever since I finished Under the Heavens, I wanted to get back into that world. And now that the second book is out, New Eden, I had to read it as soon as possible. Luckily, I found it on Everand, previously Scribd. The worst part is I have to wait for the third and final book.
Title: New Eden Author: Ruth Fox Series: The Ark Trilogy #2 Publication year: 2023 Length: 12 hours 55 minutes Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Mystery Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot
Seiiki finally arrives in New Eden. The long and tumultuous journey from Earth to New Eden is over. Kim and her new travel companions finally see, with their own eyes, the new home for the whales. However, as they start approaching the new planet, things go amiss with the ship’s computer, and what was supposed to be a soft landing becomes quite dangerous. If the landing wasn’t bad enough, the scouting missions that preceded their arrival wrongly deemed the planet inhabited. At night, something howls in the woods. The promised paradise might not be as peaceful as they expected, and the new home for the whales might instead be dangerous for them.
I have to say I’m a little disappointed the story is set on the ground instead of among the stars. I enjoyed so much that atmosphere from the first book I wished it continued for a little bit longer in this one. Sadly, it didn’t. Although, being on the ground was not so bad either. I loved how Kim would take the time to appreciate where she was, even if New Eden wasn’t a paradise 24/7.
This time, the whales aren’t as present. Kim is exploring a new world, dealing with other characters, and the whales are still aboard Seiiki, and Kim isn’t. They take a back seat instead of being the main characters. Although I still got attached. Any harm or loss was still impactful. And the connection between Kim and the whales was still present.
Kim’s focus is 100% on protecting the whales. They are her priority, and she won’t let anyone come in between. The Crusaders didn’t care for the safety of the whales, and it appears a lot of people don’t care as well. But Kim does, and she won’t stop. She starts to defy authority a lot in this book, which could easily go a little too far and do more harm than good. Although nothing bad ever happens because of it. She isn’t the cause of any problems that arise, which I’m glad. That’s a path the plot can easily fall into by having the MC so focused on doing things their way that they become the problem. Luckily, the story kept a balance between doing what Kim thinks is right without overdoing it.
It’s interesting how, in the first sign of the problem, the people in charge of the project were ready to ditch it all. The transport of the whales to a new planet was to ensure the survival of the species since they were massively hunted back on Earth. And then, the humans decided to take on themselves to solve the problem and save the remaining whales. A very noble thing to do. “I did wrong. Now I’m going to fix it.” But then, when things start to go south, and the lives of humans might be at risk, they change their speech and think “Well, I’m not that sorry I’ll risk my life, bye.” It really shows the hypocrisy of humans. There is all this showmanship to look good and say they are saving the whales, but at the sight of the first problem, they are ready to forget it. But Kim isn’t. She’s ready to die to save the whales, and that’s when her defiance grows stronger.
While religion plays a big part in the first book, in this one, it’s toned down. Kim is dealing with the aftermath of the plans the Crusaders had for her since the beginning. There’s some mistrust from the people in charge, but the worst is her realising how much she was lied to. She had a strong connection with the Crusaders because of religion, and now she stopped believing. Meanwhile, Adonai, one of the former whales, is taking the opposite path. He’s becoming more spiritual, and that leads them to unexpected and slightly dangerous adventures.
Although, religion is still very much present. Another religious group is even added to the mix. This one is against humans colonising space in any shape or form. I found that approach very interesting and put into perspective how God would feel about humans leaving the planet. If that would be something that He wanted. But I have to say these religious groups started to sound more like cult groups than religions, to be honest.
The howling, you ask? Fun story. They are not alone. New Eden isn’t lushly green and deserted for no reason. That’s something repeated quite often, how could New Eden have so much developed flora and yet have no fauna? That happens to have a reason. The planet’s story is a little tricky and to be developed more in the upcoming book. There are a lot of new things that became a little too much to grasp all in one go. But still, there’s a very handy epilogue that clears things up while setting the intrigue level high for the next book.
With the first book and now this one, I don’t feel like this story is something extraordinary, and yet, it grabs me, and I can’t exactly explain why. The atmosphere plays a big part, but other than that, there isn’t something that I can say “This is what makes this book so great”. And yet, here I am, ready to be back in this world once again. Ready to read the final book.
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