Title: Created To Die
Series: Children Of Eden
Author: James Andrew Wilson
Publisher: Two Crowns Press
Published: June 15, 2013
Pages: 268
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Caleb has evaded the hands of capture once again but at a magnificent cost. Ruth is in trouble and needs help. With a huge bounty on his head, he can’t trust many people, but he believes that this new group truly wants to help him and Ruth. So he follows them farther away from Eden and all it contains to try and save Ruth from a fate that Caleb just can’t let her fulfill yet, death.
In search of help for Ruth, Caleb is still greatly aware of Aramis’s mission to see him incinerated and recycled. Along his journey to find his destiny he gains new strengths, knowledge, and powers that make even Aramis himself scared. He also meets some new people who claim to want to help him but he wonders whether he can trust them or whether they want to shut him down permanently.
His journey is coming to a crucial part and they all can feel it. Hard decisions will be made and sacrifices will occur. Eventually Caleb will have to choose between his new friends, Ruth, or his destiny and the decision will determine the course of not only his life but the lives of those around him as well. What will he choose and will Ruth make it or will an option be taken off the table?
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With the first book in this series ending on a very heart rending cliff hanger, I knew I had to continue this very fast-paced and entertaining series. I was hooked and the only way to release this series’s clutch on my life was to read on. Little did I know that this book too would end on a cliffhanger, that, though not as heart rending, would still tie my stomach in knots and sink the hook deeper into my life; making me crave the third and book in this trilogy.
Not unlike the first book, this book is very fast-paced and can be a quick read because of how fast everything moves along in the story. But, this story is on a different playing field than the first. In the first, Caleb was trying to discover his purpose and, though he’s still trying to do that, he now has a clearer view of his main purpose; however, he still has no clue how he’s to accomplish said purpose or where this destiny is to take place. This journey adds some more layers to this story and allows more a complex plot to take shape. This complexity makes me love this series even more and gives me even more to mull over after I put it down.
Caleb is still a very relatable and likable character and this story never ceases to stretch the boundaries of your mind and understanding of what is human and what isn’t. This story is written for young adults but it broaches, indirectly, some very difficult and heavy topics and that is what makes it so interesting. Never before have I read a book that really begins to mess with my views of humanity and life before this book and I’m not so sure that that is a bad thing. James Andrew Wilson has gotten me thinking and reevaluating about what I really believe as I’m sure whomever buys this book will do as well.
Ruth wasn’t really a major character in this story, as she was in a coma-like state the majority of the book, but I got to “meet” some new characters that stole some space in my heart in Ruth’s absence. These new characters range from mysterious and aloof to kind and scruffy. There’s not a ton of backstory and the characters aren’t given enough time to be truly dimensioned, but that doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to this book, because it still is a fantastic read that held me until the end.
The hardest thing I had to do with this book was put it down to study. That was a true test of wills. I loved this book and the adventure that it took me on. I can’t laud James Andrew Wilson enough for taking me outside my bedroom and into a world hundreds of years into the future and into the life of a robot boy. He is truly one of the hidden gems of the self-published world and he is the reason why I still dabble in the genre. I look forward to finishing the series and seeing what other adventures he wants to take me on.
This book impressed me just like the first and I can’t wait to see what else Caleb is going to see and do in the next book. This book as a whole is perfect for the sci-fi lover or really anyone that wants to see a new perspective on things. It’s written for young adults and though it has some intense or scary scenes, it is perfect for readers of all ages. I can’t recommend this series enough. I give this book a four and a half out of five.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.*
Danyelle's Reviews 