Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Escape from Eden

by Elisa Nader

"Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed 'Garden of Eden' deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend's strict but arbitrary rules - even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape. But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound's façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of their undeniable attraction to each other as they race to stop the Reverend's paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who's only concerned about his own secrets?"--Provided by publisher.

Reviewed by readingwithwrin on

5 of 5 stars

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"I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I had endured six years of sermons and preaching. Six years of being told what was right and what was wrong, and the Reverend was never in the wrong."


I was slightly apprehensive going into this book. We've all see these cult type society's on TV shows, but I've never read a book about one and I am so glad I did.

Mia wants to leave Eden, but she has no idea how to do that, nor can she convince her mother that they should. Her chances of getting out change for the better when Gabriel and his family join the group.

Gabriel is there against his will. His parents think it will be good for him and bring their family close together and save them. From the moment he gets there he wants to leave and after making an unsuccessful attempt he learns more about what Eden really is.

While Mia does have a slight insta-love for Gabriel it never felt like it nor did it take away from Mia as a person. She was a very strong female character and did what she had to do to try to protect her brother even though it could have gotten her killed.
Gabriel on the other hand had way too many problems to count on one hand and because of that was very distant when things started to get to intense between them, which made the relationship progress at a more normal rate. Plus they both needed each other so they could save their families.

I really enjoyed most of the background characters and how they all had back stories and were never forgotten. The Reverend and Thaddeus even had interesting background stories and showed how things ended up being like they were.

While this is a slightly dark story due to a lot of the secrets kept from the people of Eden. It never went to far or took it beyond me feeling very un-easy. Nader handled the descriptions of murder, human trafficking and slave labor very well and made it so the characters in the story were experiencing the things at the same time, so it was never too much. I loved how there was so much humor and sarcasm mixed in to make it lighter at just the right times. It really made me fall in love with Mia and Gabriel as characters.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 26 May, 2015: Reviewed