Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dystopian mind-control tale grows even more complicated.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
At the start of ELITES OF EDEN, Yarrow enjoys the power she wields as one of the popular girls at the exclusive Oaks boarding school. But when she meets a mysterious lilac-haired stranger named Lark, she begins to remember another life: one in which her mother died, her father left, and her asthmatic brother took her place as the favored first child. As she discovers the extent to which her mind has been controlled by others, Yarrow vows to fight alongside old friends and new allies.
Is It Any Good?
The clichés of YA dystopian fiction are well known by now, but this middle volume of a breathless sci-fi trilogy employs most of them. In Elites of Eden, no thought goes unexpressed by Yarrow/Rowan as she attempts to understand how she has been brainwashed by her elders. The plot makes crazy leaps in logic, and most of the characters are defined in a single dimension. But younger teens may enjoy the hyped-up storytelling, where almost anything can happen at any time, as the children of Eden choose their own destinies.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Elites of Eden addresses the topic of bullying. Why do some groups of teens feel it necessary to dominate their peers through gossip and innuendo?
The book explores the differences between illusion and reality. How do we know what is true? What criteria should be used in making judgments about how the world works?
The government in Eden lies to its citizens about their history. Do governments ever lie to their people in real life?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Keywords Press
- Publication date : October 3, 2017
- Number of pages : 390
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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