Cover Image: Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness

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Member Reviews

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Netgalley.

Let's start with the pros:
The character development is great. I loved that every character had a story, and the author did a great job at giving us just enough of their back story to allow us to get to know them properly.
The worldbuilding was also great!

The only con:
-It was a bit slow to start. It took a few chapters for me to feel interested and stay engaged.

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First of all thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

Like I said in my other review of After Darkness, I read these in completely the wrong order. I should have started with this series however I read them the other way around.

This was a little slow to start off with however I did enjoy the story once it started going. This was a good premise and I enjoyed the characters.

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I read this book in 2 days. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the way your unanswered questions were slowly answered as the book progressed. Nothing is revealed too early leaving to creating and changing your own theories.
The characters are compelling and all have their own back stories to explain their behaviour and their circumstances.
I’ve already ordered myself the sequel.

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Such a great book! I enjoyed reading this one so much! I highly recommend this book. Side note: the cover!!!!

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This book surprised me a lot! I loved The Lunar Chronicles and These Broken Stars and I enjoyed this book with a similar concept.
Scarlet had a lot of character progression throughout the book. Sam and Eric are amazing, as well. It's
impossible not to like these three characters, mainly Eric,
The books' story is well written. I really liked the author's idea: One world divided between cyborgs and humans, where a New Government rules. It left me even more curious at the end!
I can't wait to read the next book and see what's comes next!

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It took me a while to get into this book - there was something that wasn't clicking into place for me, however, I did enjoy the book and the action.

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I’m afraid this book was not for me :(. I tried so hard to connect with it but it just didn’t happen! Which was a shame.

I would like to thank all involved for my arc

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I'm new to this genre but thought I would give Eternal Darkness a go. I think this is the first book that I read about a cyborg and it was interesting! It was a bit slow-paced to start off with but I found it picked up a bit as I read more.
The story starts when Scarlet Lock runs away from the hospital and meets Sam, Curtis, Madeleine and Eric. In a world where there are cyborgs and humans, humans are trying to discover this experiment, they see cyborgs differently to them. I definitely got vibes of Detroit: Becoming Human which is one of my favourite games, which is why I gave this book a go! The main character, Scarlet was really interesting and I really enjoyed her character. Eric and Andrew in the other hand were two of my favourites!

If you are a fan of dystopians and want something different to read I definitely recommend!

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In this book we follow Scarlet Lock, who wakes up with no memory of how she got to where she is. Also, she soon finds out she has lost the memories of the last twenty years of her life. She meets two cyborgs, Sam and Curtis, who become like her family (along with some others) as she is determined to figure out who she is and why she has lost so much of her memory.
It is no secret that I am a plot driven reader, and this is mostly a character driven story. With that said however, the things you learn about each and every character are so interesting and it adds so much depth to the story, that I didn't even mind following each character's path instead of it being action action action.
I really loved how the writing style followed third person POV because J F Johns was able to give feelings and thoughts to each character instead of just our main character, Scarlet. I really came to love some and heavily dislike some as well. Most of the characters were very well developed and all have a unique backstory, but there are a couple we didn't get much insight to. With what happened at the end, though, I feel that is coming in book two!
I really enjoyed the descriptive style as well. All descriptions were slowly given, like subtle things noticed about a person's face or a specific piece of scenery, because in reality, that is how we perceive as well. Spending more and more time with people and places, you still discover more things. It was also slowly revealing for characters and plot, so there was no info dumping which was SO appreciated. There was also no insta love, and gosh that is so refreshing.

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J. F. Johns did it for me with this book! This book is the first book of the series and it was phenomenal.

The book is about a girl that wake up in a facility with part of her memory loss. She is helped by cyborgs by trying to help her with her memory and keep her up to date about the New Government and the laws that affect the relationship of humans and cyborgs. Through out the story she had to make decisions of who to trust and find the reason why she lost her memory.

What I love about this book is that I couldn't put it down. I was so into the story that I was sad when I finish it. I love how I was able to read from different POV, how the story never got to a point that I was bored with the story, and the ending had me wanting the next book. I think a person who loves Sci-Fi will love this book.

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There's something about this book that rubs me the wrong way. I think it might have to do with some rather shallow characters, an irritatingly flirtatious boy, and dialogue that seems to be a carbon copy of sooooo many other books that there's little point in reading it again. The idea is a good one, I think, but it just isn't presented in a way that is palatable to me.
I requested this book in order to read and review After Darkness, so I was greatly relieved when I read somewhere that the series doesn't necessarily need to be read 1-4 in order to be understood. I thought I would try to read a bit more, maybe get further into the book before giving up, but what's the point? I really don't like the writing. According to reviewers on Goodreads, if you liked the Lunar Chronicles, you won't like this. I adored them and I don't adore this. I'll still try After Darkness because maybe the writer grew and sharpened their skills.

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Although the premise for the story was good, the writing was a little clumsy and over explanatory. It felt slightly like other books had been thrown together to make this one, rather than based off of an original idea.

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I really loved how the writing style followed third person POV because J F Johns was able to give feelings and thoughts to each character instead of just our main character, Scarlet. I really came to love some and heavily dislike some as well. Most of the characters were very well developed and all have a unique backstory, but there are a couple we didn't get much insight to. With what happened at the end, though, I feel that is coming in book two!
I really enjoyed the descriptive style as well. All descriptions were slowly given, like subtle things noticed about a person's face or a specific piece of scenery, because in reality, that is how we perceive as well. Spending more and more time with people and places, you still discover more things. It was also slowly revealing for characters and plot, so there was no info dumping which was SO appreciated. There was also no insta love, and gosh that is so refreshing

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I was really intrigued by this story, so was excited to start reading it.

I thought the fictional world was really unique and interesting; the connection between humans and cyborgs was great to read about. I also thought the characters really developed over the course of the book, and I ended up having a strong emotional connection to them.

However, it felt like too much of a slow burn for me. It took me a really long time to get into it fully, and by the time I did it was kind of too little, too late. I wish the story had pulled me in a lot sooner. I just felt the book lacked the level of depth that I really want in a fantasy/dystopian book like this, and the writing was a little simplistic for my taste.

I'm confident, however, that many others would enjoy the book more than me.

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Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

I originally read After Darkness and knew I would have to go back and read this series from the start! I really enjoyed the world that is built here, and learning the history behind the characters. Some dialogue felt a little too forced at times but that is my only complaint! I would absolutely say to give this book a try!

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Such an interesting concept!

I wasn’t sure at first, it took me a while to get into the flow of the writing style as the story was being set up, but I am so glad that I stuck with it.

Eternal Darkness is set way in the future, where humans have been experimenting with scientific upgrades. This story to me was like a mashup of Battlestar Galactica meets Dark Angel meets The Darkest Minds, and I really enjoyed the world building and the very human aspects of the cyborgs. I mean, they had more humanity than the actual humans in the book.

I may check out the rest of the books in the series in the future and see how the story plays out.

Thank you to J.F. Johns and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I’ve really enjoyed this book. When I reached the end I couldn’t believe I was done reading, there HAD to be more. Now off to find the next book!

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This book was...interesting. In a world where there are humans and cyborgs, Scarlet is a soldier who is created to kill. With her memory wiped she is trying to figure out her past and the lost 20 years she has lost.

While she isn't the smartest person/cyborg, she does try to do the right thing.

Would I compare this book to the Lunar Chronicles? Kind of. There are still a lot of differences that make them different, but similarities that allow for people to draw a parallel line.

I do recommend this book for anyone who would like to try something a little different.

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Thee description of this book caught my interest instantly and the book didn't disappoint. Definatly a must read.

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Eternal Darkness takes place in a world divided between humans and cyborgs. I was fascinated by the world that Johns created. It describes how the government first created cyborgs, how the development of cyborgs changed society, and how wars in the not-so-distant past affected the present. It also delves into the government’s manipulation of its citizens and how government officials secretly abused and manipulated the system for its own personal gain.

Though it is a work of science fiction, the real-life messages about prejudice, judgment, governmental control, and oppression are universal. The humans, who fear the exceptional capabilities of the cyborgs and blindly and ignorantly follow the dictates of society without question, treat them harshly and enforce regimented, restrictive, and unfair rules and regulations to oppress them.

Interestingly, the characters who are treated as sub-humans display more humanity than the humans. Most of the humans in this story are violent, deceitful, and dangerous, more dangerous than the cyborgs. The cyborgs show mercy, kindness, and empathy. This is the opposite of what one would expect, and I love that the author analyzes the effects of ignorance and fear on society.

The protagonist, Scarlet, is neither and spends much of the story trying to figure out what and who she really is. Scarlet can’t remember 20 years of her life, but brief flashbacks of memory help to put the puzzle pieces of her life back together. She is a wounded and conflicted person who doesn’t quite know where she fits in this new and unusual world that she doesn’t remember. Luckily, she has the help of some fantastic people to help her on her journey.

I love Scarlet’s journey to learn more about herself, and I adore some of the people she meets along the way, especially Sam and Eric. Sam has a father-figure vibe and has a kind and supportive nature that Scarlet desperately needs. Eric is a cocky bad-ass who uses his self-assured attitude to hide his pain. He is witty and sarcastic, and I absolutely love him. I’m eager to read the next book in the series to see how these relationships develop and change.

Eternal Darkness is a great story for readers who like SFF with well-developed characters and some nail-biting action. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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