The plot itself was unlike anything I have read before. There was enough action for YA readers looking for something fast paced that keeps on moving. However, the author used the writing device of setting up action and then explaining how they got there which is something that does not work for me as a reader.

The dialogue between the friends (and use of slang/made up slang?) made their communication sometimes confusing and ruined the flow for me.

Overall, I found myself confused a lot of the time while reading and I had to just go with it and let the story process in my head as much as I was able.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted ecopy. All views expressed are my own.

I requested Hunt for Eden's Star for review because it was set in a boarding school (the scene of many great children's and young adult novels, from Enid Blyton to JK Rowling), and because it was set in Hong Kong (and I'm always looking for Christian fiction that is set outside the USA).

I recently read an article by a librarian lamenting the fact that so many of today's young adult novels seem to have been written for adult readers. Hunt for Eden's Star definitely doesn't make that mistake ... possibly why this adult reader found it difficult to get into and impossible to finish.

Hunt for Eden's Star had all the YA pop culture references and homages to pretty much every big-name YA or fantasy story I've read: Hogwarts, Lord of the Rings, Alex Rider, Percy Jackson, Indiana Jones, even The Matrix.

Many of the tropes were the same: the Chosen one, the sorting into houses, the competition for the house trophy, the students who somehow seem able to access the top secret room, the lesson that reveals character, the hidden rooms, the unique sport (a variation on cricket, where the batters score points not runs, and which is ruled by the clock, not by the number of overs bowled, and where the game is ended by a buzzer).

The story is a fast-paced adventure, and this is one of the problems - Jack never slows down for long enough for this reader to figure out what he's actually doing. It reads like The Da Vinci Code, as though throwing in endless action will mean the reader doesn't have time to work out there isn't a coherent plot. As with The Da Vinci Code, it will make an enjoyable (if expensive) movie.

There are also references to faith in Elyon (Hebrew for God Most High), and an unbreakable covenant. This isn't surprising, given the book is published by Tyndale and categorised as Christian Action & Adventure fiction. What did surprise me is that most books I've read where the Christian faith element is disguised aren't set in our world - they tend to be fantasy (set in another world) or dystopian (set in a future version of our world where things have gone wrong, like Divergent or Hunger games or Maze Runner).

I thought there were too many characters and too many plot threads. The beginning read like early episodes in a series of "24", where there are a bunch of seemingly unrelated characters and plots, which you figure will come together eventually. Unfortunately, I wasn’t engaged enough to wait.

Finally, I wasn't impressed by the writing. I know this was an unedited review copy, but that made it hard to tell if the awkward and stilted writing was intentional or awaiting editing. I stopped reading at the 33% mark when I realised I had no interest in watching Jack escape his "high security" boarding school yet again (it should be a lot harder to escape!).

Given the story is a mashup of who knows how many common YA tropes and homages, it could well appeal to teenage males. As such, it's not a bad thing that it didn't appeal to me. I guess that makes it more like Da Vinci Code and Maze Runner (both of which I was ambivalent about) than Hogwarts, Hunger Games, and Divergent, all of which I loved.

As I stopped reading at the 33% point, I won't be reviewing this online. I wish the author all the best in finding teenage male reviewers.

HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR
By DJ Williams

I enjoyed this fast paced supernatural adventure set in a boarding school in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The protagonist is Jack who is determined to find out the truth about his sister Rachel’s murder, against the better judgement of his very wealthy father Addison. In his quest he unearth’s a religious group and some powerful artifacts.

The story is delivered in a high octane action adventure – short chapters kept the story moving and made this a fun read. There is a lot going on, and I try to just enjoy the ride as Williams writing entertains and delivers one action scene to the next.

I look forward to the sequel and see where jack’s adventures takes the readers next.

I definitely enjoyed Hunt for Eden’s Star. It was fast paced and had lots of action. If you like National Treasure and supernatural elements, this is a great book to read!

The story involves Jack, a teen whose sister has been killed and he vows to find out who killed her. The setting of the book has Jack travelling all over Asia, and into a supernatural world as well. Jack and his friends from his school work together to solve the mystery surrounding his sister's death, and the secret society that she seemed to be a part of. Jack ultimately has to make a decision to either continue down the dark path in life he had been on or follow after his sister and choose to do what is right. The book does end on a cliffhanger as it is the first book in the series.

I did find the story at times to be difficult to follow with multiple character introductions and many different settings, but as the story goes along these elements come to make more sense and set up the evil vs good idea of the story.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received the EARC from NetGalley and Tyndale House & Wander in exchange for my honest review.

Hunt for Eden's Star is a blend of treasure hunting (e.g. National Treasure or Raiders of the Lost Ark) with the magical teen setting (aka Harry Potter) that takes the reader around parts of Asia.

Jack is a teen attending Beacon Hill, a private school in Hong Kong. He returns to school after losing his sister Rachel but he has so many questions as to why she died and who was responsible.

With his friends and some of hers, he finds himself in a world where the supernatural is everpresent and the fate of the world rests in his hands. He goes on the treasure hunt for the lost relic called 'Eden's Star', yet finds the quest only opens the door to a larger journey.

It took me a little while to get hooked on the story. Yes, there are similarities to other tales. The setup of Beacon Hill is very much like an Asian version of Hogwarts, only this school isn't magical. However, some of the students do have a connection to the supernatural.

The title is not a standalone in the sense that the story is not wrapped up at the end. I'd definitely consider reading the next one to see where the author takes Jack and his friends.

DNF

I tried so hard with this book. Really tried, even took a break and came back to it. it just didn't hook me. I wanted to like it, as the premise sounded interesting and I liked that it included a lot of Asian culture in a futuristic world, and am I the only one who thought that the school and their houses, harkened slight reminders of Harry Potter?

There was plenty going on with action, friendship, and good interactions.

I made it about 30% and found myself confused and disengaged. I wanted so badly to like it as I am a huge advocate for their being more Christian book options for teens.

I opted not to post or rate on retailer sites for this title.

What a roller - coaster ride! You will go from the halls of Beacon Hill, a private boarding school in Hong Kong to a realm where lives are at stake and angels and demons battle!
Jack, a 17 year old student, loses his sister Rachel and inherits a legacy he never imagined. Jack had been an addict and a gambler, he was in debt for millions and his debt was unexpectedly settled.
He, his roommates and fellow classmates go in search of a lost relic, but others are also searching for it, they will murder, maim and terrorize anyone who gets in their way. Jack finds he can use words to walk through walls, transport to different places by thought, and conquer his fears and doubts.

I definitely enjoyed Hunt for Eden’s Star. It was fast paced and had lots of action. If you like National Treasure and supernatural elements, this is a great book to read!

The story involves Jack, a teen whose sister has been killed and he vows to find out who killed her. The setting of the book has Jack travelling all over Asia, and into a supernatural world as well. Jack and his friends from his school work together to solve the mystery surrounding his sister's death, and the secret society that she seemed to be a part of. Jack ultimately has to make a decision to either continue down the dark path in life he had been on or follow after his sister and choose to do what is right. The book does end on a cliffhanger as it is the first book in the series.

I did find the story at times to be difficult to follow with multiple character introductions and many different settings, but as the story goes along these elements come to make more sense and set up the evil vs good idea of the story.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received the EARC from NetGalley and Tyndale House & Wander in exchange for my honest review.

I have tried to pick up Hunt for Eden's Star multiple times and have had a hard time trying to get into it. I even sampled the audiobook. So for now, I am temporarily setting it aside. And maybe its just me because the book does have some great reviews. I will definitely still recommend it to anyone who wants an adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This was a tough one for me. Suspense is always a bit of an iffy genre, so it could be that I’m generally less comfortable reading that type of story. I found myself struggling not only with some of the suspense elements, but also other elements of the story as well.

One of the things I wrestled with most was the portrayal of characters. I felt like a lot of the characters came across as kind of flat. Jack and his friends kind of acted a bit like frat boys, only interested in girls when they were attractive or could offer the boys a benefit of some kind (a key to an exclusive area, for example). Do high school boys act like that? Yeah, I’ve known some who did. But I found it to be an odd choice to cast those boys as the heroes of the story?

I also felt like Jack never really gained real forward momentum. There were a few scenes where he would make a grand statement about having a goal (one time this was about getting revenge for his sister’s death), and in the next scene, another character would basically tell him that was the wrong goal because reasons. And Jack would abandon his stated goal and kind of be back to trying to figure out his next move. I think I expected him to at some point become the character making things happen.

He does have moments where he accomplishes this. For example, he rescues a bunch of girls who are prisoners being trafficked by the bad guys. It’s a cool scene, but it didn’t really connect to the larger story other than to remind us that the bad guys are super bad.

HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR has a lot of interesting elements in it. For example, Jack and his friends attend a coed, elite boarding school with four houses. Each house is identified with a particular set of virtues. Students are assigned to a house by a sort of magical process. Very reminiscent of a certain wizarding school. It was cool, and maybe the various houses are more involved in later books in the series, but I didn’t really catch much connection to the story in this first book.

Lots of the story takes place in Hong Kong, so I enjoyed the connection to history and politics/current events happening there. I kind of wish the story had featured that more in connection to the plot.

So, there were some really cool elements. I don’t know if the author just wanted to include all the things that will be relevant to later books to kind of garner reader interest for those things and set up some elements for later? It made the book kind of a long one for YA, especially for YA suspense, at almost 500 pages.

On the whole, I think this series really isn’t for me. Parts of it reminded me of the TIME ECHOES series by Bryan Davis which also has kind of a secret society, murder mystery thing going on. If you liked that one, then HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR might be a good fit, too.

Hunt for Eden’s Star was a pleasant surprise! I fully enjoyed all aspects of this book, however, it is a hard book to describe. You feel many emotions. I recommend everyone check this out!

I've started to write this review so many times, and each time it just feels like I'm not doing this book justice. The imagery is so vivid, and while I'm not going to give any spoilers, somehow Williams manages to just rip your heart out with that opening. (Seriously, who does that?!) Honestly, I was hooked from that opening scene. I just couldn't stop reading, and when I did have to take a break to deal with real life, I was eager to get back to reading ASAP. The characters are believable with great depth, and I loved getting to know Jack and his friends as they travel around the world in an attempt to save it. Everyone, teens or older, who enjoys heart-racing supernatural suspense is going to fall in love with this one. I can't wait to see what the other books in the series have in store!

Jack was living his best life at the boarding school Beacon Hill in Hong Kong. After the death of his sister, he has been selected to continue the quest his sister started, to find Eden's Star. He has been chosen to find the artifact which will help in defeating the evil forces which include his father.

D.J. Williams has offered a fantastical tale which draws the reader quickly into the world of the supernatural. The world that he has built is realistic and written where the reader can imagine being in this created world. This quick and entertaining read is the beginning of a series which readers of fantasy who love good verses evil will enjoy. The characters are well written and the story is fast paced with many twists and turns.

Readers looking for a new Christian faith title will identify with many aspects of the story foreshadowing Elyon as God. The story certainly highlights the spiritual warfare between good and evil, Cherub and the Merikh. The ending leaves the reader anticipating the next title in this new series.

I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publisher, Tyndale House in exchange for an honest review.

Hunt for Eden’s Star by D. J. Williams is an entertaining coming-of-age teen story.
The action and supernatural element was just so much fun.
Williams has created an unforgettable story with great characters and I enjoyed following this journey with them.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Tyndale House & Wander for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This exciting narrative will definitely appeal to the teen scene, I believe. There's lots of action involved, twists, turns, secrets, fright, flight and fight, and so much more. As this chronicle is Christian faith-based, Elyon features in the lives of some of the characters. I like that the author has given good simulation of spiritual warfare enabling the abstract to become more concrete in the readers' mind. Some of the characters doubt the existence and care of Elyon furthering the believable aura eminating from the pages. Other added lure is the historical aspect with references to the Battle of Hong Kong and associated persons from the past. That the setting is an Asian one is an extra clincher for me liking this story, with action mostly in and around Hong Kong and some in the Philippines. The fact that the author spent many of his growing up years in these areas is gratifiying, adding authenticity to his work that he knows what he's talking about.

I hope to meet Jack, Tim, Vince, Emma, Amina and Will, and other Beacon Hill students in subsequent sequel because I'm left wondering when and where they'll show up next and what will happen with Eden's Star. Curiosity is killing this 'cat'.

I give this book a 5 Star clap.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

This is an atypical novel whose author tries to put action, myth, history and culture into one read. And I think it is a pretty great story. Every chapter, the level of curiosity rises as the plot thickens. It is thrilling to see how subplots come together in the end. The author’s style of short chapters combined with well-written plot and timely adjectives heighten the anticipation of the reader.

One downside is the introduction of too many characters; the novel lacks space to include the back stories of several. I understand that they are not the “main characters,” but it would have been interesting for readers to get to know them, especially those who have vital roles in the end.

Overall, it is a well written story. I admire the author’s creativity and desire to be unique. I can tell it is well researched, and since one of the locations is in Manila (near where I live), I have a hunch that the author has been here or has reliable contacts here. It is a fun, entertaining read whether you are a fan of fiction or not. Well recommended.

Readers who love the supernatural element in stories will enjoy this book! Wow! Very different read for me, but overall good. Some of it was a little unbelievable, but it is fiction! :)
Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.