Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Zaide Bishop is a new-to-me author.

There truly isn't a way to describe First Fall, so I'll do my best. Set in a futuristic, dystopian world, the Bones of Eden trilogy is a mix of the sexual innocence of Blue Lagoon, the divided brutality of Lord of the Flies, and the dystopian feel of The Maze Runner series and its ilk.

Told in third person, from multiple points-of-view, First Fall features two tribes, divided by gender. Neither understands gender, thinking the other tribe another species entirely. The world-building leaves a lot of room for growth, but tells just enough to keep the reader riveted to the pages. As children, they were raised in separate parts of Eden, by 'teachers' who were overthrown when bad things happen. Toss in Jurassic Park creatures/experimentations to fill the landscape, and it adds another thrilling level to the storytelling.

As the reader, I have no idea how old the cast of characters are, but it didn't matter. Their naiveté, lack of understanding of gender and breeding, is told in a way that the reader is also educated right alongside the characters.

The storytelling had an addictive quality, and I found it more sensual/sexual/non-consensual than I expected it to be. I'd suggest against readers who are triggered by the aforementioned. But, as a lover of dark and twisty books, The Bones of Eden trilogy was exactly what I was looking for. At the end, I wished I had the next immediately and can't wait to sink my teeth into the next installment.

2.5 stars

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

First Fall is a very unique and somewhat interesting story. It's set in a "world" where females and males don't mix and seeing them discover each other was interesting.

My rating through is based on how it made me feel, and unfortunately it didn't make me feel much while reading it, this wasn't book that moved me. It sometimes made me feel uncomfortable, not for the subject matter, but because it was hard for me to relate to the story and the characters.

It was hard to connect with the characters. And it was sometimes confusing because sometimes it felt like they were part of a remote civilization and then they went back to being part of a world where technology exists.

Would I want to know more about Eden and what happened to these people so they were divided in tribes? Yes, will I read the next book? Most probably no.

Even though I found the plot interesting in some ways and I'm curious about some things, it is not enough for me to want to read the other books, even though this ended in what most would call a cliffhanger.

I could change my mind though. So if I do end up,reading the second book, hopefully it'll appeal more to me than First Fall did.