Book Review: The Bane by Keary Taylor

Synopsis:

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time. Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

This is another one of those Romance books parading as a Sci-Fi/Post-apocalyptic novel. If you are looking for Terminator meets The Walking dead, as the summary suggests, then you’re in the wrong place. Now certainly, there are some really great sci-fi elements; I thought the entire premise with TorBane was really interesting and made for good conflict for Eve. But the heart of this book is a love triangle.

Now, obviously I didn’t hate it, because I gave it 3.5 stars. It was quite an enjoyable book. It was also probably the most irritating love triangle I’ve ever witnessed (probably only second to Twilight), and for some, that is exactly what a reader is looking for. For me, not so much. Unfortunately, I’ve made reading YA Fiction my business, and apparently, teenagers are constantly engaged in love triangles. I mean, I’ve never really truly witnessed that in real life, but maybe I just don’t know anything.

Eve is different. She doesn’t know how or why, but she is stronger than the average person, doesn’t need to eat or sleep nearly as much, and doesn’t feel pain. Sounds suspicious to me. I think one of the best and strongest parts of the novel was when you got Eve’s back story. She was one crazy chick. She was always jumping at any opportunity to go do some suicidal task.

As in any good post-apocalyptic novel, one of the main conflicts is survival. Surviving an enemy, surviving nature…no matter what the form, surviving X, Y, or Z is very important. The Bane involves several of these, creating high tension and many frustrating moments when the conflict gets the better of our heroes.

The love triangle. There were these epically dramatic moments where the love triangle was actually discussed. And not just one or two moments. LOTS of them. “You have to choose” was a common phrase. Can I please punch Eve, Avian, and West in the face right now? Or maybe just Eve. This girl literally can’t feel things. Why are these two guys falling all over themselves to be her boyfriend? It just didn’t quite add up to me. Now, I’m glad things ended up the way they did. I was pleased with the conclusion. But still, the journey was painful.

There were definitely some good action bits and the sci-fi elements were all very interesting. Just don’t let the summary fool you into thinking this is not just one big love triangle with a post-apocalyptic back drop. I feel like there was plenty going on that a girl without feelings would just ignore whatever weird inclinations she was having and focus on what was actually important. Like surviving the end of the human race. In Eve’s defense, she was having newly emerging feelings as the book goes on, so I guess that would be really disorienting.

Not a bad sci-fi read; lots of interesting elements tied up in a love triangle dominant story.