THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD by C.A. KENDRICK (Trees of Eden Series #1)
Publisher:
MindGrind Press
Published:
October 14, 2011
After her parents are
killed in a car crash, Delilah Kendall moves to the small northern California
town of Sierra Lago to live with her uncle. Her efforts at trying to put her
life back together are disrupted when she meets a beautiful but enigmatic young
man in her English class. He is sullen and unfriendly and Delilah is drawn to
him though she struggles to understand why.
Simon is just trying to
adjust to living among mortals and learning to deal with their chaotic inner
lives when a new girl shows up in his English class. Ever since his
transformation to an immortal, he has the supernatural ability to sense the
emotions, thoughts, and will of the mortals. With the help of his mentor, Simon
attempts to understand why he is suddenly obsessed by this mortal girl. The
more he is around her, the more he learns of his powers as an immortal and how
who and what he is could affect her life - for good or for ill.
When Jav took on the
responsibility of mentoring Simon, he determined that his apprentice would not
make the same mistakes he did. But as he guides the young - not even a century
old yet - and impetuous Simon on the tumultuous journey from human to immortal,
Jav is increasingly frustrated as his apprentice disregards his counsel and
advice. Not only is Simon intent on ignoring everything Jav is trying to teach
him, but his young apprentice also insists on jumping ahead and wanting answers
that Jav knows he is not yet ready for. Things only become more complicated
when Simon becomes consumed with a young woman's inner life.
This is a
beautiful piece of art. It’s soft, and it blooms in a magical way. Kendrick can
make you see exactly what she’s talking about in this novel and make you feel
her characters in a natural way. At
first I was a little lost, I wasn’t very sure what to expect from the summary
and how the characters would work together. By the time I finished, I was
surprised. And it was a very good one!
Delilah is
one of those girls who’s so pure and good you want to keep around just so she
rubs off on you. She was home schooled her whole life so starting at a high
school is a new experience but while she might be clueless to the rules of
socialization of high school, she isn’t clueless to people’s intentions. She
doesn’t let people step all over her or lets other play with her. She knows
what she wants and who to trust.
Delilah’s
way of seeing the world is very mature so at points is like if she was an old
soul, that’s what makes her so special for me, she’s caring and giving. She has
seen the best and the worst of the human race and she has chosen to focus on
the good to be able to get up every day. But after her parents death, things
don’t look so good. She doesn’t want to feel anything she just wants to let
life pass by.
Simon is a
newly (or new-ish) transformed immortal who can feel humans emotions, so he
chose to stay away from all of his classmates in order to avoid their
unpleasant feelings. At his first
encounter with Delilah he feels fascinated by this girl who’s in total control
of her emotions and even more surprising; her emotions are good, always. Yet
there’s something about Delilah that worries him and he can’t figure it out.
This is where Jav comes in, he’s the mentor, the one who knows how immortality works, the one keeps secrets.
This is where Jav comes in, he’s the mentor, the one who knows how immortality works, the one keeps secrets.
Jav and
Simon’s relationship was probably the best things about the book. I was looking
forward to every conversation between them. While things at some points where a
little tense because of Simon and Delilah, they always find and easy going
nature to their banter. There was always a joke when they talked about the past
and present and very important lessons.
Another thing I loved was Simon’s POVs when he was drinking emotions, it was an amazing experience to read that descriptions and have your senses go overload, it’s not just what he feels, it’s what he sees, smells and tastes.
Another thing I loved was Simon’s POVs when he was drinking emotions, it was an amazing experience to read that descriptions and have your senses go overload, it’s not just what he feels, it’s what he sees, smells and tastes.
Kendrick
keeps the mysteries until the last possible moment and surprises you with new
twists and turns. While this book in particular doesn’t have action I have a
feeling the next will. There’s a risk in having a relationship with a mortal,
there’s a risk in involving romantically with someone when you don’t want to
feel too much.
** The
sequel maight be out by the end of the year so pay attention for updates on the
next book in the series!
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Review by: Cyny
