Monday, January 9, 2012

Everneath: A haunting, desperate tale that will linger with you long after the last page...

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...



Book Review

Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 24, 2012

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I am so in love with this dress.

What a deliciously creepy tale. The feel of this book has lingered with me for days...the desperation, the ache, the tiny glimmers of hope. Read some Georgia Nicolson after this one, folks, because this is heavy stuff.

Everneath begins with one of those amazing prologues...the enigmatic kind that grabs you and makes you read a book in one sitting because it's so evocative and...different. It's been the year of the YA Greek mythology retelling, with Persephone and Hades receiving extra attention, but this is unlike anything else I've read. Most Greek myths have not translated well into modern-day YA tales (um, Goddess Test, anyone?) but this one WORKS. Actually, it works unexpectedly well. The mythology is gripping and eerie, and I just couldn't look away.

These characters bleed with flaws and impulsiveness and raw emotion, and they completely hooked me. This is not your typical YA love triangle. In fact, I wouldn't call it a love triangle at all, which gives it an extra layer of complexity. It's more like Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series where you have the steadfast boyfriend and the other guy, who is one creepy dude with some mixed motives and complex emotions.

I will say, the middle is a bit muddled and drawn out, but that intriguing beginning and electrifying (not to mention heartbreaking) ending made up for any missteps in the middle. What an aching tale. That was an add-some-stars ending, and I got chills at some of the last lines. This story is far from over, and I need a sequel stat!

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