Book Review: Everneath
by Brodi Ashton
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
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...
Why I Picked This Book: Mostly blog buzz roped me in. When I saw it on NetGalley, I just had to give it a try. (I received this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated in any way.)
My Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised with Everneath. The cover had been floating around the blogosphere for some time, and I wasn't fully sure what it was about or if I wanted to read it. When I received my copy, I figured: Why not? and dove right in.
Everneath plays on so many myths and beliefs it was very easy to fall right into the story. Nikki has given up on the world. Her mother has passed away. Her boyfriend Jack, from what she saw, cheated on her. She was ready to do anything to make the pain and memories go away.
And lucky for her, Cole had the solution. He pulled her away to the Everneath, a place where immortals feed on the souls of living in order to hold onto their immortality. The problem? After she is fed on for a century and wakes up, Nikki still remembers Jack, her family, and the pain. She has to go back, to make things right. Only six months has passed in the real world, and now Nikki only has six more months left before she is gone for good, claimed by the Everneath.
Nikki. I, as the reader, fed off her pain. Though what she was dealing with was nothing entirely huge, it still left that pang of loss in my mind. The fact that she still had to go back, to say the proper goodbyes, tugged at me. She still loved Jack, regardless of what happened. She still loved her family, even the with loss of her mother heavy on all their shoulders. Though she fought against the ties that kept her heart attached to those she loved, she never severed them.
Cole was an awesome bad boy, in a good way. What was great about this book is that even though there was a love triangle aspect, it never dominated the entire story. Nikki knew who she wanted, even when the Everneath declared she was wrong. Cole is bound and determined to keep Nikki by his side and rule the Everneath, but Nikki keeps her focus.
The writing was great. Scenes blip back and forth between the past and present, Nikki's story unfolding as the pull of the Everneath grows stronger and stronger. I loved the back and forth take on the story. Watching the explanations unfold instead of being retold was an awesome treat.
I think the only thing I really did not like about this book was the climax/resolution. I had many many ideas of where the story might go. And where it went (barring spoilers) wasn't what I wanted. I know we as the reader can't pick and choose, but I feel there was much more potential to the end of this book than what we got. It wasn't horrible. Just kind of... yeah. *grumble*
Overall, I really did enjoy the story. I plan on buying it once it is in paper form, and will definitely be looking for the next book in the series. If you are looking for a book that plays on myth, love, and redemption, make sure to check out Everneath.
Everneath Release Date: January 24, 2012
My Rating:
(4 out of 5 stars)
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