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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a cheerleader this book makes me cringe. Kelly Creagh obviousely has never been a cheerleader or even sat in on a cheerleading practice because factually speaking about the cheerleading aspects it's completely incorrect.
However It is very good. I love the entire thing (aside from the cheering.
However It is very good. I love the entire thing (aside from the cheering.
When I picked up Nevermore I was expecting to like it. So many of my Goodreads friends rated it highly as did the overall Goodreads community. Unfortunately after finishing the novel I'm sorry to say that it was barely a two star read for me.
Nevermore tells the story of Isobel Lanely, a popular blonde cheerleader, who is partnered with super goth, Varen Nethers, for an English project about Edgar Allen Poe. This pairing, which was chosen by the teacher, causes outrage among Isobel's friends. Her quarterback boyfriend, Brad, is so enraged at Varen for daring to be partnered with Isobel against his will that he starts harassing him. And this is where Nevermore lost me, during the very first chapter.
I found the characters and plot to be so completely unbelievable that I could never really get into the story. I never understood what was so scandalous about Isobel and Varen being partners for a class assignment. Why would this cause gossip among Isobel's friends, or cause her boyfriend to go ballistic? It makes absolutely no sense.
Brad is a cartoonish villain. There is no depth to his character. He is a jerk, plain and simple. Isobel is shown to be disgusted by him from the very beginning, which begs the question of why she was with him in the first place. Brad has no redeeming qualities, and Isobel is shown to be a nice girl, who lacks the kind of insecurities that would drive her to date someone like Brad. The fact that he's a football player and she's a cheerleader does not adequately explain their relationship.
The other secondary characters also lack depth and are mainly used as plot devices. Alyssa is your cliché bitchy cheerleader with platinum blonde hair. Her sole purpose in this novel is to be mean to Isobel and side with Brad. Nikki's purpose in the novel is a mystery. She and Alyssa could easily have been combined into one character and it wouldn't have changed anything. Varen's sort-of girlfriend, Lacy, also served no purpose and could easily have been removed altogether.
Gwen is slightly better developed in that she doesn't fit any cliché and occasionally has a backbone, but she is there only as a plot device. Whenever Isobel needs someone to sit with, someone to talk to, or a ride, Gwen shows up. Gwen's life revolves around Isobel and Isobel does nothing but use Gwen. Even in the end when Gwen confronts Isobel about avoiding her, Isobel only reaches out to her because she needs her help with Varen.
Isobel's family doesn't fair much better. Her brother Danny, like Gwen, serves only as a plot device. Her father seems mostly to be another foil for her relationship with Varen. At one point he refuses to let her leave the house to work on the class project with him even though her grade depends on it. He also likes Brad and supports him over his own daughter for some inexplicable reason. Her mother is completely forgettable.
I also found myself unimpressed with either Isobel or Varen. Isobel's actions and decisions are often nonsensical like dating Brad, not telling Varen about Reynolds, and sneaking out to do homework, so I never could see her as a real person. Varen showed promise, but his character wasn't fleshed out enough to be truly compelling to me. I agree with other reviewers that if the novel had been written from his perspective it would have been a much more interesting read.
Another major problem I had with the story was that I did not buy the romance. Isobel is drawn to Varen from the beginning, before she learns that there's more to him than just being a goth, and by the end of the novel, which takes place over the course of a month, she's willing to die for him and risk the lives of her friends and family for him. This was especially unbelievable given that he was a moody jerk towards her for a large chunk of that month. That said, I liked that the love interest didn't follow the typical YA cliché of being super beautiful and talented, and the relationship, while unbelievable, wasn't abusive or controlling.
My feelings about the writing are mixed. While I enjoyed Creagh's writing style in terms of her sentence structure, word choice, and imagery, there was too much description. Very little is left to the reader's imagination and a lot of it was unnecessary. I felt like it ended up bogging down the story. Creagh frequently interrupts action scenes with description, slowing them down, making the story hard to follow at times.
I do give Creagh credit for being original in terms of her mythology. It was very creative to spin a mythology around the life and works of Edgar Allen Poe. Creagh's love for Poe's works is evident in the text, and the novel appears to be well researched, though admittedly I am not the best judge since I am no expert on Poe.
I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book more, but it wasn't my cup of tea. To each their own.
Nevermore tells the story of Isobel Lanely, a popular blonde cheerleader, who is partnered with super goth, Varen Nethers, for an English project about Edgar Allen Poe. This pairing, which was chosen by the teacher, causes outrage among Isobel's friends. Her quarterback boyfriend, Brad, is so enraged at Varen for daring to be partnered with Isobel against his will that he starts harassing him. And this is where Nevermore lost me, during the very first chapter.
I found the characters and plot to be so completely unbelievable that I could never really get into the story. I never understood what was so scandalous about Isobel and Varen being partners for a class assignment. Why would this cause gossip among Isobel's friends, or cause her boyfriend to go ballistic? It makes absolutely no sense.
Brad is a cartoonish villain. There is no depth to his character. He is a jerk, plain and simple. Isobel is shown to be disgusted by him from the very beginning, which begs the question of why she was with him in the first place. Brad has no redeeming qualities, and Isobel is shown to be a nice girl, who lacks the kind of insecurities that would drive her to date someone like Brad. The fact that he's a football player and she's a cheerleader does not adequately explain their relationship.
The other secondary characters also lack depth and are mainly used as plot devices. Alyssa is your cliché bitchy cheerleader with platinum blonde hair. Her sole purpose in this novel is to be mean to Isobel and side with Brad. Nikki's purpose in the novel is a mystery. She and Alyssa could easily have been combined into one character and it wouldn't have changed anything. Varen's sort-of girlfriend, Lacy, also served no purpose and could easily have been removed altogether.
Gwen is slightly better developed in that she doesn't fit any cliché and occasionally has a backbone, but she is there only as a plot device. Whenever Isobel needs someone to sit with, someone to talk to, or a ride, Gwen shows up. Gwen's life revolves around Isobel and Isobel does nothing but use Gwen. Even in the end when Gwen confronts Isobel about avoiding her, Isobel only reaches out to her because she needs her help with Varen.
Isobel's family doesn't fair much better. Her brother Danny, like Gwen, serves only as a plot device. Her father seems mostly to be another foil for her relationship with Varen. At one point he refuses to let her leave the house to work on the class project with him even though her grade depends on it. He also likes Brad and supports him over his own daughter for some inexplicable reason. Her mother is completely forgettable.
I also found myself unimpressed with either Isobel or Varen. Isobel's actions and decisions are often nonsensical like dating Brad, not telling Varen about Reynolds, and sneaking out to do homework, so I never could see her as a real person. Varen showed promise, but his character wasn't fleshed out enough to be truly compelling to me. I agree with other reviewers that if the novel had been written from his perspective it would have been a much more interesting read.
Another major problem I had with the story was that I did not buy the romance. Isobel is drawn to Varen from the beginning, before she learns that there's more to him than just being a goth, and by the end of the novel, which takes place over the course of a month, she's willing to die for him and risk the lives of her friends and family for him. This was especially unbelievable given that he was a moody jerk towards her for a large chunk of that month. That said, I liked that the love interest didn't follow the typical YA cliché of being super beautiful and talented, and the relationship, while unbelievable, wasn't abusive or controlling.
My feelings about the writing are mixed. While I enjoyed Creagh's writing style in terms of her sentence structure, word choice, and imagery, there was too much description. Very little is left to the reader's imagination and a lot of it was unnecessary. I felt like it ended up bogging down the story. Creagh frequently interrupts action scenes with description, slowing them down, making the story hard to follow at times.
I do give Creagh credit for being original in terms of her mythology. It was very creative to spin a mythology around the life and works of Edgar Allen Poe. Creagh's love for Poe's works is evident in the text, and the novel appears to be well researched, though admittedly I am not the best judge since I am no expert on Poe.
I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book more, but it wasn't my cup of tea. To each their own.
Loved it! Creepy, mysterious, and a cute romance. A bit confusing in the dream world, but maybe it'd make more sense if I read Poe.
I loved reading this book, I couldn't put it down! Enjoyed the creativity that went into it! and I loved Poe's life and poems coming to life! I can't wait for the squeal!
Impossible to put down. Paranormal romance stories are usually not my thing but this one was very unique with realistic interactions and cool metaphors.
When I saw the cover I knew I had to read this book.Isobel and Varen are so amazing together. It is the perfect dark love story. This book takes us through a wild journey full of mystery.I was thinking about this book days after I completed it.The end was a total cliffhanger. I'm dying to read the next book....
I have to admit I wouldn't have looked twice at this book if it weren't for the glowing reviews it received from friends. Look at that cover! I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover.
On the other hand, when I found out Edgar Allan Poe's works inspired this novel, I was immediately intrigued. Besides, this also featured a pairing between an emo/goth and a cheerleader, which I thought pretty novel accompanied by the glowing reviews, I decided to give it a try.
Although it was a good book with good characterization, I had expected to be pleasantly surprised with the way the author would incorporate Poe's works in the story. It was not what I expected. I thought it was nicely done though, but didn't completely arouse excitement in me.
Isobel and Varen are paired up for a project (how convenient!) to write about an author of their choice, and they initially don't get along. She's a cheerleader, he's a goth, high school stratification will play its part. Isobel isn't that bitchy I-am-mighty type of cheerleader that a lot of books and movies seem to portray. She's a girl who's really good doing flips, and she can be badass too. They both eventually learn to drop their prejudices and like each other. I actually liked them together, although it was unclear to me how they could fall in love within the time given to them.
Now with regards to the Poe aspect, I liked the visuals it gave me. However, nothing is properly explained. Isobel is unwillingly plunged in Varen's world, but we don't know why. How can Varen just give that precious book to Isobel's care? How did Varen change his mind about Isobel and din't he care at all that she would be involved and get in trouble? I guess I just wanted Varen's POV in all this, because with only Isobel, I was just thrust into one situation to another with Isobel barely getting out of the scrapes.
There were too many conflicts (Isobel's parents, the project, Reynolds, Isobel's boyfriend, etc) I guess I just wanted to be immersed in Poe's world without having too much to do with Isobel and Varen's high school life. And when I was in Varen and Poe's dreamworld, I felt it wasn't enough.
The characterization here is a strong point. I felt Isobel was an admirable heroine, and her friends and family were nicely drawn out too. 3.5 stars
On the other hand, when I found out Edgar Allan Poe's works inspired this novel, I was immediately intrigued. Besides, this also featured a pairing between an emo/goth and a cheerleader, which I thought pretty novel accompanied by the glowing reviews, I decided to give it a try.
Although it was a good book with good characterization, I had expected to be pleasantly surprised with the way the author would incorporate Poe's works in the story. It was not what I expected. I thought it was nicely done though, but didn't completely arouse excitement in me.
Isobel and Varen are paired up for a project (how convenient!) to write about an author of their choice, and they initially don't get along. She's a cheerleader, he's a goth, high school stratification will play its part. Isobel isn't that bitchy I-am-mighty type of cheerleader that a lot of books and movies seem to portray. She's a girl who's really good doing flips, and she can be badass too. They both eventually learn to drop their prejudices and like each other. I actually liked them together, although it was unclear to me how they could fall in love within the time given to them.
Now with regards to the Poe aspect, I liked the visuals it gave me. However, nothing is properly explained. Isobel is unwillingly plunged in Varen's world, but we don't know why. How can Varen just give that precious book to Isobel's care? How did Varen change his mind about Isobel and din't he care at all that she would be involved and get in trouble? I guess I just wanted Varen's POV in all this, because with only Isobel, I was just thrust into one situation to another with Isobel barely getting out of the scrapes.
There were too many conflicts (Isobel's parents, the project, Reynolds, Isobel's boyfriend, etc) I guess I just wanted to be immersed in Poe's world without having too much to do with Isobel and Varen's high school life. And when I was in Varen and Poe's dreamworld, I felt it wasn't enough.
The characterization here is a strong point. I felt Isobel was an admirable heroine, and her friends and family were nicely drawn out too. 3.5 stars
Holy sh*t. This may just be the best book I've ever read. The nearest perfect.