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literaryanna's review against another edition
3.0
More of my reviews can be found at Literary Exploration
Upon first inspection of this book, I really thought it was going to be an awesome read. I absolutely love the cover, the faceless girl in the flowing red dress is pretty enchanting, but somehow it just didn't measure up to my expectations. I really didn't connect with the characters at all and the story seemed somewhat jumbled and confusing. It was definitely a quick read (it took me about 3 hours to get through) and I'm looking forward to reading the next one because I really want to know what happens, but I just didn't love it like I wanted to.
The characters were pretty bland in my opinion. Nikki is basically a mess, returned from the Everneath for 6 months to carry out some unfinished business with her family and boyfriend Jack. Cole was pretty awesome, he has that bad boy spirit I love so much, but he's obviously not a good guy. However, I was definitely rooting for him more than once. Jack is alright, he's a sweet guy and he obviously loves Nikki, but their relationship just seemed kind of off to me.
The story itself was kind of mismanaged and confusing. Nikki spends 100 years in the Everneath (which is only 6 months in the real world) and then she comes back for 6 months. This is where I started getting confused because I have no idea why she had to come back. Also, the story is written alternating between before she went into the Everneath and after her return to the surface. It gets kind of annoying, constantly switching between the past and the present, and I just became really overwhelmed at one point and had to put the book down. Some other things didn't make sense to me either, but I'll let that go for now.
Overall, I wasn't too impressed with Everneath although the ending definitely has me wanting to read the next one. I liked it enough to keep reading, and it was a good enough read. I probably wouldn't recommend it to many of my friends, but if you're a mythology or paranormal lover than you might like this one. I wasn't wow'd by it, but I'm glad I read it nonetheless.
Upon first inspection of this book, I really thought it was going to be an awesome read. I absolutely love the cover, the faceless girl in the flowing red dress is pretty enchanting, but somehow it just didn't measure up to my expectations. I really didn't connect with the characters at all and the story seemed somewhat jumbled and confusing. It was definitely a quick read (it took me about 3 hours to get through) and I'm looking forward to reading the next one because I really want to know what happens, but I just didn't love it like I wanted to.
The characters were pretty bland in my opinion. Nikki is basically a mess, returned from the Everneath for 6 months to carry out some unfinished business with her family and boyfriend Jack. Cole was pretty awesome, he has that bad boy spirit I love so much, but he's obviously not a good guy. However, I was definitely rooting for him more than once. Jack is alright, he's a sweet guy and he obviously loves Nikki, but their relationship just seemed kind of off to me.
The story itself was kind of mismanaged and confusing. Nikki spends 100 years in the Everneath (which is only 6 months in the real world) and then she comes back for 6 months. This is where I started getting confused because I have no idea why she had to come back. Also, the story is written alternating between before she went into the Everneath and after her return to the surface. It gets kind of annoying, constantly switching between the past and the present, and I just became really overwhelmed at one point and had to put the book down. Some other things didn't make sense to me either, but I'll let that go for now.
Overall, I wasn't too impressed with Everneath although the ending definitely has me wanting to read the next one. I liked it enough to keep reading, and it was a good enough read. I probably wouldn't recommend it to many of my friends, but if you're a mythology or paranormal lover than you might like this one. I wasn't wow'd by it, but I'm glad I read it nonetheless.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what to make of this book, I enjoyed it but Nikki irritated me she spends quite a lot of time being depressed and feeling a sorry for herself and she does have a decent reason but I kind of feel like I've read this character enough already. She also has a massive choice to make and I felt like she made the wrong one
Spoiler
If she has such a big problem with humans being taken to the everneath she could become queen and . . . stop it happening!!!carolinevaught's review against another edition
4.0
This book was pretty good. The plot was a little confusing and tended to be repetitive, but it was a wonderful book all the same and I can't wait to read the next one!
aneeqah's review against another edition
4.0
My full review:
First of all, thank you to HarperCollins for giving me an ARC of this book!
In Everneath, we meet a girl named Nikki Bennett. She traveled to this place called The Everneath [shocking, yes, I know!] and this guy named Cole 'Fed' off of her energy. So, 6 months later in human years [100 years in Everneath time] she 'wakes up' and chooses to return to her old life. But she only has 6 months.
Obviously, this book is hard to explain, and I didn't do such a good job... If you're still confused about what this book is about [which, you probably are!] check out the Goodreads summary HERE which does a much better job explaining than I do!
First off, let's talk about that cover! It's beautiful! I love the swirling red dress, which is absolutely gorgeous. Overall, a really great cover.
I really liked the mythology in this book. It got confusing at times, but it wasn't any mythology that I've read before, so it was interesting for me to find out more. I'm a huge mythology fan, so this aspect of the book was great!
I also like how layered this book was. It had a whole other side to it, that applies to real life. Nikki was faced with the choice of staying in the real world, where life is tough, and going back to the underworld with Cole, where life is easy. There's alot of those types of choices that we have to make in our life, you know, the whole easy path, hard path thing? And it also touched on addiction a little too. For Nikki, being with Cole was almost an addiction, something she craved, and she had to fight that. So there's alot of undertones in this book, which is something I really enjoyed.
Nikki's old boyfriend, Jack, is a character I really liked. He was so sweet, and he was always there for Nikki. But, he seemed a little over obsessed, to the point where it seemed creepy. He also seemed like "the perfect guy" we so often see in YA. I wished he would have been a little more unique, although I still liked him.
The main thing I didn't like about this book was that it was pretty predictable. I mean, I guessed what was going to happen at the end, and I guessed a few of the things that were supposed to be totally shocking for us. I love it when I guess something in a book, and it turns out totally wrong, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen.
Also, Nikki was kind of irritating for me. When she returns to school, she's so quiet and she whispers everything. It made me want to slap her and say "SPEAK UP!". And she was so blind at times too. Definitely not one of my favorite main characters.
Overall, however, it was a pretty good read! I enjoyed the story and the mythology a lot, so if you a person who loves mythology, give this book a shot.
First of all, thank you to HarperCollins for giving me an ARC of this book!
In Everneath, we meet a girl named Nikki Bennett. She traveled to this place called The Everneath [shocking, yes, I know!] and this guy named Cole 'Fed' off of her energy. So, 6 months later in human years [100 years in Everneath time] she 'wakes up' and chooses to return to her old life. But she only has 6 months.
Obviously, this book is hard to explain, and I didn't do such a good job... If you're still confused about what this book is about [which, you probably are!] check out the Goodreads summary HERE which does a much better job explaining than I do!
First off, let's talk about that cover! It's beautiful! I love the swirling red dress, which is absolutely gorgeous. Overall, a really great cover.
I really liked the mythology in this book. It got confusing at times, but it wasn't any mythology that I've read before, so it was interesting for me to find out more. I'm a huge mythology fan, so this aspect of the book was great!
I also like how layered this book was. It had a whole other side to it, that applies to real life. Nikki was faced with the choice of staying in the real world, where life is tough, and going back to the underworld with Cole, where life is easy. There's alot of those types of choices that we have to make in our life, you know, the whole easy path, hard path thing? And it also touched on addiction a little too. For Nikki, being with Cole was almost an addiction, something she craved, and she had to fight that. So there's alot of undertones in this book, which is something I really enjoyed.
Nikki's old boyfriend, Jack, is a character I really liked. He was so sweet, and he was always there for Nikki. But, he seemed a little over obsessed, to the point where it seemed creepy. He also seemed like "the perfect guy" we so often see in YA. I wished he would have been a little more unique, although I still liked him.
The main thing I didn't like about this book was that it was pretty predictable. I mean, I guessed what was going to happen at the end, and I guessed a few of the things that were supposed to be totally shocking for us. I love it when I guess something in a book, and it turns out totally wrong, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen.
Also, Nikki was kind of irritating for me. When she returns to school, she's so quiet and she whispers everything. It made me want to slap her and say "SPEAK UP!". And she was so blind at times too. Definitely not one of my favorite main characters.
Overall, however, it was a pretty good read! I enjoyed the story and the mythology a lot, so if you a person who loves mythology, give this book a shot.
literary__escapism's review against another edition
5.0
I love reading debut authors, because I find such gems in the genres I enjoy reading. One debut I was keen to read was Everneath by Brodi Ashton. Thanks to HarperCollins I managed to receive an advance copy.
After she disappeared six months ago Nikki is back. She has survived the Everneath, a place between Earth and hell, where immortal Everlivings have to feed off humans to survive. Nikki tries to reconnect with her family and boyfriend, Jack, while the Everliving that lured her to Everneath tries to convince her to return.
The concept behind Everneath is so innovative. Based heavy on mythology, Everneath took me on a emotional roller coaster from the very first page. I adored our heroine, Nikki. Brodi Ashton has portrayed a strong heroine, that wants to cling to what little life she has reclaimed.
This story kept me captivated to the very last page, and I anticipate this book will be on many readers wishlist this month. It is the kind of story that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned. Like me, readers will be eagerly anticipating the next installment.
Everneath is released on January 24, 2012 and I highly recommend it to all fans of young adult fiction, and anyone wanting to read a truly beautiful and memorable story.
After she disappeared six months ago Nikki is back. She has survived the Everneath, a place between Earth and hell, where immortal Everlivings have to feed off humans to survive. Nikki tries to reconnect with her family and boyfriend, Jack, while the Everliving that lured her to Everneath tries to convince her to return.
The concept behind Everneath is so innovative. Based heavy on mythology, Everneath took me on a emotional roller coaster from the very first page. I adored our heroine, Nikki. Brodi Ashton has portrayed a strong heroine, that wants to cling to what little life she has reclaimed.
This story kept me captivated to the very last page, and I anticipate this book will be on many readers wishlist this month. It is the kind of story that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned. Like me, readers will be eagerly anticipating the next installment.
Everneath is released on January 24, 2012 and I highly recommend it to all fans of young adult fiction, and anyone wanting to read a truly beautiful and memorable story.
lauraew333's review against another edition
4.0
I'm rating this a 4.5. It was definitely a twist on Greek mythology and it's place in the modern world. It was actually rather refreshing to hear that we may be interpreting everything wrong even though it still exists. The only reason this book is a 4.5 and not a 5 is that everything was a little unclear. The author did try to lead you to believe certain truths but a lot went unexplained. Maybe that's just because this is the first book in the series but you never know. Other than that, this book blew me away. The urgency brought by the countdown at the beginning of each chapter went perfectly with the story and allowed me to delve deeper into the emotions that were brewing. This in itself seems fitting because this whole book is all about how our ability to feel emotion makes up our sense of self. The end made me so emotional.
I hereby give this book 4.5 stars!
I hereby give this book 4.5 stars!
kristid's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading Everneath when I was in a bit of a reading slump. At the time I wasn’t sure if I was reading mediocre books or if it was just me, but I wasn’t enjoying what I was reading. I decided to give Everneath a try and I’m so glad that I did, because it was just what I needed to get out of that funk and get excited about reading again!
I love the way that the story of Everneath was told. You don’t start at the beginning and then work to the end. What you know is that Nikki is waking up in the Everneath. We don’t really know what the Everneath is, or why she is there, we only know that she’s been there for a long time and she’s been thinking of one person and one person only.
Upon her “completion” in the Everneath she chooses to go back home. And although she’s been in the Everyneath for thousands of years only six months have passed in her world. Throughout the story we see flashbacks of Nikki’s life before Cole and the Everneath. And believe me, you will discover all to well why Nikki can’t get Jack out of her head! Even with the smoldering and delicious Cole ever present. The orchestration of the past and present make the story that much more addicting!
I’m always fascinated with mythology. And the play of mythology within Everneath was done exceptionally well. The parallels to the myth of Hades and Persephone mare obvious in some aspects, however the suggestion of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is just as relevant though not quite as evident. And I absolutely loved it!
Great characters, great story… fabulous debut! I can’t wait to continue this story with these characters.
I love the way that the story of Everneath was told. You don’t start at the beginning and then work to the end. What you know is that Nikki is waking up in the Everneath. We don’t really know what the Everneath is, or why she is there, we only know that she’s been there for a long time and she’s been thinking of one person and one person only.
Upon her “completion” in the Everneath she chooses to go back home. And although she’s been in the Everyneath for thousands of years only six months have passed in her world. Throughout the story we see flashbacks of Nikki’s life before Cole and the Everneath. And believe me, you will discover all to well why Nikki can’t get Jack out of her head! Even with the smoldering and delicious Cole ever present. The orchestration of the past and present make the story that much more addicting!
I’m always fascinated with mythology. And the play of mythology within Everneath was done exceptionally well. The parallels to the myth of Hades and Persephone mare obvious in some aspects, however the suggestion of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is just as relevant though not quite as evident. And I absolutely loved it!
Great characters, great story… fabulous debut! I can’t wait to continue this story with these characters.
tstreet's review against another edition
2.0
I got pretty bored through the middle of it.
I'm glad that Nikki was able to return without dying. I'm glad that Jack was there for her when she came back.
I'm glad that she tried to help Mary and ask her a few questions.
I'm disappointed that Cole came and began trying to hang out with Nikki again.
I really like that Jack was willing to sacrafice his life to save Nikki's.
I'm glad that Nikki was able to return without dying. I'm glad that Jack was there for her when she came back.
I'm glad that she tried to help Mary and ask her a few questions.
I'm disappointed that Cole came and began trying to hang out with Nikki again.
I really like that Jack was willing to sacrafice his life to save Nikki's.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
Brodi Ashton's debut novel is better than I imagined and believe me, my imagination is pretty wild! This trilogy and this author are going to be beyond fabulous.
Everneath has been described as a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. In some ways I think that is a fitting description but in no way does this book seem like a retelling. Brodi Ashton took the age-old, well-known myth and made it her own. There is nothing predictable about this book. It isn 100% unique and 100% unputdownable!
Nikki doesn't start the book out as a great heroine. She starts out lost, alone, broken, and defeated. She does not stay that way for long though. Throughout the book Nikki grows in so many ways and by the end, she may have flaws but she is one strong and awesome heroine. Cole also changes throughout the book but his changes are more subtle. Cole is a guy that is hard to stay away from yet impossible to be around. Jack, on the other hand, is pretty dang perfect from the beginning. He is sweet, kind, loving, smart, and protective. He doesn't lie, cheat, or abuse Nikki in any way. He is a great guy and his and Nikki's love story is one you can't help but get sucked into. I find it very hard to believe that anyone who has read this isn't 100% Team Jack.
The story itself is fast-paced and so mind-blowing. Once you start reading you will be unable to stop. The story alternates between past and present so pay attention. It was a bit confusing at first but it is pretty easy to get used to and it really adds to the story. Sadly, the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger. I want book two now!
Overall, Everneath is a fabulous debut novel and a wonderful start to this trilogy. Get your hands on a copy as soon as possible!
Everneath has been described as a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. In some ways I think that is a fitting description but in no way does this book seem like a retelling. Brodi Ashton took the age-old, well-known myth and made it her own. There is nothing predictable about this book. It isn 100% unique and 100% unputdownable!
Nikki doesn't start the book out as a great heroine. She starts out lost, alone, broken, and defeated. She does not stay that way for long though. Throughout the book Nikki grows in so many ways and by the end, she may have flaws but she is one strong and awesome heroine. Cole also changes throughout the book but his changes are more subtle. Cole is a guy that is hard to stay away from yet impossible to be around. Jack, on the other hand, is pretty dang perfect from the beginning. He is sweet, kind, loving, smart, and protective. He doesn't lie, cheat, or abuse Nikki in any way. He is a great guy and his and Nikki's love story is one you can't help but get sucked into. I find it very hard to believe that anyone who has read this isn't 100% Team Jack.
The story itself is fast-paced and so mind-blowing. Once you start reading you will be unable to stop. The story alternates between past and present so pay attention. It was a bit confusing at first but it is pretty easy to get used to and it really adds to the story. Sadly, the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger. I want book two now!
Overall, Everneath is a fabulous debut novel and a wonderful start to this trilogy. Get your hands on a copy as soon as possible!
joyousreads132's review against another edition
4.0
A broken heart.
A deal with the lord of the Underworld.
A chance for a do-over.
Nikki's six-month long disappearance from the Surface equated to a hundred years in the Everneath. It will take another six months for the Shades to come and take her away again. And all those times, even with her memory gone, there was one face that lingers in her mind; a boy whose name she couldn't remember. He tethered her to her former life, never forgetting what she has up there. She made a choice to come back up to the Surface and spend the next six months making up for lost time, asking forgiveness and saying goodbye...this time perhaps, forever. The redemption she wished for is next to impossible; especially if it lay in the hands of Cole. She would give anything, do anything to stop Cole - an immortal who feeds off the emotions of the people around him and a satan incarnate. But he's set on bringing her back down to Everneath, to rule the Underworld by his side. As time ticks by, her longing to be free of the cursed fate she unknowingly chose for herself grew stronger and with it her realization that she can't leave, not again.
This is my second Hades/Persephone modern retelling and I can readily admit this one was much more infused with the myth. I've never read the original Greek Mythology nor of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I can't say how close to being accurate the author was. But for this reason, I can say that I was able to appreciate it more.
The world of Everneath was a mild version of how I'd pictured hell in my head. It wasn't exactly as terrifying but creepy, nonetheless. As was Cole, being who he was, didn't exactly make me want to clutch on to my children with a death grip. To be honest, I was a bit taken by him upon his introduction to the story. Sure, those feelings waned as I learned more about him, but he's still not as frightening as I'd thought someone of his character would be. And again, I'd like to point out that I don't know the original story. Perhaps Hades wasn't really as bad as how we've always known him to be. Cole is tricky; he seems harmless on the surface but you know he's got evil rooted deep inside him.
Nikki killed me a little with all her selflessness. She was decided upon not hurting Jack again by staying away from him. But when will our heroines learn that by staying away, they're only fanning the flames of our heroes' wanting? It never works, ladies. Their relationship is as solid as any of our favourite literary couples and Jack could induce an endless supply of love-sigh with all his hero-good-guy-romantic tendencies. I'm just a bit uneasy with his past relationship with Nikki's best friend. I feel that there wasn't an eventual resolution. He did admit that they could never be, but I'm still left feeling antsy.
I also like to point out another element in which the author didn't deviate from the other YA novels we've been reading nowadays: the lack of Nikki's personal interaction with her family, which sadly only consisted of her father and her young brother. I'm a bit disappointed. This was her chance at a do-over. But it seemed like she distanced herself away from her family more. How are you to say a proper goodbye when you keep them at an arm's length? Or was that really her way of padding the hurt when she says adieu? Also, do not expect a lot of warm feelings from her father upon her return. There was none. He's a cold fish whose main focus is to be re-elected in the mayoral seat. Their family dynamics is definitely in a sad state.
For a book of 370 pages, I found myself gobbling up the pages in no time. The author has a way of telling her story in such an addicting way. It's in the culmination of Nikki's past and present - it's almost as if I was reading two stories at the same time. In a way I was; Nikki was a different person pre-Everneath - everyone was a different person before her disappearance. The beginning of her demise were stories which involved Cole. It was a series of transparent premonition that I really wanted to skip but couldn't because they were necessary. You'd know what Nikki's mindset was, what prompted her to sell her soul.
The ending killed me. That's all I'm going to say about that.
My conclusion: Everneath is a tightly-woven tale of love, loss, and second chances, wrapped up in a bundle of legends and myths. The author was particularly successful in showing good vs. evil in its basest form, where the likely hero was forced to make a difficult choice in the end. I can't wait for the next book!
A deal with the lord of the Underworld.
A chance for a do-over.
Nikki's six-month long disappearance from the Surface equated to a hundred years in the Everneath. It will take another six months for the Shades to come and take her away again. And all those times, even with her memory gone, there was one face that lingers in her mind; a boy whose name she couldn't remember. He tethered her to her former life, never forgetting what she has up there. She made a choice to come back up to the Surface and spend the next six months making up for lost time, asking forgiveness and saying goodbye...this time perhaps, forever. The redemption she wished for is next to impossible; especially if it lay in the hands of Cole. She would give anything, do anything to stop Cole - an immortal who feeds off the emotions of the people around him and a satan incarnate. But he's set on bringing her back down to Everneath, to rule the Underworld by his side. As time ticks by, her longing to be free of the cursed fate she unknowingly chose for herself grew stronger and with it her realization that she can't leave, not again.
This is my second Hades/Persephone modern retelling and I can readily admit this one was much more infused with the myth. I've never read the original Greek Mythology nor of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I can't say how close to being accurate the author was. But for this reason, I can say that I was able to appreciate it more.
The world of Everneath was a mild version of how I'd pictured hell in my head. It wasn't exactly as terrifying but creepy, nonetheless. As was Cole, being who he was, didn't exactly make me want to clutch on to my children with a death grip. To be honest, I was a bit taken by him upon his introduction to the story. Sure, those feelings waned as I learned more about him, but he's still not as frightening as I'd thought someone of his character would be. And again, I'd like to point out that I don't know the original story. Perhaps Hades wasn't really as bad as how we've always known him to be. Cole is tricky; he seems harmless on the surface but you know he's got evil rooted deep inside him.
Nikki killed me a little with all her selflessness. She was decided upon not hurting Jack again by staying away from him. But when will our heroines learn that by staying away, they're only fanning the flames of our heroes' wanting? It never works, ladies. Their relationship is as solid as any of our favourite literary couples and Jack could induce an endless supply of love-sigh with all his hero-good-guy-romantic tendencies. I'm just a bit uneasy with his past relationship with Nikki's best friend. I feel that there wasn't an eventual resolution. He did admit that they could never be, but I'm still left feeling antsy.
I also like to point out another element in which the author didn't deviate from the other YA novels we've been reading nowadays: the lack of Nikki's personal interaction with her family, which sadly only consisted of her father and her young brother. I'm a bit disappointed. This was her chance at a do-over. But it seemed like she distanced herself away from her family more. How are you to say a proper goodbye when you keep them at an arm's length? Or was that really her way of padding the hurt when she says adieu? Also, do not expect a lot of warm feelings from her father upon her return. There was none. He's a cold fish whose main focus is to be re-elected in the mayoral seat. Their family dynamics is definitely in a sad state.
For a book of 370 pages, I found myself gobbling up the pages in no time. The author has a way of telling her story in such an addicting way. It's in the culmination of Nikki's past and present - it's almost as if I was reading two stories at the same time. In a way I was; Nikki was a different person pre-Everneath - everyone was a different person before her disappearance. The beginning of her demise were stories which involved Cole. It was a series of transparent premonition that I really wanted to skip but couldn't because they were necessary. You'd know what Nikki's mindset was, what prompted her to sell her soul.
The ending killed me. That's all I'm going to say about that.
My conclusion: Everneath is a tightly-woven tale of love, loss, and second chances, wrapped up in a bundle of legends and myths. The author was particularly successful in showing good vs. evil in its basest form, where the likely hero was forced to make a difficult choice in the end. I can't wait for the next book!