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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
4.5 stars - loved this story with its unique take on the Hades/Persephone myth. I liked that the main character had definite consequences for her actions. But what an ending -- aargh!
I was absolutely crazy about this one when I saw the cover. Might be my favorite cover of the year. Totally gorgeous. I WANT THAT DRESS. REALLY BADLY!
Tried and tried to get an advance copy, but no luck. A friend sent me one though, so all was well. I read it in a day, so I can assure you that it's a very fast, very easy read.
I'd hoped for mind-blowing awesome, but I really didn't feel that. I don't think that Everneath lived up to the hype that surrounded it. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it by any means. But I didn't think it was as fabulous as people were saying.
I didn't really get into it for the first half of the book. I had a Twitter conversation with a friend and both of us were crossing fingers and wishing on stars that it would get better, because we were both kind of on the 'meh' side.
Luckily, there were things that totally saved the day. I *really* liked the second half, and that took it right out of the 2 star vicinity and popped it into a solid 3.
Those things?
Jack and Mary.
I can't say too much about Mary, for fear of spoiling things, but I can tell you that I am 100% Team Jack. I loved him. And not in a fangirly, 'I will wear your t-shirt' kind of way. Yes, he's very attractive. Yes, he says all the right things. But what I really love is that he's a fantastic human being. He DOES the right things, and doesn't just say them. Honestly, I'd come back from the Everneath for him. He was just a good, decent guy who deserved better.
Because yeah, I didn't really care for Nikki a ton. I didn't hate her, but she was kind of a 'huh' character for me. That's bad when she's the protag. O_o In her defense, once she started recovering things, she got much better. By the end, I actually kind of liked her.
*MINOR CHARACTER SPOILERS POSSIBLE RIGHT HERE...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*
*END OF SPOILERS. FEEL FREE TO RECOMMENCE READING*
So though I feel like Everneath didn't really live up to the hype, I totally felt like the second half redeemed it. I'll definitely keep my copy and I'll definitely pick up the next books, for Jack's sake. So instead of staying 'meh' for me, it ended up being 'Drool Worthy'. Huzzah!
Content Advisory:
Language: Mild
Sexuality: Mild (references, but nothing more)
Violence: Moderate
Mature Topics: Parental death, parental disconnect, drug use, alcohol, rehab
Where can you find Brodi online?
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook
Website
Tried and tried to get an advance copy, but no luck. A friend sent me one though, so all was well. I read it in a day, so I can assure you that it's a very fast, very easy read.
I'd hoped for mind-blowing awesome, but I really didn't feel that. I don't think that Everneath lived up to the hype that surrounded it. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it by any means. But I didn't think it was as fabulous as people were saying.
I didn't really get into it for the first half of the book. I had a Twitter conversation with a friend and both of us were crossing fingers and wishing on stars that it would get better, because we were both kind of on the 'meh' side.
Luckily, there were things that totally saved the day. I *really* liked the second half, and that took it right out of the 2 star vicinity and popped it into a solid 3.
Those things?
Jack and Mary.
I can't say too much about Mary, for fear of spoiling things, but I can tell you that I am 100% Team Jack. I loved him. And not in a fangirly, 'I will wear your t-shirt' kind of way. Yes, he's very attractive. Yes, he says all the right things. But what I really love is that he's a fantastic human being. He DOES the right things, and doesn't just say them. Honestly, I'd come back from the Everneath for him. He was just a good, decent guy who deserved better.
Because yeah, I didn't really care for Nikki a ton. I didn't hate her, but she was kind of a 'huh' character for me. That's bad when she's the protag. O_o In her defense, once she started recovering things, she got much better. By the end, I actually kind of liked her.
*MINOR CHARACTER SPOILERS POSSIBLE RIGHT HERE...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*
Spoiler
I didn't like Cole. Never. Not one little bit. I am as anti-Cole as I am for-Jack. He was a lying, manipulative SOB and I didn't find him one bit sympathetic. I hated him. Not in a badly written character way either, because I did think he was incredibly well-written. I hated him as a, well, not human being, because he isn't, but as whatever he is. He defines jerk. He goes on and on about how Nikki CHOSE what happened to her, but when you get to that part of the story, you realize that she didn't. He didn't drag her kicking and screaming, but he manipulated her so skillfully that she really didn't have any other choice. When she'd try, he'd just suck off her emotions again. HATE. Whew. Had to get that out.*END OF SPOILERS. FEEL FREE TO RECOMMENCE READING*
So though I feel like Everneath didn't really live up to the hype, I totally felt like the second half redeemed it. I'll definitely keep my copy and I'll definitely pick up the next books, for Jack's sake. So instead of staying 'meh' for me, it ended up being 'Drool Worthy'. Huzzah!
Content Advisory:
Language: Mild
Sexuality: Mild (references, but nothing more)
Violence: Moderate
Mature Topics: Parental death, parental disconnect, drug use, alcohol, rehab
Where can you find Brodi online?
Goodreads
Website
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I personally didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. In my opinion it was a bit hard to follow and there wasn't as much action as I would have liked.
The beginning was so slow but after you understood the background of the story, it was exciting!
Maybe more like a 3.5.
I enjoyed the book enough, but it was a bit slow throughout the whole thing. There were spots where it picked up, but those parts were over pretty quickly. Also, the book was a bit confusing, with the whole Everneath stuff. I was lost a lot of the time. But, everything else was great. The plot, eve though it was slow, was really good. I liked how everything happened, and I loved the twists and turns of the book.
The characters...I enjoyed Nikki for the most parts. She did have a few annoying qualities about her, but overall, she was a very strong-willed and caring character.
Jack...he was pretty cool. I did love him, but he also did a few things that made me think a little less of him. But that ending, though....he really pulled through there.
And Cole...okay, I liked Cole. But he was so relentless that it bordered on creep. I understood his love and obsession over Nik, but seriously....he needed to tone that down just a bit. I did like him more at the very end, but not enough to say I loved him.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I think the only reason I didn't love it was because most people who read this book over the last few years have loved it, so I had a high expectation of it, and it just didn't meet it. I will continue on, because I have a feeling the books are going to get way better.
I enjoyed the book enough, but it was a bit slow throughout the whole thing. There were spots where it picked up, but those parts were over pretty quickly. Also, the book was a bit confusing, with the whole Everneath stuff. I was lost a lot of the time. But, everything else was great. The plot, eve though it was slow, was really good. I liked how everything happened, and I loved the twists and turns of the book.
The characters...I enjoyed Nikki for the most parts. She did have a few annoying qualities about her, but overall, she was a very strong-willed and caring character.
Jack...he was pretty cool. I did love him, but he also did a few things that made me think a little less of him. But that ending, though....he really pulled through there.
And Cole...okay, I liked Cole. But he was so relentless that it bordered on creep. I understood his love and obsession over Nik, but seriously....he needed to tone that down just a bit. I did like him more at the very end, but not enough to say I loved him.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I think the only reason I didn't love it was because most people who read this book over the last few years have loved it, so I had a high expectation of it, and it just didn't meet it. I will continue on, because I have a feeling the books are going to get way better.
Okay, hmmm, Everneath...that was a strange one, but I liked it (just like most books). I was on Goodreads when I found Everneath. I had just currently read Starcrossed by: Josephine Angelini and this book had popped up in my recommendation section and I just couldn't pass it up. So, I went on my little library site and ordered it. Needless to say when I got I blew through in two days because it was so entrancing. Are you interested now? Do you want to hear what the book is about?
Summary: Nikki Beckett has been in the Everneath (underworld) for a century getting her emotions sucked out of her by Cole (sort of like Hades). When Nikki finally gets the chance to go back to her own world she takes it. But, the catch is that she only has six months in her world. Only six months to say goodbye to everyone she loves: her dad, her brother, and her boyfriend, Jack. It also doesn't help that Cole wants to take Nikki to the Everneath early, but not as a slave but as his bride.
So that's the high and low about what Everneath is about. I had very high expectations for this book when I first started reading it and this book didn't not disappoint me...actually it did disappoint me a little. I was hoping that Nikki would spend more time in the Everneath, but only for the first ten pages did we get to see what it was like down there. The rest of the book was set a couple months after she disappeared (time goes faster in the Everneath).
This book also went back and forth between time periods. One chapter we would be in the now and the next chapter we would be reliving what happened before she went to the Everneath. I actually thought this was pretty cool, I mean, we really got to see what led up to Nikki choosing to go with Cole to let him suck out her emotions.
I don't really know if I liked Nikki or not. Sometimes she could be annoying and other times she could be kick-butt awesome. And of course because she is in YA literature she has two love interests: Cole likes Nikki and tells her it all the time but Nikki is still clueless of his feelings for her. Jack likes Nikki and was her boyfriend before the Feed (before she went to the Everneath) and now he wants her back. Nikki likes Jack and has wanted him back the ENTIRE time she was in the Everneath. Confusing I know.
Cole was defiantly my favorite character even though he had so little screen time. Cole was awesome! I was defiantly a Cole-Nikki shipper the entire book. Cole kicked butt! He had a band, he was an Everling, he was sometimes even sweet, and he even saved Nikki on a couple occasions. I loved him.
Jack: No comment. I didn't really like him. He was moody which was annoying and he had a piercing (I don't like guys with piercings). He did save Nikki at the end I'll give him that. So, on the scale of things Jack gets a 2 out of 5 for my liking-of-a-character-scale.
This now brings us to the ending...ahhh, another cliffhanger. If you want to know what happens continue reading, but if you don't want to know stop here...
Okay those who are still reading this is what happens...Jack sacrifices himself for Nikki so she doesn't have to go back to the Everneath...wow, I know right? *sarcastic voice* it's not like anyone couldn't have that ending.
And with that note I leave you fellow readers...please leave a comment if you can!
-Review by Terantum
See this review and other reviews on http://thesecretalcove.weebly.com/
Summary: Nikki Beckett has been in the Everneath (underworld) for a century getting her emotions sucked out of her by Cole (sort of like Hades). When Nikki finally gets the chance to go back to her own world she takes it. But, the catch is that she only has six months in her world. Only six months to say goodbye to everyone she loves: her dad, her brother, and her boyfriend, Jack. It also doesn't help that Cole wants to take Nikki to the Everneath early, but not as a slave but as his bride.
So that's the high and low about what Everneath is about. I had very high expectations for this book when I first started reading it and this book didn't not disappoint me...actually it did disappoint me a little. I was hoping that Nikki would spend more time in the Everneath, but only for the first ten pages did we get to see what it was like down there. The rest of the book was set a couple months after she disappeared (time goes faster in the Everneath).
This book also went back and forth between time periods. One chapter we would be in the now and the next chapter we would be reliving what happened before she went to the Everneath. I actually thought this was pretty cool, I mean, we really got to see what led up to Nikki choosing to go with Cole to let him suck out her emotions.
I don't really know if I liked Nikki or not. Sometimes she could be annoying and other times she could be kick-butt awesome. And of course because she is in YA literature she has two love interests: Cole likes Nikki and tells her it all the time but Nikki is still clueless of his feelings for her. Jack likes Nikki and was her boyfriend before the Feed (before she went to the Everneath) and now he wants her back. Nikki likes Jack and has wanted him back the ENTIRE time she was in the Everneath. Confusing I know.
Cole was defiantly my favorite character even though he had so little screen time. Cole was awesome! I was defiantly a Cole-Nikki shipper the entire book. Cole kicked butt! He had a band, he was an Everling, he was sometimes even sweet, and he even saved Nikki on a couple occasions. I loved him.
Jack: No comment. I didn't really like him. He was moody which was annoying and he had a piercing (I don't like guys with piercings). He did save Nikki at the end I'll give him that. So, on the scale of things Jack gets a 2 out of 5 for my liking-of-a-character-scale.
This now brings us to the ending...ahhh, another cliffhanger. If you want to know what happens continue reading, but if you don't want to know stop here...
Okay those who are still reading this is what happens...Jack sacrifices himself for Nikki so she doesn't have to go back to the Everneath...wow, I know right? *sarcastic voice* it's not like anyone couldn't have that ending.
And with that note I leave you fellow readers...please leave a comment if you can!
-Review by Terantum
See this review and other reviews on http://thesecretalcove.weebly.com/
It started great. I'm a sucker for anything mythological. But there was too much stuff that was super convenient (). Also I thought some of the timing and Everneath rules were off, but I was willing to suspend belief. And a lot of it was very predictable (to everyone but Nikki), which made me kind of think her a little dim. I can't love a dim heroine. I didn't hate the story though and will probably continue the series.
Spoiler
Like why Meredith's mom has the urn and the bracelet. Is she the leader of the sect? It's too convenient I think.
This was an interesting take on the Persephone myth, and I really liked several aspects of it as far as the interpretation/universe went. The pacing, however, was kind of a drag; I liked the unique chronological take Ashton used, but you could obviously tell the author was setting the book up for a sequel about halfway through the book. Similarly, I think the "twist" ending was unsurprising.
tl;dr: I found the concept fairly engaging, but I highly doubt I'll read the sequel.
tl;dr: I found the concept fairly engaging, but I highly doubt I'll read the sequel.
This review appears on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter.
I was very curious to see how the concept of the underworld (known as the Everneath, in this book) would be handled. Having always been fascinated by the Persephone myth, I was very excited to read Ms. Ashton's debut novel. When I finally got to read Everneath, I encountered a dark, creepy world in which a century passes while a mere 6 months has gone by on the surface world. What followed was a bleak, moving novel about life, the power of love, redemption, and the importance of goodbyes.
The plot for Everneath is every bit as mysterious and intriguing as I would have hoped. Ashton's descriptions of the dank, shadowy world in which Nikki awakens is chilling and disturbing, which definitely added to the overall mood of the book. When compared to Nikki's hometown in Utah, an even bigger emphasis is made on just how separate the Everneath is from everything else. That Nikki can disappear from such a place and wind up drained of her emotions and memories in a cavernous world is especially eerie. Even then, there is more. The underlying secret society factor and the nature of the disappearances of the Forfeits ("Forfeits" being those who are fed upon by the Everliving, by the way) comes together to tell a frightening tale surrounding mortality and the human spirit. The only thing that left me with reservations with regard to the storyline was the pacing. At times, the ways in which the timeline was broken up and shuffled left the story bordering upon lagging for me. Combined with Nikki's initial air of ennui, this method just didn't come together as well as I would have liked.
I truly felt for Nikki, though I did have some difficulty in becoming in tune with her as a character. The way in which the novel is constructed makes figuring out her motives for willingly going with Cole to be somewhat difficult to decipher. Even during the flashback sequences, there was a sense that she may have been either lying to herself or relying too heavily upon someone else for her happiness, if not both. I really took issue with her final straw, so to speak, that finally sent her to Cole and, essentially, her doom. It's a hard pill to swallow, but I have to say that it does make her a complex character. As for the two leading men in this story, Cole and Jack, I liked that there wasn't a love triangle, per say. Though Cole and Jack are interested in Nikki, Nikki is never truly invested in Cole, so there's none of that woe-is-me-which-guy-do-I-like-more? upset that one often sees in literary triangles. I found that refreshing, to say the least. However, Jack wasn't my first pick, either. It took a long time to get a lock on his character and motives, so he definitely had to do some convincing on all counts. Overall, the characters were intriguing, even if they did leave my head spinning, at times.
Everneath quickly became a fascinating read filled with a great plot and very good characters. If not for a few pacing issues that I found difficulty with, I would have been like a giddy schoolgirl after having finished. Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to what else is in store for Nikki, Jack, and Cole. Everneath is yet another awesome debut for 2012, one which I definitely recommend, especially for those who enjoy a new and interesting take on mythology.
Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.
I was very curious to see how the concept of the underworld (known as the Everneath, in this book) would be handled. Having always been fascinated by the Persephone myth, I was very excited to read Ms. Ashton's debut novel. When I finally got to read Everneath, I encountered a dark, creepy world in which a century passes while a mere 6 months has gone by on the surface world. What followed was a bleak, moving novel about life, the power of love, redemption, and the importance of goodbyes.
The plot for Everneath is every bit as mysterious and intriguing as I would have hoped. Ashton's descriptions of the dank, shadowy world in which Nikki awakens is chilling and disturbing, which definitely added to the overall mood of the book. When compared to Nikki's hometown in Utah, an even bigger emphasis is made on just how separate the Everneath is from everything else. That Nikki can disappear from such a place and wind up drained of her emotions and memories in a cavernous world is especially eerie. Even then, there is more. The underlying secret society factor and the nature of the disappearances of the Forfeits ("Forfeits" being those who are fed upon by the Everliving, by the way) comes together to tell a frightening tale surrounding mortality and the human spirit. The only thing that left me with reservations with regard to the storyline was the pacing. At times, the ways in which the timeline was broken up and shuffled left the story bordering upon lagging for me. Combined with Nikki's initial air of ennui, this method just didn't come together as well as I would have liked.
I truly felt for Nikki, though I did have some difficulty in becoming in tune with her as a character. The way in which the novel is constructed makes figuring out her motives for willingly going with Cole to be somewhat difficult to decipher. Even during the flashback sequences, there was a sense that she may have been either lying to herself or relying too heavily upon someone else for her happiness, if not both. I really took issue with her final straw, so to speak, that finally sent her to Cole and, essentially, her doom. It's a hard pill to swallow, but I have to say that it does make her a complex character. As for the two leading men in this story, Cole and Jack, I liked that there wasn't a love triangle, per say. Though Cole and Jack are interested in Nikki, Nikki is never truly invested in Cole, so there's none of that woe-is-me-which-guy-do-I-like-more? upset that one often sees in literary triangles. I found that refreshing, to say the least. However, Jack wasn't my first pick, either. It took a long time to get a lock on his character and motives, so he definitely had to do some convincing on all counts. Overall, the characters were intriguing, even if they did leave my head spinning, at times.
Everneath quickly became a fascinating read filled with a great plot and very good characters. If not for a few pacing issues that I found difficulty with, I would have been like a giddy schoolgirl after having finished. Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to what else is in store for Nikki, Jack, and Cole. Everneath is yet another awesome debut for 2012, one which I definitely recommend, especially for those who enjoy a new and interesting take on mythology.
Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.