Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
REVIEW: http://theliteraturelion.blogspot.com/2013/02/late-reviews-1.html
This was part of the Late Reviews post in which I do mini-reviews for books that I didn't have time to review when I first read them.
I'm almost debating on bringing this one up to five stars, just because of how excited I am for Everbound. But then I remember the beginning of the novel and how I really DID NOT like it. But I really like the overall concept of this book, and the characters are pretty awesome. The only thing is the love triangle could do without... It just doesn't seem necessary with all the other things already going on for Nikki.
This was part of the Late Reviews post in which I do mini-reviews for books that I didn't have time to review when I first read them.
I'm almost debating on bringing this one up to five stars, just because of how excited I am for Everbound. But then I remember the beginning of the novel and how I really DID NOT like it. But I really like the overall concept of this book, and the characters are pretty awesome. The only thing is the love triangle could do without... It just doesn't seem necessary with all the other things already going on for Nikki.
Truth time: Sometimes, I want to read a book based solely on the title.
Brodi Ashton’s debut novel is an example of that. EVERNEATH, as a word, is simply intriguing to me, so when Net Galley approved me for this title, I was quite excited. However, if I may be honest, I had a good amount of issues with the first half of the book, much as it pains me to say.
First off, the story is initially told in sort of vignettes that waffle between before Nikki vanished into the Everneath and after her Return. This didn’t work for me. It made the story seem disjointed, and when you paired that with the fact that the writing is a bit flat – lacking emotion in most cases – it just didn’t make for a very engaging story. (As a bit of a spoiler, the lack of emotion was fitting for the initial portion of the book – as part of living in the Everneath, Nikki had to give up her essence, and it has to be rebuilt upon her Return. But after a while, she was just dull.) I am convinced that this lack of engagement had a LOT to do with the back and forth of the narration.
Why?
Because the last 40-50% of the book was of much more interest, seemed much more cohesive, and moved the plot along much much more - - and it was primarily in the ‘present.’
But, moving along: I’m not sure if this was brave on the part of Ashton or unintentional, but for a large portion of the last half of the book, I found Nikki to be very selfish, almost to the point of wanting to step into the story and smack her just once. The thing is, she thinks incessantly about how terrible her second disappearance will be but doesn’t do anything to prepare any single person, save for Jack, the boy that was her (somewhat weak) rationale for coming back to her old life.
And, regarding Jack: I liked him. Kind-hearted, sweet, typical teenage boy. Everything he did was expected, save for his last act of the book, which did lift my opinion of him a bit. But I preferred Cole. Why? Because Cole had an edge. He was a little hard to decipher, a little hard to like sometimes. But he felt deeply, which was always showcased in subtle ways. He was also kind of a bad ass – musician, motorcycle rider, and quick-witted.(Translation for Ang: YUM.)
Do I like that there’s yet another YA Love Triangle set up? No. But I can see the draw of both boys, and that, in and of itself makes it alright, I suppose. I did like the twisted version of the Tale of Persephone that Ashton took – it’s far from the typical lore in many ways, but I enjoyed her spin on it.
You can probably tell that I’m rather torn regarding my real opinion of EVERNEATH, so I’ll end with this: I liked the tie ins to mythology. I liked the boys. Nikki was alright, though I still wasn’t one-hundred percent a fan by the end of the book. And if the entire book had been written in the way the last half was, I probably would have loved this story. It’s rare that I am undecided with regard to my opinion of any written work, but I suppose it just is what it is.
Brodi Ashton’s debut novel is an example of that. EVERNEATH, as a word, is simply intriguing to me, so when Net Galley approved me for this title, I was quite excited. However, if I may be honest, I had a good amount of issues with the first half of the book, much as it pains me to say.
First off, the story is initially told in sort of vignettes that waffle between before Nikki vanished into the Everneath and after her Return. This didn’t work for me. It made the story seem disjointed, and when you paired that with the fact that the writing is a bit flat – lacking emotion in most cases – it just didn’t make for a very engaging story. (As a bit of a spoiler, the lack of emotion was fitting for the initial portion of the book – as part of living in the Everneath, Nikki had to give up her essence, and it has to be rebuilt upon her Return. But after a while, she was just dull.) I am convinced that this lack of engagement had a LOT to do with the back and forth of the narration.
Why?
Because the last 40-50% of the book was of much more interest, seemed much more cohesive, and moved the plot along much much more - - and it was primarily in the ‘present.’
But, moving along: I’m not sure if this was brave on the part of Ashton or unintentional, but for a large portion of the last half of the book, I found Nikki to be very selfish, almost to the point of wanting to step into the story and smack her just once. The thing is, she thinks incessantly about how terrible her second disappearance will be but doesn’t do anything to prepare any single person, save for Jack, the boy that was her (somewhat weak) rationale for coming back to her old life.
And, regarding Jack: I liked him. Kind-hearted, sweet, typical teenage boy. Everything he did was expected, save for his last act of the book, which did lift my opinion of him a bit. But I preferred Cole. Why? Because Cole had an edge. He was a little hard to decipher, a little hard to like sometimes. But he felt deeply, which was always showcased in subtle ways. He was also kind of a bad ass – musician, motorcycle rider, and quick-witted.(Translation for Ang: YUM.)
Do I like that there’s yet another YA Love Triangle set up? No. But I can see the draw of both boys, and that, in and of itself makes it alright, I suppose. I did like the twisted version of the Tale of Persephone that Ashton took – it’s far from the typical lore in many ways, but I enjoyed her spin on it.
You can probably tell that I’m rather torn regarding my real opinion of EVERNEATH, so I’ll end with this: I liked the tie ins to mythology. I liked the boys. Nikki was alright, though I still wasn’t one-hundred percent a fan by the end of the book. And if the entire book had been written in the way the last half was, I probably would have loved this story. It’s rare that I am undecided with regard to my opinion of any written work, but I suppose it just is what it is.
The whole paranormal romance thing has gotten a little tiring, I'd hope we can mostly agree. That doesn't mean a few good ones aren't able to slip through the cracks now and again, and Everneath is definitely one that beats the fatigue.
This one follows a girl, Nicki, who mysteriously slips into the underworld. She comes back after a time, but only has 6 months left in the real world before the underworld takes her back. She has a boyfriend in the real world, but is supposed to be the queen of the underworld as well, and has to figure out a way to stick around before it's too late.
I loved the concept, as it felt fresh and different. I thought the story moved along really well, I thought the whole thing was pretty great overall. I don't really know how this will end up being a series, but I'm invested enough to see what happens next. A good showing overall.
This one follows a girl, Nicki, who mysteriously slips into the underworld. She comes back after a time, but only has 6 months left in the real world before the underworld takes her back. She has a boyfriend in the real world, but is supposed to be the queen of the underworld as well, and has to figure out a way to stick around before it's too late.
I loved the concept, as it felt fresh and different. I thought the story moved along really well, I thought the whole thing was pretty great overall. I don't really know how this will end up being a series, but I'm invested enough to see what happens next. A good showing overall.
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
I really can`t believe I waited so long to check out this book, the story didn`t seem to interest me all that much. But once I started this book I didn't want to stop reading, prepare yourself to read this in a day (I did...) This is not a book that is filled with action but despite that this book was still heart pounding. It is a beautiful love story (this is the kind of romance I dreamed of as a kid).
I enjoyed the back and forth of past and present to tell the story, we get a glimpse of what caused Nikki to choose the path she did, and see what how her life is different now that she's come back. Ashton switched the time periods at a perfect time in the story, and everything lead up to that ending. I really enjoyed seeing the difference of everyone's attitude following Nikki's return compared to how she was treated before, it was realistic and genuine.
What really sets this book apart is the depth of emotion that you really get from the characters while reading this story. Ashton brings these characters to life and you can really feel every little thing from love to hate to indifference through her writing. Emotions play such a huge part in this book that I felt they were a character of their own at times. Nikki's emotions ring through the most and are the strongest and honestly at times I had goosebumps because I could just imagine everything she was going through.
I found myself putting the book down because I needed to do something else but then putting that off because my mind kept going back to these characters and I longed for more of their story. And even after finishing this book, I need more of them (I'm glad I don't have to wait long for book 2), also that ending killed me and I swear I shed a few tears for these characters at that ending.
Ashton really did a beautiful job with this story and brings a love story that really resonates with you long after you've read this. I will say for a book with very little action in it, this book has you jumping to finish it and yet yearning for the story to last forever.
I really can`t believe I waited so long to check out this book, the story didn`t seem to interest me all that much. But once I started this book I didn't want to stop reading, prepare yourself to read this in a day (I did...) This is not a book that is filled with action but despite that this book was still heart pounding. It is a beautiful love story (this is the kind of romance I dreamed of as a kid).
I enjoyed the back and forth of past and present to tell the story, we get a glimpse of what caused Nikki to choose the path she did, and see what how her life is different now that she's come back. Ashton switched the time periods at a perfect time in the story, and everything lead up to that ending. I really enjoyed seeing the difference of everyone's attitude following Nikki's return compared to how she was treated before, it was realistic and genuine.
What really sets this book apart is the depth of emotion that you really get from the characters while reading this story. Ashton brings these characters to life and you can really feel every little thing from love to hate to indifference through her writing. Emotions play such a huge part in this book that I felt they were a character of their own at times. Nikki's emotions ring through the most and are the strongest and honestly at times I had goosebumps because I could just imagine everything she was going through.
I found myself putting the book down because I needed to do something else but then putting that off because my mind kept going back to these characters and I longed for more of their story. And even after finishing this book, I need more of them (I'm glad I don't have to wait long for book 2), also that ending killed me and I swear I shed a few tears for these characters at that ending.
Ashton really did a beautiful job with this story and brings a love story that really resonates with you long after you've read this. I will say for a book with very little action in it, this book has you jumping to finish it and yet yearning for the story to last forever.
Mixing of cultural mythology (Egyptian and Greek, specifically) was kind of annoying*, but a pretty good read. Ready for the next one.
*Maybe not annoying, but weird, or confusing. Or something.
*Maybe not annoying, but weird, or confusing. Or something.
It took me a while to get into it. But when I did. It was thrilling and heart wrenching.
I didn’t get really into this book until about half way in. After that I was hooked and couldn’t but it down. I love Nikki and Jack’s resistance to accept what will happen. I do have to say that I think Cole is probably my favorite character in this book. He’s obviously a bad boy, but I think somewhere inside he must have the capacity to feel. The beginning of the book was confusing, and I think that’s why I couldn’t get into it. I had too many questions and not enough answers. I think that the basis of this novel on Greek myths was an awesome way to go. It’s different, and I liked it.
It’s taken me over a week to write this review. When I finished it, I wasn’t stoked about this novel. I think a lot of it had to do with my mood. (Which happens a lot.) But after giving myself some time to let the story sink in and think about it, I really like this novel. I recommend it for those that are looking on a different twist to the paranormal genre.
It’s taken me over a week to write this review. When I finished it, I wasn’t stoked about this novel. I think a lot of it had to do with my mood. (Which happens a lot.) But after giving myself some time to let the story sink in and think about it, I really like this novel. I recommend it for those that are looking on a different twist to the paranormal genre.
It is really nice to read a book about Utah that has nothing to do with polygamy. Also it's fun to read a book that takes place in Park City because I love Park City. And it was an interesting and unique take on mythology with a somewhat surprising ending. All the same, I just don't get that into books that revolve around the "infinite and true depths of teen love." Just not my thing. Maybe it's yours. In which case, this book would prolly be good for you. But for those of us who are tired of these 17 year old kids finding the "ultimate and most pure and powerful love in the world," maybe it's not the right book . . .
Everneath was a great Persephone and Hades retelling. I really enjoyed the twists on this original tale that the author came up with. I really liked Cole. He was a very entertaining character in my opinion. I am curious to see what else is in store for Cole and I'm hoping we get to learn more about him in the rest of the trilogy. Overall I enjoyed this book, but it didn't blow me away. It still had that typical YA book feel that I have experienced so many times before. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.