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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
2.5 stars
The mythology is pretty cool, but this MC... I have so many problems with her. Just wait until you find out how she ended up in the Everneath. Just wait until you uncover the full scope of her selfishness, stupidity, and over-dramatic tendencies.
The mythology is pretty cool, but this MC... I have so many problems with her. Just wait until you find out how she ended up in the Everneath. Just wait until you uncover the full scope of her selfishness, stupidity, and over-dramatic tendencies.
Nikki Beckett has just six months to say goodbye. Six months before The Tunnels will come for her. See, Nikki has become part of the Everneath and unless she can find a way out, they'll be coming for her soon.
A really unique twist on well-known mythology -- Persephone and Orpheus in particular. I look forward to seeing where the series will go with book two, especially after an ending like the one here.
A really unique twist on well-known mythology -- Persephone and Orpheus in particular. I look forward to seeing where the series will go with book two, especially after an ending like the one here.
Everneath is the story of a girl named Nikki (commonly refered to as "Becks" by her close friends) and her journey after she wakes up from the Feed. For a century, she was in the Everneath with a boy named Cole who 'feed' off her- meaning he drained every emotion she had inside her and used it to prolong his life as an immortal. When the Feed is over, he is shocked at her seemingly normalish behavoir, and she, very confused, pictures the face of a boy whose name she can't remember and chooses to go back and find him.
That is the very, very beginning of the story, but I do not want to give any spoilers away, because part of the journey in reading this book is finding out the clues as Nikki does. I can say that I really enjoyed this book. I felt the ideas of how an immortal lives were very unique, and I thought the mythology attached was a very nice touch. While I am against stories being too predictable, I almost felt in parts that this story was too uncertain, like some of the paths the characters could go on were not defined as well as they could be. Even so, that is really the only big criticism I have for this book. I highly liked it, and I can't wait to read the sequel.
That is the very, very beginning of the story, but I do not want to give any spoilers away, because part of the journey in reading this book is finding out the clues as Nikki does. I can say that I really enjoyed this book. I felt the ideas of how an immortal lives were very unique, and I thought the mythology attached was a very nice touch. While I am against stories being too predictable, I almost felt in parts that this story was too uncertain, like some of the paths the characters could go on were not defined as well as they could be. Even so, that is really the only big criticism I have for this book. I highly liked it, and I can't wait to read the sequel.
I'm always on the search for good Hades and Persephone retellings. This summary gave me hope. It talks about a girl who survived the underworld and comes back to the surface. Even without the obvious Persephone themes, those are some of my buzzwords. The marketing and design of the cover also scream Hades and Persephone. Unfortunately... that was all a ruse.
This is not a Hades and Persephone retelling. This is more of an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, with a random "love triangle" thrown in. Except I wouldn't even consider it a love triangle, because, to me, that implies that both love interests have an equal chance. They don't. It's very obvious from the beginning who Nikki has chosen. Which is fine, except it makes the whole love triangle thing even more pointless than it usually is.
If this was marketed like the Orpheus and Eurydice retelling that it is, I think it would be more successful and would have gotten a higher rating from me as I would have had realistic expectations. I know Hades and Persephone is pretty marketable right now, but it's not as if Orpheus and Eurydice is unpopular. In fact, there are plenty of people seeking retellings of the myth as well.
Aside from all of that, the writing style isn't anything to write home about. Although it's a quick read, there are a few things used that I don't tend to enjoy. Most prominently, the always annoying Capitalization Of Random Words To Denote Importance In This World. For example, Everlings. Eveneath. Feed. The author then chooses to not really explain these things at all, just uses the capitalization to show they are ~important~. The reader is very much thrown into the story with no explanation.
Overall, I considered this story a letdown. The characters weren't anything to write home about, the writing is fairly mediocre, and I don't find the romance very compelling. I have continued with the series, because it's easy and I do plan on reading anything even vaguely "Hades and Persephone", but it's not something I'd recommend to most people. This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
This is not a Hades and Persephone retelling. This is more of an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, with a random "love triangle" thrown in. Except I wouldn't even consider it a love triangle, because, to me, that implies that both love interests have an equal chance. They don't. It's very obvious from the beginning who Nikki has chosen. Which is fine, except it makes the whole love triangle thing even more pointless than it usually is.
If this was marketed like the Orpheus and Eurydice retelling that it is, I think it would be more successful and would have gotten a higher rating from me as I would have had realistic expectations. I know Hades and Persephone is pretty marketable right now, but it's not as if Orpheus and Eurydice is unpopular. In fact, there are plenty of people seeking retellings of the myth as well.
Aside from all of that, the writing style isn't anything to write home about. Although it's a quick read, there are a few things used that I don't tend to enjoy. Most prominently, the always annoying Capitalization Of Random Words To Denote Importance In This World. For example, Everlings. Eveneath. Feed. The author then chooses to not really explain these things at all, just uses the capitalization to show they are ~important~. The reader is very much thrown into the story with no explanation.
Overall, I considered this story a letdown. The characters weren't anything to write home about, the writing is fairly mediocre, and I don't find the romance very compelling. I have continued with the series, because it's easy and I do plan on reading anything even vaguely "Hades and Persephone", but it's not something I'd recommend to most people. This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
Wow, I weas genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were great, the interaction was interesting, and though many of the plot traits have been done before, it still felt like a new story. Ashton also did a great job at finishing the story with a satisfying (though not happy) conclusion while still leaving a door opened for the continuing series. I didn't feel like I'd had a rug ripped out from beneath me on the last page, which probably makes the second book more compelling to me than if she had just stopped in the middle of the action.
The romance isn't cloying and Jack was adorably awesome. I also liked that Cole was very much a shade of gray rather than completely evil. There is a lot in this universe to explore and I look forward to seeing where things go.
The romance isn't cloying and Jack was adorably awesome. I also liked that Cole was very much a shade of gray rather than completely evil. There is a lot in this universe to explore and I look forward to seeing where things go.
GIVE ME MORE PLEASE
This was a great start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series.
This was a great start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series.
With an interesting concept--life after death--and a setting in Park City, Utah that I was familiar with, I have to say that I was pretty easily sucked into Brodi Ashton's first novel. There seems to be a lot of information that comes at the reader, in a somewhat vague way, but it is just that vagueness that makes you want to keep reading to find out what is going on. What do we know from the get go? We know that Nikki is a strong-minded girl who has had some traumatic things happen to her, which included her mother's death and some emotional pain that she couldn't shake. We quickly find out that she was also dating Jack, who was the love of her life, at the time that she checked out of life to the Everneath.
What don't we know? A lot. How did she disappear? What really happened to make her decide to "check out" of life (so to say) to enter the Everneath? How did she get there? Why does she only have six months back in her old life before she has to return? Is there a way out? As you can see, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered over the course of the book that keep you reading and wanting more. Some of our questions get answered, and some are sure to come!
While I admittedly struggled at times to put details with answers, I really liked the countdown that starts the book with her return to her life and moves us toward the day she has to surrender to the Everneath. This countdown adds to our desire to know what's up and builds the mystery. We know she has a limited amount of time, so we want her to resolve things at home as much as she does! For this non-mystery fan, I thought the way the story was built around what happened in the past helped to make it more about what was driving the characters than all the details we were looking for about the Everneath. Yes, it's all very mysterious and creepy, but Nikki seems so troubled, Cole so ubiquitously shady, and Jack so wounded that you have to know what caused them to all behave as they do.
Overall, I found this to be an engaging read. The characters have a lot going on, and they seem to learn things at the same time that we do. The air of mystery and romance to this story really make you want to see the characters find resolution to their problems, and mainly to this whole going back to the Everneath at all! I fully intend to share Everneath with my students, who I think will really get into the mystery in the story, along with all of the angst going on between the characters. Honestly, it was a great read, with one doozy of a cliffhanger!
What don't we know? A lot. How did she disappear? What really happened to make her decide to "check out" of life (so to say) to enter the Everneath? How did she get there? Why does she only have six months back in her old life before she has to return? Is there a way out? As you can see, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered over the course of the book that keep you reading and wanting more. Some of our questions get answered, and some are sure to come!
While I admittedly struggled at times to put details with answers, I really liked the countdown that starts the book with her return to her life and moves us toward the day she has to surrender to the Everneath. This countdown adds to our desire to know what's up and builds the mystery. We know she has a limited amount of time, so we want her to resolve things at home as much as she does! For this non-mystery fan, I thought the way the story was built around what happened in the past helped to make it more about what was driving the characters than all the details we were looking for about the Everneath. Yes, it's all very mysterious and creepy, but Nikki seems so troubled, Cole so ubiquitously shady, and Jack so wounded that you have to know what caused them to all behave as they do.
Overall, I found this to be an engaging read. The characters have a lot going on, and they seem to learn things at the same time that we do. The air of mystery and romance to this story really make you want to see the characters find resolution to their problems, and mainly to this whole going back to the Everneath at all! I fully intend to share Everneath with my students, who I think will really get into the mystery in the story, along with all of the angst going on between the characters. Honestly, it was a great read, with one doozy of a cliffhanger!
Spoilers.
Everneath by Brodi Ashton. Some parts were great, and other parts were more on the "meh" side.
Let's start with the plot. Am I the only one who found it slightly, er, sketchy? I guess I don't feel like it was fully fleshed out enough. We never got a full description of the Everneath and the whole process of Everlivings sucking the energy? soul? heat? from human victims and my mind still can't fully wrap around that concept. Brodi Ashton probably wanted us readers to take some "imaginative liberties" so to speak, concerning that part, but still! The Everneath is an absolutely key element that drives the plot and Nikki, so I would hope for a leetle more detail, ya know. It was vague. And it intrigued me, but we don't really learn about it. Instead! The book is mostly about how Nikki is haunted by it.
And that comes to point numero dos. Nikki Beckett. So she returns to the Earth to truly redeem herself, and fix all those things that she left broken when she left her friends, her boyfriend, and her family the first time. But the problem is, is that I didn't really get the feeling that she was trying hard. She was really just focused on Jack Caputo, and was torn between preserving his attachment to her and building up their relationship to some form of "love", or ending in then and there, so he could get on with his life, because she secretly knows that he would be better off not obsessed with her. She basically wants him to love her, and wants him to not love her at the same time. So because she's at this standstill, Nikki does virtually nothing . She just has those utterly, painfully, extremely awkward afterschool sessions where she pretends to be doing schoolwork when she's actually just scrutinizing every action that Jack makes, oh, and no actual conversation really happens between the two for like, half the book. And she sometimes fends off Cole and his creepy persuasion techniques. This is pretty much the first 3/4 of the book. The rest is flashbacks of Nikki and her life before the Everneath, and how she happy she was and everything, and now she's all broken inside and lonely.
And I'm thinking, "Girl! We know you have regrets! But the past is over and done with! It's history! Shouldn't you be trying, to er, fix things? Like you told yourself you would?" And I guess that's my main problem with Miss Beckett. She's the kind of person who tells herself she'll do something, but ends up not following through. And so time slips away, and suddenly we have what? Two months left? And Nikki finally is like, "Oh, shoot, I haven't done anything." And this is another issue with me. I feel like, if most people had a chance, even the slightest chance, to come back from the dead basically, and make things right on the earth, they would throw themselves at it, and devote themselves wholeheartedly toward redemption or something. And Nikki...she just doesn't. She's just obsessed over Jack, even though she spends most of the time hiding from him when people ARE trying to reconnect with her. And nearing the end, she toys with the idea that it might be possible for her to stay on the Earth. It finally occurs to her, when she has like a month left! And even then, she doesn't fully focus on that. There are two things. Living life to the fullest for the last six months, or finding a way to stay on the Earth. And because she's I don't know, confused, upset, and kinda lacking will (understandable of course), she tries to do both, but ends up getting really nothing accomplished until the last month.
This sounds like I'm bashing on Nikki. But I'm trying not to, that girl seriously needs a hug and some R&R. She has my sympathy. But the rest of the characters...Jack Caputo for instance. He felt slightly flat at times. And Cole, who's supposed to be "smoldering", came off more like whiny, insistent, and kinda creepy. But when you put the characters all together, they fit. They work.
And then the end of the book. Or, at least, the 25% where things really start happening.
Wait, backtrack a bit. First of all, there were some very predictable things in this novel. Meredith. I knew she was Mary the first time the strange-Mary-disappearance-thing was mentioned. To me, it was like Ashton kept trying to drop subtle hints, oh Meredith knows something about Persephone, oh Mary was involved with Cole's band (whatever their band name was), etc. but these hints were more like forty-pound anvils.
Now, back to the end of the book. The mythology makes a reappearance now, finally! Except...this time, it's Egyptian. It started out with Persephone...and ended with Isis. Huh? So yeah, the mythology is kinda tangled together, but aren't all myths like that? So I appreciate what Ashton did there.
In a nutshell. Whoa, "major discoveries"! Meredith is Mary! She knows how Nikki can stay on earth! Aaah, Meredith is taken by a swirling tornado vortex thing (Wizard of Oz, anyone?) Oh, but she leaves a bracelet! The bracelet, has weird charms! What do they mean, what do they mean? Whoa, Nikki is some special daughter of Persephone! Smash Cole's heart, it's in his guitar! No, wait, it's his pick!
Uh-oh. Too late. The Everneath has come.
And Jack sacrifices himself instead.
Oh my, that was slightly cliche, but also touching. Maybe Nikki has found redemption after all. And now that she's lost love...well at least she finally has a will. To fight for it.
Yeah, this review was a lot of criticism...*cringes*. But the book is better than what I've made it sound like, I assure you! Brodi Ashton writes in a way that's straight to the point. She's not some lyrical, purple-prose spinner. And through this, you get the the harsh, gritty feelings Nikki has in full color—desperation, pain, hopelessness, regret.
And, there were times when the story was really just...sad. Nikki realizes that she made mistakes, and she rashly might've just thrown away her life in an emotionally charged moment by accepting Cole's offer, but now she's determined to make amends. Yet, also, it's almost like she's almost given up a bit, and she's in such pain...it's just sad.
But those bits like where she finds out she can laugh, and smile, and genuinely feel it, are bits that I really enjoyed. Nikki's self-confidence is boosted, and her heart slowly heals.
It's an intriguing concept, with and oddly-paced plot and a kinda forlorn feel at times, but still, it's well-done. 3.5 stars!
Everneath by Brodi Ashton. Some parts were great, and other parts were more on the "meh" side.
Let's start with the plot. Am I the only one who found it slightly, er, sketchy? I guess I don't feel like it was fully fleshed out enough. We never got a full description of the Everneath and the whole process of Everlivings sucking the energy? soul? heat? from human victims and my mind still can't fully wrap around that concept. Brodi Ashton probably wanted us readers to take some "imaginative liberties" so to speak, concerning that part, but still! The Everneath is an absolutely key element that drives the plot and Nikki, so I would hope for a leetle more detail, ya know. It was vague. And it intrigued me, but we don't really learn about it. Instead! The book is mostly about how Nikki is haunted by it.
And that comes to point numero dos. Nikki Beckett. So she returns to the Earth to truly redeem herself, and fix all those things that she left broken when she left her friends, her boyfriend, and her family the first time. But the problem is, is that I didn't really get the feeling that she was trying hard. She was really just focused on Jack Caputo, and was torn between preserving his attachment to her and building up their relationship to some form of "love", or ending in then and there, so he could get on with his life, because she secretly knows that he would be better off not obsessed with her. She basically wants him to love her, and wants him to not love her at the same time. So because she's at this standstill, Nikki does virtually nothing . She just has those utterly, painfully, extremely awkward afterschool sessions where she pretends to be doing schoolwork when she's actually just scrutinizing every action that Jack makes, oh, and no actual conversation really happens between the two for like, half the book. And she sometimes fends off Cole and his creepy persuasion techniques. This is pretty much the first 3/4 of the book. The rest is flashbacks of Nikki and her life before the Everneath, and how she happy she was and everything, and now she's all broken inside and lonely.
And I'm thinking, "Girl! We know you have regrets! But the past is over and done with! It's history! Shouldn't you be trying, to er, fix things? Like you told yourself you would?" And I guess that's my main problem with Miss Beckett. She's the kind of person who tells herself she'll do something, but ends up not following through. And so time slips away, and suddenly we have what? Two months left? And Nikki finally is like, "Oh, shoot, I haven't done anything." And this is another issue with me. I feel like, if most people had a chance, even the slightest chance, to come back from the dead basically, and make things right on the earth, they would throw themselves at it, and devote themselves wholeheartedly toward redemption or something. And Nikki...she just doesn't. She's just obsessed over Jack, even though she spends most of the time hiding from him when people ARE trying to reconnect with her. And nearing the end, she toys with the idea that it might be possible for her to stay on the Earth. It finally occurs to her, when she has like a month left! And even then, she doesn't fully focus on that. There are two things. Living life to the fullest for the last six months, or finding a way to stay on the Earth. And because she's I don't know, confused, upset, and kinda lacking will (understandable of course), she tries to do both, but ends up getting really nothing accomplished until the last month.
This sounds like I'm bashing on Nikki. But I'm trying not to, that girl seriously needs a hug and some R&R. She has my sympathy. But the rest of the characters...Jack Caputo for instance. He felt slightly flat at times. And Cole, who's supposed to be "smoldering", came off more like whiny, insistent, and kinda creepy. But when you put the characters all together, they fit. They work.
And then the end of the book. Or, at least, the 25% where things really start happening.
Wait, backtrack a bit. First of all, there were some very predictable things in this novel. Meredith. I knew she was Mary the first time the strange-Mary-disappearance-thing was mentioned. To me, it was like Ashton kept trying to drop subtle hints, oh Meredith knows something about Persephone, oh Mary was involved with Cole's band (whatever their band name was), etc. but these hints were more like forty-pound anvils.
Now, back to the end of the book. The mythology makes a reappearance now, finally! Except...this time, it's Egyptian. It started out with Persephone...and ended with Isis. Huh? So yeah, the mythology is kinda tangled together, but aren't all myths like that? So I appreciate what Ashton did there.
In a nutshell. Whoa, "major discoveries"! Meredith is Mary! She knows how Nikki can stay on earth! Aaah, Meredith is taken by a swirling tornado vortex thing (Wizard of Oz, anyone?) Oh, but she leaves a bracelet! The bracelet, has weird charms! What do they mean, what do they mean? Whoa, Nikki is some special daughter of Persephone! Smash Cole's heart, it's in his guitar! No, wait, it's his pick!
Uh-oh. Too late. The Everneath has come.
And Jack sacrifices himself instead.
Oh my, that was slightly cliche, but also touching. Maybe Nikki has found redemption after all. And now that she's lost love...well at least she finally has a will. To fight for it.
Yeah, this review was a lot of criticism...*cringes*. But the book is better than what I've made it sound like, I assure you! Brodi Ashton writes in a way that's straight to the point. She's not some lyrical, purple-prose spinner. And through this, you get the the harsh, gritty feelings Nikki has in full color—desperation, pain, hopelessness, regret.
And, there were times when the story was really just...sad. Nikki realizes that she made mistakes, and she rashly might've just thrown away her life in an emotionally charged moment by accepting Cole's offer, but now she's determined to make amends. Yet, also, it's almost like she's almost given up a bit, and she's in such pain...it's just sad.
But those bits like where she finds out she can laugh, and smile, and genuinely feel it, are bits that I really enjoyed. Nikki's self-confidence is boosted, and her heart slowly heals.
It's an intriguing concept, with and oddly-paced plot and a kinda forlorn feel at times, but still, it's well-done. 3.5 stars!
A gorgeous modern tale featuring flavors from the Hades/Persephone and Orpheus/Eurydice myths (both stories I've always loved!) as well as Egyptian mythology. I really enjoyed watching Nikki’s growth throughout the book, especially as she took ownership of her decisions and how they affected others. Also her emotional development was lovely to see, and beautifully described.
The story was well written, the language was stunning, and I liked how it unfolded through glimpses of the months leading up to the Feed, interspersed with the count down to the Return.
Then there’s Cole and Jack. And really who I want to talk about is Jack, because I fell in love with him. But I will say that Cole was an intriguing character, though I never quite felt like I got a handle on him.I don’t trust him, but I do think that he cares for Nikki. However, how much of that is genuine, and how much of that is because of what he took from her, or what he could gain from her, I’m not sure. He did have a few good moments, but almost everything he did was calculating and manipulative, or it appeared to be. I am looking forward to what he has in store for us in book two, as I’m certain that there’s a lot more of him to come. Hopefully, it will clear up what is true about him.
Okay on to Jack. I loved how his character was revealed slowly throughout the book, and that I didn’t know what to think of him through much of the story. He was a constant/solid but silent presence to Nikki through much of the book. But as the story developed I began to see that the way he handled her was exactly what she needed. The way he waited for her to open up to him was beautifully written, and then he was also capable of taking action – which he did quite effectively at the end of the book.
I look forward to the sequel to this story! I want to learn more about how the bracelet plays into everything. And there is so much about the world that we just don’t know yet.
The story was well written, the language was stunning, and I liked how it unfolded through glimpses of the months leading up to the Feed, interspersed with the count down to the Return.
Then there’s Cole and Jack. And really who I want to talk about is Jack, because I fell in love with him. But I will say that Cole was an intriguing character, though I never quite felt like I got a handle on him.
Okay on to Jack. I loved how his character was revealed slowly throughout the book, and that I didn’t know what to think of him through much of the story. He was a constant/solid but silent presence to Nikki through much of the book. But as the story developed I began to see that the way he handled her was exactly what she needed. The way he waited for her to open up to him was beautifully written, and then he was also capable of taking action – which he did quite effectively at the end of the book.
Spoiler
The whole idea of an anchor or a tether, was so gorgeous. And I loved that it created tension in the story because though Nikki chose to go with Cole, she wouldn’t have survived without Jack.I look forward to the sequel to this story! I want to learn more about how the bracelet plays into everything. And there is so much about the world that we just don’t know yet.
Now I must confess that I did judge this book by its cover. It's beautiful and the way her dress portrays the space and infinity of the Surface and the Everneath, or in Nikki's case Hell. Sinister yet Enchanting. Once I read the description... that had concluded my decision... two boys, one girl and Immortality? It didn't disappoint.
~~~6 months ago ~~~
Nikki Beckett had her whole life ahead of her... until she got sucked into the realms of the Everneath...
~~~Century later/6 months later~~~
Nikki Returns to seek the love her of life Jack and repair the loss and sadness that became of her family... Nikki finds it hard to regain her emotions when she has been sucked of her essense... Now she Returns with a plan, but Cole, dangerously handsome Everling followers her from beneath. Its not long until she only has 6 month left.
6 months to say goodbye, 6 months to make the hardest decisions in her life, 6 months to find redemption, and 6 months to remember why...
~~~
Nikki Beckett, the protagonist of the novel is simple 'typical teenage girl' until tragedy struck with her family as she decides to take the pain away. The determination of her pain resolves in surfacing into her home-town. Her character often portrays her weaknesses as her strengths. Clearly her emotions and loyalty becomes the better of her. Her loyalty is directed more towards her ex-boyfriend Jack, her true-love and the answer to her problems. Nikki has a choice... to seek redemption and stay on the Surface, or be claimed by the Shades and the rules of the Tunnels...
Jack is the 'popular guy' but he is the anchor of the novel. His with-standing friendship with Nikki becomes the his greatest and loving relationship... Together they are their strength of redemption, together their weakness lies in the romantic intent. He is a decent guy and the one that you will all fall for, believe me. His emotions become his baggage when Nikki vanished, but he cannot live without and knowing that she might go away again will only makes it worse... Their love is pure, true and enchanting. Don't let Cole distract you, he is an possessive, mythical creature who will up-heave anything to come between Nikki and Change. He can't admit his feeling because he feeds of them...
What I found very intriguing and interesting about the novel and the style of writing is that the various parts of the book act as the Nikki emotional balance throughout the book. You may say huh, what does she mean by that... When you read this book at the beginning; Nikki character is empty and unstable at grasping life. In the middle, her character is balanced. In the end she is overwhelmed with life and emotions that she is so close to the edge, but she doesn't fall... and so the series continues.
~~~6 months ago ~~~
Nikki Beckett had her whole life ahead of her... until she got sucked into the realms of the Everneath...
~~~Century later/6 months later~~~
Nikki Returns to seek the love her of life Jack and repair the loss and sadness that became of her family... Nikki finds it hard to regain her emotions when she has been sucked of her essense... Now she Returns with a plan, but Cole, dangerously handsome Everling followers her from beneath. Its not long until she only has 6 month left.
6 months to say goodbye, 6 months to make the hardest decisions in her life, 6 months to find redemption, and 6 months to remember why...
~~~
Nikki Beckett, the protagonist of the novel is simple 'typical teenage girl' until tragedy struck with her family as she decides to take the pain away. The determination of her pain resolves in surfacing into her home-town. Her character often portrays her weaknesses as her strengths. Clearly her emotions and loyalty becomes the better of her. Her loyalty is directed more towards her ex-boyfriend Jack, her true-love and the answer to her problems. Nikki has a choice... to seek redemption and stay on the Surface, or be claimed by the Shades and the rules of the Tunnels...
Jack is the 'popular guy' but he is the anchor of the novel. His with-standing friendship with Nikki becomes the his greatest and loving relationship... Together they are their strength of redemption, together their weakness lies in the romantic intent. He is a decent guy and the one that you will all fall for, believe me. His emotions become his baggage when Nikki vanished, but he cannot live without and knowing that she might go away again will only makes it worse... Their love is pure, true and enchanting. Don't let Cole distract you, he is an possessive, mythical creature who will up-heave anything to come between Nikki and Change. He can't admit his feeling because he feeds of them...
What I found very intriguing and interesting about the novel and the style of writing is that the various parts of the book act as the Nikki emotional balance throughout the book. You may say huh, what does she mean by that... When you read this book at the beginning; Nikki character is empty and unstable at grasping life. In the middle, her character is balanced. In the end she is overwhelmed with life and emotions that she is so close to the edge, but she doesn't fall... and so the series continues.