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schmoobles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a wonderful series! Some of the best world-building I have ever read! I am so sad that there are not more stories about Everlost. The characters are also well-written. I was in love with some characters while absolutely DESPISING some others (especially one character >:( you’ll find out once you read it). The only reason I did not give it a five-star rating was that the ending of the series felt a bit rushed. It did not quite fit into the pace of the rest of the series. But by no means does that mean that others should not read these books!
erixtone's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful series, third only to Chaos Walking and Maze Runner in my book.
Later in the third book it seemed as if the author was tired of writing. I stopped more than once, thinking that I had skipped chapters. I never had, the author rushed through parts - always inconsequential parts, however. Overall this did not detract from the experience.
Later in the third book it seemed as if the author was tired of writing. I stopped more than once, thinking that I had skipped chapters. I never had, the author rushed through parts - always inconsequential parts, however. Overall this did not detract from the experience.
lookingforamandaa's review against another edition
4.0
The Skinjacker Trilogy is one of Schusterman’s series that I read years and years ago and remember nothing about. Honestly, I think I only ever read the first book. But I’m glad that I reread it and finished the trilogy. I’m going to review the whole trilogy in this one long post because I read them all back-to-back, so I’d rather just talk about it all overall. I managed to reread this whole trilogy over Mother’s Day weekend because it was super interesting and I just needed to know how everything ended. I made notes for each book, so I’ll briefly mention them before I talk about the series as a whole. The first book, Everlost, was interesting mostly because of the concept of this in-between place for lost souls. I liked the characters well enough, but I thought the plot was lacking. It felt like the first book was just world building and set up for the rest of the series. The second book, Everwild, is where things started to get really interesting plot wise. The story moves slowly, but it’s very clear that Shusterman placed building blocks, little bits and pieces, that would come back into the story later. This goes for the third book, Everfound, too. Some of the things we see and learn about in books one and two come back into play for book three. I loved this aspect where we get to see things come full circle. Everwild is where we really see the characters grow and we see what they’re made of. Oh boy, does Schusterman make his characters suffer in this series. I still loved them all though.
There were a few different romances in this series, I liked all but one of them. I just couldn’t get behind Nick and Mary as romantic interests for one another. I think this was really the only thing I didn’t like about the series. It was there through all three books and I just didn’t find it believable. I did, however, really like Allie and Mikey together, as well as the other couples we see get together. I also want to mention the historical sites that are mentioned and some that play a part in this story. In Everlost, we see the Twin Towers, the Hindenburg airship, In Everwild the characters leave the East Coast and move west across the United States. We get to see the World’s Fair in Chicago and Graceland. The final book we get to see the Alamo and the Trinity Vortex (the site of the first atomic bomb). I think the way that Shusterman included these bits and pieces of history was fascinating and thoughtful. I just overall had a fun time reading this series. It was silly and occasionally ridiculous, but it was also way more serious than I anticipated. There were some really dark plotlines that I was not expecting, but then there were things like Nick being named the ‘chocolate ogre’ so the serious and sometimes dark parts of the story were balanced with a bit of silliness and I liked that.
There were a few different romances in this series, I liked all but one of them. I just couldn’t get behind Nick and Mary as romantic interests for one another. I think this was really the only thing I didn’t like about the series. It was there through all three books and I just didn’t find it believable. I did, however, really like Allie and Mikey together, as well as the other couples we see get together. I also want to mention the historical sites that are mentioned and some that play a part in this story. In Everlost, we see the Twin Towers, the Hindenburg airship, In Everwild the characters leave the East Coast and move west across the United States. We get to see the World’s Fair in Chicago and Graceland. The final book we get to see the Alamo and the Trinity Vortex (the site of the first atomic bomb). I think the way that Shusterman included these bits and pieces of history was fascinating and thoughtful. I just overall had a fun time reading this series. It was silly and occasionally ridiculous, but it was also way more serious than I anticipated. There were some really dark plotlines that I was not expecting, but then there were things like Nick being named the ‘chocolate ogre’ so the serious and sometimes dark parts of the story were balanced with a bit of silliness and I liked that.
sedwards1992's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
123marib's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
stephilica's review against another edition
4.0
The Skinjacker Trilogy is a series where the main characters are dead, but it's arguably about making the most of life.
The main conflict stems from three young "Afterlights" in Everlost, an in-between world filled with the children who died but had yet to reach the Light, and their reactions to their new circumstances: one wants to hold onto the life she's lost; one wants to find his way to the Light beyond Everlost and experience the true afterlife; and one wants to stay put.
The story is told through a dry wit that can miss the mark occasionally, but is genuinely clever for most of the time. Shusterman manipulates tone adroitly with dark humor or subtle sinister details; the series never becomes too depressing or too light-hearted, but it can get under the skin. This narration occasionally foreshadows too strongly, but more often sets up beautifully subtle foil dynamics between the three characters; the line between heroes and villains is clear, but interestingly, the motivations are the same. Shusterman builds Mary's descent slowly, through tricks of dialogue and in-universe "excerpts" from her writings, while also building Nick and Allie into heroic figures and Mikey into a prodigal.
The world of Everlost has its own, internal set of rules built around "belief;" these range from Afterlights sinking if they allow the "gravity" of their grief to overwhelm them, to manipulation of matter around them simply through force of will. It's an interesting dynamic, as the strongest Afterlights are those with the strongest ability to convince themselves completely, which can be a blessing or a curse, if one becomes so utterly certain that they are forever and always correct, no matter what they do.
Throughout the high-stakes battles for control of Everlost or manipulations of a juvenile crime empire, Shusterman also takes the time to explore the value in small things. Nick and Mary fight a battle of ideals, and their story is the most pivotal of the series--but Allie's is an understated examination of what it means to take things for granted, from monumental interpersonal connections (like weddings) to the mundane experiences of the everyday (like eating a Snickers).
A true weakness might be Shusterman's reluctance to fully embrace the implications of his world: Mary and Mikey are both steeped in Western religious symbolism (Mary literally says "God wills it!" in a nod to the Crusades), but Leif embraces an Eastern "inner peace" ideology, and Jix is a character born of Mayan religious influence. Having this varied of an examination of the afterlife is not, in itself, a bad idea; the problem stems from the fact that the incompatible doctrines of these teachings are never addressed outside of one brief conversation that is more hanging a lampshade than truly answering anything. It's understandable that Shusterman doesn't want to alienate his audience or make a concrete statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide what is in the Light, but when the main characters are making references to Heaven and Hell and other characters shrug their shoulders and mention Xibalba, it can be disorienting.
This series is not perfect, but it's rich enough to leave behind a sweet and satisfied feeling.
The main conflict stems from three young "Afterlights" in Everlost, an in-between world filled with the children who died but had yet to reach the Light, and their reactions to their new circumstances: one wants to hold onto the life she's lost; one wants to find his way to the Light beyond Everlost and experience the true afterlife; and one wants to stay put.
The story is told through a dry wit that can miss the mark occasionally, but is genuinely clever for most of the time. Shusterman manipulates tone adroitly with dark humor or subtle sinister details; the series never becomes too depressing or too light-hearted, but it can get under the skin. This narration occasionally foreshadows too strongly, but more often sets up beautifully subtle foil dynamics between the three characters; the line between heroes and villains is clear, but interestingly, the motivations are the same. Shusterman builds Mary's descent slowly, through tricks of dialogue and in-universe "excerpts" from her writings, while also building Nick and Allie into heroic figures and Mikey into a prodigal.
The world of Everlost has its own, internal set of rules built around "belief;" these range from Afterlights sinking if they allow the "gravity" of their grief to overwhelm them, to manipulation of matter around them simply through force of will. It's an interesting dynamic, as the strongest Afterlights are those with the strongest ability to convince themselves completely, which can be a blessing or a curse, if one becomes so utterly certain that they are forever and always correct, no matter what they do.
Throughout the high-stakes battles for control of Everlost or manipulations of a juvenile crime empire, Shusterman also takes the time to explore the value in small things. Nick and Mary fight a battle of ideals, and their story is the most pivotal of the series--but Allie's is an understated examination of what it means to take things for granted, from monumental interpersonal connections (like weddings) to the mundane experiences of the everyday (like eating a Snickers).
A true weakness might be Shusterman's reluctance to fully embrace the implications of his world: Mary and Mikey are both steeped in Western religious symbolism (Mary literally says "God wills it!" in a nod to the Crusades), but Leif embraces an Eastern "inner peace" ideology, and Jix is a character born of Mayan religious influence. Having this varied of an examination of the afterlife is not, in itself, a bad idea; the problem stems from the fact that the incompatible doctrines of these teachings are never addressed outside of one brief conversation that is more hanging a lampshade than truly answering anything. It's understandable that Shusterman doesn't want to alienate his audience or make a concrete statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide what is in the Light, but when the main characters are making references to Heaven and Hell and other characters shrug their shoulders and mention Xibalba, it can be disorienting.
This series is not perfect, but it's rich enough to leave behind a sweet and satisfied feeling.
rei_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0