A review by scythefranz
Everlost by Neal Shusterman

4.0

“But we can't choose what we forget. The more we try to forget something, the more we end up remembering it.”

I should've read Everlost before. Even I idolized and worshipped Neal Shusterman, I stalled myself to read this book because I thought I will not enjoy an afterlife novel. Guess, I was wrong. I really did enjoy reading this one.

Everlost is a limbo between life and death. It's where the dead children go. No adults. Just children up to the age of 14. It's like the afterlife but it is not?

As a novel, Everlost is a fun but haunting one. Fun because there's a great adventure and mysteries to solve. Haunting because it reminds us about the complexity of life and death and everything in-between.

It looks like a book about children playing and doing stuff but it's actually a dark one that convey lessons and realization about existing and not existing. Seriously when I think about it, I got scared of what is waiting for me in the other side or is there really a destination after all of these? What is the feeling of being stucked in a miserable place? Yep, I got scared with those thoughts.

Anyway, I liked how the characters had grown into me, major or minor. Their characterization had been developed so well, I ended up liking them all and very much anticipating what they will do in the sequel. The world-building were superb also. I pictured it fine in my mind and found it truly interesting and disturbing. Shusterman described the Everlost like it was real. But, he left some mysteries to be pondered upon. There are still holes to fill and questions to answer about this bizarre world of the dead children.

As a whole, Everlost is an engrossing read. It captures the child in me and makes me appreciate the fun, adventure, dread, hopes, dreams and worry and everything else experienced by the characters. It lures me to an intriguing and haunting world without having me oriented to what I will stumble upon. And it makes me think about life and death and to what will happen next.