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A review by sproutedpages
Evergreen by Devin Greenlee
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled: Teen, and author Devin Greenlee for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this novel to review. All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
Evergreen is a queer coming-of-age urban romantasy, told from the perspective of teenage dryad Quill, who is just beginning to extend his roots into the world of humans after a childhood of seclusion. Though advertised as a reimagining of The Secret Garden (and similarly described by the author as Rapunzel meets The Secret Garden), Evergreen’s primary parallel to the classic is that it also contains a garden that is kept secret— beyond that, shared plot and thematic components are minimal. That said, Evergreen has an interesting premise, but fails to elaborate sufficiently on what I feel are the most interesting elements of the story: the dryads and their garden. Because of this, it is difficult to grasp the scale of the stakes until very near the end of the novel, which makes the presence (and identity) of the antagonist feel out-of-place, and the ending rushed. There are also several plot and narrative inconsistencies, so perhaps Evergreen could have benefitted from more time spent on developmental editing and revisions. I do, however, feel that Evergreen will be better received by its (intended) YA audience.
Evergreen is a queer coming-of-age urban romantasy, told from the perspective of teenage dryad Quill, who is just beginning to extend his roots into the world of humans after a childhood of seclusion. Though advertised as a reimagining of The Secret Garden (and similarly described by the author as Rapunzel meets The Secret Garden), Evergreen’s primary parallel to the classic is that it also contains a garden that is kept secret— beyond that, shared plot and thematic components are minimal. That said, Evergreen has an interesting premise, but fails to elaborate sufficiently on what I feel are the most interesting elements of the story: the dryads and their garden. Because of this, it is difficult to grasp the scale of the stakes until very near the end of the novel, which makes the presence (and identity) of the antagonist feel out-of-place, and the ending rushed. There are also several plot and narrative inconsistencies, so perhaps Evergreen could have benefitted from more time spent on developmental editing and revisions. I do, however, feel that Evergreen will be better received by its (intended) YA audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail