Everneath (Everneath, #1)

Everneath
Brodi Ashton
370 pages
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Source: library
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

I first became aware of this novel late last fall and immediately wanted to read it, simply for its title and cover... how pretty.  Happily enough, the novel turned out to be even more wonderful than the cover.  I absolutely loved it!  And if my parents hadn't been in town taking up much of my time (and buying me delicious dinners) I would have found the time to read it all in one sitting.

Everneath follows six months of the life of Nikki.  She allowed herself to be pulled into the Everneath to be fed off of, but now she has six months back at the "Surface" to be reunited with her family, friends, and most importantly, boyfriend, before she has to leave again... forever.  But Nikki has a choice to make; Cole, the boy who sucked on her soul in Everneath, has followed her back to the Surface and wants her to become his Queen.  It's not an appealing choice for Nikki, but neither is the gruesome alternative.

Gah!  I loved this book so much!  (*Hugs book*)  I loved the new take on the Persephone myth as well as the other hints at mythology that intersperse the plot and I think Brodi Ashton did a fantastic job reconceptualizing that.  There are lots of other YA mythological retellings on the market right now, but this one did it right.  Not only that, but the writing is beautiful.  Before Nikki was taken to Everneath, she was a typical high school girl, but now her life is infinitely more complicated and though it's not necessarily a happy story, it's gorgeously written and told.

Besides the awesome plot, I loved the characters.  I felt they were all well-rounded, even the secondary characters, although I would have liked to have learned more about Nikki's best friend Jules.  The one thing that really struck me was what happened to Nikki's mom.  It was a sad event, yet I found myself wondering about it.  I don't want to give too much away, but I felt like there was a point where Nikki could have made a decision and as a result would have been able to see her mother again, and I'm not sure why that didn't occur to her.

The themes of the novel went deep and the story is really about how decisions made in the moment can really affect your future in ways you never anticipated.  And it's true!  A lot of young adults don't realize the decisions they make on a daily basis can really affect their futures.  We all need to slow down and think a little more, but when Nikki didn't do that and it created this wonderful story, I can't fault her for it.

Have a I mentioned I loved this book?

Five stars!  This is definitely one of my most favorite books of the year so far and I'm eagerly awaiting next January for the release of its sequel, Everbound.  If you haven't read Everneath yet, it's really time you get around to it, you won't be disappointed.

7/12 completed