“I spent my life folded between the pages of books.In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.”

― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Summary by goodreads.com

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...





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First of all Brodi is a genius. She's just amazing. Her writing is STUNNING! It has such clearity and poetic-ness too it. The very first page, even the first line grabbed me from the beginning. Even the description was breath taking. Here is a small teaster of the first few lines for you:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was picturing his face—a boy with floppy brown hair and brown eyes—when the Feed ended.


At first I didn't know where I was or why it was so dark. I knew only that the pain inside me—the feeling that I was being drained from the inside out—had subsided, and now everything was numb. Maybe I no longer exsisted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

as much as I'd like to give you the whole dang first page, I can't. You're just going to have to go out and buy/rent/borrow it yourself. I really love this book a lot. A ton of aspects kept me up for nights afterward contemplating it over and over again, the ending, begining, quotes said, actions made, all of it. Before I talk about my specific spoiler alert feelings, I've got to mention this. Isn't the cover stunning!!!? Some synonyms of my thoughts on the DROP DEAD GEORGOUS COVER:

alluring
dazzling
enticing
radiant
magnificent
marvelous
breath taking
pulchritudinous (beautiful)
and many many more. Needless to say, I think this cover fits PERFECTLY with the book. ****semi-spoiler alert**** Nikki's beautful red dress suggests princess/queen as she walks down off a cloud of "shades" very much the aura she accumulates by the end of the book. By definition: Persephone.

This book is a rendition/retelling of the famous Greek myths Hades/Persephone and Orpheus/Eurydice. This book has a very rich love triangle. There's Jack, the AMAZINGLY HOT AND TOTALLY FANGIRL-ABLE love of Nikki's life. And Cole, the extremely hot looking lead singer of his band (****Spoiler Alert**** of emotion eaters from hell) called The Dead Elvis'. Nikki somehow manages ****SPOILER ALERT!!**** to stay young while she is in the Feed with Cole for one reason. And that reason is Jack. Jack was her only tie to her memories which Cole was sucking out of her for one hundered years.Even if she couldn't remeber exactly why she had to remeber his face. All this sounds super confusing but it makes for quite an alluring plot. Nikki chooses to go back home for six months instead of becoming Cole's queen in the underworld. (HADES AND PERSEPHONE). She remebers Jack for one second and refuses to go with Cole because she knows theres something important about his face (ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE) . . . even if she can't remeber. This of course makes you WANT to know who the heck this guy is...and boy does Brodi not dissapoint! Nikki eventually sets things straight with Jack (THANK GOODNESS!) and they both work together to try and beat the Shades that are coming for Nikki after her six months are up. If you are unfarmiliar with the Hade and Persephone or Orpheus and Eurydice myths here is a short summary. Hades (Cole in this case) abducts Persephone (Nikki) to the underworld to be his Queen. Persephone misses her mother (Jack in this case the love of her life, not her mother) and her mother thinks of her all the time and will not rest until she is found. Hades lets Persephone go on the condition she comes back during the winter. In the Orpheus and Eurydice myth Orpheus's (Jack) wife Eurydice (Nikki) dies. She is the love of his life so he makes a deal with Hades (Cole) that he can take her back out of the underworld and she will follow behind him, as long as he promises not to look back. He of course looks back.

Cole doesn't give up on Nikki. He wants to take over the royal court in the Everneath but he can't do that without Nikki. When Nikki procedes to ignore Cole's attempts and channel her focus into Jack, Cole digs a little deeper. Imagining the look on Jacks face when Nikki's "Ex-boyfriend" comes and demands her back. Nikki instantly realizes that it's Cole who changed his appearence but Jack believes that Nikki had run away with this guy when she dissapeared.

While reading this book I lived for each moment Jack and Nikki were together. English class in the mornings, silently working, and in the food shelter. When they worked together to attempt to kill Cole I really was so happy they were one again. But I knew Nikki had to leave, I just never magined this end.... I really think they should have shoved Cole to the Shades. Is that even possible? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

Through this book the story is told from Nikki's point of view. She narrates the story quite beautifully. Filling patches of missing information by going back and fourth in time. Each chapter heading says when its taking place, where, and how much time is left before the Shades come for Nikki. For example, Chapter Six: NOW My bedroom. Four and a half months left. Since the story picks up at the end of the Feed this format explains what happened before and why she went to the Feed anyway. As always trauma comes from misunderstandings and that exactly what happened here. If Nikki had just waited for Jack to explain she wouldn't have gone to see Cole, who wouldn't have taken her to the Feed. But than we wouldn't have a story, now would we?

***END OF SPOILERS***
Nikki is a character I became very attached to. . .she really developes throughout the story. The ending is absolutely heart wrenching. I can NOT wait for the next book. The last lines "I will find him." are simply addicting. Even though you can tell it's over you still flip the page, only to see the acknowledgment page and your heart aches for more. GREATFULLY the second installment will be coming soon. It's called Everbound. (BRILLIANT TITLE) Sadly the cover or release date have not been shared yet but the cover will come soon!

Please read Everneath! It's an addicting read. You won't be able to put it down, gaurinteed. Please comment and let us know what you thought of Everneath.

-Kait

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