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Blogger Talk Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher: Harper/Balzer + Bray (January 21st, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 370 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Everneath #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
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…
Review: I gotta say, Brodi Ashton sure knows how to put a new twist on an ancient Greek myth. I've never been the biggest fan of these retellings but this is way up on the list for my favorites I've read. When we meet Nikki she has been in the Everneath for 6 months (our time) but much longer than that in her reality. She had let heartbreak and sorrow lead her down a path and pointed straight at Cole — the new rock star with a few special abilities. Cole was able to give Nikki what she needed at the time and she made the decision to follow him.

Now Nikki is back, sort of. She doesn't feel completely normal and her friends have no idea what she has went through. She just wants a chance to make it okay before she is forced back into that world. Mostly, she wants to do the right thing for Jack, the guy she was dating when she went under.

The beginning of this story was a little confusing for me but that was part of the reason I kept reading. I'm new to these myths so I was interesting to see where everything fit. Nikki struggled to find her place and the only person who understood what was going on with her was Cole. At first I didn't feel really connected with Nikki. I wanted to really grasp why she had fought so hard to be back on the Surface but I didn't at first. The details came later and I felt much more connected with her as the story progressed.

One thing I really liked about the story was the way it was structured. We get to see Nikki as she progresses through her 6 months on the Surface, but we also get to see the time she spent before she went to the Everneath. By the end we have a much clearer picture of what happened and why so many people seem hurt by the situation. Jack was the one who went through the most and he really grabbed my heart. Who wouldn't want a guy like that? Jack was just so kind and mature, and it was so easy to see how he felt for Nikki. There were no games involved-- he just loved her!

It's easy to think that you could and should just hate Cole. He's the bad guy, right? But oh no, I didn't hate him. I felt so bad for him. Darn you Brodi for making him so enticing!! I really felt I understood Cole's actions. He was just doing what he was supposed to do and he didn't plan anything like what had happened with Nikki, not really. He's really a fun character because he has so many"sides".

Brodi did a fabulous job with this modern retelling. The story was easy to follow and the characters really made the story shine. Even without a ton of action, I never had a problem keeping focus on this story. The mystery behind it and the history among the characters was too fascinating for me to even think about putting the book down.
Everneath was a surprising read for me and one I that kept me highly entertained. I'm excited to see what happens with this series. Brodi Ashton has created a fabulous debut novel!

Recommended: Greek Mythology fans or fans of the paranormal. Very good read for young teens.

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Everneath is the February book pick for the new feature Blogger Talk: Novel Exposed. Each Saturday of the month Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I will be posting something new from Everneath or its wonderful author, Brodi Ashton.

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Blogger Talk Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton + TIME