Tuesday, October 28, 2014

GUEST REVIEW: EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton




Title: Everneath
Series: Everneath, #1
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 24, 2012
Genres: YA, Mythology, Paranormal
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Ellen’s rating: 3/5

SUMMARY

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s 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 precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is 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 queen.




REVIEW

Everneath is a comfortably paced, relaxing, but not very stimulating, read. Having just returned from a six months, 100 year Everneath-time, stint in the Everneath, Nikki Beckett has six months to reunite with her family and reconnect with her ex-boyfriend, Jack. Not that any of this would help, as she is leaving again - for good this time.

Although I generally love books about gods and the underworld, this story didn't really draw me in until right at the end. In fact, in the beginning I was lost trying to understand the whole concept of the time Nikki, usually called Becks, spent in the Everneath, how she got there, and what she did there. Once the back-story came together, however, it turned out to be a cleverly designed and imaginative plot.

The characters, though very realistically crafted, were difficult to identify with. Nikki landed herself in the Everneath because she was in a snit over her boyfriend, Jack, cheating on her at football camp. That bit of impulsive teenage behavior places Nikki firmly within her age group. Jack, devastated after Nikki's disappearance, initially comes across as a slightly weak character. However, once he becomes involved in Nikki's fate, he actually is more of an outstanding character than Nikki and Cole combined.

Although Everneath isn't an adrenalin-inducing read all the way, towards the end you might find yourself on the edge of your seat several times. The unexpected twist at the end fortunately made the whole read worthwhile. I can recommend Everneath as a clean, fairly serious, but relaxing read.







Amazon    *    Barnes & Noble



ABOUT the AUTHOR


I write Young Adult novels. I eat cinnamon bears. I love me some Diet Coke.

My debut book EVERNEATH (the first in a trilogy) came out Winter 2012 with Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins).

I'm represented by Michael Bourret at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.



Website    *    Facebook    *    Twitter    *    Goodreads



Follow us with:
 

No comments:

TIME-OUT!

I’ve been an avid blogger and reviewer since October 2011. It has changed my life in so many wonderful ways! I’ve met other reviewers ...