Saturday, January 28, 2012

{Review} Everneath by Brodi Ashton


Title: Everneath
Series: Everneath #1
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Realease Date: January 24, 2012

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Synopsis:

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...


I very seldom look at reviews before I read a book. If I happen to glance at them, I might notice the average star rating or a generic comment...I avoid spoilers at all costs. Going into Everneath I was a little concerned because, no matter how hard you try, it's very difficult to avoid discovering other peoples opinions of books...especially as a book blogger who belongs to several book communities. I try really hard not to take other peoples opinions as my own and WOW, am I ever glad I didn't in this case. I was captivated before the first chapter ended.

The more mythology I read, the more I absolutely adore it. Brodi Ashton's take on the Underworld is amazing and a storyline I haven't often read. Her writing style is beautiful and flows smoothly. The novel is written in first person from Nikki's point of view, bringing her every emotion to the surface. My single negative comment is that I have a hard time following the "now vs. then" writing style that so many authors use today. Other than that...near perfection.

Nikki started off strong, refusing to forget about her life with Jack while attending the Feed. She managed to tether herself to the Surface and survive her time with Cole intact, a shock to Cole himself. When she first resurfaced, I was a little disappointed in her lack of responsiveness to her family and friends she had left behind. However, with further reading, I realized she had a reason to try to keep her distance.

I loved that no matter what, Jack refused to let her suffer in silence. The absolute beauty and humanity of their relationship brought a smile to my face. He believed in her and he stood beside her through everything, yet he wasn't Mr. Perfect.

Cole...well, what is there to say about Cole. He annoyed me to no end but I don't believe he ever outright lied to Nikki...at least not in this book. Cole is the trademark of a perfect villain...a whole lot bad and a tiny bit good. Just enough that I felt he possessed true feelings of love and pain once or twice. These feelings did not make me want to cheer him on though.

The one person I didn't have any feelings for what-so-ever was Jules. I can't quite determine why her character existed. She didn't really play even a basic "filler" role. She popped up here and there with nothing important to say or do. Maybe she'll play a larger part in the next book...who knows.

The mythology really drew me deep into Everneath, immediately. I enjoyed the way Ms. Ashton used Nikki's term paper as a symbol of the her growth from despair to hope. Mary provided the perfect delivery method for the mythology of Persephone, Orpheus, Eurydice, and Anchors.

So much about this novel screamed of brilliance. Definitely one I won't be forgetting any time soon. Bravo to you, Brodi Ashton. I can't wait for more!

7 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read this! Thanks for the review.

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  2. I am excited to read this one! Great review!

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  3. Brenda...thanks for stopping by! It is a really great book. I hope you read it soon!

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  4. Kim...thank you for always stopping by and saying such nice things. I hope you get to read it soon! My favorite new release of 2012...so far!

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  5. Great review!

    Y'know, one of the reasons I didn't consider going into this book at first was because it sounded like there was too much background to integrate it smoothly into the story. I mean, Nikki comes back... from where? Why? And so on and so forth.

    But I've been reading a couple of reviews, and now I think I'd love to check Everneath out. ONly problem, probably, is that I'd be such a Cole girl...

    Thanks for sharing!

    Ron @ Stories of my life

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  6. Hey Ron. The prologue doesn't do a very good job of describing what happened to Nikki but you know within the first page where she is and why she comes home. The book is very well written and I didn't question a thing.

    One thing to note...there isn't a true love triangle in Everneath. Nikki isn't trying to choose between the two. She doesn't have feelings for Cole...she loves Jack! End of story. I never felt I needed to make a choice as to what team I was on...LOL.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Sounds great. I'm hoping to read this soon. I'm curious about Cole. While I hate him or will I love him as a bad boy? And I do tend to love bad boys.

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