Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Read my interview with author Brodi Ashton.

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... 
Hardcover, 384 pages Expected publication: January 24th 2012 by Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray


Food to Eat While Reading: Everliving Tomato Soup

Everliving Tomato Soup for
Everneath by Brodi Ashton

I have a confession to make: I'm an emotional junkie. Just like the everliving in Everneath feed off of human emotions, I am guilty of the same addiction to books that exude emotions.

Everneath was easy to read and although the way it was presented was new, it felt natural (I can only imagine the blood, sweat and tears it took to make it read this way). I was sucked in by the first chapter. 

The format of this book is different than others I have read in the mythology/fantasy genre. The story begins sort of in the middle, when Nikki wakes up a one hundred year nap in which she was drained of every emotion. The book then alternates between telling what happened before Nikki was in the Everneath and the present after she returns to her normal life, always pointing to when she will have to return to live forever in a sort of purgatory called the Tunnels.

How cool is the idea that kissing can make you feel better--suck away all of the negative energy? It's so cool when books take an idea that is already true and elevate it to a fantastic power. I fell in love with Jack, Nikki's love from above ground. He is loyal, loves Nikki and is in pain. Why do I love those emotions? If Jack is every girl's dream boyfriend, then Cole is every girl's bad guy fling. He's dark and brooding and mysterious. The love triangle in this book played out very well.

I'm not up to speed on my Greek mythology and so I don't know much about Persephone. It didn't matter because Ashton gave me just enough information so that I could enjoy Nikki's story, without overdoing it with unneeded background info.

The setting was odd for me because I know where Park City, Utah is, and yet I wondered if it were the same Park City that I had vacationed in. I didn't get a real sense of place and I thought the setting could have played a larger role.

I had no idea how the story would end, and I imagined a much different ending. I imagined a different ending than the one that played out. It's a good thing too, because the ending I envisioned would have been happily ever after. Or everneath.

If you love to experience emotion vicariously through books, you don't want to miss Everneath! It will suck you in and bleed you dry--in a good way of course.

Book two in the series is in the works. I'm assuming it will come out in 2013.

 *the only compensation I received for this review is an advanced reader copy from Harper Collins-thank you.