Review: Everneath

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
Release Date ~ January 24, 2012
Balzer + Bray ~ HarperCollins
ISBN13: 9780062071132
ARC received from HarperCollins Canada

Goodreads 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 was expecting yet another retelling of a familiar Greek story when I began reading Everneath; but instead, I was left breathless, stunned by this creative and daring spin on a story making it something entirely new, fresh, and exciting.

Woven together with grief, hope, and love is one inspring tale that will grow on you more and more over the course of reading it.

1. A retelling & a story of its own:
   I was expecting a typical Hades & Persephone myth (which are dime a dozen in YA these days) but I really loved how Brodi Ashton took some familiar elements and themes from the myth and integrated them into her own story; it never really feels like an exact retelling, and creativity abounds. I loved the mythology of the Everneath and Everlivings, and thought it was a fascinating concept to use.
2. Grief & broken hearts:
   I was also surprised by how much Everneath dealt with Nikki's (and other's, but particularly Nikki) grief and coming to terms with moving on and letting people go; it's a much heavier aspect of the novel, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated. But I have to admit... that ending kind of broke my heart a little bit. Okay- more than a little bit. It's a bit of a tearjerker. Be prepared with kleenex.
3. Heartbreaking romance:
   Oh boy, is this ever a story of lost love! But there's something really beautiful about it, and the way that Nikki and Jack's relationship comes about just flows so naturally and develops really well (as the story progresses through the flashbacks to explain it). Their relationships just felt so alive to me, and their chemistry was apparent.

Cole, on the other hand, was a character I really did not connect with and I would have liked to have felt some sort of sympathy or connection to him, but I didn't. But overall, that ended up being my sole, miniscule complaint about the book. It's told with a mixture of present day and flashbacks, and I found it easy enough to read and understand.

This was such a fantastic and emotional story that it's quickly moved up to be one of my new favourites! Another strong debut for 2012, and I'm going to be counting down to the sequel starting now!

Make sure you check out the book trailer for Everneath too!