Everneath (Everneath #1)
by Brodi Ashton
Hardcover, 370 pages
Expected publication: January 24th 2012
by Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray
ISBN 0062071130
Source: Author ARC Tour
4 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.
So here’s the deal, if you’re looking for a happy go lucky sunny walk in the park Everneath is quite the opposite. It’s a real hard look at the true to life feelings of a teen who has returned to the earth as a shell of the girl she once was. She’s lost her mother in a drink driving accident and in a moment of grief made a choice which alters her path for the next hundred years to eternity. If you know the author, Brodi Ashton, she is a hilarious human with a sassy sense of humor, but writing Everneath she followed a voice much unlike her own. Brodi says ” My book, EVERNEATH?: not funny. Not hardy har har funny. Sometimes it can be funny in a “Can you believe there’s So. Much. Death?” kind of way. Other times it’s funny in a “OMG she is so screwed! lol” kind of way. Have you ever had a story call to you that scares you because you don’t think you can write it? I say… write it! I did.” She has some guts people!
Thanks to Brodi and
Windy Aphayrath for putting together a local ARC tour and giving us a sneak peek!
Brodi Ashton Author Bio- “Because of two parents who were Greek myth geeks, I grew up thinking the latest fashion trends were inspired by Aphrodite, and a good conversational opener was, “So, which mythological character do you most resemble?” Despite these social shortcomings, I found a great husband who’s always my first reader. We live in Utah with our two young boys, who still have no idea why I’m at the computer all the time.
I received a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Utah and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
I write Young Adult novels. I eat cinnamon bears. I love me some Diet Coke. My debut book EVERNEATH (the first in a trilogy) comes out January 24, 2012 with Balzer and Bray (HarperCollins).”
Everneath is a unique take on the ancient tale of Persephone and Hades with a dash of Egyptian mythology. Main heroine Nikki has just spent 100 years in the Everneath with bad boy Cole who feeds off of her life essence. At the end of her term she chooses to return to the surface for the last time. Six months to say goodbye to her family and six months to reconcile her feelings with Jack, the only bit of memory she was able to retain in the underworld. His face kept her alive while she endured her own personal hell. And now the challenge for Nikki is overcoming her emaciated sense of hopelessness to make the choice between becoming an Everliving Queen at Cole’s side or anchoring to the hope of Jack. Told in both present and past tense, Everneath explores addiction, co dependence, parental trust, grief and the ultimate redeeming power of love. The ending is one heck of a cliffhanger, so prepare yourselves to be invested for a trilogy. Everneath is haunting, intelligent and engaging. Bravo to Brodi for being so brave. Utah residents will love the Park City setting. An awesome and unique debut! And the cover…my very favorite of 2012.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…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. 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.
