Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Book Stats:

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 358 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: January 22, 2013

Series: Everneath #2

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Library

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

Brodi Ashton introduced us to her exciting and original underworld called Everneath in book number one of her debut series. However, interesting enough, we never really did get the chance to see Everneath for what it really is, in the first book. Brodi Ashton teased us enough in book one that I was really glad to finally get the chance to visit this interesting world in EVERBOUND.

EVERBOUND takes off more or less right where EVERNEATH finished. Nikki, the main character, is living in the real world, and her boyfriend Jack is being kept prisoner in Everneath, in exchange for her spot in the Tunnels of Everneath. The Tunnels are probably the worse imaginable place you can think up. It’s a place where humans are kept and where Everlivings, the immortal being of the underworld, store them to feed off their emotions and energy. I admire Nikki’s dedication to get into the Tunnels in order to free Jack from his timely demise. I can’t image how it feels to have someone you love imprisoned while you feel you should be there in their place. Nikki isn’t necessarily the strongest female character that I’ve met in YA books, especially since she does have bouts of depression and does things without thinking them through first. However, her quest to save Jack is the only thing on her mind, and she even goes to the extreme of defying her father to accomplish what she started. Her sharp mind and quick thinking saves her quite a few times, which proves that you don’t need to be physically strong to come out on top. You just have to set your mind to it and find a different way to defeat the enemy.

Cole is without a doubt a very interesting character on his own. As an Everliving, I couldn’t figure out why he was trying to help Nikki with her quest, especially since he’s in love with Nikki himself. I knew in saving Jack, there was something in it for him, but I didn’t see this twist coming. Of course, this twist only reveals itself right at the end, so the book is sure to keep you on your toes until the very last page. The odd and unlikely love triangle isn’t really a triangle since Nikki doesn’t have romantic feeling for Cole. Her only feelings are for Jack and that’s something Cole has a hard time understanding, mainly since he can offer Nikki immortality while Jack can only offer a normal human life. Jealousy is obviously present but we don’t get to see how much it impacts the characters’ lives until the very end.

We all know sequels can easily fall short of our expectations but for some reason, I thought EVERBOUND was even more interesting, and even more action packed than its predecessor. From a literary stand point, I think it was a great idea to keep the Everneath a mystery by revealing only a few things in book one. Obviously, that means lots of thing are revealed only in this book, and the new twists and turns are surely to keep you reading. The cliffhanger ending isn’t really where I wanted the book to finish but again, I think it’s a great way to keep readers interested. I can’t wait to see how Nikki’s story will unfold in the next book since her life has once again been turned upside down without her realizing how involved she is with the Everneath.

 

Posted by Unknown at 07:48

 Brodi Ashton, Harper Collins, Review, young adult  3 People left their mark