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A review by stuckinafictionaluniverse
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
2.0
Recommended for nostalgic fans of The vampire diaries, who loved the drama in season 1, right before it became good and dropped some of the silliness.
Although Everneath doesn’t look similar to TVD at first glance, I had so many flashbacks to the show while reading it.
A retelling of the Persephone? Sign me up! Sadly this didn’t deliver at all.
The premise is that there’s a world below ours called Everneath, where Everliving have discovered the secret to eternal life.
These creatures remain young forever by feeding off humans’ emotions whom they’ve dragged there. The humans turned into nourishment are called Forfeits.
Cole is an Everliving who convinced our desperate and broken MC to give up her human life, join him in the Underworld and become his Forfeit for a century in Everneath time.
Nikki spent six months in human time in this place, and recently returned to her world.
Now she has an additional six months to spend at the Surface, where she tries to say goodbye to her loved ones and correct all the mistakes she made.
Cole is back and tries to convince her to spend eternity with him and become queen of the Everneath. Unless she agrees, the Tunnels will come for her and torture her
There’s also some stuff about how precious and different Nikki is from the other Forfeits but let’s not go into that.
Phew! Summaries are my kryptonite, but I had to explain this premise because otherwise y’all would’ve looked like question marks once I share my thoughts.
Signs you’re reading a crappy YA paranormal:
*Stereotypical characters.
The highschoolers in this book are flawless. How the fuck does that work?
It’s hard to believe every single teenager in this book are outgoing, loved by everyone and look like they just jumped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch ad. Seriously, they all participate in 20 activities and are popular or even famous.
You’re either in a rock band, where people are swooning and begging for a autograph wherever you go or the star of a sports team.
Meanwhile, at my school, people are rocking the Adidas sweatpants trend, the posture of someone who’s sit in front of their computer for 12 hours and have a vocabulary that only extends to dirty jokes. Trust me, it’s not a flattering look.
Everyone is a special little snowflake. It’s easy to see through these people. They are one-dimensional cardboard cutouts.
There’s our main character who is speshul!!! for some reason, the bad boy/stalker and the good old charming and trustworthy guy.
Our secondary characters include a best friend who’s there but not really there; the lame, worried dad with a big heart and the mean girl who wants the MC’s boyfriend for herself.
We've heard it all before.
*Short, snappy and impersonal writing. Failed attempts at witty dialogue or deep declarations of love.
*Vague world-building and explanations. This book desperately needs more mythology. The concept is destined for greatness, and while the world certainly isn't forgettable, the world is a little fussy and
*The setting is an American high school where they host like 5 proms a week, everyone knows everyone and the whole place is pitch-perfect.
*The characters always talk about the crazy paranormal stuff that’s going on in public, because that’s clever and no one will be surprised when they hear that someone will be dragged down into the Underworld lest they spend eternity with an Everliving!
My biggest problem with Everneath were the characters, who lacked originality and any sort of depth.
Elena Our MC Nikki is the only character in this book who isn’t perfect. She’s really just your average teenage girl with very little personality and zero interests.
She’s insecure and wonders why anyone loves her, bla bla.
But wait! Nikki is speshul!!!
Everything changed last year when she met a MYSTERIOUS BOY.
EnterDamon Cole. He is drop-dead sexy, mysterious and gorgeous. His wardrobe consists only of black, he’s cocky and sarcastic and oh, did I mention he’s in a band? This guy’s a total dreamboat, and who can resist him when he persuades you to literally spend eternity with him? SWOON.
He climbs through Nikki's window every night and plays classical music pieces on his guitar. He paints rad prints on his black t-shirts. He is an immortal who manipulates and lies, and has no emotions except for love for our super special main character. DOUBLE SWOON.
Conclusion: Cole is a perfect, except that he’s annoying as fuck, evil and a stalker.
Stefan Jack is the quarterback of the football team, ridiculously smart and perfect in every way. Looking for Mr. Nice guy? Here you have him.
He’s likable, funny and charming. Jack and Nikki have been good friends for a long time, but why on earth did he date her last year?? Nik, who’s so flat and nothing special.
The plot’s repetitive, slow and uninteresting up until the last 10%, when it finally picks up. You can soak in all the mythology, faster pacing and less angst. We end on a surprising note, one that made me mark the sequel as a maybe.
Still, I couldn’t look past the unnecessary drama, a plot that seemed to take one step forward and two back, as well as flat characters. This is why I shy away from PNR.
Although Everneath doesn’t look similar to TVD at first glance, I had so many flashbacks to the show while reading it.
A retelling of the Persephone? Sign me up! Sadly this didn’t deliver at all.
The premise is that there’s a world below ours called Everneath, where Everliving have discovered the secret to eternal life.
These creatures remain young forever by feeding off humans’ emotions whom they’ve dragged there. The humans turned into nourishment are called Forfeits.
Cole is an Everliving who convinced our desperate and broken MC to give up her human life, join him in the Underworld and become his Forfeit for a century in Everneath time.
Nikki spent six months in human time in this place, and recently returned to her world.
Now she has an additional six months to spend at the Surface, where she tries to say goodbye to her loved ones and correct all the mistakes she made.
Cole is back and tries to convince her to spend eternity with him and become queen of the Everneath. Unless she agrees, the Tunnels will come for her and torture her
There’s also some stuff about how precious and different Nikki is from the other Forfeits but let’s not go into that.
Phew! Summaries are my kryptonite, but I had to explain this premise because otherwise y’all would’ve looked like question marks once I share my thoughts.
Signs you’re reading a crappy YA paranormal:
*Stereotypical characters.
The highschoolers in this book are flawless. How the fuck does that work?
It’s hard to believe every single teenager in this book are outgoing, loved by everyone and look like they just jumped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch ad. Seriously, they all participate in 20 activities and are popular or even famous.
You’re either in a rock band, where people are swooning and begging for a autograph wherever you go or the star of a sports team.
Meanwhile, at my school, people are rocking the Adidas sweatpants trend, the posture of someone who’s sit in front of their computer for 12 hours and have a vocabulary that only extends to dirty jokes. Trust me, it’s not a flattering look.
Everyone is a special little snowflake. It’s easy to see through these people. They are one-dimensional cardboard cutouts.
There’s our main character who is speshul!!! for some reason, the bad boy/stalker and the good old charming and trustworthy guy.
Our secondary characters include a best friend who’s there but not really there; the lame, worried dad with a big heart and the mean girl who wants the MC’s boyfriend for herself.
We've heard it all before.
*Short, snappy and impersonal writing. Failed attempts at witty dialogue or deep declarations of love.
*Vague world-building and explanations. This book desperately needs more mythology. The concept is destined for greatness, and while the world certainly isn't forgettable, the world is a little fussy and
*The setting is an American high school where they host like 5 proms a week, everyone knows everyone and the whole place is pitch-perfect.
*The characters always talk about the crazy paranormal stuff that’s going on in public, because that’s clever and no one will be surprised when they hear that someone will be dragged down into the Underworld lest they spend eternity with an Everliving!
My biggest problem with Everneath were the characters, who lacked originality and any sort of depth.
She’s insecure and wonders why anyone loves her, bla bla.
But wait! Nikki is speshul!!!
Everything changed last year when she met a MYSTERIOUS BOY.
Enter
He climbs through Nikki's window every night and plays classical music pieces on his guitar. He paints rad prints on his black t-shirts. He is an immortal who manipulates and lies, and has no emotions except for love for our super special main character. DOUBLE SWOON.
Conclusion: Cole is a perfect, except that he’s annoying as fuck, evil and a stalker.
He’s likable, funny and charming. Jack and Nikki have been good friends for a long time, but why on earth did he date her last year?? Nik, who’s so flat and nothing special.
The plot’s repetitive, slow and uninteresting up until the last 10%, when it finally picks up. You can soak in all the mythology, faster pacing and less angst. We end on a surprising note, one that made me mark the sequel as a maybe.
Still, I couldn’t look past the unnecessary drama, a plot that seemed to take one step forward and two back, as well as flat characters. This is why I shy away from PNR.