Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton {Everneath # 1}

Title: Everneath
Series: Everneath # 1
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Date of Publication:Jan. 24, 2012
Genre/Challenge: YA, mythology, paranormal/2013 YA Mythology Challenge
Source: bought, Kindle, 384 pages
Links to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

From Goodreads:

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...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...

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.

My Thoughts:

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I am not proud of it but I just couldn't fight either.
*deep breath*

I had a really hard time taking my eyes off this cover.  There I said it.  I even went as far as to imagine myself in that amazing dress while someone would carried fans behind me, all around me, just so the ends would fly carelessly like that.
I know that is vain but wow!  Those colors and the dress are just breathtaking.  If I had me a dress like that I think I would just do everything in it.  Laundry, homeschooling, sweeping.  Everything.
Okay enough of my fetish with the dress.  Sorry.  But I actually feel really better that I got that off my chest.

Now let's get on to the book, Everneath.

This was one of those books that I wasn't sure if I would like it.  There are a lot of books out there with different interpretations of the gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology.  Some I love and others I am just meh about.  I wanted to read this but I wasn't sure where it fit...at first.
When I first started reading it, I really got a Matrix kind of vibe.  Now wait a minute before you throw me out the door and tell me I am crazy...It was only when Nikki was "waking up" so to speak that I related it to Neo's escape out of the matrix.  So loosely reminded me of the Matrix.

The plot of Everneath is a dark one.  Sure it has some comic relief in it and there are some very intense romantic situations but for all intent and purposes-it is a dark story.  Especially after Nikki comes back from being under with Cole.  She comes back with this scary shell of what she was hanging over her, but she is a strong person and you can't help but root for her to find some kind of way out.  Even if every other line she is saying there is nothing she can do.  I almost got annoyed with that but remembering what she went through I guess I can understand that.
I also liked how she would glance back to what made her decide to choose Cole in the first place and the next chapter would be that memory.  At first, it got a little confusing but then once I got used to it.  I was good.  
The characters were pretty intense as well.  Our female protagonist, Nikki, was pretty good.  There were times I wished she had more patience and asked more questions but other times I felt she really did a good job portraying the pain she was going through with her actions and words.
Jack, one of our male protagonists, was one of those really good guys that you just want to pinch his cheeks (on his face, dirty birdies) because he is just an all around nice guy.  He does everything that the typical nice guy does and I liked him okay.
But I have to say I really really really loved Cole.  I know he is the "bad" guy so to speak but I just feel so drawn to him.  I think there is a lot more to Cole than we see in this first book in the series.  I really believe Cole will redeem himself in the rest of the series and I can't wait to read more about how Cole deals with his feelings for Nikki as well as the rejection he gets from her every time she looks at him.  Yes, what he does to people isn't the best thing in the world but I do believe there is a big story just bubbling underneath our Cole and I can't wait to learn even more about my favorite guy.
All in all I liked Everneath.  It lived up to a lot of my mythology rules, even if it was a bit different for how the gods had to survive.  I think this twist makes it even more interesting  and I would like to visit the Everneath more in the following books.
So I give Everneath:

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