Holy freakin' moly. After having read a couple of disappointing books lately, (Variant and The Way We Fall, which I couldn't even finish), I was eager to jump into either Wonder or Shatter Me, both of which I fully expect to be phenomenal. But I looked at my stack of library books and realized that Everneath is due back at the library next Wednesday, so I had to try that one before the other two. I shoved it into my purse and set off for the ferry and a visit with my parents. I figured that I could give the book a decent shot during the three hours of ferry riding and, if it hadn't wowed me by then, I could set it aside and pick up another book upon my return home.Well, I honestly don't remember much about the ferry trip at all. I think that my husband may have been attempting to chat to me, but my nose was buried in the book and I was so captivated by the world of Everneath that the rest of the world just melted away. Even at my mom's house, I wanted to just curl up with the book and my mug of tea on Saturday morning, and I had to force myself to close it and visit with her, since we were heading back home that afternoon. I sat with the book on my lap, chatting with her in the sunshine, but anxious to read just one more chapter of Nikki's adventure.I really knew absolutely nothing about this book when I picked it up, other than the fact that it's a modern day retelling of a Greek myth. And, while I do enjoy mythology, I don't really know all of the stories all that well. So, fear not, you don't need to be a myth nut, or even know much about mythology, in order to be swept away by this story. In all honesty, I think that I may have put the book on hold at the library because of the cover ... and just look at that cover; is it not gorgeous?!?The story will grab you from the very beginning. Nikki wakes from a hundred-year slumber in the arms of Cole, determined to hold onto a piece of her past that is trying to slip away. Nikki is Cole's Forfeit, a human that he has taken into the Feed in order to take her energy and fuel his immortality. Most humans emerge from the Feed as shells of their former selves, unable to remember anything, but Nikki has been unable to forget one face: Jack. She returns to the surface, where she will live for another six months before her Return, either to the Tunnels, which are like the Underworld, or to be with Cole and rule the Underworld for all time.The emotions that Nikki goes through in this book make her a character that is easy to relate to. Nikki's reasons for joining Cole in the first place, to become his Forfeit, are revealed later in the story. I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that any teenage girl in her place would have taken Cole up on his offer. I'm sure that all readers of this book can remember the teenage roller coaster of emotions and hormones and, especially, the pain of heartbreak. A quick look through my own teenage journals would reveal endless pages of longing, and tears, and moments of wishing that my heart would just stop hurting, just long enough that I could breathe. This book relived some of those moments for me, and I found myself racing from page to page, savouring every moment of Nikki's journey.The story as a whole is excellent, but I was surprised to learn that this book is the beginning of a trilogy. Although the book ended in a way that it could continue, I thought that it was left so that the reader could imagine the ending, rather than actually reading the next part. I am excited to see what the next stage in this journey will entail and will definitely be acquiring Everbound, when it is released next year! Review also posted at: http://writergrrlreads.blogspot.ca/2012/05/everneath-brodi-ashton.html
