Jo
Written on Jan 18, 2010
A lot of thought has gone into this book; a lot of urban fantasies I’ve read lately have been based around some sort of myth, but as far as I can tell, Everlost has been completely made up, and the world building is just brilliant! The rules of the world, the way this new world effects some people, the “magic” of the world; with each page turned, there’s something to be amazed by, but it’s not so farfetched as to not be believable. As I was reading, it just seemed that this place between life and death could actually exist, but I couldn’t tell you if this is a place I’d want to go to or not.
I really loved the cultural and historic references in this book. As well as people making their way to Everlost, objects and buildings can make their way there, too, for various reasons. One of the main settings in Everlost are the Twin Towers, and it plays an important part in the story as what it stands for, for certain characters. The Twin Towers aren’t the only “things” to have come to Everlost that a reader will recognise either from their own life, or as from historical events. It’s just superb how Neal has interwoven real real life into his story; it does that little bit more to make Everlost believable.
There are some really great characters in this story! Everlost is a multiple point of view story, and so we get to understand on a certain level all five of the main characters; Nick, Allie, Lief, Mary and the McGill. Nick is a little deluded by Mary, but through some of the events that happen in the book, he becomes a really strong and powerful character. Allie is stubborn and in denial at first, but she’s smart, and she sees things – and people – for what they really are; Lief is such a lovely boy! I really wanted to give him a hug so many times; he’s sweet and kind, and his own version of brave. Mary is hard to figure out exactly, she has her heart in the right place in some ways, but she’s also kind of selfish in others – I actually think she’s quite twisted and disturbing. The McGill I can’t really get into, but I’ll tell you he’s complicated. Together, they all make for interesting reading!
The action in the novel isn’t action as I normally use the word, it’s more a series of events that move the story forward; if one event didn’t happen, the ones that followed wouldn’t either. Suspense and wonder run throughout the novel, and you can’t help but keep reading! Everlost is a real page turner!
If I was to criticise anything in the book, it would be Mary and Nick’s relationship. No, not their relationship exactly, more how they’re in love with each other. In my opinion, not enough happens between them for them to be in love; they fancy each other, yes, perhaps are even infatuated with each other, but it doesn’t feel like love to me. There isn’t enough development in their relationship for love, but that’s just my opinion.
All in all, Everlost is a fantastic book, and I implore you all to give it a go! Next on my reading list is Everwild, the sequel, which is released on 4th February, and I can’t wait to pick it up! Really, this is such an awesome book, you must read it!