This is what I'm looking for when I read a second book in a series!
After the events that occurred in Everneath, Nikki is dealing with emotions of grief and guilt because Jack took her place in The Tunnels and she's living a life that should be his.
Nikki has been through so much, but she's so strong. She's experiencing an overwhelming amount of grief, but she doesn't curl into a ball and she doesn't let her pain consume her. Instead, she tries to find a way to make things right and save Jack.
Nikki realises that the only way that she can save Jack is by going into the Everneath and she needs Cole's help. In Everbound, the Everneath is fully explored. The Everneath is extremely weird, hellish and intriguing. The trails that Nikki and her travel companions face in the Everneath makes the stakes in Everbound extremely high and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Since Jack is in The Tunnels, we don't see much of him. However, through Nikki's memories we learn so much about Jack and his relationship with Nikki. Everbound is just as romance heavy as Everneath and if I didn't believe the strong and real relationship that Nikki and Jack have, I wouldn't have been a fan of Everbound. I'm so invested in Jack and Nikki's relationship!
I also can't pinpoint how I feel about Cole. There are times when I love him, times where I feel sympathetic towards him because being part of a one sided love triangle and loving a girl who sees you as an enemy is tough, times where I can't believe what he's done and times where I absolutely loathe him. He's such a complex character. In Everbound, we get to see Cole's personality and he's such a funny guy. THAT ENDING THOUGH! Just when I thought that Cole was the good guy, he goes and does something that makes me feel like high fiving his face with a chair.
In Everbound the world is expanded, the characters and their relationships become more developed and the stakes are so damn high.
After reading that mind reeling and jaw dropping ending, I need to get my hands on Evertrue immediately!
"There's everything for us." (Nikki Beckett)