"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with." (Mrs Stone)
There are no words that can suffice in explaining how utterly sad and depressing Everneath is.
Nikki wakes up in the human world after spending 6 months in the Everneath. When she wakes up in the human world - 6 months after she disappeared to the Everneath (time works differently in the human world and Everneath) - she has about 6 months left to say goodbye to the people that she loves before the Everneath claims her for good.
From the moment that I started reading Everneath, I was hooked. Everneath is influenced by Mythology specifically the Greek Myths involving Hades and Persephone and Orpheus and Eurydice. I love books that deal with Mythology and in Everneath, the mythological aspect is unique. The world of the Everneath, the Forfeits, the Feeding etc. is quite intriguing.
Everneath is also told through a then-and-now timeline and this gives us a view into what led Nikki into the Everneath as well as the events that take place when she resurfaces in the human world. The back-and-forth timeline narration also shows the relationship that Nikki had with her family and friends before and after her time in the Everneath and also adds to the mystery.
Nikki is a strong character who meets the challenges that come her way head-on. She also admits to her faults and takes responsibility for her actions. Her loss, grief and hopelessness seeps through the pages of Everneath.
Everneath is also a romance heavy book. The romance is believable and plays such a huge role in Nikki's emotional journey. Jack, is such a sweetheart and I love reading about his relationship with Nikki.
The antagonist of Everneath is Cole, a sympathetic bad-boy and a complex character. One doesn't know whether his actions are genuine or whether he has ulterior motives. I don't know how I feel about him and I love that he's a morally grey character.
One of the secondary characters that stand out in Everneath is Will Caputo, Jack's brother, and while he's drunk for the majority of Everneath, I feel like he's going to play a larger role in Everbound.
Nikki's aim for coming back to the human world was to 'fix' her relationship with her father and brother and get a proper chance to say goodbye, but not much page time is dedicated to her relationship with her family.
Here's the thing about Everneath, we already know what happened to Nikki, but what we see is the journey that led her there and what happens afterwards. I can't wait to dive into Everbound.
"Remembering is easy. It's forgetting that's hard." (Will Caputo)