Waiting on Wednesday: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is EVERTRUE by Brodi Ashton.  It will be released on January 21, 2014 by Balzer and Bray.
 

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Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

In this stunning conclusion to the Everneath trilogy, Brodi Ashton evokes the resiliency of the human spirit and the indomitable power of true love.

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I can't wait for this one.  I loved the way Everbound ended, and I just can't believe how awesomely sneaky Cole is!!!  I just don't know how it's going to end.

 

Neverfall by Brodi Ashton

Neverfall by Brodi Ashton

Novella published by Harper Collins (Harper Impulse)

Release Date:  Available Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Gritty, Personal and Transcendent

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

“It had shaped my soul to fit with hers and only hers.  It had graced me to see the truth but simultaneously prevented me from doing anything about it.  In the moment I faced dying, I finally knew my reason for living.”  Loc 1255-1257

For the most part, I am a fan of novellas, the growing trend in YA literature.  I love getting to see through another character’s eyes, and I especially love getting to delve deeper into a book’s world.  However, with every novella I’ve read, there seems to be something missing, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.  All I know is I’m not fully satisfied at the end.  And this happens with my favorite characters—Warner’s Destory Me, Aiden’s Elixir.  I don’t know what it is, but I just want something more.

This novella is written from Cole’s point of view, and if you follow my reviews, then you know I am a HUGE fan of Cole.  I like the broody, rebellious guys; and I even have a soft spot for the bad guys—hoping that maybe they aren’t beyond redemption.  So, of course, the best part of this, for me, was getting to see inside Cole’s head—see how he thinks, what his motivations are, how far he is really willing to go—and who he is willing to lose.  I definitely saw a new side of Cole in this one, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. 

From the first book, I have heard that Cole gained a huge following, which I think was quite a surprise.  I’m thinking that this book was part of Brodi’s way of showing us who he truly is so we won’t be so enamored by him.  We see how truly obsessed Cole is with ruling the Everneath, and even more so, with Nikki.  But, it’s not the Romeo and Juliet, Catherine and Heathcliff kind of tragic love obsessed; instead, it almost seems more dangerous and sinister.  Cole is more dangerous that I would have imagined, being that I believed (and still do somewhat) that he is going to take a turn to the side of good.  Seeing this side of him was definitely enlightening.

What bugged me about the novella, though, is that if felt rushed and slightly unfinished.  Cole is searching to find how Nikki survived the feed, and this action fell flat for me.  I was intrigued by the Delphinians because this was a new aspect to the history of the world; however, Cole’s search for them and eventual meeting just didn’t have the flare I wanted.  It did open my eyes to the cruelty of the Everneath and everything surrounding it, but I expected fireworks, and instead got a bit of playing with matches.

Still, I liked the revelation that Cole had at the end.  It fit more with what I imagine Cole to be, as opposed to what his actions say about him.  I still don’t think he can be trusted, but I think that he still has a heart, and as long as he has a heart, he can be saved—or better yet, do the saving.

I’ll leave you with a quote that made me laugh at loud.  (I will say, I liked Cole’s humorous inner monologues).

“I considered for a moment grabbing Jack, squishing him into the shape of a giant football, and spiking him into the bus; but I refrained.  Jack may have had a small brain, but the rest of him was quite large.” Location 572-572

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

 

Hey everyone!  The YA Sisterhood is crazy excited to host the EVERBOUND Blog Tour and Giveaway today!  A Big Thank You to Rockstar Book Tours for hosting this tour!  We are huge fans of the Everneath series (even though we all are on different teams), and we can't wait to see what's next!

 

Be sure to enter to win a signed copy of EVERBOUND after my review!

 

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Everbound by Brodi Ashton

ARC received from HarperTeen

Release Date:  1-22-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Ever-lustful, Ever-heart-breaking, Ever-entertaining

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

 

I was scared to start this one because I am firmly in the Team Cole category (go ahead, judge me, I don’t care!), and I know that it can’t work out because he is, what I consider, the dark hero who will be responsible for Nikki’s freedom and her downfall.  Jack is her man, her white knight, and it will always be him she loves---blah!  So, there is where my hesitation came from, BUT I am so glad I read this one.  It was fantastic!  Brodi brought the Everneath to life (even though it is, technically, death), and I was drawn straight into this blood-thirsty, powerful, and upside-down world. 

Besides Cole, the world that Brodi created was my favorite part of the book.  In order to find Jack, Nikki must trek through the rings of the Everneath—all the while, facing darkness and dangers that are unthinkable and terrible.  Brodi borrowed slightly from Dante’s description of the Underworld, but she gave it her own spin.  The imagery was full and dimensional, and I really felt like I was watching it on the big screen as I was reading it.  The rings were somewhat non-threatening at times, but you just knew it was an illusion and that around the next corner lurked something completely and irrevocably evil.  The Everneath is full of amazing terror…I have no idea why Nikki wouldn’t want to rule it!  But that’s my maniacal lust for power that apparently Nikki doesn’t share J  Cole, sweetie, I will rule with you any day!

Nikki was the same Nikki as the one we saw in Everneath.  She is both strong and weak, depending on the situation, but it is her love for Jack that keeps her going.  I truthfully am not a huge fan of her because I think she is too rash.  She leaps head first without thinking about the consequences or even to see how far the fall might be.  She leaves behind her family and friends, with no explanations, and that kind of bugs me about her.  I admire her for risking her life for the person she loves, but I think there had to be a better way for her to handle everyone else.  So…that’s my beef with her, but it might just be me judging her because I think she’s choosing the wrong guy.

And my favorite:  Cole!!!!  Even for those of you who are firmly in the “Kick Cole’s Butt” Category,  I think you will like seeing a bit more from his background.  I loved seeing things from his perspective, and I think you can really see that Nikki is everything to him.  Now whether his intentions are pure are not—that’s yours to judge.  I think he is truly in love with her and that will eventually bring out his true heart, but he is so afraid of something that he keeps those true feelings hidden.  You can really see this in this installment because Cole’s friends are all concerned with protecting him from Nikki.  So while he might have ulterior motives (I mean he does want to take over the world), I still think his actions come from the heart—even though he technically doesn’t have one!  J

And

The

Ending!!!

Looking back, I probably should have suspected, but I didn’t!  I didn’t see it coming at all!  And let me tell you, WoW!  What an ending it is!  I can’t believe I have to wait at least another year to find out how everything ends!!!!!

For fans of Everneath, mythology, and paranormal romance, this is a MUST READ!!!

I was sucked in from the very first page!

 Betrayal. 

Angst. 

Heartbreak. 

Revelations. 

Everbound has it all!!!!!!!!!!!



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Teaser Tuesday: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Everbound by Brodi Ashton
Published by HarperTeen
Release Date:  1-22-2013

 

"'You made me a better person, I mean, a better immortal.' He said that last part with a wink." ARC Pg 37

 

"I got the feeling that these boys liked danger."  ARC pg 149

 

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I'm a little less than halfway through, and I am loving this so far!  I will admit that Nikki bugs me, but that's only because she dislikes Cole, and I am firmly planted in the Team Cole to rule the Underworld team.  Even though I know she will never be with him, there is still something about him.  Not to mention that Jack is just not my type--too nice.  But, either way, the action is great, and I'm getting a hefty dose of Cole!  :)