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
