Book Nerds Across America: Brodi Ashton

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Monday, April 10, 2017

Book Review: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

***Spoiler Alert...I do not mention any spoilers from Evertrue (book 3 in the series), but if you haven't finished Everbound (book 2) there are some spoilers and you probably shouldn't proceed.***

Jacque's Review:

Evertrue is the third and final book in the Everneath series and picks up where book two left off. Nikki and Jack are now on a mission to destroy the Everneath and restore Nikki's mortality. They have one major problem. Nikki has to rely on Cole to feed her every night or she will lose her energy and die. Even that is a short term solution to her problems. She has about a week to discover how to destroy the Everneath or she will be forced to choose between feeding on a forfeit for a century or allowing herself to die. They also hove no idea how to defeat the shades and the current queen.

I was shocked by a major twist that took place in this book. Cole and his band disappear one evening and their condo is ransacked. When Cole reappears, he isn't the same. He is speaking like he is from the early 1900's with an ancient vocabulary and a strange accent. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Nikki and Jack decide to use this to their advantage.

We see a much different side of Cole in this book. Personally, I liked the overly confident version of him better. This version; however, did allow the reader to connect with him on a new level. Even Nikki couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Jack, on the the other hand, is now a version of the Hulk... or Hercules if we are going to use the mythological equivalent. He somehow grew in size and strength when he freed himself from the Everneath. In addition, he now has a very short temper. Every time Nikki and Cole were together I pictured him clenching his fists (which is constantly mentioned in the book) and turning into the Hulk before he went into one of his rages. It came in handy at times, but for the most part he was a bit annoying. I would have selected the old Cole over him any day.

The ending wasn't much of a surprise, but there were some repercussions I didn't see coming. I wish there could have been a happily ever after for everyone, but I guess that was never in the cards. I was satisfied with how Brodi tied up the series and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Book Review: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Jacque's Review:

Everbound is the second book in the Everneath series. In the first book, Nikki Beckett was saved from the Everneath, but now she needs to rescue her boyfriend Jack who took her place. Her only hope of finding him in time is to rely on the help of Cole, the Everliving that fed off of her energy for a century.

Cole refuses to assist in Jack's rescue because he is in love with Nikki and wants her to become queen of the Everneath. He thinks she is special since she survived the feed and may be able to overthrow the current queen. He eventually agrees to help her find Jack, but his motives aren't pure.

The majority of the book is spent traveling down to the Everneath and navigating through the labyrinth as Cole and Nikki continue their search for Jack. There is quite a bit of mythology tied into the story, but there are a number of surprises I never saw coming. We learn considerably more about life as an Everliving, why they have two hearts, and what really happens when you break their surface heart. It definitely isn't what Nikki and Jack thought would happen.

What should have been a happily every after sort of ending took a very complicated turn. Of course, I knew there was a third book in the series. There was no way everything was going to tie together nicely at the end of this book, but I certainly didn't expect the sort of predicament Nikki now finds herself in. She has a long road ahead of her and I'm pretty sure Cole is going to be even less willing to help than he was in this book.

This is a highly entertaining series any fan of paranormal YA will enjoy. I couldn't wait to see how the series would conclude, so I have already started reading Evertrue. I should have a review for you shortly.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Jacque's Review:

This series has been on my TBR list since December of 2011, but for some reason it never made it to the top of the list. I always loved the cover with the bright red dress and the swirling smoke...or clouds...I was never sure which. (I'm not going to spoil it for you, but you will learn what the smoke is pretty late in the book).

Nikki Beckett's mother was killed by a drunk driver prior to the start of the book. The depression and sense of loss combined with her insecurities about her relationship with Jack pushed her towards Cole. He had a mysterious way of taking away all of her pain.

She later learns that Cole is an Everliving and uses human emotions as his source of energy. He feeds on her for 100 years, which equates to 6 months in human time. This time period is referred to as "the feed". She should have wasted away to virtually nothing, but for some reason she survived. Now Cole believes the two of them can rule the underworld. The only problem is Nikki's love for Jack never diminished. She refuses to go with Cole to the Everneath and returns to the surface for her last six months with Jack and her family.

At first I was a Cole supporter and thought the two of them would make a great couple. That was before I met Jack. Once I could see Jack and Nikki's love and devotion to one another it was clear that they belonged together. They began researching mythology with the hope of finding a way to free Nikki. With time running out, they need to work quickly or they could lose each other forever.

Everneath was an excellent debut novel for Brodi. I was captivated from the very beginning and didn't feel like the story lagged at any point. Brodi added a unique twist at the end that I did not see coming until very late in the story. It set up the second book beautifully and left the reader anxiously anticipating Everbound, which is the second book in the series. Without this change in direction, I don't think there would have been much of a plot line remaining.

I will give you advance warning. DO NOT read the synopsis for Everbound until you have already finished reading Everneath. There is a large spoiler revealed in the synopsis and I was a little upset when I read it. I don't think I will read the synopsis for a book further along in a series ever again. I have heard other bloggers complain about this, but this is the first time I have experienced it first hand.