Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Category:  Paranormal Romance/ Mythology
Release date: January 24th, 2012
Pages: 370 (ARC)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Won

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Like many, many people, I was ecstatic to be able to start this book.  I actually loved it a lot more than I thought I would.  The story starts off in the Everneath, giving the reader a small glimpse of hell.  Nikki's wrapped in this cocoon with the man that brought her there about a century ago.  After all, time passes a lot faster down there than it does here.  Over time, she's lost all of the memories of her past life.  All but the face of her old boyfriend, Jack.  She's able to escape, return to her old life with nothing but his face in mind.  Nikki has been given a second chance to make everything right with all the people she left behind those few months ago.

The only thing is that when she left the Everneath, a Shade entered her body and acted as an hourglass, the mark on her shoulder slowly getting larger as the time she spends on earth passes.  By the sixth month on earth, her time is up.  The Tunnels will come for her, where she will be drained of all her energy and feel as though she's being buried alive.  She has two options-- go back with Cole for the Feed, or find a way to beat the Everneath and stay with her loved ones like she should have.

Although Nikki seemed to be a bit selfish leaving with Cole in the first place, throughout the book we learn the pain she was going through.  I can understand that she wanted someone else to rely on; to take her pain away.  I've felt like that before, but unfortunately, Nikki didn't realize how bad it could be.  After the time she spent away from home, when she came back, the relationship between her and Jack progressed into friendship again.  I actually found it a little hard to believe that once she told him the truth about where she'd been, he believed her with barely any questions asked.

The last 100 pages or so definitely drew me in the most.  I was eager to find out if Nikki could find a way to beat the Everneath and I'm still not sure if I'm completely satisfied by the way it ended.  I should have seen it coming and a part of me did, but I really didn't want it to end that way.  I am excited to read the sequel, because I can't imagine what else could possibly happen.   Until then, I'll have to dig into more mythology related books!