everneath: the review

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

For a century, Nikki Beckett was asleep. Trapped in limbo as a Forfeit in the Everneath, she was used as sustenance for the immortal Cole, an Everliving who lured her to the underworld when she was at her most vulnerable. When Nikki wakes from the Feed, she has no recollection of who she is or where she came from - the only thing she has held on to is the memory of a boy's face. Wanting nothing more than to see this boy again, Nikki Returns to the surface and the life she left behind.

For six months, on the surface, Nikki Beckett was missing - her family, friends, and boyfriend, Jack, had nearly given up on ever seeing her again when she turns up, malnourished and confused, on the floor of a convenience store. Slowly, Nikki tries to readjust to life on the surface despite knowing her time is running out - she has six months to find redemption before the Tunnels of Everneath claim her forever - that is, if Cole doesn't get to her first.


Brodi Ashton has taken several Greek myths and woven them into a beautiful, melancholy tale. This is not your typical paranormal YA story, all sparkles and fluff and melodrama - Nikki returns to the surface a broken shell of who she once was, nearly unrecognizable to those who knew her, and with only six months to say the goodbyes she never got to say before, the view from her perspective is understandably bittersweet and heartbreaking at times.

The timeline switches between Nikki's life post-Feed and her life before going to the Everneath, and at the beginning of each chapter the months, weeks, days Nikki has left before she's claimed by the Tunnels counts down, which really adds to the urgency of the story. The characters are multifaceted and realistic. The Everneath itself is quite interesting, but little time is actually spent there in the story so it's a bit of a mystery - hopefully it will play more of a role in the sequel (out next year!) and we'll get to learn more about the Tunnels and the other Everlivings. Overall, this was simply a well-written, fascinating book, and in a genre where everything tends to blend together, Everneath manages to stand out and bring something original to readers.

If you're looking for a paranormal romance with a little more depth, Everneath just may be the book you've been waiting for.