Everneath

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s 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 precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen. As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is 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 queen. Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton. From BooklistAfter a six-month absence, teenager Nikki Beckett has returned home, although no one could possibly understand under what circumstances. She has spent the past 100 years in the Everneath, a world where immortals, called the Everliving, go to replenish their strength by feeding on the energy of humans. Nikki, anchored by the memory of her boyfriend Jack, miraculously survived the feed. Now she has six final months at home to say her good-byes before returning to the Tunnels, a hellish extension of the Everneath. Combining elements of the Persephone myth and the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, the story alternates between the events that led Nikki to agree to the feed and her return. As the only person ever to survive, she is urged by Cole, the Everliving who initially took her away, to seize control of the Everneath (with him, of course). Will she? This first volume of a planned trilogy covers familiar territory (angsty heroine, adoring boyfriend, delicious bad boy) yet offers a promising start. Grades 9-12. --Kara Dean Review“Ashton’s debut, is complex and intriguing. Drawing inspiration from such myths as Osiris, Orpheus, and Persephone, it explores the nature of loss and longing and what it means to be alive.” (Publishers Weekly )“I was pulled under by this bittersweet, beautiful retelling of the Persephone myth. Ashton’s lovely storytelling and strong-on-her-own-terms main character set this one apart. Wonderful!” (Ally Condie, author of the MATCHED trilogy )“The powerful emotions, moving and painful rebuilding of strained relationships, and star-crossed love story is sure to resonate with teen readers.” (School Library Journal )“The author brings a fresh, innovative concept to young adult fiction with well-developed characters and a fantastic plot line .... Libraries are advised to buy multiple copies-this one will fly off the shelves.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) )“Enthralling and suspenseful, EVERNEATH is pure indulgent escapism!” (Becca Fitzpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of HUSH, HUSH and CRESCENDO )