Waiting on Wednesday: Everbound

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I am eagerly waiting on...

Everbound, by Brodi Ashton

Summary (from Goodreads):
Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

Everbound will be released January 22nd 2013 by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins.

What are you guys waiting for this week? Leave thoughts and links in the comments!

Giveaway: Everneath

I'm hosting a contest as part of
Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash 2012
Presented by Squeaky Books
From August 22nd until September 22nd Enna Isilee at Squeaky Books is having a HUGE bash to celebrate her birthday! There’s a giveaway nearly EVERY DAY, tons of author interviews, and guest posts from some YA book bloggers. And I get to host a giveaway!

I get to give away a copy of Everneath by Brodi Ashton! Entering is simple, just fill out the rafflecopter. THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO US ONLY! You have until September 21st at 11:59pm EST to enter. All winners will be announced on Enna Isilee's birthday (September 22nd) on Enna Isilee's blog (Squeaky Books). And today, Ennalee interviewed Brodi Ashton at Squeaky Books. You should totally go check it out.

Want to know more about Everneath? Check out my review!

Without further ado, enter to win! Click below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Everneath

by Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
Hardcover, 370 pages
Published January 24th 2012 by Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Age Recommendation: Young Adult

Summary (from Goodreads):
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...

Everneath was really well written and interesting, but it wasn't the right book at the right time for me. I'd just finished All These Things I've Done, which has a romance that makes me want to throw the book across the room,  so what I needed from Everneath was a nice non-romance. Which, as I should have realized, is not what Everneath delivers.

Even though I wasn't really in the mood for a romance, I could easily see that Everneath was a great book. The characters were full and relatable, and the story was intriguing and kept me turning pages.

I really liked the characters because I understood all of them. In some books, the author presents a motivation for the character, but the reader doesn't really get into the character's head. In Everneath, every character had so much depth, and the reader gets glimpses of that depth throughout the book.

I'm also a huge mythology fan. I am very familiar with both the Hades and Persephone myth and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I loved that they were woven into Nikki's story. Everneath wasn't a retelling of either myth, but they played a large part in the story. I liked how, unlike The Goddess Test, Nikki knew about the myths and used them to figure out what was going on.

The pace is fast but not rushed. As the reader, I was astonished how quickly six months went, mirroring Nikki's own feelings that six months is far too short. I liked how Brodi Ashton used flashbacks both to give the reader more information as the story continued and to contrast Nikki's life before and after the feed. It gives the reader much more insight into how much her life has changed because of her decision.

Overall Thoughts:
Everneath was an excellently written book that I wish I could have enjoyed more. Brodi Ashton is quite a talented writer, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, Everbound.

Cover Reveal for Everbound

On Wednesday, Brodi Ashton revealed the cover for her upcoming book, Everbound, sequel to Everneath. Although I don't like this cover quite as much as Everneath's I really like the similarities between the two and I am certainly excited to pick up this next volume!

Here is the summary:

Two months ago, the Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The Heart of The Everneath.

Be on the lookout for my review of Everneath on Wednesday.

Are you looking forward to Everbound?

Let me know what you think!