Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 543
Source: Bought
Series: Nevermore #1
Other Titles in the Series: Enshadowed (#2)
Summary (goodreads.com): Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it.
My Review:
I finished reading Nevermore a few weeks ago and I am still thinking about it. I’m going to be honest and say that the first thing that drew me into this book was the cover. The models on the cover are PERFECT. They *are* Isobel and Varen. The second thing that drew me into Nevermore was the fact that it was quite clearly Edgar Allan Poe related. Most of my favorite poems and short stories are written by Poe and I could tell while reading this book that Kelly Creagh loved Poe even more than I do. Nevermore was full of amazingly fleshed out characters and plotlines as well as ingenious references to Poe and his dark tales. Nevermore had everything I wish for in a book: romance, laughs, chills, and Poe references!
I loved the character of Isobel because she stood up to her so called friends and when she realized that she could do better she did. Isobel is a strong female character who can be a role model to a lot of people today. I loved Varen for so many reasons. I loved that he had a depth to him. He wasn’t just some goth kid. He was that way because it truly expressed his inner thoughts and feelings. He is such an intense character and his own characters in his stories reflect upon his deepest, most inner thoughts. Everything about Varen pleased me. I couldn’t stop thinking about his dream world and what he must have had to go through to create such a world. I thought about him so much that I found myself actually doodling him a few days after I finished reading (and for the record I don’t really draw at all so my drawing Varen was a big deal). One of my favorite characters in the book was named Pinfeathers. I won’t give too much away about his character but let’s just say that he fascinated me. I could read a whole novel based on how Pinfeathers came to be and be perfectly content. Nevermore is also quite a long novel as well, clocking in at over 500 pages, but I felt that it could have been even longer which is why I am extremely glad that the second book of the trilogy comes out next week. There was no point in the novel where I felt that anything could have been cut to make it shorter. I think that every detail was incredibly important to the way the characters and plot developed. Nevermore is a spectacular, twisted tale inspired by one of the greatest authors of all time and it has become one of my favorite novels. I urge you to read this book.
~Read More,
Talk Less,
Laura!
