Everneath by Brodi Ashton

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...

Release Date: January 24 2012
Publisher: Harperteen/Balzer & Bray
Pages: 370

Everneath is one of those books that I was highly anticipating for months before its release. I saw the cover on another blog and was immediately intrigued. When I read the synopsis and discovered that it was a sort of modern day retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, I was hooked. Not only do I adore anything to do with Greek mythology, the story of Hades and Persephone is one of my favorites. I've read several other retellings of the tale and was a little weary that perhaps Everneath would be too similar to these. Luckily it couldn't have been more different!

I absolutely loved this book. Brodi Ashton took the Persephone myth and turned it into something very unique and unlike anything I've ever read. It was beautiful and haunting and very hard to put down. I read it in a day because I couldn't stop turning the pages. It was one of those novels that when I had to put it down to do something else, I was thinking about the characters and couldn't wait to get back to them and find out what was going to happen to them.

The plot was great and took off from the beginning. You start out the story wondering where exactly Nikki is and how she got to this point in her life. I enjoyed how the plot skipped back and forth between present day and the previous year. Sometimes when authors use this method it can get confusing but Ashton did it beautifully and it really allowed the story to unfold in a way that kept you totally enthralled. I fell in love with the characters in the story (one in particular has captured my heart but I won't say who as I don't want to spoil anything).

Everneath had everything from romance, action, mystery and a very big 'creep factor'. The Everneath? The Tunnels? I had goosebumps reading about them. I very much enjoyed how the author manged to take an idea that has such strong supernatural elements and make it feel realistic, and the characters easy to relate to.

Overall, a fantastic read. I recommend it to everyone!