Everbound audiobook

Actual rating: 4.5 starsThere are exactly two types of books that I tend to gravitate towards: Dystopians and Greek myths. Both feature characters in impossible, bleak situations. Those stories are dark, deadly and often times, down right tragic, not always ending with your standardized 'happily ever after.' Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what that says about me as a person, but I digress. I think the real allure is rooting for the underdogs even when it seems like they're up against the inevitable. It's the spark of hope in these character driven novels. The passion and determination of the main characters. The dynamic relationships that form as a result of these scenarios. But mostly importantly, it's the nagging thought in the back of your mind, wondering what you'd do if you were in their position, which paves the way for certain type of admiration for the strength in the protagonist. Everbound was that kind of book for me.Immediately, after starting Everbound I had the sinking feeling it was going to tear at my heart. And I was right because obviously Nikki is still hurting over Jack's sacrifice with no way to save him. That is, until Cole reappears in her life and together they travel down to the Everneath to save Jack. And I should warn readers that this is not a happy novel and it does contain its fair share of teen angst, but, in my opinion, warranted. While Nikki and Cole navigate the Everneath, they rely heavily on her memories of Jack to show them the way. I was a little wary of the book containing flashbacks to help move the plot along because those types of novels don't seem to work well with me. Thankfully, I enjoyed it and I feel it helped fill the void for Jack's smallish role in this installment.That's right. *weeps* There isn't much Jack in here. That made me really sad in the beginning, but then there was Cole, who is a completely different character for the better. Nikki is oblivious to Cole's feelings for her and at times that did annoy me. What was it going to take for her to see it? Did his love have to punch her in the face? Apparently. Yet, she failed to take much notice and that, unfortunately, led to a tragic ending... And if you're wondering, yes, there is a cliffhanger. In this case, I liked it only because I think Ashton set it up nicely even though I must now suffer more than a year to know what happens next (WHY?! *weeps* HOW SHALL I SURVIVE?).Another thing I loved about Everbound was how much action was added this time around. Whereas Everneath moved as a slower pace and it almost felt like you could feel Nikki coming out her drugged haze, Everbound is the opposite with just enough action sequences, paired with bittersweet flashback memories of Nikki and Jack. But at the same time there is this layer of urgency to get to Jack before he disappears forever. So many obstacles are thrown at our characters, that I started to doubt if there would be any sort of resolution because Ashton doesn't make it easy for them. After all, this is based on a Greek myth. Remember all the tragedy, pain and suffering? Ashton really doesn't hold back and I really appreciated it.Then there is the love triangle. And I really have to applaud Ashton for it. I know, I know. Not another dreaded love triangle. But let me tell you, I LOVE IT. Originally, I was solidly on Jack's side, but I'm finding myself more and more conflicted as this series goes on (much like I am with the Unearthly series). There seems to be so much more to Cole than I expected. He's such a complex character and learning more about his past in Everbound had me questioning who the true antagonist is.  Cole says there are no heroes. But is he just resisting the person he could be or has he accepted his fate and role as a true Everliving? I am unsure. All I know is that I was throughly deceived in this book. Like, egg all over my face. Feels rain down on me. Then by the end, ultimately, I drowned in it. Usually, I have this habit where I rate books immediately after finishing the last page and this, admittedly, leads to a lot of books having inflated ratings from me. (I'm working on that.) But even after leaving Everbound's review waiting to be written for almost a week, I still feel this was an excellent second novel. I expected to find "Second Book Syndrome," but instead we have a story that significantly picked up the action, dived into more complex characterization and a conclusion that left me stunned. I think fans of Everneath will loves this and those who weren't particularly impressed with the first book will find a better novel here. There's really not much to say other than to wonder, how many children must I offer up for book three?Interested in winning an ARC? Check back with us at the end of the month for our Top Cuddles of 2012 Giveaway Hop. (Yes, that was a bit of shameless self-promotion. I regret nothing.) ARC was provided by HarperTEEN. Thank you! As usual, no monies or favors were exchanged for a positive review. I just happened to like something all by my lonesome. Shocking, I know. More reviews and other fantastical things a Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.----------------------Thoughts immediately after reading:OKAY. WHOA. That ending!! GAHHHHHH!!! -----------Thoughts before reading:Just look at that SMOKIN' cover!Yes, DO want! Gimme!

Warning: contains spoilers for the end of EverneathI've spent most of the last hour browsing the internet and trying to find a gif that fully portrays the shock and outrage I felt at the ending of Everbound. Unfortunately, there appears to be nothing of that extremity currently on tumblr or photobucket. Before the last chapter, I was liking this book well enough - particularly the more action-packed scenes in the Everneath - and I was breezing along thinking "yeah yeah, this is good, that was great, whatever" until Ashton hit me in the face with a great load of DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING. This is definitely better than the first. It is an emotional rollercoaster that has you constantly reevaluating your opinions on the characters and who you want Nikki to end up with.Everneath finishes where Jack has taken Nikki's place in the Everneath and Everbound is all about Nikki's attempts to rescue him. With Cole's help, Nikki sets off into the Everneath, navigating the dangerous rings of water, wind and fire, in order to save Jack from his imprisonment. The Everneath uses every emotion as a weapon, plays tricks on your mind, makes doubt creep into every plan and tries to (literally) drown you in despair. In order to locate Jack, Nikki must rely on her "tether" to him which is conjured through happy memories of their relationship. Team Jack readers will probably have their hearts ripped out a few times when Nikki relives her time with him because Ashton is excellent at conveying very genuine emotions.I think the thing I liked most that made me love this book more than the first one is that this is as much an action-packed adventure as it is an angst-filled romance. I really enjoyed Everneath with its new spin on Greek myths but I'm not the biggest fan of romance and cheesiness, in fact, my initial reaction to Everbound was negative when Nikki was pining over Jack (understandable but still boring after a while). So when it became clear that this sequel was about way more than relationship challenges, I was delighted. Though much of it is still linked to Nikki and Jack's relationship, it is also largely about the physical and mental challenges Nikki and Cole face in the Everneath, avoiding firewalls and the zombie-like Wanderers that feed on emotion.But most of all, the winning factor of this series for me is: complex characters. No one is simply all bad or all good, they have faults and they do bad things but the bad things are not mindless evil either. When Nikki is reminiscing about Jack in the flashbacks here, we see many different sides to his character and Ashton paints an even more vivid picture of who he is and what makes him tick. Similarly with Cole. It would have been very easy to make Cole the bad guy and leave it at that, but he has so many levels to his character and everything he does has a reason for it - whether those reasons are good enough an excuse or not depends on the reader. But, either way, this is an excellent second installment that doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome for a second.Phew, big big yay for good sequels! Now we just have to wait a whole year for the last book...

I propose we begin a foundation. Survivors of the Everneath Series Anonymous. Because this book seriously gave me ALL the feels:I’m going to try to do this without spoiling the last book or this one, kay my friends?Nikki needs Cole’s help in the Everneath. She has to make it through three mazes, avoid zombie-like wanderers, the Queen of the Everneath and the Shades or she and Jack are going to die.And can I just say: GOD THIS BOOK! WHY?! WHY!??!!?! Ashton, do you feed on our tears? Do you use them in your magic spells? Do you boil them in your brews? How could you give us such an ending – AGAIN!?I read the last page of this book with the colour draining from my face, shaking my head and going, “No! No! Noooooo! She got me again!” I mean, there’s just so mean you can be to your readers before they’re justified in kidnapping you and forcing you to hand over any and all sequels!Nikki continues to improve as a character – taking leaps and bounds as a stronger, more amazing character. She is not afraid to hit back at life and she doesn’t hesitate to kick butt when it needs kicking. However, the scene stealer is most definitely Cole who will charm the pants off you, then charm your pants, then steal your pants. Because that boy is evil and if I were to ever translate myself into a fictional world in order to meet him then I’d probably slap him, kiss him and then slap him again for good measure.Seriously, this sequel was amazing and has set the bar very high for the third book in the Everneath series which I absolutely need. NOW!This review, and others like it, can be found on my blog,

I do not normally condone temper tantrums for anyone over the age of 0, but this book deserves a nice, giant, WHAT-WERE-YOU-THINKING-TO-END-IT-THAT-WAY temper tantrum. I'm talking throwing the book (without damaging it) or using it as a club to bash things with (again, no damaging). (Btw, I did these things.)Brodi Ashton has merged fairy tales with classic mythology and her own modern twist. Plus a SHOOT-ME-IN-THE-FACE cliff hanger. And a twist that will have you groveling in the dirt.More respectful review to come. Very soon.

5 Ever Yours stars! Everbound begins a couple of weeks after the events of Everneath. After her boyfriend Jack sacrifices himself and is sent into the tunnels of the everneath, Nikki makes it her mission to rescue Jack from what should have been her fate. To do this, Nikki must go to the everneath, and she needs the help of Cole, the everling who instigated this whole mess. Surprisingly, Cole is willing to help Nikki, and both of them set off on a dangerous journey to reunite Nikki with her lost love. Along the way Nikki recounts stories of her and Jack, which helps form a tether in the everneath which will lead her to Jack.I admired Nikki's determination in this book. Where she had been sort of a weakling in the first book, she developed into a fighter in Everbound. She fought many difficult obstacles to get to Jack, and suceeded where many other people would have given up. "I was not losing Jack. I would not lose him." I loved how the author began to "humanize" Cole in this book. In the last book he seemed to be strictly The Bad Guy, but in Everbound I found myself wanting to know more about him. As a reader, his love for Nikki becomes more prevalent and believable in this addition. "It's not love. It's a need. He needs me because he thinks I can become the next queen. He doesn't love me.""You really can't see it, can you?""See what?""He has a tether too. And it points right at you." I thought the love triangle was very well done. I am usually a fan of the underdog, which in this case would mean Cole. Despite the character development of him and the lack of Jack's presence on page, I found myself rooting for Jack instead of Cole. Like, I am a t-shirt wearing fan of #TeamJack. I think this is because Jack suffered through so much in book one of Nikki being gone (and it being Cole's fault), and then his self sacrifice. His actions just makes him a character you have to root for. Don't get me wrong, Cole is all kinds of interesting. I just don't want him to get the girl.And that ending? Boy am I glad I waited to read this series until all of them were published. Mini-cliffhanger!!!

First thing, I want to appreciate the map on the very beginning of the book.It is such a beautiful map, I didn't even realize it was a map at the first glance. I tought what I saw were some symbols (from the ring).This was good second book in the series. We got to see Everneath and the writer did a decent job in the world building.As for characters, I really liked Nikki's development. She is full of anger that makes her stronger. I really liked that about her. Her anger makes her a fighter, keeps her going. She knows what she wants and she's ready to fight and do whatever it takes to reach her goal.I don't want to spoil anyone but I will say that one character had let me down big time.(view spoiler)[ Cole, you little prick!! (hide spoiler)]I'll end this (let's call it) review here and I'm off to read Evertrue.Note: I don't want to be cruel but I really hope a little bastard will die in the next book.Right after finishing the book: This book (or I should say one specific character) made me angry. It's so bad that my adrenaline got high, and now I know I won't fall into sleep any time soon.

Crap that was such a good book. It was quite heavy on the heart. And what another cliffhanger!!! UGH!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!Just when i thought i like Cole for being more genuine than Jack, he comes destroying it. I guess Jack will always be the one then!!! I really wasn't expecting Cole to do that!! He totally just destroyed my trust!! Number one enemy right now! I'm not over it! I really loved this book though. It's nice to have gotten to know Cole and really hate him as well. I just wished there was more of Jack in this book. The ending was so sad and so many questions were unanswered. :(

So, I inhale read this in two days and now I'm just sitting here wondering what is going on. The twist at the end was so sudden and shit! so good. In this book, Cole and Nikki have to travel to the Everneath to go try and save Jack. I really liked the visuals we got with the Everneath and how multiple myths (like Greek and Egyptian) combine to make this fictional place. Even after everything... I'm still Team Cole. He and Nikki have wayyyy more chemistry than Nikki and Jack will ever have. I'm dying to know how this trilogy ends.

Please can I have it NOW I need it I NEED Jack

Another awesome series! I read Everneath on a whim. It was a debut novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect but it sounded like something that I would enjoy. And I am SO GLAD that I did! And while I loved Everneath, Everbound was a-freaking-mazing! It’s my favorite of the two.Ashton does an excellent job in book one, setting up this world and these characters. And she does an even more wonderful expanding on that in book two. We are exposed to the Everneath in a way I never thought possible, it was crazy! I love Ashton’s references to Greek Mythology, even the ones that I totally overlooked, thanks to Kelly for pointing that one out!This next bit could be a bit spoilery so please skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t read book one. One thing that I missed in this installment was Jack. He really grew on me in book one, and it killed me that he sacrificed himself for Nikki and ended up in the tunnels! So since he’s stuck down there, we don’t really get to see much of him at all. SadOkay, it’s safe to read again! I must have a thing for bad boys because, oh how I felt for Cole! All I wanted to do was hug him and tell him that Nikki really does love him and then slap Nikki and tell her to forget about Jack! Even though I loved Jack in book one! I think perhaps it was because of his absence. It was Cole time in Everbound. Cole all the time!And then the ending. I don’t even know what to say. I died. I died a little bit inside. I totally did not see any of that coming. BLINDSIDED! I couldn’t believe it! But it was so EPIC at the same time. I commend Ashton, she totally snuck all that by me.I love this story, and I can’t WAIT for more!

See more reviews at YA Midnight ReadsBrodi Ashton is officially on my favourite authors list. This book made my day. I love you Brodi!

Once again Brodi Ashton has written a book that incorporates an interesting tale of mythology that has me so emotionally invested and leaves me feeling helpless heartbroken. Ashton just has this way of surprising me in the end - even when I'm expecting it.First of all, I'm not a fan of whiny main characters who wallows in self-pity. But Nikki didn't feel like one to me. I can't really explain why, but perhaps it's because Ashton had created such a sorrowful book with the first one or because of the whole mythological premise in the first place. Or maybe because she always had a determination to help Jack - despite the not-promising chances of finding Cole - or that she knows being his anchor is what is keeping him alive.But I just think Ashton just has this way of making you become so emotionally absorbed that you really, really like someone or really, really hate someone - and I am sure a lot of readers are going to get some strong reactions with the latter. I'm not going to giver anything away, but c'mon now, you knew from the beginning, you can't help but suspect along the way, and you just had this uneasy feeling along the way. Despite it all, you just can't help but feel like you've been slapped in the face at the end. Wow. Just… wow!The thing I really liked about this book was it didn't focus solely on Nikki and her quest to rescue Jack. While this was, of course, the main feature, I was really interested by the story of the queen. That was what really drove the book home for me because 1) some authors get so into their story - especially in intense books like this one that they forget that it's the supporting characters who help make a book strong and 2) it was totally unexpected that it turned out to be a major piece of the book.So yeah, I did like the first book a tad bit more. But this book had more than enough merits to be great on its own.

4.5/5 STARSI liked this second book in the series sooooo much more than the first!! This second book in the Everneath series is exactly what I was hoping it would be, after a lot of dragging scenes in the first book, I was hoping for more of a fast paced story and that's what I got!In the beginning Nikki is still dealing with the loss of Jack and the accusing stares she gets from pretty much everyone in town because she was the last person to see Jack and she can't tell anyone where he is or what happened to him. As she digs deeper into what they Everneath is and what is happening to Jack in the tunnels that's when she decides to try and go after him and save him. Cole is there to "offer" help but is hesitant and unwilling to tell her absolutely everything. Once they are in the Everneath, the story is non-stop and I LOVED it! As the reader you are constantly learning about this realm and all of it's many twists and turns. I need to find out how this story ends!!