{Kat's Korner} Reviewing EVERBOUND by Brodi Ashton

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Hello! I'm back to bother you all yet again with more Brodi Ashton today! I'm going to talk about EVERBOUND, my favorite part of the EVERNEATH trilogy. If you planned on reading EVERNEATH, or are in the middle of doing so,

DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.  

SPOILER ALERT TO THE TENTH POWER: 

I cannot avoid talking about the ending of EVERNEATH because EVERBOUND picks right up where Ashton leaves you off! I am so, so sorry. I'd avoid it if I could. Ok? Ready? Continue if you dare.

Otherwise, check out my review of EVERNEATH

and the in-between novella NEVERFALL instead!

Another beautiful cover, this time less colorful. There is no red dress to contrast the dark smoke, but in my opinion, it is just as elegant. The model's hair flowing back and turning into smoke is so pretty and eye-catching, too. Seemingly simple, but still fabulous. The differences in the cover here I guess could be called symbolic, as the story takes a very different turn from EVERNEATH.

SUMMARY:

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

Here's that huge spoiler I was talking about: Jack's gone! He's in the Tunnels! I was heartbroken to begin with! I mean, *Nikki* was heartbroken to begin with. Having failed to find a way to not have herself or anyone take her place in the Tunnels forever, Nikki is left in a very bad state emotionally and mentally. The person she loves, who helped her survive the Feed, is now in the very place she fought to get away from.

So, she turns to Cole for help. Oh wait, just kidding; he's gone, too. He and the band packed up and fled. What will Nikki do?! Ashton did a fabulous job setting us up to really wonder about everything here. We know she wants to save Jack, but how will she? Will she discover another Everliving? Will she find some secret, mortal way into the Tunnels? Aliens? Science? None of the above! Ready for it? The best she can do until she finds another immortal or locates Cole is sleep. Jack appears in her dreams, and they talk about everyday life, and share memories of each other. She gets to return the favor from when she was in the Feed. Nikki reminds him about who he is, and that is so powerful, in so many ways. At the very least, powerful enough to keep him going in the Tunnels. But for how long?

Just when I think things will get boring and slow down for a while, Cole shows up. (Cole can never, ever be boring.) Eventually, Nikki convinces him to go with her into the Everneath. Ok, maybe she threatens him. Maybe. This is where the book gets crazy. Nikki is now relying on the very being she wanted nothing to do with, and his friends, on his turf. A friend of Cole's has to be bad news for her, right? And you just know the Everneath is going to be super dangerous. You really have to wonder about Cole's motives here. Especially because of his antagonist role from the last book. He really did not have to return to Nikki at all...

Anyway, they have to locate the Tunnels, which is not easy at all. The Everlivings are brought there in secret when they need to feed. Great! Nikki and Cole must trek through the Everneath, all the while staying hidden (because she's human), and find a place only Shades and the big bad Queen herself can get to on their own. How are they going to do all that as well as rescue Jack? Well, all I'm going to say is: Nikki has a few new tricks up her sleeve.

Bottom line, I loved this book. Nikki went from Persephone to Morpheus, and then into a whole new category of her own. Cole became more than the sort of creepy, yet still somehow attractive, immortal guy trying to use her solely for personal gain. You get to see how Nikki and Jack fell in love over the years woven into the progressing story. And my favorite part overall, you get to experience *almost* the entire Everneath, and learn a ton of things about the way it works. Ashton took Greek myths and made them her own, and EVERBOUND is where you truly see it shine, while she sets you up for an action-packed conclusion.

That's all for now, hope I successfully didn't ruin anyone's day with that spoiler. I'll be back soon! Happy reading!
 

*This review is an HONEST representation of my personal thoughts and feelings of this work. EVERBOUND was purchased by me, and this review was not prompted nor paid for by any individual or group.

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