Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Hardcover: 560 pages
Reading Level: YA
Published: August 31, 2010
My Copy: Star Book Tours
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked hearts
Blurb from Amazon.com:
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
-- from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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 quick wicked thoughts...Dark, mysterious, edgy romance set that shows you everything isn't how it first seemed.
Why I was tempted to read this...reading the blurb made if sound like a fresh take on a YA paranormal romance, who wouldn't love reading about Edgar Allan Poe!
Cover thoughts...love it...gave me a clear vision of the two main characters.
Romance meter...lots of sizzling sparks between Isobel and Varen, I hope to see even more in the 2nd book.
Characters and plot...Isobel's world changes in the blink of an eye when she is paired with goth boy Varen for an assignment. She must get a good grade on this project to stay on the cheerleading team. Isobel starts breaking all the rules with her parents and her friends to start spending time with Varen on this project. Varen is mysterious and dark and has an obsession with Edgar Allan Poe. As they start hanging out more, strange things start happening to Isobel and her life as she knows it changes...and when she goes to a party with Varen, things change in ways she couldn't even guess.
I have to say I loved this book, I loved the dynamic between Isobel and Varen...and all his secrets. I love the way the author weaved in Poe's writings into the story and created a new world for the characters to exist in. If I have to say one thing negative, it would be that the climax of the plot was so long...this is a long book at 560 pages and about the last 1/4 of it was the plot climax. You cannot say that things came together too quickly in the end for this book LOL I was getting impatient to get to the end and find out what was happening with Varen. This is actually one of those books that has so much depth that you could read it again and probably find things you missed the first time thru. I will definitely purchase this one for my shelf.
The ending...the ending leaves things totally up in the air for the next book. There is so much left to happen that I really cannot wait to read it! The ending did break my heart a bit, but I just know things will be fixed in the sequel which according the the author's website, she is working on.
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