8 Rated Books Book Reviews YA Appreciation Month

Book Review: Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Title: Everlost

Author: Neal Shusterman

Genre: YA (Fantasy/ Paranormal)

Publisher: Simon Pulse (US) / Simon & Schuster Children (UK)
Publishing Date: Nov 6 2007/ Jul 6 2009
Paperback: 384 pages

Stand alone or series: First in the Skinjacker trilogy

Summary: Nick and Allie don’t survive the crash, and now they are in limbo, stuck halfway between life and death, in a netherworld known as Everlost. Everlost is home to those who didn’t make it to their final destination: A magical yet dangerous place filled with shadows where lost souls run wild. Shocked and frightened, Nick and Allie aren’t ready to rest in peace just yet. They want their lives back. Desperate for a way out, their search takes them deep into the uncharted regions of Everlost. But the longer they stay, the more they forget about their past lives. And with all memory of home fading fast and an unknown evil lurking in the shadows, Nick and Allie may never escape this strange, terrible world. In this imaginative, supernatural thriller, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

Review:

Everlost was not at all what I was expecting. When I was harassed enlisted by Thea to read a Ghost story I was half expecting to be scared to death (since Ghosts are the Things That I Fear The Most) but Everlost is not an usual ghost story. Instead it is an adventure of the highest calibre.

It begins thusly:

“On a hairpin turn, above the dead forest, on no day in particular, a white Toyota crashed into a black Mercedes, for a moment blending into a blur of gray”.

Nick and Allie don’t survive the crash and as they go into that tunnel towards the light, they end up bumping into each other, going off course and missing the light altogether. They sleep for nine months and wake up confused, now in Everlost (a limbo-like place for children only) and are greeted by Lief, a lonely boy who has inhabited the dead forest for a long time. Overwhelmed with happiness at the prospect of company, he explains a few things about Everlost to Nick and Allie but as Greensouls the questions pile up and Lief’s answers are not enough.

They decide to embark on a trek to where they used to live and find out if their parents survived the crash. You see, as any Greensoul recently arrived in Everlost, they sort of still believe that they can revert their deaths. This is a journey fraught with perils like Gravity Fatigue, where if you walk in places that are alive, you start to descend thought the earth down to its centre, so the first thing they need to learn is how to find a way to walk without losing themselves. Plus there are bullies like Johnny O. or monsters like the McGill on the loose.

As they go on, they realise that they are really death and there is no return. All that is left to them is to accept it and to learn the rules of the afterlife, beginning with lessons from Mary Hightower, one of the oldest inhabitants and responsible for a large group of kids who live in the ghostly Twin Towers of Manhattan. Mary knows a lot about Everlost , about the place itself and about the things that cross from the land of the living via either the dead spots or because they were so loved that they have an eternal presence in the world. As the author of many loved books such as The Gravity of Gravity (whereupon Gravity Fatigue is explained ), Spectral Visions: An Afterlight’s Guide to Looking One’s (the importance of reminding oneself of how one looks lest you become less of yourself) or Death Be Not Dull (in which she explains about the Greensouls and about the important of Routine), Mary is their light at the end of the tunnel (pun so intended) and Allie, Nick and Lief join her ranks.

HOWEVER, soon Allie, the more inquisitive and rebellious of the kids starts to realise that most of the children are living in a rut: their movements are repeated every single day and she starts to mistrust Mary’s lessons. Nick, on the other hand, who is a more accommodating kid, is perfectly happy where he is , especially when he starts to fall in love with Mary. Until he too, realises he is falling into a routine and together they leave to find out more.

This is when things get really interesting. Even though Nick and Allie start the book and their journey together, their paths in Everlost are not the same. Each undertakes their own adventure and go through life-altering experiences. For Nick, his story is connected with Mary’s whereas Allie ends up having to deal with the McGill. There are plenty of twists and turns and the plot expands over time and space within Everlost. Even though I saw from a mile ahead the twist involving the McGill, still this book was completely unpredictable in many ways plot-wise, or the way the character’s arcs – Nick’s, Allie’s, Mary’s and others – were executed. The biggest surprise though was how imaginative this book turned out to be.

Everything about Everlost was so creative and interesting that I kept turning the pages to see what wonders the author would throw at me. It also helps that many a thing about Everlost is of a brand of ironic humour which I am most fond of. Like how important Chinese Fortune Cookies, A.K.A. Evil Chinese Pastry of Death, are and how they plan such an important role in the story. Or how each kid in Everlost remains as they were at the time of death. For example, when Nick died , he was eating a chocolate bar and he is to spend eternity with chocolate smudges all over his face. He is not as unfortunate as the kid who died wearing a swimsuit though – Speedo is his name, by the way.

There is high adventure, real danger, pain, loss, love, hope and all the way to its perfect, bittersweet ending, I totally, totally loved this book and had a great time reading it. For once, I was extremely happy to find out it was only the first one in a trilogy and the next book, Everwild is out in a couple of months. Ellie and Nick have plenty of adventures and important roles to play in the future of Everlost and I can’t wait to read more.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: There are many things worth quoting in Everlost, but of course, I need to go with silly-funny. This one , cracked me up:

“Allie was alone in an elevator the following morning, when a human skeleton got in on the ninety-eighth floor.
Allie gasped at the sight of him.
“Get over it”, the skeleton-boy said as the elevator doors closed.
Allie quickly realised who it was. He wasn’t a skeleton at all. He simply had white makeup all over his face, with black around the eyes, and wore a cheap Halloween skeleton costume. His Afterlight glow merely added to the overall effect.
“Sorry”, said Allie. “You just caught me off guard”
There were two kids here who had the supreme misfortune of crossing on Halloween: this kid, another green face-paint and fake peeling skin. Everyone called them Skully annd Molder.”

Verdict: A great, imaginative adventure of the highest calibre with many unexpected turns. It is a great plot-driven novel without losing sight of its characters and their personal journeys in their brand of Afterlife.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

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35 Comments

  • KMont
    August 20, 2009 at 8:09 am

    This sounds good! I’m not really attracted to ghosts stories but this one does sound interesting. Gotta say I am loving both the covers.

  • RachaelfromNJ
    August 20, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    I saw this in B&N a couple times and I totally regret not buying it now! It did sound really good. I’ll have to get it next time I am there. Great review!

  • Anonymous
    October 11, 2009 at 8:32 am

    I’m reading this book right now, I haven’t finished it yet but I’m almost done and it’s really good and it grabs your attention. 🙂

  • Everlost fan
    January 7, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    i just finished this book alteast 5 mins ago and i loved it…it was axually my favorite book ive ever read.. the one disapointing thing was the end with nick and marry…i was hopeing it was going to end up the way i thought it would be. i wanted nick to like release all of the people but i wanted him to wait for her to get there so him and her could work together until the time was right and then the would both release themselves together…would have been more romantic i think…email me or IM me, my sn is arod494(as much as im a fan of everlost im a fan of the yankees aswell =])

  • Madison
    March 24, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    I think this book is really hard to follow but it is good too 😯

  • Anonymous
    May 29, 2010 at 6:54 pm

    😀 I bearly started reading this book lyke last week nd its so good i am enjoying it already..!!..

  • Riley
    November 20, 2010 at 3:29 pm

    i read this book and it was awesome!!! it actually gave you a sence of the ghostly part of you that is just waiting to come out!!! being dead sounds fun!!! well in their case!!! the fact that you dont have to sleep, and cant feel pain is great in all but the swimming isnt. i luv to swim!!! but you would drown in this case!! haha!! i encourage people to read this book. whos knows you mite be able to experience it!!! (ooooo) (that gradually gets louder):D

  • Christian Gonzalez
    April 12, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    This book is dope ive read it and its so cool right now im reading the next book “Everwild”

  • jordan
    April 28, 2011 at 7:37 am

    I think everlost was AWESOME 😀 8)

  • Stefani
    August 8, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    I just finished the book yesterday! The best ever! Definitely awaiting the sequels!

  • Anonymous
    October 2, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    😀 😮 Awesome book!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Anonymous
    October 2, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    Amazing book can’t wait to get the sequal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 🙂 😛 😆

  • Anonymoous
    October 31, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    I read the book and it is fabulous, inspiring, and fun to read, that i am going to get all three books. :mrgreen: 😡 😳

  • Anonymoous
    October 31, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    ➡ 😐 :mrgreen: 😀 🙂 🙁 😮 😯 😕 8) 😆 😡 😛 😳 😥 👿 😈 🙄 😉 ❗ ❓ 💡 I read the book and it is fabulous, inspiring, and fun to read, that i am going to get all three books. :mrgreen: 😡 😳

  • Anonymous
    November 14, 2011 at 9:11 am

    😀 i find this book very good good job

  • Troy
    November 14, 2011 at 10:30 am

    😀 🙂 🙁 😮 😯 😕 8) 😆 😡 😛 😳 😥 👿 😈 🙄 😉 ❗ ❓ 💡 ➡ 😐 :mrgreen: p.s this book is so good i got it two days ago and finshed it today i could not put the book down good job 😉

  • Anonymous
    November 30, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    😀 🙂 🙁 😯 😕 8) 😆 😡 😛 😳 😥 👿 😈 🙄 😉 ❗ ❓ 💡 ➡ 😐 :mrgreen:

  • elmo
    February 14, 2012 at 10:14 am

    hhha best book ever:) 😀 😯 😆 🙄 :mrgreen:

  • Anonymous
    March 5, 2012 at 10:12 am

    great book

  • summer
    March 26, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Love thiss book!
    This Book Is My Proyect Its for tomorrow i dont know what to put.. 😳 😳 😳 😳 😳 ❗ ❗ 🙁 😕 🙁 😕 😳 😳 😥 😥 🙄 🙄 ❗ ❗

  • Anonymous
    April 17, 2012 at 10:45 am

    😆 :mrgreen: 😛 😳 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😈

  • Anonymous
    April 17, 2012 at 10:47 am

    🙁 😮 😯 😕 8) 😆 😡 😛 😳 😥 👿 😈 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 😀 🙂 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 :mrgreen: 🙄 🙄 🙄 😉 ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❓ ❓

  • alexis
    June 6, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    Put more info on we page please

  • naomie beheler
    April 9, 2013 at 8:53 am

    im getting ready to this book i think it will be an ecxellent book:?: ❓ ❓ ❓

  • Mr.Night
    October 11, 2013 at 8:03 am

    i’ve read it 3 times and my answer will still be the same- obviously an awestruck book!! i love the way mickey potrays his feelings^^ and i think it’s a good ending for both allie and mickey

  • Anonymous
    December 2, 2013 at 4:36 pm

    I think this book is amazing I wouldn’t recommend it to kids 8 and under it wouldent make much sence and it might scare them a little

  • Claudia
    December 28, 2013 at 12:39 am

    You should read the other books of Everlost, its a trilogy and the next one is Everwild and then Everfound. I finished all three and their all nice. 😀 🙂

  • Jane
    December 29, 2013 at 2:28 am

    Did you finish the series? Everfound and Everwild. They are amazing.

  • Anonymous
    January 25, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    Very good book. I had to read it twice. Thats how good it was! I will go to the public library to get the sequel.

  • jane dill
    August 14, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    Did not like the book at all. Nothing about it was interesting.
    Horrible.
    It is required reading for an entire high school-
    poor choice-

  • Jonathan
    December 14, 2014 at 9:49 am

    I dont really like reading, but when i saw this book i picked it up on i coulnt put it down this was the best book ever!

  • nobodycares
    November 16, 2015 at 11:18 am

    it sucks dirty donkey balls.

  • “Everlost” | The SAHS Daily Howl
    December 2, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    […] From the The Book Smugglers […]

  • Maggie Jacobs
    April 21, 2016 at 4:49 pm

    To me, I couldn’t finish the first chapter. I am not trying to be a downer, but it was very juvenile for my taste. Just putting that out there. If you lie very detailed, complicated books, do not read this one.

  • UR MOM
    October 12, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    OMG YOU NEED TO FINISH IT RIGHT NOW. IT’S SO FUCKING GOOD, MAN.

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