Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Series: Nevermore, book 1
Publisher: Atheneum
Release Date: 2010
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 543
Source: Bought it
My Rating: 5 stars
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. Taken from Goodreads.comI bought Nevermore when it first came out but it took me months before I finally picked it up to read it. Most reviews that I had read at the time made me postpone reading this and I wasn't sure if I should but I'm glad I did. I LOVED it!
First of all if you're worried that you won't be able to enjoy or understand it because you haven't read Poe before reading Nevermore, don't worry you don't have to. I haven't read anything from Poe but I still managed to enjoy this because as Isobel tries to understand the dream world we get a glimpse of some of his work. I must say that after Nevermore I'm willing to read Poe. Something I wouldn't have done before.
Nevermore was nothing as I expected it to be. From the synopsis you get an idea of what the story will be. A cheerleader and a goth that fall in love but it's so more than that. Isobel was nothing like the typical mean, one-centered, cheerleader you see and expect from many YA books. She was nice and very down to earth. She loved cheerleading for what it was not what it represented. I loved her instantly when she stood up for Varen even if that meant loosing her friends. In this book we get to see Varen being bullied by Isobel's ex and Isobel did everything she could to stand up for him. Whenever I think of Varen and what he went through I just want to hug him!
I adored Kelly Creagh's writing. I'm usually one of those people that want more action than description. I love my dialogues. Nevermore however had more descriptions of scenery than dialogue and it was perfectly fine by me because somehow it was just perfect for this kind of book and the writing was excellent. I don't mind it when the writing is good and in this case it was superb.
The story is complicated and you have to pay attention to it. I found myself wondering what the hell was happening and when I thought I might know what was happening or who did what, I was mistaken and taken aback by something new. The story was unpredictable until the very last minute.
Overall, I loved it. It has made my list of favourite books and I'm waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.
Frosy
