Ever

Very Good Book

I loved this book. Origanally I had bought it for my thirteen year old sister since I thought I was outgrowing GCL, but I was totally wrong. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading, but the plot was intrigueing. I reccomend this story to anyone looking for something outside the box, expecially the cliche novels that authours seem to be cranking out for teenage readers.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Olus, the young god of the wind, prefers to live with humans rather than his divine companions, all of whom are hundreds of years older than he is. In his travels he can't help noticing and falling in love with the beautiful and talented Kezi. At first he forces himself to be content merely watching, but then Kezi's father makes a deadly oath, and Kezi has only a month left to live. Unwilling to let her die, Olus reveals himself and offers Kezi a chance at life.

But before Olus and Kezi can defy fate and make a new life for her, they must survive the most frightening tests of their lives -- alone. Can they prove themselves worthy in the gods' eyes, and their own?

EVER is a touching novel about the power of love in overcoming fear, and the many different types of faith. The myth-like story takes place in a unique setting, more like India than the traditional medieval backdrop of most fantasies, and which makes for a fascinating world to explore. Olus and Kezi make for sympathetic narrators, passionate but wiser than their years would suggest.

Readers may wish that their adventures lasted longer. What adventure there is will have them turning the pages, eager to find out whether Kezi will survive, and what she may have to give up in the process. An excellent novel for older children and teens, especially those interested in other cultures and questions of faith.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful and Beautiful: Ever is a Fairytale

I was not expecting much from Ever when I started reading because I hadn't heard any praise for it. However, I found the story enjoyable and very entertaining to read. Though it is fun, it did not evoke any deep thinking on my part. I would not have liked the story so much except for Olus is a great character. He's funny and strange and interesting. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for Kezi, the other main character.

Levine is a good writer. Everything flows well and she has some wonderful ideas that went into Ever, however, I thought it was a little dry. It reads like a folk-tale, myth, or fairytale: the characters don't feel complete and some of the things that happen are never explained. I think if you pick up this book and expect to read it like a fairytale, you can enjoy it a lot! If bizarre, twisted, and irritating oath-taking parents bother you, you probably won't like Ever. Although I did not think the overall writing was rich, there was one particularly well-written scene where Olus undertakes a trial to become a Champion. The ideas and details were fascinating. However, like in a fairytale, you know that the characters are going to succeed, and their ¿tests¿ did not strike me as particularly hard. Though I was a little concerned for them before the end, I did not really expect anything to go wrong.

Another reason this reads like a fairytale is that it has the ¿beautiful and beautiful¿ typical fairytale romance. A boy and girl see each other, speak briefly, and find they are desperately in love with each other based merely on attraction. This is especially disappointing after reading Ella Enchanted, which has a realistic and convincing romance. Ever's romance is, quite honestly, empty.

The content of the book is mostly clean, if you're not offended by a father willing to sacrifice his daughter because of his religion . . . The only part that made me uncomfortable was when Olus and his friend Kudiya pee in the grass together (they're eleven when they do it). That was gross, but I guess that's little boys for you.

If you enjoy Ever, you may like Lloyd Alexander's books, especially the Iron Ring which is written in a similar mythological style in an Indian-like culture.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I thought it was fun, entertaining, and all around a decent book...

When I first read reviews for this book I couldn't wait to read it. I had read all of Levine's other books and I couldn't wait to read more of her work. When I got it though I got a little nervous. After I had read some I wondered why I had been so excited. It started out a little slow, but then suddenly things started to pick up the pace a little bit. Suddenly I was caught up in the book and falling behind in other things I was supposed to be doing.

In my oppinion Kenzi is a young girl who loves her family and would do anything for them. When her mother gets sick, her father swears an oath that if he tells anyone Kenzi will have to be sacrificed. Kenzi stole my heart, and I'm sure she'll steal yours to (though I am a bit of a softy).

I thought that Levine skiped over the whole falling in love part of the story though. I could see Olus falling in love with Kenzi, but I didn't really see Kenzi fall in love with Olus. To me it just happened, there wasn't any Kenzi falling in love with Olus, she just all of a sudden loved him.

But the book kept me reading (after the slow start), which is what relly matters. This book seemed to fly by to me, and it did keep me guessing at what would happen next.

I liked this book because some parts made you smile while others made you laugh out loud. There weren't any terribly sad parts, but there were some that were slightly. Some parts worried me a bit because I was worried for the charectors themselves! But all around It was a well spun tale as all (most) of Levine's books are.

If you do decide to read this book (whether it has anything to do with this review or not) I beg you DON'T put the book down if you find it a little slow in the beggining. It's better a few more chapters ahead I PROMISE.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cute, but not Levine's best

Ever is a fantasy/historical fiction book for young adults about a mortal girl who falls in love with the god of the wind. Together, the two must become heroes in order to save her from an untimely death. This is a cute book, but it does not have the magic of some of Levine's other books. Furthermore, its theme may make many religious parents a little wary. Ever asks questions about God's existence and His ability to communicate with His people. These questions remain unanswered at the end of the story. Although I do not find the theme offensive (everyone has a right to express doubts), I think it may not be appropriate for younger, more impressionable readers (unless their parents encourage open thinking about religion; in which case it's a perfect discussion book).

It was just ok

This book was OK, it just wasn't exciting enough for my taste. I felt it could have been so much better than it was. I say if you're bored and have nothing else to read than go for it. I didn't hate it either, I just probably won't be reading it again. Olus is the Akkan god of the winds and is restless. He wants so bad to live in the world of the mortals that he moves far from his home and pretends to be a goat herder in a city named Hyte. There he watches the family that owns that land he rents for goat herding, especially Kezi their daughter. Kezi loves to dance and weave rugs and her family and her are devout worshipers of the god Admat. When Kezi's Mati(word for mother) gets sick her Pado(word for father) makes and unbreakable oath to Admat that he will sacrafice the first person who congradulates him on his wifes good health if he makes her better, soon Kezi's mother is better. To save her Aunt Fedo though who was away when the oath was made and didn't know about it, she congradualtes her father before her aunt can, therefore bearing the responsibilty of becoming the scacrafice to Admat. Olus soon meets Kezi and soon afterwards they fall in love. Then Olus and Kezi embark on the joureny to save Kezi's life.

Not My Favorite

Generally, I really enjoy Gail Carson Levine's books. Ella Enchanted was very good and I also enjoyed Fairest and the Two Princesses of Bamarre and her short stories in The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales was so fun. This one just fell short... the story was not as good as the previous books. It seemed like the romance was rushed and the characters weren't as developed as the other books. That said my daughter and I did enjoy parts of the story - it was just not our favorite.

DA BOOM

this book is a wounderful read very interresting. she also wrote fairest which is really good! great author!

This is a great book please read It! I promise if you like adventure and romance maybe suspense you will love this book!

Hi! I am Emily, Linda's (my mom's) daughter. This is a great book! It is inspiring that you can do anything you put your mind to. It teaches you about bravery,sacrifice(even though you should not make a human sacrifice)and love. It is great for those who like magic,adventure,some romance and a great story! The books i have recommended are great,exciting,adventerous books. Though I would like to say that the Song of the Lioness series is for pre-teens or teens(I am 11 years old but my sister is 19 and she was reading them again, I am a very advanced reader). Enjoy!!!!

Emily

I Loved This Book!

I had wanted this book since mid-September, and I finally got it today for an early birthday present. I read it in two hours, with no breaks or stops--that's how intriguing I thought it was! Akka reminded me of Mount Olympous in the Greek myths, except I liked in Ever how Olus was able to venture into the mortal world; I don't think Zeus or Hades ever did that. My favorite character was either Olus or Kezi; I liked how much Kezi sacrificed without knowing how things would end up for Olus, and I also liked how Olus was so caring and determined to win over Kezi's heart that he'd risk his immortal life for her. The cover was amazing! It's so fancy and has an air of mystery to it, with Olus in the background with an expressionless face. I couldn't tell if the god Admat had ever existed or not, but I think he was symbolizing the mortals: some hatred and death, but also loyalty and love when you needed it. I think that you'll love reading Ever if you like suspense, romance, action, and surprises. This was a great book that I loved and think that you will, too!

2 star review

this story was horrible there was nothing interesting about it. I have read the whole series and i didn't like anything. the book is so boring. All her books are the same. the book is just a similar version of hercules. all her books are simlar versions of some famous book. if you did like this book then i recomend the series. "ella enchnted,dave at nigh, the two princess' of bamarre,fairest, and the fairy's return.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Blah

I was disappointed with this book, as well as many other reviewers. The plot was unrealistic and predictable. The characters and romance were flat. There wasn't much to enjoy in this book.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not so good

I was very disappointed when I read this book, I thought it was going to be like the book Fairest (also written by Gail Levine) but it wasn't. I didn't like the characters and I didn't like that they were talking about Akkan Gods in every part of the book, and felt it was unnecessary! I would not recommend this book to anyone.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow...this was bad

I'm not sure if this book was actually trying to be bad or not, but if it was, it got what it came for. No really. This was horrible. It lacked anything that resembled greatness; it lacked a story, characters, which basically equals a book. So if you pick up this book, set it back down. I think that good ol' Gail wrote Ella Enchanted, and then promptly forgot HOW to write. Like at all. I wish she would just stop trying, or stop getting published because none of her books seem to have any soul to them, and without that, there's no point.
Once I put this book down, I forgot what the title even was. It is not memorable and the characters are flat and unimaginative. The whole story was. I've read better stuff from other people, heck, I've read better stuff from grade-schoolers.
So, in conclusion, just say no.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pretty good,but kinda disappointing...

The first time I tried reading it I wasn't interested. My mom got it for me for Christmas. I read it about 3 months ago.
A great fairytale, with romance. But it was kinda disappointing. I expected it to be more like Ella Enchanted or Fairest, I loved those SOO much!! But, not every book an author writes is always amazing.
Olus was my favorite character. I didn't really care for Kezi. The plot was ok but Fairest was amazing!!
All in all, it was a quick story that was pretty good.

What a disgrace!

I usually love Gail Carson Levine's work...BUT...EVER was such a disgrace. I loved FAIREST, and was expecting the same quality work, yet found nothing close. There was poor character development, a very boring plot, and like most of Gail's work, didn't have the strong, powerful feeling behind her words. The story had no real emotions in it either. Nothing really varied in the whole book. An utter dissapointment.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book sucked!

This book was absolutely horrible. The author went into no detail, the storyline was mediocre at best, and the entire thing was written in past tense. Other readers beware, Ever will make you want to weep with it's inadequacy.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Could've been more interesting.

I was expecting a lot more out of this book. It was a fast and easy read and the love between Olus and Kezi seems sincere. But I thought the storyline could have been more planned out.

EVER

This was not a good book,I read alot and have read almost all of Gail Carson's books.

Amazing!

I can't believe that people are badmouthing this book! Gail Carson Levine is a total genius when it comes to fantasy/romance books. i read this and believe me, the passion and love between Kezi and Olus is just spectacular. this book is amazing for anyone who loves a good romance!