Ever

The book is written in first person, present tense. I can never really get immersed in book written this way because people normally tell each other stories in past tense.

I also frequently had trouble visualizing what was going on, particularly when dancing was described.

The worldbuilding was good and the idea was fairly clever. However, I didn't feel like the characters were very deep. I also didn't like the conclusion of the story because it seems to encourage the reader to doubt the existance of anything they can't see and touch.

Ever seems to be a retelling of the famous 'Eros and Psyche' (or Cupid and Psyche) myth.
'Eros and Psyche' was always my favorite myth and yet I was never truly happy with the ending. I thought that the whole point of the story was that Psyche betrayed him and so she had to go through the quest to redeem and prove herself worthy of being a goddess. But she yet again proves herself a weak person by opening Persephone's box and has to be saved by Eros.

What I liked about Ever is that it took the 'Eros and Psyche' myth and took out all the parts I didn't like about it. There were no malicious/jealous/nosy sisters, no betrayal of trust, and no need for the helpless heroine to be saved by the hero; in fact, it is the heroine, Kezi, who saves the life of Olus (a god), proving that she is indeed worthy of being an immortal.

Sure there were some aspect of the book that I didn't particularly like (I honestly don't get why the heroine is so obsessed with dancing . . . it didn't seem like it contributed anything to the narrative), but those, to me, are relatively minor so all in all, I'm pretty happy with this book. I'm grateful that someone has finally re-written the 'Eros and Psyche' myth and given the heroine some backbone! :)

I must admit that I was disappointed by Ever, the latest book by Gail Carson Levine. With books such as Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre on my top list for favorite young adult fiction, I always have high hopes for Levine's books. But Ever definitely diminished those hopes a little, and I am now hesitant to read some of Levine's other recent works, such as Fairest.

Not only was Levine's writing style different from her past books (though that is to be expected as an author progresses in their craft), the plot did not seem well strung together, and while the ending of the story was technically `happy,' it was not satisfactory. While happy endings are not essential to making a great book, in a story that is lauded as fairytale-esque, there is an expectation that a happy ending will be included.
Unlike Ella Enchanted, it is hard to connect with the main character, (and assumed heroine), Kezi. It is actually Olus (the god of the wind and main male character) that is more reachable and endearing to readers.

Most disturbing to me while reading Ever however was the sinister undertone of Kezi being sacrificed to the god Admat after her father makes a vow to sacrifice the first person who wishes him well on his wife's (Kezi's mother) recovery from a serious illness. The concept of human sacrifice aside, it is the seemingly dark commentary on religion that made me cringe a little as I put the book down. While making young readers think about things like religion, and forcing them to ask themselves if God is real, if God is good, etc. are all very good things, Levine provides many questions but no answers.

Levine first portrays Admat as loving, then cruel, and then as nonexistent. Asking and implying such big questions but providing no solutions has the potential to leave young readers confused. As for myself, it left a bad taste in my mouth and made me wonder whether Levine was trying to create analogies or whether she just didn't bother to finish what she started in the story.

For a new generation of Levine readers, this book might be heralded as good; but for those of us who started reading Levine long ago, this book will most likely turn out to disappoint you.

If you're expecting something similar to Ella Enchanted, don't. Mrs. Levine has taken a different twist, trying a more diverse setting than before. I, as a writer, found it interesting and helpful to see a book written from two points of view in the present tense. It took a little bit of time to get used to, but didn't drag the storyline.

If you are take an interest in philosophy, greek mythology, or bible study, you should consider this book for discussion. Though most wouldn't recognize the story, she takes a little bit from the old testament, a short story in which a man sacrifices his daughter to God. It made me wonder what Mrs. Levine herself believes about the Christian God, and if he is loving or not. But it also includes some other stories, like that of Demeter and Persephone. The ending was happy, and I was glad for that because a lot of stories involving gods and goddesses include unhappy endings, like when a god falls in love with a mortal, they get separated somehow and that's why we have storms.

In agreement with other reviews, it seemed a little too fast paced, and didn't have the humor and engaging descriptions of her other books. Gail Carson Levine's best writing is in Fantasy, where her books Ella Enchanted, Fairest, The Two Princesses of Bamarre and the Princess Tales take place. Her other books, like The Wish, Dave at Night, and Ever are good and worthy of high ratings, but not her author's best potential.

This is completely different from Levine's popular Ella Enchanted. I didn't find it as entertaining -- but that's clearly not the purpose of the book.

On a side note, aren't today's book covers terrible? I wish this, and Fairest, could have gotten a nice illustration like the original Ella Enchanted. It's implied that the story sets place in a Indian-like land, and describes the heroine's dark skin, but all we get is some eyeliner-wearing white model on a photoshopped background...bleh...