Everlost (The Skinjacker Trilogy #1) by Neal Shusterman

"In true Shusterman fashion, it's a book about death but more importantly, what comes after, or more precisely, what comes after for those who don't "get to where they're going." It was an interesting read but in the end it all felt a bit one dimensional."

2 Stars.

Pros: The idea of Everlost, a world that exists between life and death, a kind of purgatory, is true Shusterman, just eerie enough to make your skin crawl but enticing enough to make you want to read more and find out what happens.

Cons: The characters just didn't seem that fleshed out. They were all pretty one dimensional, though there were a few revelations at points that were surprising. It was just something about the narrative, geared more towards a younger audience that made this title fall a little flat.

Full Review:

Nick and Allie are involved in a fatal car accident but are knocked out of the tunnel and away from the light and find themselves in a world called Everlost. A psuedo-purgatory that's filled with Kids who have died but not completely crossed over.

Allie is determined to get home to discover the fate of her family while Nick seems more content to stay, especially after meeting Mary Hightower, one of the oldest in Everlost and someone who's been there for many, many years. She claims to be an expert in all things Everlost and has written many books of her observations. She seems to know it all, and so Nick is content to stay, until Allie is told of a person who can teach them how to communicate with the living world.

There are various twists and turns in true Shusterman style but there was something about this narrative that seemed off for him. It seemed to be geared towards a younger audience, though it dealt with an inherently dark subject. I enjoyed it, for its part and will most likely read the entire series since, as with all books, I want to know what happens. But for Shusterman, who has proven time and again to be a truly exceptional author, this book just didn't really stand up to its authors acclaim.

Comments

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“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

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