Nevermore Review

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.

Nevermore is the story of Isobel Lanley - cheerleader, popular, practically-perfect-in-every-way. When a school assignment throws her out of her comfort zone and she's meant to work with the intimidating goth boy, Varen Nethers, Isobel is certain it's the end of the world. Slowly, her friends start slipping away though, Isobel starts realizing there is more to Varen than meets the eye, and the dreams - well, the dreams have made it very clear that she's either losing her mind, or she and Varen have ventured into a realm of possible impossibilities.

As always, I was wary of the hype surrounding Nevermore, but when one of my favourite bloggers (whose opinion I completely trust) extolled its virtues, I couldn't resist. Nevermore is a dark tale, venturing into the world of dreams and the life and works of Edgar Allen Poe. Now, I'll admit I knew next to nothing about Poe before I read Nevermore, but it's certainly like a crash-course in all things Poe. The poetry sprinkled throughout definitely heightens the story and takes your imagination to the next level.

More than just a history lesson though, Nevermore is a story of growing up, branching out, and finding the truth of oneself. I definitely disliked Isobel in the beginning of the story, but I found her growing on me as the story went on and she began to redeem herself, stepping out of her comfort zone and finding comfort in Varen. Varen has to be one of the most intriguing characters I've come across in YA literature in a long time, too. He's rude, and crass, and sometimes downright nasty, and yet you can see that he has so much more under the surface the entire time. In that way, Kelly Creagh is a mastermind in dark storytelling. With a trusty sidekick, Gwen, a fast-placed, brilliantly-written plot, Nevermore spun me right into its created world with Isobel and Varen. Oh, quick side note - it totally took me about 300 pages to realize that Varen is an anagram of Raven. Oops. I'm blonde.

Nevermore is one of those books that's truly a gem in a midst of overpopulated paranormal stories on the YA market today. Perfectly blending intrigue, history, and an amazing coming-of-age story, Nevermore gets a definite 5 out of 5 from me. I recommend it to anyone that's a fan of YA books - specifically the paranormal with a twist of romance.