Review: Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Here's a review I recently dug up from my "archives"... I posted it on amazon in 2009, way back before I started this blog. This summer I'm hoping to do some reviews for YA novels along with my normal Christian Fiction reviews, so I thought it would be appropriate to go ahead and post this, even though it's a couple years old. 

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Falling in love is easy . . .

. . . for Kezi, a beautiful mortal, dancer, and rug weaver, and for Olus, Akkan god of the winds. Their love brings Kezi the strength to fight her fate, and it gives Olus the strength to confront his fears. Together—and apart—they encounter spiders with webs of iron, the cruel lord of the land of the dead, the mysterious god of destiny, and the tests of the Akkan gods. If they succeed, they will be together; but if they fail, Olus will have to endure the ultimate loss, and Kezi will have to make the supreme sacrifice. 

My Thoughts:
The storyline in a nutshell: Because of an oath her father makes, Kezi is to die as a sacrifice. Olus (the god of the winds) has watched Kezi from afar and has come to care about her. When Olus learns of Kezi's ill fate he comes up with a plan to make Kezi immortal as he is, so they can be together for eternity.

It was an interesting and quick read, I finished it in three days. There is some of that trademark Gail Carson Levine charm, yet it's nowhere near as charming as Ella Enchanted or The Two Princesses of Bamarre. The idea of there being many gods isn't really my cup of tea, and I was uncomfortable with the idea of Admat who is supposed to be the all-knowing ever-present god...yet he is quick to anger, slow to forgive, uncaring and completely impersonal.....and his existence is heavily questioned. Kezi's people are ruled by omens and the fear of upsetting Admat; they look for flares in alter flames as signs of whether or not their prayers will be answered, and then interpret the 'signs' however they see fit. (Keep in mind this "Admat" is completely unlike the God of the Bible, yet there are one or two similarities that make you wonder about the message this book is sending.... All of this left me with a vague impression of a possible "hidden agenda" and the notion that it might be trying to lead people astray.)

Aside from that I did find Ever to be a mildly entertaining read, although I think it's a rather forgettable story. My mind didn't wander, yet I wasn't completely enthralled either. For fans of Gail Carson Levine, I'd say go for it, as you'll most likely enjoy this, just not as much as her other books. For anyone else, I'd recommend that you enter the world of Gail Carson Levine by reading Ella Enchanted or The Two Princesses of Bamarre first. 

My Rating: 3 stars