Review–Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Everlost (The Skinjacker Trilogy) Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Reprint edition (November 10, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1416997490

I loved this book. It was such a unique story, I haven’t read anything quite like this before.

Nick and Allie are killed instantly in a car crash and while heading down that tunnel toward the light, something happens and they find themselves waking up 9 months later in a beautiful lush forest near where the crash happened. It takes them a while to realize what must have happened, and discover they are not alone in this forest. There is a strange boy who has forgotten his name who they rechristen Leaf. Leaf has apparently been in this forest for many many years alone but has odd tales of other children who pass through from time to time and a monster named the McGill. As they set out to get some of their questions answered and to  explore the world they now find themselves a part of, they discover that while only children populate this strange afterlife, there are still some very real dangers, even to those who can’t die.

I thoroughly enjoyed following the adventures of Nick and Allie as they explored Everlost, meeting many unusual and memorable characters along the way. This book was so entertaining and engaging that I read the entire thing in one night. I was up pretty late but couldn’t put it down until I got to the end, and while it didn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, I am certainly glad I have the next book in the series so that I can continue enjoying their adventures. I found it so easy to lose myself in this world. No flowery prose or overly wordy descriptions, just a straightforward, quickly moving plot with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. There are so many things and places to discover in Everlost and Neal Shusterman does an amazing job of showing this world in a way that kept me engaged in the story at the same time.

Rating 5 – I loved it and cannot wait to jump right into the next!