The Happy Booker: Review & $50 GC Giveaway –Everlast by Andria Buchanan

Title: EVERLAST
Author: Andria Buchanan
Pub. Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 320
Find it: Amazon, Barnes& Noble, Goodreads

Allie Munroe has only ever wanted to belong, maybe even be well liked. But even though she’s nice and smart and has a couple of friends, she’s still pretty much the invisible girl at school. So when the chance to work with her friends and some of the popular kids on an English project comes up, Allie jumps at the chance to be noticed.

And her plan would have worked out just fine…if they hadn’t been sucked into a magical realm through a dusty old book of fairy tales in the middle of the library.

Now, Allie and her classmates are stuck in Nerissette, a world where karma rules and your social status is determined by what you deserve. Which makes a misfit like Allie the Crown Princess, and her archrival the scullery maid. And the only way out is for Allie to rally and lead the people of Nerissette against the evil forces that threaten their very existence.

My Review:

Everlast throws the reader right into the story. When Allie meets her friends (and frenemy) at the library to work on a project, they suddenly find themselves transported through a book into an alternate world full of magic. Allie finds herself being hailed as princess and future queen of this strange world while her friends are each given supporting roles and some unique magical powers thanks to Esmeralda, the talking cat and The Fate Master, the wizard who had, up until now, been ruling Nerissette. As Allie explores this new world, she quickly learns that while the world is full of magical creatures ready to recognize her as princess, those close to her may have much more sinister intentions than she first realized. She must figure out how to navigate this magical realm while keeping herself and her friends safe until she can figure out a way to get back home.

The dialog between characters moves this story along fairly quickly. The reader is able to get a glimpse of each character’s personality and how they fit into the group dynamic through these interactions. These dynamics begin to change as each character figures out their place in this realm and their role in Allie’s life. I enjoy reading characters that change and grow within the story and what is special about Everlast is that each character, even the more minor ones, have a chance to shine. Each has a significant role to play in the story and each have their own distinct personality.

I enjoyed reading about all of the magical creatures, fairies, goblins, mermaids etc. that populated the world of Nerissette. This was probably my favorite aspect of this book. This is a world I would love to visit once Allie takes care of the more unsavory elements that make this realm a bit more dangerous than I would like! While there were a few glitches in this fast paced novel, overall it was a fun magical read. I would recommend it to younger YA readers who enjoy magical fantasy.

About Andria:

Patricia's a small town girl who was blessed with a large tree in the  backyard that was a perfect spot for reading on summer days. Mixed with  too much imagination it made her a bratty child but fated her to become  a storyteller. After a stint of “thinking practically” in her twenties  she earned degrees in Business and Economics and worked for a software  firm in southwestern Germany but, her passion has always been a good  book. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her two wonderful kids and a husband  that learned the gourmet art of frozen pizzas to give her more time to  write. When she's not writing she can be found fencing and arguing with  her dogs about plot points. Most days the Beagle wins but the Dalmatian  is in close second. She's in a distant third.  Patricia writes adult Paranormal under the name Patricia Eimer and  writes Young Adult books under the name Andria Buchanan.