Following a car accident, Nick and Allie get stuck in a place between life and death. It's not a safe place; monsters roam and only dead spots are safe, otherwise you sink to the center of the earth. "Mary,Queen of Snots" has taken up residence in the ghost of the Twin Towers and seems to be a benevolent mother to hundreds of afterlights as all the children and teens in Everlost are called. But all is not as it seems and Allie, together with Nick and a boy they met when they first arrived, Lief, set out to find the mystery of the place. ( )

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Nick and Allie don’t survive the crash, but neither do they make it where they’re going: Instead, they wind up in the weird and frightening realm of Everlost, where bands of lost souls rule, monsters roam free and anyone who stands in the same place for too long sinks to the center of the earth. But Nick and Allie aren’t yet resigned to their fate, and are determined that a way out exists. On their quest for freedom and redemption, they discover that this strange new world holds more beauty and terror than they could have ever imagined.

While not exactly a page turner, Everlost is an excellent, original and satisfying fantasy that will no doubt be well-received by teens and adults alike. While occasionally the Mary Hightower “excerpts” were distracting and melodramatic, all in all the writing is smooth and the story almost magical in its strangeness.

The characters are decidedly, humanly flawed, and therein lies much of Everlost’s appeal: It’s difficult not to relate to their plight, and to admire the individual growth and maturing of each, even if that growth is not always in the direction of “good”. I especially enjoyed the character of Mary Hightower, from her mothering tendencies toward the other denizens of Everlost to the conflicting and not-so-motherly emotions she discovers towards Nick and Allie. That was my favorite part of the novel, though Shusterman’s worldbuilding talents are also impressive.

The afterlife has always been a favorite realm of exploration for fantasy authors, but rarely is it done with the skill Shusterman manages here. I could complain about the plodding pace, or the sentimentality, or the editorial tightening that would have certainly made it easier to read; but in the end I’d just be avoiding the fact that Everlost is an exceptional and overlooked addition to the burgeoning industry of young adult fantasy.

The Final Verdict: Slow-moving, but clever and unique; certain to be fondly remembered long after the current vampire trend wears out its welcome. ( )

Nick and Allie die in separate car accidents and end up in a world between Heaven and Hell populated by children. Allie is determined to get back home while Nick finds an antriguing companion and a new way of life. ( )

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Nick and Allie never would have met had their parents' cars not collided on a hairpin turn one day. If only Nick's parents had not hit a piece of steel lying in the road which caused them to blow a tire and head into the oncoming lane of traffic directly in the path of Allie's father. The accident happened so fast that neither felt any pain. The only recollection they have is of landing on the ground in the woods and feeling very tired.

What happens to children when they get knocked off track on their "way to where they are going?" Neal Shusterman has created the Everlost. A place where children end up if they get thrown off track on their way through the tunnel of light. When Nick and Allie landed in Everlost they slept for nine months before waking up. They were greeted by an eleven-year-old boy named Lief. Lief had been in the forest for a very long time; so long, in fact, he didn't actually remember his name. He made one up when the two asked him what it was.

When you are in Everlost, you are considered an Afterlight. You have a slight glow about you all the time and you have to be very careful where you walk. You are only safe on things or places that have crossed over to Everlost. Otherwise the Afterlight will sink into the ground and go straight to the middle of the Earth and wait there until the end of time. Nick and Allie had to learn the tricks to living in Everlost pretty quickly if they wanted to stay aboveground. They had to get used to walking amongst the living and the feeling of things passing through them.

Not knowing what else to do, Allie and Nick decided to go home and Lief decided to go with them since he hadn't left the forest in about a hundred years. They fashioned "snow shoes" to make it easier to walk on the ground so they wouldn't sink. When they got as far as New York, they found quite a surprise. Standing in the distance, glowing with the radiance of an Afterlight, stood the Twin Towers. They would forever stand in the Everlost because of the terrible tragedy that took place on 9-11-2001. There they met a large group of children living there and being cared for by a young lady named Mary Hightower.

Mary Hightower considered herself the authority of all things in Everlost. She authored many books on different subjects in order to assist new Afterlights in making the transition from the living world. Nick and Allie had different opinions of Mary. Nick almost immediately fell in love with her; Allie considered most of the things she said malarkey. Eventually, Allie decided to go her own way and convinced Nick and Lief to come with her. It didn't turn out to be a very good idea. While they were searching for someone they thought might be able to teach them new skills to use, they met with some mean people. Nick and Lief were sealed in old pickle barrels that were still filled with the brine and then taken prisoner by the monster of Everlost, the McGill.

After some clever thinking on Allie's part and Mary showing up in the Hindenburg, the McGill is overthrown and many Afterlights are rescued. Everyone plans to go back to the Twin Towers until Nick makes a very important discovery. He thinks he knows how to "get people to where they are going." This doesn't sit well with Mary. She likes her role as caretaker of the lost souls and doesn't want them leaving. This puts Nick and Mary on the opposite ends of the issue. Meanwhile, Allie is content and the McGill receives redemption.

Neal Shusterman has created a never-before-seen world that includes adventure and fantasy. The reader won't want the story to end. EVERLOST wraps up nicely, yet there could easily be a sequel. ( )

Though not as political as Unwind, Everlost makes for another great story set in another amazing world created by Neal Shusterman. I was a little wary going into this, I am not a fan of death stories, but Shusterman dealt with the idea tactly but also in a very straightforward way. He's not out to offend anyone. The story involves a lot of moving around, very much like Deathly Hallows' infamous camping scenes, where nothing much seems to happen, and the story is not being developed. I was waiting a good long while for one of those amazing plot twists that Neal Shusterman is so good at doing. Thankfully, although it came a little late, I wasn't disappointed. The ending is filled with amazing plot twists and, as the rest of the book, creative storytelling that is worth the read.

Rating: 4.5/5 ( )