Magic

First for anyone looking for another book set in the same universe as Ella Enchanted, Fairest or the Princess Tales collection should look away now. This is a stand alone book with no ties to any other book she has written. Which is both in its favor and against it I think.

And yes my main gripe about it during the Read-a-thon was the fact the girl on the cover is depicted as brunette with blue eyes (never happens...no wait Sarah MacLean's cover for The Season has a brunette with blue eyes, also named Alexandra and that's how she is in the book!) I enjoyed the book well enough. I think if it hadn't been back and forth with the view points I would have liked it better. We have the story from two POV's, Kezi and Olus. While this helps give us better understanding of their two different cultures, it also brought me out of the moment while reading.

Of the two sides I think that Kezi's is the more developed. We definitely learn more about her people's culture, but mostly we learn about the differences in their religions (or the religion that follows Olus) and how blind faith can be. I found those discussions interesting since on the one hand Olus is a God--he has powers far beyond mortal means, is immortal and is worshipped. On the other, as Kezi points out, none of his fellow Gods are omnipotent or all-seeing. They are also subject to Fate, just like mortals as well. Kezi's God however is said to be omnipotent and none can thwart his will. I found it interesting at the end the task that Kezi takes upon herself after all is said and done.

In the end I enjoyed the book, but would have liked it better if it had been from either one first person POV or a third person POV. The back and forth distracted me quite a bit. ( )

I saw this pitched as part of the series Ella Enchanted begins, but am dubious about that: though it's in the same spirit of telling a story around an old tale, it's based on an Old Testament story rather than a fairy tale, doesn't appear to be in the same world as the others, and there's no sign of Lucinda's gifts anywhere.

I usually don't like romances between gods and mortals but here at least the god is the same age as the human: that helps a lot! He's also subject to, and has to overcome, very human-like agoraphobia (though a little eyebrow-raising that once he's overcome it once he's no longer subject to it at all).

The feathered beings in the pseudo-afterlife are genuinely creepy. Hopefully some future hero can free them, rather than merely escape. ( )

I remember why I dropped this book back in the day. ( )

"Ever" starts out introducing the characters of Kezi, a young native girl, and Olus, a god of the winds. We're not sure exactly where the book is set though it's obviously long ago and far away. One gets the distinct feeling, though, judging by Kezi's family's customs, dwelling and clothing, that her culture is close to the Hebrew tradition, whereas Olus is probably Greek or Roman, or possibly even Persian.

This first part of the book is the strongest. Gail Carson Levine deftly creates two completely different cultures for her characters, gives them their own gods and beliefs, and imagines a richly defined world for them to inhabit. It's when these two characters finally meet that the book starts to collapse.

It's obvious that Levine is going for a focused, spare kind of prose like that in a fairy tale or myth. This doesn't help the reader care for the characters, however, which is the biggest flaw of the book. Kezi and Olus are two very shallow, uninteresting characters. Kezi has no really deep thoughts in her pretty little head besides whom she's going to marry and what weave she should attempt next in the rug she is making. Her worries about her impending sacrifice come off as weak because the next moment she'll be skipping around dancing. Olus is similarly one-dimensional in his complete obsession with Kezi. True, he's a god, but even gods must care about something a little more elevated, mustn't they?

Since both characters are often also described as being shy their love scenes don't add up to a whole lot of passion either. It's mostly mooning eyes and secret smiles. Yes, this is a children's book, but there have been some great, chaste love stories to come out of that genre. This is not one of them.

Through all of Kezi and Olus's trials the reader simply doesn't care. Kezi goes down to the underworld to prove her love while Olus rescues himself out of a well. When you get to the end of the book it seems like the two just haven't suffered enough to deserve their reward.

The book also raises some interesting questions about religion and the role of belief in everyday life, but they are never answered or really explored in depth. This could have been a fascinating attempt for young adult literature - a fairy tale that explores spirituality - but the idea never comes to anything of real significance in the book.

In conclusion, "Ever" is an adequate attempt at an epic, mythological tale but it falls short in its love story and whimpering characters. I do look forward to Levine's next book and hope she returns back to form. "Fairest" is one of my very favorite books for young readers. I know Levine can work her magic again. ( )