“Ever” by Gail Carson Levine

*Contains Spoilers*

Overall rating: 2 out of 5; Don’t recommend.

It wasn’t what I was expecting from a more whimsical writer… it reminded me more of The Odyssey (but less tragic) and not nearly as “deep”. The plot and characters are severely underdeveloped. At first I was confused by the switching of narrators but quickly realized my mistake. I thought the story could have been really good, fantastic in fact but the author left too many things unknown. Near the end when Kezi (the chick) had to be nursed back to health didn’t really jive with being an immortal or strike me as something a “god” would need. And then I was confused about how one land could have gods and another wouldn’t. Shouldn’t gods be over the entire earth, not just a land?

I also wondered why they couldn’t tell Kezi parents about her becoming an immortal and bringing them to the land they “oversee” or whatever. I also thought it was weird that they never found Admat (the god Kezi and her parents worship) and thus leave you with the feeling that there is no all powerful God that can be everywhere and who cares about people’s day to day lives. And what kind of god would be okay with human sacrifices? Surely not a real one… The characters were under-developed and it’s weird that the gods don’t know about other lands, etc. Fate doesn’t know that there is some sort of ruler of the…. chicken people/underworld. And that they aren’t dead they are seeking people who have died… it leaves you with the impression that people that are in power, even gods don’t really know what’s going on. Not really a boost in the spirituality department. It was an easy read. I finished it in one day, but it’s not something I would reread or suggest to someone.