valeriew's review
4.0
This was a decent ending to the series. I was pretty annoyed with Nikki by the time I got through this book. She is pretty selfish and doesn't think about what her actions will do to other people. I felt like Jack was a whooped puppy dog. And Cole.....RIIIIGHT. I was a lot more aware of the annoying things in this book.
novelheartbeat's review
4.0
While this book wasn’t quite as good as the rest of the series, I did enjoy it and it was a good ending to a great series!
“You are my peace and my home. You are the everything.”
You have to really feel for Jack and Nikki…despite everything they’ve done to be together, the world just keeps working against them. It’s very tragic! But the great part is, even though it seems like they’re destined to be pulled apart, they never stop trying. It makes them even stronger!
It was becoming more difficult to remember all the reasons I hated Cole, especially now that I’d gotten a glimpse into his tragic past.
Cole. Oh, Cole. I spent half this book arguing with myself over whether or not Cole was faking his amnesia or not. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because remember what happened LAST time I started to like him? Yeah. So not happening again. But it did, and that’s what shocked me – Ashton’s ability to get you to empathize with even the most nefarious character. A few times I actually started to feel sorry for Cole, even though I never fully trusted him. I could never get a read on him to tell if he was sincere or not, or if he was just doing more manipulating to further his own agenda.
So…I saw that ending coming A MILE AWAY. I got the feeling throughout the whole book that it would happen that way, and to be honest I hoped it would. Because I like an author that can make sacrifices. Sometimes things come with a price, and I love it when an author has the balls to do that!
Spoiler
I was surprised by how much Cole’s death affected me. I all but hated him at the end of the last book, but I still cried a little when he died. I didn’t expect that! But, on the flip side, when the whole band died, I didn’t feel a thing. Shouldn’t I have cared about that?However, I felt very unsatisfied with the final battle with the queen.
Spoiler
It happened so fast I was left thinking, “That’s it?” The whole series has mentioned how powerful the queen is and how hard it would be to defeat her. But when they finally meet, Nikki is trapped in a glass box, calls the queen’s heart to her…and she dies. Seriously, THAT’S IT?! I was SO disappointed! I wanted it to be more of a challenge. I wanted the fight to be drawn out, and I wanted to actually doubt that beating the queen was possible for a minute. The danger was never really there, and defeating the queen was practically child’s play.Favorite quotes:
I couldn’t deny it anymore. I’d been so worried about letting go of my anger and my hate, but my mistake was thinking it was actually my choice. I had about as much choice in the matter as an ice sculpture on a sunny day. Drop by drop, without my permission, my anger and hate had melted away.
“I am familiar with the need for a way out, no matter how implausible. It can give a hopeless situation hope.”
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 3.5/5
Cover: 4/5
dani_bugz's review against another edition
3.0
Evertrue was a big fat disappointment. I loved Everneath and Everbound (even gave them 5 stars!) but the last book was such a let down!
The characters lost all their depth. As in there were no longer the sweet flashbacks about WHY Jack and Nikki were in love, it was just all "I will do anything for you". Then the once amazing Jack becomes a jealous brute and she is just happy to let that shiz go on! Buuut Cole was pretty amazing.. and that ending was completely heartbreaking! Also, the last few chapters felt super rushed and so many things weren't tied up properly.
Now despite all this, I was flipping through it pretty crazily and couldn't put it down, so I can't bring myself to rate it less than 3 stars. However don't hold your breath for this one!
The characters lost all their depth. As in there were no longer the sweet flashbacks about WHY Jack and Nikki were in love, it was just all "I will do anything for you". Then the once amazing Jack becomes a jealous brute and she is just happy to let that shiz go on! Buuut Cole was pretty amazing.. and that ending was completely heartbreaking! Also, the last few chapters felt super rushed and so many things weren't tied up properly.
Now despite all this, I was flipping through it pretty crazily and couldn't put it down, so I can't bring myself to rate it less than 3 stars. However don't hold your breath for this one!
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
YUP, a finalle!
With Jack on her side Nik tries to destroy Everneath. Like Hercule's labors there's the mystery and the heartbreaking ending.
While I was glad for the ending and the proof of redemption in it, I couldn't help but feel bad for Cole. From a bad, really bad guy he became good in my eyes with a tortured past and choices. But the ending was just for him.
Becks struggles with her transformation and for a moment I feared for her and Jack. It was SO wrong for them in the whole trilogy. But Brodi didn't let me down.
I hope to read more of her stories! :) For now 5 of 5 stars
With Jack on her side Nik tries to destroy Everneath. Like Hercule's labors there's the mystery and the heartbreaking ending.
While I was glad for the ending and the proof of redemption in it, I couldn't help but feel bad for Cole. From a bad, really bad guy he became good in my eyes with a tortured past and choices. But the ending was just for him.
Becks struggles with her transformation and for a moment I feared for her and Jack. It was SO wrong for them in the whole trilogy. But Brodi didn't let me down.
I hope to read more of her stories! :) For now 5 of 5 stars
meganmreads's review against another edition
3.0
This review and rating will be slightly unfair. Like the other books, I enjoyed the finale in the many of the same ways. However, because it does conclude the novel, it has the unfortunate fate as to speak for the entire series as a whole now that it’s all over. Evertrue was interesting and the stakes were pretty high. Nikki wanted to destroy the Everneath to avoid becoming an Everliving. With Jack’s help, she embarked on an adventure to find out how. I liked the plot because it was unique and it involved more mythological aspects. More elements of the Everneath were explored. Cole was also a wonderful character because he once again became the character Nikki needed but couldn’t always trust. I loved not really knowing what the big picture was and if he was trustworthy.
But I did have some issues with the series. In the first book, I understood Nikki’s drive to Return and say goodbye to her loved ones. I kind of understood (in the beginning before she chose to Return) why she would choose the Tunnels over being an Everliving because she’d rather die than hurt anyone else. And she wouldn’t want to live without Jack. In the second book, I understood Nikki’s drive to rescue Jack so he wouldn’t suffer. I also understood her still resisting Cole because if she could save Jack, she wouldn’t want to live without him. No use sacrificing themselves for each other on repeat. I got all that. But Nikki wanted to destroy the Everneath to avoid becoming an Everliving in the final book. I did not understand. How many people/souls/things would perish if it ended? Is that number somehow more important than the handful of WILLING Forfeits she’d have to feed on by being an Everliving? And she could still maintain a life with Jack. But Nikki’s main focus was that she was utterly unwilling to Feed on Forfeits. It’s already annoying to me when people are difficult about stuff like that, like not wanting to hurt/kill a person even though it’s not really that big of a deal to me in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I’m just not that kind of person. I would totally drain a willing person to be immortal and not even think about it. I guess I take Cole’s side. Maybe I’d be different if they had to Feed on unwilling innocents. But Forfeits are not only willing, they are bred for it. I thought there could have been a decent compromise regarding her life as an Everliving. Taking down the entire Everneath just bothered me.
I also thought there were far too many convenient plot devices in Evertrue that assisted Nikki in destroying the Everneath. I already thought the destruction was unnecessary, but it was entirely too easy to do, despite having serious and improbable instructions. I thought Cole’s amnesia was fine and entertaining, but I hated that he always had a “natural instinct” and remembered stuff at just the right time. Always. This just added to making the impossible too easy. Another example: you’d have to destroy all Everneath hearts and surface hearts of every Everliving. The characters were all just like.. well we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. And then what happens? The surface hearts magically appear in the same place as the Everneath hearts after one convenient event. Really? I mean.. REALLY? And it bothers me when heroines make crazy decisions like destroying the Everneath with little to no knowledge about it and never once thought about her ignorance possibly hurting so many people. To save herself (and the handful of WILLING Forfeits she may have drained in the future), she held so much in her unknowing hands. I’m all about characters not understand the consequences of their actions in the moment, but it just bothered me that it was easy, it was done, and she suffered virtually nothing at all.
I just wanted to shake her and ask her what was so horrible about draining a willing person once every 99 years, spend Jack’s lifetime with him. Maybe she could even end up with Cole afterwards, mirroring much of Ashe’s own story by learning to love again after your first. (Spoiler, it doesn’t end that way). It’s just that I find the entire reason for the plot to be pretty flimsy in the end when I saw so many more ways it could have resolved itself without the loss of handfuls of people (since hurting people was her whole freaking issue in the first place!)
What I did like about Evertrue were the characters and their interactions with each other. Cole lost his memory and became quite hilarious. Jack and Cole’s uneasy relationship was entertaining. I enjoyed reading along and finding out what would happen. I was invested in the story. It was extremely addicting and I couldn’t put it down.
heatherbri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.25
kspear22's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars - I felt the ending was too abrupt and needed an epilogue at the very least.
zoet's review
5.0
God. What a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful. And damn heart breaking trilogy.
I'm going to miss Cole, Jack, and Nikki with all of my ever heart.
" we have time to do it."
He sighed. "Time. " he said the word as if it was something we'd fought for. Something we'd risked our lives for.
Time.
It's really difficult to get immersed in such a wonderful series, to then be a witness to its ending. Recently I have not only finished this trilogy's closer, but I also finished [bc:Into the Still Blue|14288998|Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)|Veronica Rossi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372458835s/14288998.jpg|19928978] and my emotions are absolutely spent.
I loved this book, and the entirety of this series, because it's creative. THe plots move quickly but evenly. The characters are heartcrushing to fall in love with. And the writing is well done-- not too buttery but comprehensible and still musical.
And what I will really remember and take from this series is the romance of Jack and Nikki. This. book. DOES NOT. have a love triangle. Just wanted to get that straight so there are no further misconceptions.
Yes there is love from two guys for one girl, but it's blatantly obvious that the one girl only loves one guy. Nikki only loves Jack. She's always only ever loved Jack.
And between Jack and Nikki- what I loved most between them is that they were a team. A TEAM YA HEAR! Sometimes I get so exhausted from reading all these books from these authors who try so hard to make their books emotional by tearing the couples apart or putting some conflict in their way and one person in the couple just can't handle it so they leave. I'm so tired of hearing "I left because I wanted to protect you"
no. FUCK that. FUCK ALL OF THAT.
Evertrue and Jack and Nikki are proof that it is possible to work together to overcome obstacles. That there is no need for the "I love you so much and that's why I left"'s. Throughout this entire series, Jack has always been on Nikki's side and vice versa, and they didn't run away and hide things from each other when things blocked up the road-- which in turn creates situations that could have been avoided (we have all read books like this) No, they worked together and they survived together. And that's what I'll always remember and love.
“It says 'Bet you were expecting a heart, shaped like a compass...'" Jack paused and pulled the note off the bow tie. "...And then he drew a frowny face.”
And also lemme just say-- the comedic relief in this novel. Top knotch.
top knotch indeed.
“Cole let me pull him, saying loudly, "Lead on. I like a woman who -"
"Shut up.”
All in all- I am really going to miss this series and these characters. Whenever I think about Cole, I just feel sad because Brodi Ashton developed a character so beautifully heart crushing to read about. And just. ahhhhh. sigh. This is a good series. To plainly state it. And I recommend it to everyone.
“I know that look. It comes in the quiet moments, like this one. I know you're thinking that this is all your fault and that I would be better off without you. But here's the thing you need to understand. You are my peace and my home. You are the everything. The pain isn't real. The hearts are.”
I'm going to miss Cole, Jack, and Nikki with all of my ever heart.
" we have time to do it."
He sighed. "Time. " he said the word as if it was something we'd fought for. Something we'd risked our lives for.
Time.
It's really difficult to get immersed in such a wonderful series, to then be a witness to its ending. Recently I have not only finished this trilogy's closer, but I also finished [bc:Into the Still Blue|14288998|Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)|Veronica Rossi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372458835s/14288998.jpg|19928978] and my emotions are absolutely spent.
I loved this book, and the entirety of this series, because it's creative. THe plots move quickly but evenly. The characters are heartcrushing to fall in love with. And the writing is well done-- not too buttery but comprehensible and still musical.
And what I will really remember and take from this series is the romance of Jack and Nikki. This. book. DOES NOT. have a love triangle. Just wanted to get that straight so there are no further misconceptions.
Yes there is love from two guys for one girl, but it's blatantly obvious that the one girl only loves one guy. Nikki only loves Jack. She's always only ever loved Jack.
And between Jack and Nikki- what I loved most between them is that they were a team. A TEAM YA HEAR! Sometimes I get so exhausted from reading all these books from these authors who try so hard to make their books emotional by tearing the couples apart or putting some conflict in their way and one person in the couple just can't handle it so they leave. I'm so tired of hearing "I left because I wanted to protect you"
no. FUCK that. FUCK ALL OF THAT.
Evertrue and Jack and Nikki are proof that it is possible to work together to overcome obstacles. That there is no need for the "I love you so much and that's why I left"'s. Throughout this entire series, Jack has always been on Nikki's side and vice versa, and they didn't run away and hide things from each other when things blocked up the road-- which in turn creates situations that could have been avoided (we have all read books like this) No, they worked together and they survived together. And that's what I'll always remember and love.
“It says 'Bet you were expecting a heart, shaped like a compass...'" Jack paused and pulled the note off the bow tie. "...And then he drew a frowny face.”
And also lemme just say-- the comedic relief in this novel. Top knotch.
top knotch indeed.
“Cole let me pull him, saying loudly, "Lead on. I like a woman who -"
"Shut up.”
All in all- I am really going to miss this series and these characters. Whenever I think about Cole, I just feel sad because Brodi Ashton developed a character so beautifully heart crushing to read about. And just. ahhhhh. sigh. This is a good series. To plainly state it. And I recommend it to everyone.
“I know that look. It comes in the quiet moments, like this one. I know you're thinking that this is all your fault and that I would be better off without you. But here's the thing you need to understand. You are my peace and my home. You are the everything. The pain isn't real. The hearts are.”