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A review by stephilica
The Skinjacker Trilogy: Everlost / Everwild / Everfound by Neal Shusterman
4.0
The Skinjacker Trilogy is a series where the main characters are dead, but it's arguably about making the most of life.
The main conflict stems from three young "Afterlights" in Everlost, an in-between world filled with the children who died but had yet to reach the Light, and their reactions to their new circumstances: one wants to hold onto the life she's lost; one wants to find his way to the Light beyond Everlost and experience the true afterlife; and one wants to stay put.
The story is told through a dry wit that can miss the mark occasionally, but is genuinely clever for most of the time. Shusterman manipulates tone adroitly with dark humor or subtle sinister details; the series never becomes too depressing or too light-hearted, but it can get under the skin. This narration occasionally foreshadows too strongly, but more often sets up beautifully subtle foil dynamics between the three characters; the line between heroes and villains is clear, but interestingly, the motivations are the same. Shusterman builds Mary's descent slowly, through tricks of dialogue and in-universe "excerpts" from her writings, while also building Nick and Allie into heroic figures and Mikey into a prodigal.
The world of Everlost has its own, internal set of rules built around "belief;" these range from Afterlights sinking if they allow the "gravity" of their grief to overwhelm them, to manipulation of matter around them simply through force of will. It's an interesting dynamic, as the strongest Afterlights are those with the strongest ability to convince themselves completely, which can be a blessing or a curse, if one becomes so utterly certain that they are forever and always correct, no matter what they do.
Throughout the high-stakes battles for control of Everlost or manipulations of a juvenile crime empire, Shusterman also takes the time to explore the value in small things. Nick and Mary fight a battle of ideals, and their story is the most pivotal of the series--but Allie's is an understated examination of what it means to take things for granted, from monumental interpersonal connections (like weddings) to the mundane experiences of the everyday (like eating a Snickers).
A true weakness might be Shusterman's reluctance to fully embrace the implications of his world: Mary and Mikey are both steeped in Western religious symbolism (Mary literally says "God wills it!" in a nod to the Crusades), but Leif embraces an Eastern "inner peace" ideology, and Jix is a character born of Mayan religious influence. Having this varied of an examination of the afterlife is not, in itself, a bad idea; the problem stems from the fact that the incompatible doctrines of these teachings are never addressed outside of one brief conversation that is more hanging a lampshade than truly answering anything. It's understandable that Shusterman doesn't want to alienate his audience or make a concrete statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide what is in the Light, but when the main characters are making references to Heaven and Hell and other characters shrug their shoulders and mention Xibalba, it can be disorienting.
This series is not perfect, but it's rich enough to leave behind a sweet and satisfied feeling.
The main conflict stems from three young "Afterlights" in Everlost, an in-between world filled with the children who died but had yet to reach the Light, and their reactions to their new circumstances: one wants to hold onto the life she's lost; one wants to find his way to the Light beyond Everlost and experience the true afterlife; and one wants to stay put.
The story is told through a dry wit that can miss the mark occasionally, but is genuinely clever for most of the time. Shusterman manipulates tone adroitly with dark humor or subtle sinister details; the series never becomes too depressing or too light-hearted, but it can get under the skin. This narration occasionally foreshadows too strongly, but more often sets up beautifully subtle foil dynamics between the three characters; the line between heroes and villains is clear, but interestingly, the motivations are the same. Shusterman builds Mary's descent slowly, through tricks of dialogue and in-universe "excerpts" from her writings, while also building Nick and Allie into heroic figures and Mikey into a prodigal.
The world of Everlost has its own, internal set of rules built around "belief;" these range from Afterlights sinking if they allow the "gravity" of their grief to overwhelm them, to manipulation of matter around them simply through force of will. It's an interesting dynamic, as the strongest Afterlights are those with the strongest ability to convince themselves completely, which can be a blessing or a curse, if one becomes so utterly certain that they are forever and always correct, no matter what they do.
Throughout the high-stakes battles for control of Everlost or manipulations of a juvenile crime empire, Shusterman also takes the time to explore the value in small things. Nick and Mary fight a battle of ideals, and their story is the most pivotal of the series--but Allie's is an understated examination of what it means to take things for granted, from monumental interpersonal connections (like weddings) to the mundane experiences of the everyday (like eating a Snickers).
A true weakness might be Shusterman's reluctance to fully embrace the implications of his world: Mary and Mikey are both steeped in Western religious symbolism (Mary literally says "God wills it!" in a nod to the Crusades), but Leif embraces an Eastern "inner peace" ideology, and Jix is a character born of Mayan religious influence. Having this varied of an examination of the afterlife is not, in itself, a bad idea; the problem stems from the fact that the incompatible doctrines of these teachings are never addressed outside of one brief conversation that is more hanging a lampshade than truly answering anything. It's understandable that Shusterman doesn't want to alienate his audience or make a concrete statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide what is in the Light, but when the main characters are making references to Heaven and Hell and other characters shrug their shoulders and mention Xibalba, it can be disorienting.
This series is not perfect, but it's rich enough to leave behind a sweet and satisfied feeling.