A review by novelheartbeat
Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

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.

I think if a little more time would have been spent on that, the ending would have been much more satisfying.

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