Ohhh my gosh. I don't even know where to begin! Neal Shusterman is basically an amazing genius. I'm surprised he's not more famous. I've seen more people reading Unwind recently, which is good. I hope more people keep reading his books, because they are AWESOME! Unwind is definitely his best, and I don't know if he can ever write anything as shocking and powerful, but Everwild is the closest he's gotten so far.But before I get to my review of Everwild specifically, I just want to point out the reasons why I love Neal Shusterman in general. First of all, his stories are original. He's one of those authors who takes risks, who doesn't fall back on typical plots. It's not like the whole ghost-person-world thing hasn't been done before, but he has done something truly spectacular with the idea. The worlds he creates – such as the ones in the Skinjacker books, and also in his other books like Unwind and Downsiders – are thought out extremely well, with lots of intricate details that really blow my mind and make his stories so memorable.Which brings me to my second point: He really knows how to execute a plot. I read so many books where I'm like, "This idea is so cool, I just wish the author had done more with it." This is not the case with Shusterman. Not only does he use a plot to its full potential, but he just goes above and beyond. He never fails to exceed my expectations. Whenever I think the story is getting good, it just gets even better. Like I said, there are so many details in his books that really stick in my mind. He has perfect pace and unexpected plot twists – the kind of story that not only keeps me guessing and glued to the page as much as possible, but the kind of story that keeps me thinking about it and squirming in agony if I can't pick up the book and keep reading (like if I'm, say, in the middle of math class).Thirdly, his characters are totally awesome. What I especially appreciate about him is that he has the ability to take on a TON of characters in one story, and yet manage to make each of them unique and interesting – even the most minor of characters. Every one of them has individual traits, and a clear personality, and strong motivations/objectives. I can honestly say that I like all the characters, even if it's in a "wow you are so evil that I love you" kind of way. And even then … his characters are very believable in that none of them are truly "evil" because they all think they're doing the right thing. I also love Shusterman's writing style. I skim most books, but he's one of those authors who makes me hang on every word, and sometimes even re-read parts because they are just so amazingly written. He has that ability to make his writing flow so well, even though it's concise and easy to understand. He doesn't need fancy wording, yet his word choice is perfect and always clearly gets the message across. This is the kind of writing I aspire to write someday. :]Now. As for the book itself …AAAAAHHHHH!!! Okay. Well, I must start off by saying that it was better than Everlost. It wasn't that I didn't have high expectations – I always expect the best from Neal Shusterman. But in general, sequels tend to be worse than the first book. I didn't even know there was going to be a sequel to Everlost, so when I found out about Everwild I was both excited and nervous. I thought Neal Shusterman had already done a lot with the plot in the first book. He might have even exhausted it, and would possibly just keep dragging it out. But he did no such thing. Everwild was amazing in so many ways – starting with how much more Shusterman added to the plot and kept it getting more and more shocking. There were so many plot twists that just made me grin evilly or made my brain scream "OHMIFREAKINGGOD! NO WAY!" I love any book that can do that. And lastly, I just have to say how much I love the character relationships/romances. It's never the typical "boy and girl like each other, la di da" story. There's something very complex, intriguing, and realistic in the relationships between characters. They're not at all shallow and corny. In fact, they're so moving that it seriously brings me to tears. Like, Allie and Mikey … AWWW THEY ARE THE MOST FREAKING ADORABLE THING!
Flying Kick-a-pow!
Hi people! I'm Brigid, a college student and lover of all things book-related--writing them, reading them, reviewing them, biting them ... Yeah. I mostly read YA but I'm open to pretty much everything.
Ohhh my gosh. I don't even know where to begin! Neal Shusterman is basically an amazing genius. I'm surprised he's not more famous. I've seen more people reading Unwind recently, which is good. I hope more people keep reading his books, because they are AWESOME! Unwind is definitely his best, and I don't know if he can ever write anything as shocking and powerful, but Everwild is the closest he's gotten so far.But before I get to my review of Everwild specifically, I just want to point out the reasons why I love Neal Shusterman in general. First of all, his stories are original. He's one of those authors who takes risks, who doesn't fall back on typical plots. It's not like the whole ghost-person-world thing hasn't been done before, but he has done something truly spectacular with the idea. The worlds he creates – such as the ones in the Skinjacker books, and also in his other books like Unwind and Downsiders – are thought out extremely well, with lots of intricate details that really blow my mind and make his stories so memorable.Which brings me to my second point: He really knows how to execute a plot. I read so many books where I'm like, "This idea is so cool, I just wish the author had done more with it." This is not the case with Shusterman. Not only does he use a plot to its full potential, but he just goes above and beyond. He never fails to exceed my expectations. Whenever I think the story is getting good, it just gets even better. Like I said, there are so many details in his books that really stick in my mind. He has perfect pace and unexpected plot twists – the kind of story that not only keeps me guessing and glued to the page as much as possible, but the kind of story that keeps me thinking about it and squirming in agony if I can't pick up the book and keep reading (like if I'm, say, in the middle of math class).Thirdly, his characters are totally awesome. What I especially appreciate about him is that he has the ability to take on a TON of characters in one story, and yet manage to make each of them unique and interesting – even the most minor of characters. Every one of them has individual traits, and a clear personality, and strong motivations/objectives. I can honestly say that I like all the characters, even if it's in a "wow you are so evil that I love you" kind of way. And even then … his characters are very believable in that none of them are truly "evil" because they all think they're doing the right thing. I also love Shusterman's writing style. I skim most books, but he's one of those authors who makes me hang on every word, and sometimes even re-read parts because they are just so amazingly written. He has that ability to make his writing flow so well, even though it's concise and easy to understand. He doesn't need fancy wording, yet his word choice is perfect and always clearly gets the message across. This is the kind of writing I aspire to write someday. :]Now. As for the book itself …AAAAAHHHHH!!! Okay. Well, I must start off by saying that it was better than Everlost. It wasn't that I didn't have high expectations – I always expect the best from Neal Shusterman. But in general, sequels tend to be worse than the first book. I didn't even know there was going to be a sequel to Everlost, so when I found out about Everwild I was both excited and nervous. I thought Neal Shusterman had already done a lot with the plot in the first book. He might have even exhausted it, and would possibly just keep dragging it out. But he did no such thing. Everwild was amazing in so many ways – starting with how much more Shusterman added to the plot and kept it getting more and more shocking. There were so many plot twists that just made me grin evilly or made my brain scream "OHMIFREAKINGGOD! NO WAY!" I love any book that can do that. And lastly, I just have to say how much I love the character relationships/romances. It's never the typical "boy and girl like each other, la di da" story. There's something very complex, intriguing, and realistic in the relationships between characters. They're not at all shallow and corny. In fact, they're so moving that it seriously brings me to tears. Like, Allie and Mikey … AWWW THEY ARE THE MOST FREAKING ADORABLE THING!
Currently reading
Iliad
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
A Clash of Kings
Les Misérables
The Once and Future King
Fire and Ash
