Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Title: Everlost
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Normal (approx. 400 pages)
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Nick and Allie don't survive the crash, and now their souls are stuck halfway between life and death in a sort of limbo called Everlost. It's a magical yet dangerous place, where bands of lost souls run wild and anyone who stands in the same spot too long sinks to the center of the Earth. Frightened and determined, Nick and Allie aren't ready to rest in peace just yet. They want their lives back, and their search for a way home will take them deep into the uncharted areas of Everlost. But the longer they stay, the more they forget about their pasts. And if all memory of home is lost, they may never escape this strange, terrible world.
(Official Description)

What I Liked: Everlost is a unique book. It features a complex and deep afterlife world unlike other books with similar premises. You (the reader) are constantly learning new things about Everlost, just like the main characters. There are clashes between characters and you are never quite sure whose side you should be on, which keeps you constantly off-balance. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the ending. it was fantastic and had me craving for the next book. It was full of twists and turns at the end that made up for any dullness in the middle of the book.

What I Didn't Like: The main characters' purpose/goal was not very prominent in the book. Yes, I understood that at least Allie wasn't ready to rest in peace, but most of the book was a string of coincidental circumstances in which the characters had minimal influence. Allie was often an unlikable character, although she is a breath of fresh air from the generic good-doing righteous main characters with nary a fault.

All in all, I heartily recommend this book to all fantasy-lovers out there who are looking for something different and entertaining. The characters jump off the page and the narrative has a great sense of flow. This could have been a much better book, due to the lack of purpose, but I feel that the sequel (Everwild) will satisfy my need for direction, as in the end, Nick finally realizes what he is meant to do in Everlost. A fantastic read

~Ben