[S1K]⋙ [PDF] Ever Gail Carson Levine 9780061229626 Books

Ever Gail Carson Levine 9780061229626 Books

Download As PDF : Ever Gail Carson Levine 9780061229626 Books

Ever Gail Carson Levine 9780061229626 Books

I am not quite as fond of this book as other Carson-Levine books but I am still going to give it a 5 stars for originality. I like fairy tales with a twist. Fairy tales from India (at least what gets to this country) generally involve being caught by tigers etc. This one lets you enjoy a culture where multiple god stories are in play and the two main characters are endearing. I like tales with a twist that show the good and bad in the good-guys and the bad -guys and that have strong (or at least normal, non-whimpy) heroines. This author does a nice job of this. Ella is still my favorite - didn't care for the movie but the book is a nice read, Fairest has a lot of great messages for pre-teens (especially considering how more and more irrationally image conscious our young girls are becoming). If you like this book, you may also like "Museum of Thieves."

Keep writing more please!


Tags : Ever [Gail Carson Levine] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Falling in love is never easy, but falling in love with an immortal god while your days on earth are numbered is almost more than a young girl can bear. Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine has created a stunning new world of flawed gods,Gail Carson Levine,Ever,HarperCollins,0061229628,Fate and fatalism;Fiction.,Gods;Fiction.,Winds;Fiction.,CHILDREN'S FICTION FANTASY,Children's & young adult fiction & true stories,Children's BooksAges 9-12 Fiction,Children: Grades 4-6,Fantasy & Magic,Fantasy & magical realism (Children'sYA),Fate and fatalism,Fiction,Fiction-Fantasy,Gods,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Fiction General,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance,Juvenile Grades 4-6 Ages 9-11,Love & Romance,Romance & relationships stories (Children'sYA),Science fiction (Children'sYA),United States,Winds

Ever Gail Carson Levine 9780061229626 Books Reviews

First for anyone looking for another book set in the same universe as Ella Enchanted, Fairest or the Princess Tales collection should look away now. This is a stand alone book with no ties to any other book she has written. Which is both in its favor and against it I think.

And yes my main gripe about it during the Read-a-thon was the fact the girl on the cover is depicted as brunette with blue eyes (never happens...no wait Sarah MacLean's cover for The Season has a brunette with blue eyes, also named Alexandra and that's how she is in the book!) I enjoyed the book well enough. I think if it hadn't been back and forth with the view points I would have liked it better. We have the story from two POV's, Kezi and Olus. While this helps give us better understanding of their two different cultures, it also brought me out of the moment while reading.

Of the two sides I think that Kezi's is the more developed. We definitely learn more about her people's culture, but mostly we learn about the differences in their religions (or the religion that follows Olus) and how blind faith can be. I found those discussions interesting since on the one hand Olus is a God--he has powers far beyond mortal means, is immortal and is worshipped. On the other, as Kezi points out, none of his fellow Gods are omnipotent or all-seeing. They are also subject to Fate, just like mortals as well. Kezi's God however is said to be omnipotent and none can thwart his will. I found it interesting at the end the task that Kezi takes upon herself after all is said and done.

In the end I enjoyed the book, but would have liked it better if it had been from either one first person POV or a third person POV. The back and forth distracted me quite a bit.
Ever seems to be a retelling of the famous 'Eros and Psyche' (or Cupid and Psyche) myth.
'Eros and Psyche' was always my favorite myth and yet I was never truly happy with the ending. I thought that the whole point of the story was that Psyche betrayed him and so she had to go through the quest to redeem and prove herself worthy of being a goddess. But she yet again proves herself a weak person by opening Persephone's box and has to be saved by Eros.

What I liked about Ever is that it took the 'Eros and Psyche' myth and took out all the parts I didn't like about it. There were no malicious/jealous/nosy sisters, no betrayal of trust, and no need for the helpless heroine to be saved by the hero; in fact, it is the heroine, Kezi, who saves the life of Olus (a god), proving that she is indeed worthy of being an immortal.

Sure there were some aspect of the book that I didn't particularly like (I honestly don't get why the heroine is so obsessed with dancing . . . it didn't seem like it contributed anything to the narrative), but those, to me, are relatively minor so all in all, I'm pretty happy with this book. I'm grateful that someone has finally re-written the 'Eros and Psyche' myth and given the heroine some backbone! )
Kezi lives in the city of Hyte, with her Mati and Pado, and spends her days weaving and dancing and worshipping the all powerful god Admat. Olus lives in Akka, the land of the gods, and is the god of the wind and loneliness. He sets out to Hyte to live among the mortals, where he meets Kezi. He is inexplicably drawn to her, and their bond is forged when Kezi is promised to be sacrificed to Admat. Olus is determined to save her, and reveals his true self to her. Together, they set out to change their destiny.

Gail Carson Levine creates in Ever a completely different world from the one that her heroines from Ella Enchanted and Fairest live, with a new set of rules and gods and cultures, packing in as much information and details without giving the reader a sensory overload. The story moves rapidly, and is wonderfully simple and magical at the same time. Levine's trademark spunk and determination shine through in Kezi as she struggles to become a heroine and finds a way to survive.

The romance between Olus and Kezi is kept simple and chaste, and is a bit rushed, but pitched perfectly for younger readers. However, the religious ponderings and question concerning the existence of Admat will be very relevant to older readers, and does well in engaging them as well. Once again, Levine has woven another magical tale that will enchant readers of all ages.
I am not quite as fond of this book as other Carson-Levine books but I am still going to give it a 5 stars for originality. I like fairy tales with a twist. Fairy tales from India (at least what gets to this country) generally involve being caught by tigers etc. This one lets you enjoy a culture where multiple god stories are in play and the two main characters are endearing. I like tales with a twist that show the good and bad in the good-guys and the bad -guys and that have strong (or at least normal, non-whimpy) heroines. This author does a nice job of this. Ella is still my favorite - didn't care for the movie but the book is a nice read, Fairest has a lot of great messages for pre-teens (especially considering how more and more irrationally image conscious our young girls are becoming). If you like this book, you may also like "Museum of Thieves."

Keep writing more please!