The Final Everafter

"What comes off next? The T-shirt?"
--Brodi Ashton, Evertrue

Genre: YA Greek Mythology Re-Telling, Paranormal

Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 368 pages

Publication Date: January 21st, 2014

Source: Borrowed ARC from Jamie--Thanks, girl!! Goodreads
Previous Books in Series: Everneath & Everbound

Goodreads Description

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

In this stunning conclusion to the Everneath trilogy, Brodi Ashton evokes the resiliency of the human spirit and the indomitable power of true love.

The Belle

Cole. I mean, hands down, the BEST part of this entire story is Cole. He is raw, complex, deeply messed up in more ways than we will ever know, and real. He makes no excuses as to who he is and this is why I LOVE him. He owns it. He pisses me off with his decisions 90% of the time but at the core of his decision making is one thing...Nikki. I don't care what anyone says he loves her. So incredibly much. I think these two are the most explosive part of the entire series. When they are together, that is when the book gets good. Cole's banter, his sarcasm, everything. When he is in the scene I am grinning like an idiot. Ok, enough about Cole...maybe...

OH! There is a twist with Cole's character that I CANNOT reveal due to spoilers but I will say that I LOVE it. Loved reading about it. It brought so much more depth to his characters and I really, really liked it.

I liked Nikki's confidence in this. I love that she is unyielding in her morals and beliefs and she never wavers. I love a character who sticks to what they believe in and doesn't let anyone sway them even if their own life is at risk. Nikki refuses to let others suffer for her and she would rather die than Feed on a human.

The ending. The ending, while very heartbreaking, was perfect for the series. It was emotional and consistent with all the characters' previous actions and felt very organic and honest. Loved it. 

The Beast

Jack. Mr. Ever-Annoying. People on Team Jack...enlighten me. Please. He is SO incredibly annoying in this book. And cheesy. I was rolling my eyes like it was going out of style. His incessant need to assert his male dominance over Nikki in the presence of Cole got so old ever-so fast. I couldn't take it. And I'm sorry, I'm going to agree with Cole and say I just don't see it between the two of them. For all three books, I felt zero connection between these two. I don't know why. I never warmed to Jack. Never felt the swoon or the connection between them. I wish I did...really, I wish I did.

The pacing was a bit slow for me. The plot itself seemed to go a bit in circles. Some of the plot points felt unnecessary. This installment just didn't grab my attention like the first two.

I am going to make this gripe about the series as a whole. I am very upset that Nikki never gave Cole a chance. Yes, he was untrustworthy at times and made dumbass decisions that pissed her off. But at the end of the day, it was all because he thought he had her best interests at heart. He loves her and is pisses me off that she could never see that. I wanted more of a love triangle. I wanted Cole to have a shot. I wanted Cole to be with Nikki. Jack and Nikki are so tunnel-visioned and melodramatic in their "undying" love for one another. It got old. Have banter. Be fun. It was all, you're my sun, you're my heart, you're my life. Blah blah blah. I just didn't feel the swoon so I was rooting for Cole who brought out the fire in Nikki. Team Cole for life. That is all.

Should You RSVP to this Ball?

Yes, definitely. The series ended amazingly. While a bit slow, the series as a whole is definitely something worth checking out. The Greek Mythology continued to be prevalent and extremely interesting throughout the whole series.