Book Review - Nevermore

By: Kelly Creagh

Published by: Simon & Schuster (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Released on August 31, 2010

Source: Purchased/from publisher

4 stars - I really liked this book. Go pick it up.

Synopsis (from Simon & Schuster):

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted - nevermore!

-- from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

At once an homage to one of America's greatest writers and a page-turning psychological mystery that is equal parts horror, humor, and romance, NEVERMORE is the story of Varen -- a Poe-fan and goth -- and Isobel -- a cheerleader and unlikely heroine. When a Lit. project pairs the two together, Isobel finds herself steadily swept into Varen's world, one that he has created in his notebook and in his mind, one where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel slowly learns that dreams can be much more powerful than she'd ever expected, and that pain and despair come in all sorts of shades. As labels of "goth" and "cheerleader" fade away, she sees more in Varen than a tall, pale outcast, and a consuming romance is braced against the ever-clearer horror that the most terrifying realities are those within our own minds.

When Isobel has a single chance to rescue Varen from the shadows of his own nightmares, will she be able to save him -- and herself?

I picked up this book because I remembered my experiences with the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Let me just say that they were dramatic and frightening. My Fifth Grade Teacher allowed our class to listen to an audiobook of the "Tell-Tale Heart" read by, I swear, Boris Karloff. I can tell you that I had to sleep with the light on for many weeks and that all the illumination didn't help at all. I was still scared. Later in high school, I learned more about Poe as a writer. I recalled that he married a cousin, drank and died under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Somehow it all seemed to fit his macabre writing style.

So imagine my delight when I came across Nevermore. I wondered briefly if it would be too scary for me but as I started reading it, I discovered the cleverness of Kelly Creagh. She wove all the expected Poe mythology-- the raven, Red Death, Lenore -- in a love story starring a cheerleader who is beginning to discover more about herself and a angsty, gothic boy who has gone, perhaps, a little too far.

The two are united over a class project on the subject of what else, but Edgar Allan Poe. And as they become closer, things around them unravel. Isobel's world, in particular, falls apart. Her relationship with football hero Brad and her cheerleading friends begins to change as she falls slowly in love with the aloof gothic boy, Varen. I loved how Varen and Isobel's relationship took time to develop. It made sense although at times I found it frustrating. I may have screamed, okay muttered, something about "kiss her already". But when I finished the book, it all began to make sense.

You see, Kelly does something unexpected in the plot line. She takes you on this slow moving, methodical unfolding of Isobel's relationship with Varen. You feel confident, as a reader, that you know where she is taking you and then, in the last 150 pages, she plunges you into dreams and realities until you yourself aren't certain of what is truly going on. Oh, how I loved it. I loved how she showed all of Poe's scary, horrific, dark mythology and yet, wrapped it in a hopeful love story about two people who had nothing in common at the start of the tale. I know you want to know the best part and well, it's the ending. And I really shouldn't say more but I'm so very glad that there will be sequels.

Be sure to check out Kelly's blog for some fun Extras, like the Nevermore playlist, a free download of Varen's favorite band and a list of Kelly's favorite books. With Halloween just around the corner, this gothic story is one that you need to pick up and read.