Review: Plots lags behind its predecessor, but characters and premise are solid.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2013
Note: I received a free copy of Evade in exchange for an honest review; however, I purchased my own copy of Ever.The EVER trilogy so far has a solid premise and interesting characters, but the plot pacing never allows it to rise from "I liked it" territory to "I loved it." Ever, Book One, was faster paced with more plot twists, but Evade, Book Two, lagged a bit and disappointed me.While Ever was more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, Evade was more paranormal romance for urban fantasy. I liked both Ever and Evade for their plots, but I wished for more, sooner, in Evade. It doesn't pick up speed until about three-quarters of the way into the book, and by that point, I was wondering if anything unexpected was going to happen. It does: The stakes raised and I got excited, but the book was over all too soon.Evade starts where Ever left off: Ever now has less than a year left to live. Trying to make the best of it, she heads to a vacation in Mexico and is plunged into more chaos. She discovers that Ariadne's mark attracted all manner of unsavory dead folk, and she must run for her life.I struggled with this premise because it didn't make sense. If I were Ever, I'd be demanding answers-real ones-especially when her bitch-face nemesis and ex-boyfriend show up again to make her life difficult. Sometimes Ever seems to be going along for a ride, allowing all these things to happen to her. As I mentioned before, it's only in the last quarter of the book that she starts taking charge.Something about the world-building was missing from both Ever and Evade: We never get a glimpse into the Soul Collector life. I'm reminded of that part in Men In Black where J first goes down the elevator and sees all the aliens wandering amongst the humans. Neither Ever nor Evade has a "reveal" moment where we see what it is that Toby, Ted, and Ariadne do. It's a fabulous premise. It's lacking in delivery.What I liked most about both books was the bonus material. After Ever`s ending, it contained the opening chapters from Toby's perspective, and Evade`s epilogue was also written from Toby's point of view. For whatever reason, those parts scintillated. Also, I was nearly in tears (in the waiting room of a doctor's office-nope, not embarrassed, I own my emotions) reading Ms. Russo's afterward. It gave me insight into some things about the plot that I loved / hated. But I'm a sap and a writer, so I identified with her struggles.If you enjoy Young Adult, romance, and characters with real struggles, I recommend this book. I'm looking forward to Book Three and hope that Ms. Russo rediscovers her enjoyment of writing this series.