Nevermore

by Kelly Creagh

4/5 stars

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due--so unfair--on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he'd rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can't help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

This book was good. The main character, Isobel, who at the beginning of the book is the head cheerleader and super popular, manages to come off as likable, not annoying. This book had some funny parts, it had romance, so of course I liked it!

The book has a lot more to do with Edgar Allan Poe than the synopsis indicates. You may even learn a little about Poe in the process of reading it. (I'm embarrassed to say that I had never heard about Poe's mysterious disappearance shortly before his death). The parts about Poe were interesting. And then there's Varen Nethers. What's not to like about him? Dark, mysterious, hot........ok, you've got my attention!

I really enjoyed the part where Isobel went to meet Varen at Nobit's Nook, a strange old bookstore with it's very own poltergeist. Needless to say, I'd love to visit this store. I think that the funniest part of the whole book was when Isobel's dad helps her with her Poe presentation. I won't tell you what he does, because I don't want to give anything away.

Just to let everyone know, this is definitely the start of a series. This book really left me hanging. So if you hate waiting for a sequel to come out, I would recommend waiting until next fall to read this book, since I'm guessing (more like hoping) that the sequel will come out then.

--Rose