ARC Review- Everneath (Brodi Ashton)

EVERNEATH- Brodi Ashton
Releases in January 2012 by Balzer+Bray (Harper) Click on the cover image to learn more.
I'll start out saying that the book was different than I thought it would be.  The cover is amazing...the concept is amazing...But I felt like I just wanted a little teensy bit more out of it! There were some things done very well, though. The characters, for one, I really enjoyed.

• I felt like the author did a really good job of showing the desperation in Nikki's situation. She was emotionless, and that was how it was supposed to be, and I felt like that was done super well. I like that gradually, Nikki came back to who she was always meant to be. And I love that she can taste emotions in the air because she has none. That was a great addition.
• Jack was also wonderful. I felt for him so much...it would suck to be in his situation, in love with a girl who disappeared and just comes back acting like nothing really happened. The pain that would cause...I can't even imagine! He was tender and sweet and allowed himself to love, even through all of the hurt.

• Cole, the Everliving, was creepy and possessive. Every time he came into a scene, I just wanted to steal Katniss Everdeen's bow and shoot an arrow through his eye :)  That was done very well, too, and I love when a character can get some emotion out of me.

Everneath had a great concept, characters that were likable, and the fear that there is dark and terrifying world that lies just beneath us. I just wanted a little more to the story. I wanted to see Nikki's relationship with her family blossom. I wanted more of a connection, so that it would be heartbreaking for them to have to lose her again, and vise-versa! I liked this book. There was a darkness to it that appealed to me, and though it wasn't my favorite read of the year, I would recommend it to people who enjoy mythology and love triangles. 

Overall, the author is a good writer. She has beautiful language, and a rockin' concept. It's her first novel and compared to what is out there these days, it's got a good chance of selling very well. The author is really sweet (I met her for a few seconds at SCBWI this summer in LA, what a lovely smile!) The story is a bit predictable, but if you want a quick read that shows you just how precious our time on earth is, then I'd go pick this one up. I think there are lots of readers out there that will enjoy it, and I am interested to see how book two ends up.
Have you read this one? What were your thoughts?