Ever

Carson Levine, G. (2008) Ever. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers

 

Review:

 

Kezi enjoys living with her parents in the city of Hyte and spending her days weaving magnificent rugs – and dancing, when she can.  Olus, the Akkan god of the winds, is not quite so content.  At only 17, he is hundreds of years younger than anyone else on Enshi Rock and longs for companions his own age.  While pretending to be a mortal in a neighboring country, he spies Kezi and falls in love.  But Kezi’s days are even more numbered than most mortals, for a terrible twist of fate has destined her to be a sacrifice to her own god.  Now Olus is determined to save her, he just has to figure out how.

Aside from the usual conceit of writing choppy, short sentences in order to convey a time before writing was commonplace, this was a fairly enjoyable book.  Some parts were a little slow, and the lack of resolution regarding the existence of Admat may frustrate some, but Kezi and Olus’ solution to her problem was intriguing, and Kezi’s heroism in particular will delight readers.  Some readers – adults especially – may not agree with Kezi’s conclusions, but I think that stories about questioning authority  – peacefully even! – are liked and needed by tweens.

Best for ages 11-15

 

Author Website: http://www.gailcarsonlevine.com/