Greetings ghosts, guys, and gals,

How’s your 2023 going? This book nerd has a plethora of grad school projects and assignments coming up, so my postings may get a bit spotty in the next few weeks. But before I swan dive into coursework, I just had to finish my current read.

Having loved Everlost (you can check out my review here), I continued the series with Everwild (Skinjacker #2) by Neal Shusterman.

Did this sequel live up to my high expectations from the first book? Keep on reading to find out!

Blurb

Everlost, the limbo land of dead children, is at war. Nick the “Chocolate Ogre” wants to help the children of Everlost reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Mary Hightower, self-proclaimed queen of lost children and dangerous fanatic, is determined to keep Everlost’s children trapped within its limbo for all eternity. Traveling in the memory of the Hindenburg, Mary is spreading her propaganda and attracting Afterlights to her cause at a frightening speed.

Meanwhile, Allie the Outcast travels home to seek out her parents, along with Mikey, who was once the terrifying monster the McGill. Allie is tempted by the seductive thrill of skinjacking the living, until she discovers the shocking truth about skinjackers.

GoodReads

Amazon

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I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

Lightning strikes twice in this dynamic sequel to Everlost!

Having loved the first novel, I was eager to continue this series. I’m so glad I did.

Everlost is in a state of tension. Mary has left her perch and sails the skies looking for new children to add to her army to help her stop the Chocolate Ogre (aka Nick). Meanwhile, Allie and Mikey embark on an epic journey to find her parents, finding and learning much more along the way than they thought possible.

I’ll admit, by the end of the first novel I was a bit concerned as to what direction this series was going to go in. I felt that the afterlife concept had been explored pretty thoroughly, but boy was I wrong! Schusterman continues to weave an epic tale in this novel filled with adventure, heartache, and betrayal.

The main characters we follow were Mary, Allie, Nick, Mikey, and Milos. Each of them have their own journey and grew in surprising ways that I didn’t expect. These teens are resilient and passionate, and I’m so happy that Schusterman cast them in a positive light instead of feeding into false stereotypes.

The writing was so easy to read and flowed smoothly from page to page. I found it very hard to put down. I just didn’t want to stop!

The plot was so much fun. There was action at every turn that kept me excited, along with personal developments that made my heart ache or made me laugh out loud. I especially loved the deeper dive into the unique powers some characters had. It really fleshed things out more fully and kept things fresh. Even the worldbuilding felt more thorough. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the final book of this series, but I have no doubt that Shusterman is going to blow me away again.

You’ve gotta try this series out!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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