| Ever (Thorndike Press Large Print Literacy Bridge Series) |  | Author: Gail Carson Levine
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $23.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Lrg
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
ISBN: 1410410242
EAN: 9781410410245
ASIN: 1410410242
Publication Date: November 3, 2008 (In 65 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet published
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| Also Available In:
| • | Hardcover - Ever | | • | Library Binding - Ever | | • | Audio CD - Ever |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Disappointing August 19, 2008
As a huge fan of Levine I was very disappointed with this book. I love and constantly re-read Ella Enchanted and Fairest, so when I saw a new book my Levine I snatched it up. However, upon reading it I found the characters hard to relate to, the premise difficult to follow, and the plot a bit predictable. I really wanted to love this book as much as some of her others, but it fell flat.
 Levine has yet to disappoint August 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Kezi and her relatives are no different from any other family in the city of Hyte. They are very religious and owe all to Admat, the god of everything. Kezi is beautiful, young, loves to dance and knot rugs, and is very close to her parents and aunt. The only daughter, Kezi hopes to marry well, and she already has her eye on one of the boys in Hyte.
Olus is the youngest god in Akka by hundreds of years. His mother, Hannu, is the goddess of the earth and pottery, and his father, Arduk, is the god of agriculture. Olus controls the wind and can summon any sort of gust to travel around or to do his bidding. Since he's the same age as many of the mortals in the town, he finds more kinship with them than with the other Akkan gods. Soon he leaves to live among the mortals and decides to travel far away to another town where no one will worship or recognize him.
Kezi's father, Senat, offers Olus a bit of farmland, and the young man, using his god's powers, can see Senat's family and instantly falls in love with Kezi. So he is horrified when a terrible string of events causes Senat to vow to sacrifice his daughter to the god Admat. Olus pretends to "run into" Kezi at a neighbor's wedding, and soon the two are madly in love. Kezi cannot bear to be around her parents, who are terribly sad that she has to be sacrificed, so she runs away with Olus to see the town of Akka.
What follows is an adventure in the vein of epic poems about the quest for immortality, the path to becoming a hero or heroine, and defying fate. EVER seems at once new and familiar, because of its wonderful setting, mythology, and tests for Kezi and Olus. Told in alternating chapters from Kezi's and Olus's points of view, the confessional style shows us characters who are realistic, believable and appealing to readers of many ages.
Near the end, Kezi is invited to meet the Akkan gods and take the final test towards becoming immortal. The climax of the novel features many of the Akkan gods, each with their own personalities and flaws, and it's unexpectedly magical. This isn't a normal fairy tale with a puff of smoke and a few magic words; the magic in this story is grounding and human at the same time.
Gail Carson Levine's story is made richer by the impressive fantasy world she has created, complete with its pantheon of gods, an underworld, mythological creatures, religious texts and history. As if that weren't enough, slight indications of a different language spoken in Hyte are given through her depiction of accents and new words for "mother" and "father," namely "mati" and "pado." Everything is given in such a matter-of-fact way that readers can't help but think they already understand all they need to know about this world.
I've been a fan of Levine's since I first read ELLA ENCHANTED as a child. She has yet to disappoint.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gomez
 Not up to Par July 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whether a blessing or a curse for a writer, their work will be judged much by the quality of their previous work. Sadly for Gail Carson Levine, this is far below her usual splendid books. The improbability of the story (even for a fairy tale) is absurd-the god of the winds and Kezi immediately falling in love and living happily ever after. Anyone who noticed the scripture at the beginning should immediately pick up that this is supposed to be a retelling of the story of Jeptha's tragic vow-a different take than Ms. Levine's normal fairy-tale retelling. I found myself arguing with her conclusions more than enjoying the book. Her insinuation that the forbidding of human sacrifice was inserted into Mosaic law after the sacrifice of Adina was absurd, and even though she tried to leave the ending of the story open, I left it with a bad taste in my mouth, and went and listend to O.T. Action News: Jeptha's Vow, to try and get it out.
Though the story itself was interesting enough, it was fairly predictable and I found myself wondering how much longer until the end. When the end finally did come, I discovered that the character development was so lacking, I didn't particularly care if Kezi lived or died, and was just ready to get it over with.
Possibly the main drawback was not that it was lacking Ms. Levine's lovable humor, but that her attempt at delving into the doubt of the monotheistic God fell absolutely flat. This book, in summation, was a disappointment, especially compared to Ms. Levine's other excellent books.
Why??? June 25, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I absolutely LOVE Gail Carson Levine's books. I have read Fairest and Ella Enchanted too many times to count. I was dying in anticipation to read this and was sorely dissapointed. This book has a completely different writing style. I suppose I can appreciate diversity, but I felt in all there was very little character development and that the story was rushed and the romance. Why? What happened?
 A fantasy love story June 19, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 13) for Reader Views (6/08)
"Ever" by Gail Carson Levine is a fantasy love story about Kezi, from Hyte, and Olus, the Akkan god of winds. Kezi is a beautiful almost 16-year-old with talent for rug weaving and dancing. Olus, in his travels of the mortal world, can't help but fall in love with her. Olus is only 17 -- hundreds of years younger than all the other gods, and they all tell him that it's useless to care for mortals, that they're like soap bubbles. They're there one moment and gone the next. But Olus doesn't listen and pursues Kezi anyway.
But their love wasn't meant to be. When her father makes a deadly oath, Kezi pays the price. Now her days are numbered and her fate set. Olus, unwilling to let Kezi die, reveals himself as a god, and offers her an immortal life. Both, now, have to take the tests and trials of champions and heroes (and heroines in Kezi's case). Alone. Can Olus and Kezi defy fate and create a new life for themselves?
To me, Olus and Kezi fall in love unrealistically and too quickly. I love Gail Carson's other heroines but Kezi lacked depth and the story was over too fast for me to get to really get to know her. It was an okay book, I liked it while I was reading it but it made me feel slightly dazed when I finished it. The mythology was interesting and I liked the fact that it subtly questioned Kezi and her family for believing in the great and terrible Admat. It's not a deep story but it makes you think -- I mean Kezi was going to be sacrificed over an oath a desperate husband had made. Not as good as "Ella Enchanted" and "Fairest," but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. "Ever" is recommended to lovers of subtlety and the trials of lovers.
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