Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Pages: Hardcover, 528 pages

Publisher: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Atheneum (August 31, 2010)

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 the 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.

One of my favorite things to teach is anything by Edgar Allan Poe… I guess it is because it lets me know that even though he was so messed up, he still created great things so there is hope for the rest of us! All kidding aside, he was and is an American icon for literature so when this book came to my attention I had to read it. Creagh has taken the ultimate opposites (a goth and a cheerleader) and plunged them into a world where only these two could survive. I found myself frustrated with them equally and ready to move things along, but all the while enjoying the tension, angst, and mystery that was surrounding their story.

Creagh’s imaginative way of weaving Poe’s work into her novel was so well done in my eyes that I kept wondering where she was going to go next and which story she was going to pull pieces from next. It made me want to go back and reread Poe’s works and see what other clues she left within the pages for us. Poe was a genius in his own right and Creagh used that to work a mysterious, enlightening piece for her debut novel. The characters were well developed the plot was very well written. So many questions are still rolling around in my head for this one so I can only hope that she continues with this story.

Wonderful debut Kelly!! Visit Kelly here to find more goodies and make sure to get Nevermore on Friday!!

Happy reading