Shusterman, Neal - Everlost (Skinjacker #1) - Relaxed Buddy Read Start February 20, 2014

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

This topic is open for discussion of Everlost by Neal Shusterman

BE PREPARED FOR SPOILERS

What is a buddy read?

About this Buddy Read
A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers

Synopsis
Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...
...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no onger exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he he's found a home, but allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Suggested reading scheudle

Feb 20 - Start reading!

Feb 21 - Pause to discuss the beginning ; Chapters 1-6 (Part 1 )

Feb 24 - Pause to discuss the middle ; Chapters 7-23 (Parts 2&3)

Feb 26 - Discuss the end! (Chapters 24-31 : {Part 4} )

Feel free to read slower or faster. Just use spoiler tags if reading ahead of the schedule. Thanks!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

:D

[Ashley Marie]

Tag! :)

[Jex]

In!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Just got my library notification that I can pick this up :)

[Ashley Marie]

I started the audio book and am trying to ration myself so that I don't get too far ahead! I'm curious to see what you gals think once you start it. I'm having mixed emotions so far.

[Jex]

I forgot this was starting. Glad I randomly looked :-P

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

sorry I'm already behind as I couldn't stop reading Days of Blood and Starlight. I'll start this one today :)

[Ashley Marie]

No worries :) I think this one might be a bit slow for me, so I'm not going to be upset about having a few extra days to go through it!

Thoughts on Part I:

This story strongly reminds me of Peter Pan. Anyone else get that vibe?

(view spoiler)[I'm not digging this as much as I thought I would, considering how much I've enjoyed Neil Schusterman's other things. It's reading far more adolescent than Unwind did. Is it meant for younger readers, or is it supposed to be mature YA? It seems like a pretty heavy topic for middle grade/general YA...

I'm feeling a bit off about Mary Hightower...do you think she could be the big bad? Also, is the McGill (sp? Sorry, I'm audioing this one) real or just a bogeyman made up by scared kids? For some reason I'm really fixated on the McGill! It's the only part I'm that interested in so far lol.

Sinking through the earth seems like a weird choice. I do like the idea of "dead" zones, though, and thought including the Towers was a nice touch. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Part 1
(view spoiler)[
I have found this a very easy, quick read and I am quite enjoying it actually. I'm not sure Ashley-Marie ; I guess it is made for younger audiences seeing that the main characters are around 11 and 14? It is pretty mature themes for the age group though, I agree.
I like the spin on death. And I'd love to know why it is only children. do adults have a seperate world? Or is it that kids can be re-incarnated or something? what happens when they sink? Surely they aren't just locked in the centre of the Earth?
Mary Hightower is kind of funny. I see your Peter Pan thinking there. I was thinking about Oliver Twist actually.
I think McGill is made up... kids always need some kind of bogeyman!
I'm not sure where the story is going. I do like the concept, I think it is so unique. And I like how the author puts those "articles" from Mary throughout the book. It is a clever mechanism he used in the Unwind books too to move the story, give context and history, without having to introduce a whole new character's POV or rambling descriptions
As for the twin towers.... not sure how I feel about this. Let's see where it goes....

(hide spoiler)]

[Ashley Marie]

I'm liking it better now that I'm in to Part II. I think a part of my issue is that I don't really like Allie that much...which makes liking the narrative hard, considering how central she is!

I think as she grows a bit, I'll start to like her more.

[Jex]

I finally started this one last night as I'm a bit behind in all my reading lately. This seems like a really easy read so far, but it hasn't quite grabbed my attention too much. I think it's because it doesn't have the huge social issues like Unwind did. I'm waiting until I get further tor really way in.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Parts 2 and 3
I am still really enjoying this. I think I quite like the humour and the unique look at the afterlife. I have quite liked Alie, so I don't have that same issue AM! And I understand Jex that ithis book isn't a lens through which to view society as Unwind was, but it still explores basic human needs and instincts in an interesting way.
(view spoiler)[
The Haunter was such an ass, but I'm not sure even he should be locked in a barrel and thrown into the ocean. Does that mean he may be stuck down there for 50 years like the McGill was? Speaking of, I kind of like the McGill. He has lost so much of his humanity, but finds he has it at unexpected times. I have no idea what Allie thought she was doing with the 12 steps. I guess it goes back to that "routine" the dead find themselves in and she probably just forgot at times what she was doing. What is he going to do with 1000 kids?How do you 'trade' souls? It is a bit worrying. Atleast we know he only has 999 now ;)
I have to say I lol'd when we found out what chiming was. Love it.
I'm going to assume Mary comes back into the story and hopefully helps to save them. Makes me keen for book 2 to see where this all goes because there is not much of this book left!!

(hide spoiler)]

[Jex]

Part 1

I finished part 1 just now. I was very glad to see that Leif wasn't gone for good. I thought maybe he would come back way later in the book, but I'm glad he followed Allie and Nick.

Two things that bothered me: 1) did he really have to bring up the twin towers of all the places they could have gone? and 2) why is Allie worthless because she's not pretty (in reference to the bullies). Not major plot points, just irked me.

The story hasn't really grabbed me yet, but I'm hoping it will pick up. I think a lot of this section was world set up. I don't really feel for any character yet. I do like the little blurbs from Mary Hightower in between chapters and am interested in learning more about her.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Jex - I wasn't sure about the twin towers bit either. But once I got into part 2 it didn't bother me, and actually kind of made sense that it would be a building the afterlights live in. He didn't go all sentimental or make a big deal about the towers which I thought was good

I wondered the same about Allie, but just ended up putting it down to giving another insight into her character (and her own beliefs around herself)

I realy liked the Mary blurbs too

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Part 4 - The End
(view spoiler)[ I am always totally hopeless at picking 'twists' in stories, and I loved this one with the McGill! and then how Mary basically becomes the baddie!
So interested to see how the relationship with Allie and the McGill will go in the next book. And as much as I found it weird that Nick and Mary "fell in love", how cool that they are now enemies.
I quite enoyed this book as just a cool, fun kind of story. Nowhere near as heavy as unwind. I totally appreciate Shusterman's creative mind. I wish I had just a part of that.
(hide spoiler)]

[Ashley Marie]

Just finished it up...and realized I totally forgot to post thoughts for parts 2 & 3. Oops :)

Anyway:

(view spoiler)[This book really grew on me as it progressed, and I'll definitely be reading the next in the series (his penchant for titling books with vowel words doesn't hurt my motivation to continue, either).

I was definitely on the fence until Part 4 started, and then I was totally sold! I loved the twist with the McGill being Mary's brother, and I loved how the coins ended up being the key to everything. I also really enjoyed the way Mary was censoring things in her books to keep people away from the truth through the guise of protecting them. I think she'll be a really interesting baddie, and I like how Nick is set up as her opposite, with his fate tied to hers.

I'm curious to see what Allie and the McGill will get up to! Allie grew on me as the story progressed, and now I kind of see them as Everlost's Robin Hood and Maid Marianne.

I was sad to see Leif go, but I thought it was cool how he was the first person Nick and Allie met in Everlost, and ended up being the first to go on once Nick figured things out (sort of mirroring Allie's fortune). Speaking of fortunes, the fortune cookies were an awesome part of this story! (hide spoiler)]

Karen, I completely agree about Schusterman's creativity. He's brilliant! I could never imagine some of the things he comes up with.

[Ashley Marie]

Oh! Almost forgot!

(view spoiler)[ I really hope we hear more from Pinhead. He ended up being one of my favorite characters, and I loved the twist with him tricking the McGill with the 1000 souls fortune well before Allie ever thought of doing something similar. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

@Ash
(view spoiler)[
ah yes the whole Mary censoring the truth and taking the kids coins was just brilliant. I love that she is basially a super villian and Nick is now her #1 enemy.

And yes the fortune cookies are great. I hadn't thought about pinhead, but you are so right - there was so much more to him. I think we will discover more of him and the new McGill.
(hide spoiler)]
My sister teaches 6th grade here (11/12 year olds) and she does The Hunger Games as part of her cirriculum, so I told her about this book yesterday as I think this would be an awesome book to do at school. :)