Ever

I really liked this book. It is pretty different from Gail Carson Levine's other books, but it's still really great. It's an exciting, romantic fantasy about a girl named Kezi, who is an ordinary villager, and Olus, god of the winds. After they fall in love, Olus finds out that Kezi is going to be sacrificed. So Olus and Kezi set out on a journey to find a way to make Kezi immortal so they can both live eternally together. When I first heard of this book it seemed strange, what with all the weird immortal god stuff. But it's actually pretty good once you get used to the idea. Another interesting thing about this book is the way it was written. It is written in first-person present-tense, meaning that the things said sound like, "I scream", and "Olus kisses me". And also, the person speaking changes from chapter to chapter. On chapter it's Kezi, and the next it's Olus, next Kezi, and so on. I have never read a book like this one before. It is very unique, a quality I look for in books, and also a quality that most of Gail Carson Levine's books possess. Not her best book, but still great. I give it 4 and 1/2 stars. Though, since that's not possible, I'll give it 5.

All I know is that I bought this book for my daughter (12) who requested it after reading another Gail Carson Levine book. She tore into it as soon as it came and happily read it to the end. This is a somewhat "picky reader" and I was happy to see her enjoy it so much!

I loved this book! with in the first 50 pages I was pulled in! I read it in less then 1 day!!!!! i fell in love with Olus and i wish i was as brave as Kezi. I would say this is my #1 fave book!:-)

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 Gómez

Olus is the Akkan god of the winds - but at just seventeen years old, much younger than all the other gods and goddesses, he doesn't fit in and often feels lonely. So he decides to spend some time among the mortals of the world. He travels to the nearby land of Hyte, and becomes particularly fascinated by a mortal girl named Kezi and her family. Fifteen-year-old Kezi lives a comfortable and carefree life. She is a gifted weaver of rugs, and she loves to dance. But her carefree life is shattered in one terrible moment. Her mother becomes deathly ill, and desperate to save his wife, her father makes a terrible oath to make a sacrifice to the Admat, the all-powerful god of Hyte, if his wife is spared. And in order to protect her aunt, who saved Kezi's life as a child, Kezi fufills the oath and will become the sacrifice. Now, Kezi has just thirty days to find a way to save her life. Olus, who has fallen in love with Kezi, believes he can save her by helping her become immortal, and to that end the young couple sets off on a series of quests that will test their courage and their love for each other. Ever was another wonderful fantasy adventure by Gail Carson Levine, told in the alternating voices of Kezi and Olus, giving us a glimpse into both their minds. As with her other books, she has created an exotic and believable world filled with wonderful characters. I highly recommend this book to fans of the author's other novels, as well as to young teens who enjoy romantic fantasy novels.