Review: Elixir (Covanant, #3.5) by Jennifer L.Armentrout

Title: Elixir (Covenant, #3.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 80
Source: Bought
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. Even if it means making war against the gods.

Ahh the drama.  To be young, in love, fighting to keep the ones you love themselves, and defying the gods...that is really the life.

This is everything a novella should be.  It was a complete story in itself, yet highly depended on understanding what was currently happening in the series.  I felt like Elixir really had something to add to the Covenant series instead of just telling us a back story.  It had conflict and resolution and I think was a powerful addition to the series.  However if you are not familiar with the series you could not read this novella as a stand alone.  It is highly connected to the series and therefore to truly grasp what is happening one needs to read the previous books before reading this novella.

In Elixir you get to interact on a different level than usual with the characters and understand more of Aiden's perspective.  I love that you see him lose control a bit.  Usually he is so put together and stoic and in Elixir you can see his struggle and raw emotion.   

You hear bits and pieces about the Elixir that is given to Half Bloods previously in the series, but in this novella it hits a bit closer to home.  This is something that Alex (and many other Half Bloods have feared) and yet it may be the only way to not start a war with the gods that will affect everyone.    

One thing I think was done really well was to understand how difficult a decision is.  Sometimes decisions about other peoples lives are portrayed as simple and yet Elixir really shows us the positives and negatives of a decision and how hard they are to make for another person.  Just because it is the easy way (or at times the harder way) is it the right way?  

Who would have thought a short 80 page novella could bring such a heavy topic to life?  Elixir did that and so much more.  

What are your views on novellas?  Do you love them or not really care for them?  How much do they add to a series?

Review of Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 240
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★

Summary from Goodreads: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Greek Mythology is a huge trend right now in YA lit, and Brodi Ashton is the latest one to join the gang.  Everneath is a retelling/vamped up version of the story of Persephone.  Out of all the gods and goddess I'd choose to be, Hades and Persephone make the bottom of my list.  While I might not necessarily want to be them, but that doesn't mean their story is any less interesting.  In fact, it's quite intriguing because it deals with the Underworld or what Brodi Ashton calls the Everneath. 

Nikki went through what she thought was a traumatic experience and she wanted the pain to go away, so she decided to go to the Everneath to get all her feelings and emotions sucked away by Cole.  There was a lot going on in Nikki life at the time of her decision.  The driver of the car who killed her mother had just been found innocent, and there was a very cute and very popular girl trying to steal her boyfriend Jack.  I understand she's hurting, but she ends up jumping to conclusions and makes a decision that not only affects her but so many other people around her.  I felt like her decision was not only impulsive, but also very selfish.   

I'm not sure if it was the fact that Nikki was drained of all emotion but she felt really flat as a character for me.  In fact, I felt no real attachment to anyone in the story.  Cole is an interesting character, but we don't get to learn enough about him to become invested.  I did like Jack, but again I would have liked some more depth from him.  I actually enjoyed him more in Nikki's memories of before.  He seemed fun and full of life, then Nikki left and he fell apart.

The story itself was intriguing and it was quite a mystery with Nikki trying to find a way to not get sucked back into the tunnels. The story was a little anticlimactic until the end, which by the way...I was not a fan of.  I understand why Brodi Ashton ended the novel how she did and it was a bit romantic, but that still doesn't mean I have to like it.  

I had high hopes for Everneath and while it didn't meet my expectations, I still did enjoy the story and it was fun to learn a little more Greek mythology.