Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is pretty, perky and popular. Varen Nethers is just the opposite, gothic and a loner. While she is busy thinking about tumbling and cheering, he's huddled in a corner writing in a small black notebook. When the two are paired together to complete a big English project, it is to Isobel's utter horror and Varen's disdain. Isobel and Varen both receive cruel treatment from Isobel's football star boyfriend and her cheerleading "crew".


Grudgingly, they meet up to discuss the project, and decide their subject will be Edgar Allen Poe. While Varen is gathering some study materials, Isobel stumbles upon (or purposefully opens and reads) his small black notebook. Inside she finds his writings, strange and depressing.


Soon thereafter, Isobel begins seeing strange creatures, hearing unexplained voices. It turns out, Varen has created a dream world through his writings. Isobel has unwittingly been dragged into this dream world when Varen writes about her and dreams of her.


When things wind out-of-control, Isobel realizes Varen is not what everyone thinks. He is hiding behind a facade, but he has a depth to him that no one sees. As his dream world and the real world begin merging, Isobel begins feeling more than she ever thought she would for Varen. When Varen is trapped inside his own nightmares, Isobel realizes she is the link between realms and must severe that tie. That is the only way she can save herself, and Varen.

I've never really known much about Poe and never quite been interested in his work. When I read the synopsis for this book though, my interest was piqued. I knew people like Isobel and Varen in high school, people from both cliques. The premise of basing the story off of Poe's works was intriguing. I had a hard time reading and understand Poe's works in the book, so I kind of skimmed through them. I felt like the author spent a little too much time on describing Varen's dream world... That could have cut down on some pages. Isobel's "friends" were horrible. I can't believe the way they treated her, and Varen. I would have slapped them all! I did enjoy the gradual building of Isobel and Varen's relationship. It wasn't rushed, like most relationships are in books and movies nowadays. They weren't madly in love after their first shared words with each other. In the end, I felt my heart break over Varen being trapped in the other realm. I kept wondering how I would feel if I made the type of promise Isobel made to him and wasn't able to fulfill it. I wanted to dive right into the next book and figure out what happens between Isobel and Varen, how he'll escape.

3.5/5