Everlast (Chronicles of Nerissette) Paperback – August 27, 2013

Allie was a fairly normal teenager until one day, she and some friends "Opened the book...fell through the hole in reality, woke up here." Here would be Nerissette, a place that Allie had only read about as a fairy tale. Now, she and her friends are trapped there and she is to become their queen. With dragons and dryads, evil trolls and giants and the most evil of all, the magicians, Nerissette needs a queen to save them all. Apparantly, that would be Allie. Fantastic adventure and a lovely fairy tale! I am looking forward to reading the next two books!

This is the first book in the series. Allie joins her group at the library so they can find a story for their project. The group includes her friends Winston and Mercedes, along with two popular classmates, Heidi and Jesse. After rejecting many books, Allie comes across a book from her childhood that was beloved by her mother, The Chronicles of Nerissette. But when they open the book, they are drawn into a different world. They first meet the talking cat, Esmerelda who introduces them to the Fate Maker and their new roles. Winston becomes a shape-shifting dragon, Mercedes, a dryad, while Allie is destined as the Rose, destined to take the crown. Jesse is to be her consort, while Heidi has been downgraded to her maid. But all is not as it seems, and the Fate Maker is intent on keeping the status quo by being the power behind the throne and stopping anything from changing. As Allie learns about her family history, she must make a choice to fight against the tyranny of the Fate Maker, even if it may mean that they can never return home or that they may die in the attempt. The author does a nice job of building a world and most of the characters had good development over the course of the novel.

One of the most entertaining books I've read in a while. I really did find that the characters are very likeable here. Our heroine, Allie or Alicia immediately is likeable and so are her classmates as well. This is rather one of those books where every character is going through something or getting some major powers when they go to Nerissette.Nerissette is really rather different than anything our characters have seen. They have mostly only read about places like this or had dreams of this place. I think that the Cat, Esmerelda was interesting because she tells Allie that she is a princess and going to be queen and needs to lead these people and help Nerisette in a great upcoming battle. Prophecies are wonderful, but sometimes things always don't go the way that the prophecies are written. Also Allie and her friends really want to return to their everyday lives, but can't because it's not as easy. There are rules of course.Then there's the Fate Maker. I really disliked his character from the moment he was introduced. He was such a jerk to everyone. Although he is a wizard, he claims to know what fate wants and acts in Fate's best interest. This happens not to be the case. The Fate Maker really has his own agenda and decides that he knows best for Nerissette. After all, he has been the ruler of this kingdom for 17 years and isn't going to give it up just because the lost princess has returned suddenly. Nothing is ever easy for our heroine. Also there are some really interesting things that happen for all our characters.I really do love the interactions that happen between the teenage characters. Also the other character that was really interesting was Rhys, who is the captain of the royal army or guard. He is interesting because he actually is a guy who has kind of been stuck in Nerissette, yet found a purpose there. I really like how he helps Allie see that she can be so much more than what she thinks she is. She has the ability to rule without the Fate Maker trying to use her to be his puppet. Also the fact that Heidi and Jessie are now trying to fit into their new roles can be challenging for Allie to deal with.Heidi and Jessie were boyfriend and girlfriend back home, but here in Nerissette their roles are reversed. Since Allie is the queen, the Fate Maker made Jessie her betrothed and Heidi her maid. Needless to say Heidi is not happy. Heidi in a lot of ways is that typical mean girl, but during the course of the book, Heidi starts to develop into someone that Allie comes to from time to time for advice. Some of Heidi's advice is really good. Heidi also starts to become a better human being. She starts off really not a nice person, but being in the role of servant is something that Heidi needed I think to develop into a better human being. Jessie is such a prick. I really didn't like the way that he acted. Jessie is the guy that dates the girl that will get him power or status. Plus he disregards anyone else's feelings. I felt with the Jessie character that people are just things to him to be used and all he wants is to be with someone that has power.Also Winston is such a great guy. I really like him. I thought him and Allie had one of the best friendships, relationships of the book. Everything about them was so perfect. Loved how Allie and him related in a lot of ways. Not to mention how Winston came to her rescue when she needed it the most.One of the most interesting aspects of this book was how Allie found the courage to stand up to the Fate Maker and make her own destiny with help from those around her. Also loved how when it came time to choose what to do, she chose to fight in what was right, and not take the easy way out. One of the most interesting aspects of this book was how many people, creatures gave her advice. Her conversations with the mermaid queen was wonderful. Sometimes a queen has to fight and that a queen is more than a figurehead. Leaders sometimes have to make hard decisions.Allie very much becomes a leader. I really liked this book and want to read more of this series.

Magic makes me happy and the magicalness of Everlast did not disappoint. Therefore, Everlast makes me happy. The story took off right away, thrusting us into the magical realm of Nerissette along with Allie and her friends (and not-so friends). Turns out that what Allie had thought were just fairy tales her mom use to tell her are true stories from another life. She's the lost princess and rightful heir to the thrown of Nerissette, a kingdom in desperate need of helping. Once Allie and her friends realize that they won't be getting home anytime soon, they each settle into their new roles, and Allie realizes that not everyone is there to help her. There's an evil wizard out to control everything and everyone, and she has step up and stop him. Yes, it's the cliche evil wizard is evil plot, but it was exciting and entertaining, which is what counts.The first thing about Everlast which stood out to me were the characters. In good and bad ways, but I'll start with the good. Allie is the typical, nice, unpopular, smart girl who's really a princess. I liked her though! She isn't a damsel in distress when things get tough, but she also doesn't try to act like she knows more than she does. She has two best friends, Winston and Mercedes, who are actually good friends to her! There's no weird polar opposites, where she feels left out or picked on. They're a true trio and I loved it! Winston is also the love interest (yes, singular!) and a person of color! So much love for Winston! Now for the bad: Jesse and Heidi. They are the stereotypical popular kids, and they're both idiots. I was actually surprised by some of things to come out their mouths. There's no depth to them at all, and it was a bit disappointing. Then there's a whole mess of characters in Nerissette that are all their own unique individuals!The world building of Everlast was also pretty great! A book of fairy tales acts as a portal to bring people over into Nerissette, and there's also a magic mirror that can send them back and forth, but it's a bit more complicated than the book. There's a talking cat, dragons, dryads, mermaids, goblins, trolls, giants, wizards, and pixies! So many magical beings in one place, but they all had their distinct roles within the world. Oh, and there's enchanted furniture that behaves differently depending on who's interacting with it. I love that! Of course, there's also myths and prophecies which drive the plot forward. Not quite as fun, but still kind of interesting.Everlast was a wonderful introduction to this trilogy! It sets the stage really well, and while there were no real twists or surprises, I really enjoyed it. It also doesn't end on a cliffhanger, which is nice. It read like one full adventure, but there were some loose ends so that the story can continue. Allie may have defeated evil this time, but there's much more lurking around in the shadows. I'm definitely looking forward to more of Nerissette and I'm rooting for Allie to succeed in her mission to save her kingdom!*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.

I picked up this book on a whim, since it sounded entertaining and I didn't recognize the author's name. It's... a pretty terrible book. Entertaining but, the characters are shallow and one-note, there is no buildup to the conflict, everything is about as subtle as a brick to the face (so not at all), and the heroine is Good and Pure and has absolutely zero faults. I didn't feel for her at all, except when she was upset about her mother. The relationships were obvious, the bad guys even moreso, and the world of Nerissette desperately needed more description to make any sense.If the book had had about a hundred more pages, for world building and character building, this would have been a much more solid book.