Ever [With Earbuds] (Playaway Children) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Gail Carson Levine (Author), Jenna Lamia (Narrator), Oliver Wyman (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2009 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Playaway Children

Falling in love is never easy, but falling in love with an immortal god while your days on earth are numbered is almost more than a young girl can bear.

FORMAT: 4 CDs, Unabridged


Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine has created a stunning new world of flawed gods, unbreakable vows, and ancient omens in this spellbinding story of Kezi, a girl confronted with a terrible destiny. Attempting to thwart her fate, Kezi and her love, Olus--the god of wind and loneliness--embark on a series of dangerous and seemingly impossible quests. The thought-provoking, well-crafted, and imaginative story will appeal to fans of Fairest as well as to readers who are new to this distinguished author.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5–9—In this masterful fantasy told in two voices, Levine has created a mythology and society as rich and nuanced as the one portrayed in Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996). Olus is the Akkan god of the winds, but he is hundreds of years younger than any of the other gods and, therefore, very lonely. He visits Hyte, a kingdom of humans, where he is intrigued by the beautiful and talented weaver and dancer named Kezi. Olus witnesses the events leading to her generous but reckless decision to offer up her life so that her father can keep the oath he's sworn to their god, Admat. He follows her, introduces himself in human guise, and the two fall in love. This is where the book deepens, even as the plot intensifies. Can Kezi love a god? Can she love a pantheistic god, even though she was raised to believe only in Admat? The nature of religious conviction and the tensions between different belief systems are questioned—but so deftly that readers are entertained by the arguments. With barely a month until Kezi becomes a human sacrifice, she and Olus search for a way to reconcile the need to honor her father's oath and their desire for one another. To prove themselves "champions," worthy of immortal life together, they each must endure a quest and face their deepest fears. The power of love and courage to overcome seemingly impossible odds and to bridge ostensibly untraversable differences are at the heart of this compelling, intensely satisfying fantasy.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

When Kezi’s mother’s life is threatened, Kezi’s father bargains with Admat, god of oaths, to spare her, but he is unprepared for the consequences: he must sacrifice Kezi, instead. Kezi finds hope in Olus, the Akkan god of the wind, who loves her and determines to save her. Together, Olus and Kezi face seemingly insurmountable trials, but if both succeed, they will be deemed Champions in the Akkan world and become immortal. Levine has crafted a mythical realm where a god’s pottery, thrown in frustration, causes earthquakes; Olus’ winds herd goats, dictate prophecies, and carry loved ones to safety; and magical potions have the power to change the characters’ fates. The story is filled with suspense, action, and challenging philosophical questions: Would one truly wish to be immortal? What is the price of following a deity’s commands? An action-packed love story set in an elaborate, challenging world, this richly imagined story will engage fantasy and romance readers alike. Grades 6-10. --Frances Bradburn --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (January 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607754894
• ISBN-13: 978-1607754893
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,367,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Dave At Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and her Princess Tales books: The Princess Test, The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, For Biddle's Sake and The Fairy's Return. She is also the author of the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley.

In Her Own Words..."I grew up in New York City. In elementary school I was a charter member of the Scribble Scrabble Club, and in high school my poems were published in an anthology of student poetry. I didn't want to be a writer. First I wanted to act and then I wanted to be a painter like my big sister. In college, I was a Philosophy major, and my prose style was very dry and dull! My interest in the theater led me to my first writing experience as an adult. My husband David wrote the music and lyrics and I wrote the book for a children's musical, Spacenapped that was produced by a neighborhood theater in Brooklyn.

"And my painting brought me to writing for children in earnest. I took a class in writing and illustrating children's books and found that I was much more interested in the writing than in the illustrating.

"Most of my job life has had to do with welfare, first helping people find work and then as an administrator. The earlier experience was more direct and satisfying, and I enjoy thinking that a bunch of people somewhere are doing better today than they might have done if not for me."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful romantic fantasy adventure from Gail Carson Levine., April 20, 2008

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ever (Hardcover)

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.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best EVER written . . ., May 12, 2008

By 

Danielle Lavoie (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ever (Hardcover)

I guess I'd do 2 and a half stars if I could. I am usually a big Gail Carson Levine fan. I ADORED Ella Enchanted and both of the main characters in that whom made me giggle out loud. I can read that one a million times over and never get bored with it. The two Princesses of Banmarre is good. And Fairest was pretty good though not quite up to par with the other two. That said, I'm a bit dissapointed in Ever. Although I know it was working a completely different time than she usually writes about . . . it felt a little stilted. There were some good moments, but the romance was rushed and didn't have much build up which caused the ending to fall a little flat in my mind. I'm sad because I was very excited this book was coming out. It still has a decent story, but I didn't feel as much for the two main characters after a certain point. Most of my emotion was used up in the early paragraphs. I'd recomend her other books well before I would recomend this one. I've read worse books, but . . . this one left me feeling a little gipped.

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT AS GOOD AS MISS LEVINE'S OTHER BOOKS, June 9, 2008

By 

S. KOHL "Lin" (Palmdale, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ever (Hardcover)

"Ever" by Gail Carson Levine. Review by a 15 year old girl.

Introduction: The gods in this story have powers over specific elements of nature. A young god named Olus rules over the wind, and he is very lonely because he is so much younger than all the other gods. Because of his youth he relates better to mortals, and falls in love with a mortal girl from another land named Kezi. In Kezi's land people believe in one all powerful god named Admat, and her father foolishly makes an oath to their god which results in him agreeing to sacrifice his daughter Kezi. Olus must find a way to save Kezi from being sacrificed, but even if he succeeds Kezi will live a mere human lifespan while he will live thousands of years. What can they do to be happy?

My recommended age to read: I think 9 years old is way too young; I'd recommended the child to be at least 11 or 12. They should have an understanding of reality, and be old enough to read about other religions with confidence. (This book portrayed the monotheistic god (which seems to be modeled after the old testament God) as cruel, impersonal, unforgiving, not really all powerful, and non existent.)

Things I liked: During the later part of the book I was able to escape reality and enter the world of the book, and I also liked Kezi's challenge and the way she handled it.

Things I disliked: I prefer past tense, rather than the first-person present tense used in this book. I really didn't like the beginning; I found the writing style very confusing and difficult to get used to. If it had been a complicated story I would have been lost. Luckily (or unluckily) the story is somewhat shallow; most of all the love story. They had such strong love for each other (never fighting a single time), but it had no basis! It just didn't seem realistic at all to me! Why do they never get irritated by each other? It's like a crush, except unlike real life it's idealized to be just what you daydream about. Perhaps that was the problem. Although the characters are likable, the two main characters don't really have any flaws. Sure they have fears and doubts, but they remain almost perfect throughout their dificulties. During the first half of the story I couldn't get into the book at all, I just popping back to reality saying "God being everywhere (omnipresent) isn't ridiculous." or "how can you be kissing already!?" or "why do you love someone that much who you just met?".

Conclusion: At first I thought it would be a waste of my time, but later on things got better. I was surprised how much spiritual stuff was in this book, and it made me want to find out Mrs. Levine's beliefs, either religious or secular. I think if I could find information on her opinions about life, maybe I could understand what her purpose was in writing. I'm inexperienced, but my impression was that she believes "god" is something humans have to attain by finding it within themselves.