Customer Reviews
Difficult Subject Handled Wisely 
2008-06-03
"Ever" is a simple love story, but underneath the surface the book addresses some very complex questions.
The story begins when Kezi's father feels helpless over his wife's illness, and makes a rash oath to his god in an attempt to "bargain" for divine help. After the crisis is over, he refuses to renounce his oath, even at the cost of his child's life, out of fear of divine reprisals.
The book preaches nothing -- it simply asks question after question. Does God exist? Will God intervene in your life? Do you have a destiny? How can your belief in God or in destiny change the actions you take and the outcomes in your life? How do other people effect what you believe about God? What if religious leaders taught false concepts about God? What is the origin of religion? What drives people to take inappropriate actions based on their concept of God? Does your religion help you live your life well or does it merely bring comforting delusions? How would you live today if you thought you didn't have a future? Do you have any God-like powers of your own? What is the relationship between faith and action?
In the end Kezi decides she does not know if her father's god exists. She does not rule out the value of trying to find out, but she also does not commit herself to living the religion taught by her father. Kezi, in effect, becomes agnostic. She also comes to appreciate the vast power she has within herself to control destiny.
"Ever" will not destroy your faith, but it might lead you to consider what your faith is based on and motivated by. Children who read this book might appreciate being able to talk these questions over with their parents.
Worth a Read! 2008-06-03
This is a very nice novel that is definitely worth a read. The story is clever and very original, and the characters, while occasionally shallow and underdeveloped, are very engaging. I would borrow it from the library, though, before buying it, as it is a quick read (I finished the entire thing in less than a day). I had the good fortune of being able to go see Gail Carson Levine at a book signing and get my copy signed, and she pointed one editing mistake that she had found in the book: when Kezi is at her cousin's wedding and she sees Olus stacking plates, he accidentally drops one, though his wind makes it hover above the ground, preventing it from breaking. The mistake is the fact that the book describes Olus as standing behind the table, so Kezi wouldn't actually be able to see the plate. Mrs. Levine said that in the second printing of the book this mistake would be corrected. In short this is a lovely little story, and while it does have romance it is very sweet and positively appropriate for younger children.
Bad writing, not enough story 
2008-06-02
Definitely not an interesting read. The writing style, in my opinion, is too simple to enjoy reading, and the story, even though interesting, is so poorly developed that I couldn't go past page 60.
A Huge Disappointment!!! Don't waste your money! 2008-05-24
My daughter and I are huge Gail Carson Levine fans. So I purchased this book without question. When I finished reading it, my only question was "What??"
This was one very odd story. It is supposed to be a beautiful 'love' story between a young God and a mortal girl. The girl has 30 days to live- or find a way to survive her fate of being sacrificed to their god. She meets her 'love' ( he was secretly stalking her for a while) and goes off with him to try to become immortal to try to change her fate. ( She leaves her parents without telling them what she's up to-or who she is with)
This story had potential in the beginning. It could have been a really nice story about young love. The main characters Kezi and Olus were very likeable. It got a little weird in the middle and weirder still in the end. It was like freaky modern mythology. Gods mingling with mortals, mortals trying to become immortal.
The story narration jumps back and forth between Kezi and Olus. The names of the other characters in the story get confusing. I had a hard time keeping track of who the other characters/places were. I wish there had been some kind of glossary or listing of who was who. It would have been very helpful.
The one thing that really bothered me the most was that Kezi was constantly questioning her faith. She started out firm in her faith, but questioned it more and more throughout the story. She came up with her decision and then continued to search for him in a physical form.
If you are a die hard Gail Carson Levine fan, borrow this book from the Library before you spend your hard earned money on it.. I know I will with her future books. I won't be so quick to purchase without reading it first. I was immensely disappointed in this book. I wish I could give it half a star.
A Fun Read 
2008-05-14
Ever is a nice little love story, that reads almost like an ancient legend. Great setting, interesting cultures, epic love.
It's a quick read. I finished it in one day. The plot was engaing enough, but overall, I was left unsatisfied.
To be honest, I felt that Levine wrote this for a quick paycheck. The plot kind of flies along, and it seemed like she wasn't really thinking through every choice. The love story is a bit shallow. I didn't really feel Kezi and Olus' love. The ending lacked. It felt like there were three seperate climaxes, and in between those were rambling passages that felt like filler to get to the next part. All of this could have been fixed if she had taken a bit more time.
All in all, not bad. I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone, but I enjoyed it well enough.
Not up to Par 2008-07-14
Whether a blessing or a curse for a writer, their work will be judged much by the quality of their previous work. Sadly for Gail Carson Levine, this is far below her usual splendid books. The improbability of the story (even for a fairy tale) is absurd-the god of the winds and Kezi immediately falling in love and living happily ever after. Anyone who noticed the scripture at the beginning should immediately pick up that this is supposed to be a retelling of the story of Jeptha's tragic vow-a different take than Ms. Levine's normal fairy-tale retelling. I found myself arguing with her conclusions more than enjoying the book. Her insinuation that the forbidding of human sacrifice was inserted into Mosaic law after the sacrifice of Adina was absurd, and even though she tried to leave the ending of the story open, I left it with a bad taste in my mouth, and went and listend to O.T. Action News: Jeptha's Vow, to try and get it out.
Though the story itself was interesting enough, it was fairly predictable and I found myself wondering how much longer until the end. When the end finally did come, I discovered that the character development was so lacking, I didn't particularly care if Kezi lived or died, and was just ready to get it over with.
Possibly the main drawback was not that it was lacking Ms. Levine's lovable humor, but that her attempt at delving into the doubt of the monotheistic God fell absolutely flat. This book, in summation, was a disappointment, especially compared to Ms. Levine's other excellent books.
Why??? 
2008-06-25
I absolutely LOVE Gail Carson Levine's books. I have read Fairest and Ella Enchanted too many times to count. I was dying in anticipation to read this and was sorely dissapointed. This book has a completely different writing style. I suppose I can appreciate diversity, but I felt in all there was very little character development and that the story was rushed and the romance. Why? What happened?
A fantasy love story 2008-06-19
Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 13) for Reader Views (6/08)
"Ever" by Gail Carson Levine is a fantasy love story about Kezi, from Hyte, and Olus, the Akkan god of winds. Kezi is a beautiful almost 16-year-old with talent for rug weaving and dancing. Olus, in his travels of the mortal world, can't help but fall in love with her. Olus is only 17 -- hundreds of years younger than all the other gods, and they all tell him that it's useless to care for mortals, that they're like soap bubbles. They're there one moment and gone the next. But Olus doesn't listen and pursues Kezi anyway.
But their love wasn't meant to be. When her father makes a deadly oath, Kezi pays the price. Now her days are numbered and her fate set. Olus, unwilling to let Kezi die, reveals himself as a god, and offers her an immortal life. Both, now, have to take the tests and trials of champions and heroes (and heroines in Kezi's case). Alone. Can Olus and Kezi defy fate and create a new life for themselves?
To me, Olus and Kezi fall in love unrealistically and too quickly. I love Gail Carson's other heroines but Kezi lacked depth and the story was over too fast for me to get to really get to know her. It was an okay book, I liked it while I was reading it but it made me feel slightly dazed when I finished it. The mythology was interesting and I liked the fact that it subtly questioned Kezi and her family for believing in the great and terrible Admat. It's not a deep story but it makes you think -- I mean Kezi was going to be sacrificed over an oath a desperate husband had made. Not as good as "Ella Enchanted" and "Fairest," but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. "Ever" is recommended to lovers of subtlety and the trials of lovers.
Love to question everything.... 2008-06-18
In a world with blatant obsesive cult-following of pop-culture and other trivial "worldly" matters, this text is an excellent tool for introducing the notion: "question everything." Unless the reader is profoundly committed to blind faith, this text allows the reader an opportunity to see how individuals who don't question the world around them make dire mistakes. While other Levine texts may be more enjoyable to those who aren't interested in expanding his/her world-view, those who are capable of thinking beyond cheesey hollywood-esque love stories, this text will be satisfying.
NOT AS GOOD AS MISS LEVINE'S OTHER BOOKS 2008-06-09
"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.
