Ever

Gail Carson Levine

Book - 2008

Fourteen-year-old Kezi and Olus, Akkan god of the winds, fall in love and together try to change her fate--to be sacrificed to a Hyte god because of a rash promise her father made--through a series of quests that might make her immortal.

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Subjects
Published
New York : HarperCollinsPublishers 2008.
Language
English
Main Author
Gail Carson Levine (-)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
244 p.
ISBN
9781442087385
9780061229640
9780061229626
9780061229633
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

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.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2008 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Levine's (Ella Enchanted) original mythological tale works as romance, adventure and exploration of faith. Kezi is the only daughter of a wealthy, devout family in a vaguely ancient, vaguely Middle Eastern city, where the established religion revolves around one god, Admat. When Kezi's mother falls deathly ill, her father vows to sacrifice the first person who congratulates him on his wife's recovery, if only Admat will let her live. Through adroit plotting, this person turns out to be Kezi, who has 30 days before she must be delivered to the sacrificial altar. Meanwhile, Olus, the god of wind from a family of Greek-like deities, has been watching the horror unfold; out of loneliness (the brother closest to him in age is 412 years older), he has disguised himself to mix with mortals and fallen in love with Kezi. Braided throughout the well-paced action are doubts raised by Kezi's new-found knowledge of Olus and his clan: "How can Admat be the one, the all, if Olus is a god too?" Is her sacrifice without reason? Levine conducts a riveting journey, offering passion and profound pondering along the way. Ages 10-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

(Middle School) Olus, seventeen-year-old Akkan god of the winds, goes to neighboring Hyte to study the behavior of mortals and falls in love with Kezi, a gifted rug-weaver. When an ill-favored oath on her father's part makes Kezi's life forfeit to the Hyte god Admat ("the one, the all"), Olus devises a plan: if Kezi travels to the Akkan gods' home and becomes immortal, the priest's knife cannot kill her. However, she can only get there as a heroine, guided by a champion, thus beginning her and Olus's twin quests. The story's vaguely Middle Eastern setting is minimally sketched; far more interesting is the naturally unfolding love story between Kezi and Olus, who alternate the narrative duties. Equally intriguing is the central dilemma of the tale: the god Admat, who is supposedly invisible and everywhere, gives no sign of his existence, leaving the lovers to wonder if the sacrifice is truly necessary. Kezi fails to find a sign of Admat during her pilgrimage to the underworld, and Olus, a god himself, has never heard of him, although he is careful not to run the risk of defying him. Levine leaves it to readers to decide if Admat is a fake or merely hidden -- a fascinating quandary in a story with gods themselves as characters, and one sure to provoke many discussions about the demands of faith. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Kezi, the talented daughter of a palace official, is willing to sacrifice her life to save her beloved aunt from the wrath of the god Admat. Olus, the Akkan god of winds, has come to live among mortals to ease his own loneliness. Deeply in love with one another, Olus's discovery of Kezi's imminent doom causes him to urge her to consider a way out of her predicament: Why not become a goddess instead? Separately these lovers must pursue their own quests--she to the land of the warkis, he to the god of wisdom on Enshi Rock--if they wish to remain together, and soon it becomes clear to Kezi that even immortality doesn't mean knowing all the answers. Levine strikes a somber and more contemplative note with this book than in previous outings, pondering the nature of faith alongside her usual romancing. It makes for a quieter novel than her readers may be used to, but one that will suit those who stop to think about their own mortality once in a while. Strong and good. (Fiction. 12+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Ever Chapter One Olus I am huge in my mati's womb, straining her wide tunic. She is Hannu, Akkan goddess of the earth and of pottery. My pado, Arduk, god of agriculture, sits at Hannu's bedside, awaiting my birth. It is too tight in Hannu's belly! I thread my strong wind into her womb, and my strong wind thrusts me flying out. Fortunately, Arduk catches me in his big, gentle hands. Although Hannu lies in bed and Arduk stands holding me, we are also floating above the earth. In the air over volcanic Mount Enshi hovers Enshi Rock. From its center the temple rises: our home, a tower of porous white stone mounted on four stout stone legs. Never has there been such a temple! When my diaper cloth is tied in place, I kick. When I'm lowered into my sleeping basket, I cry. If a blanket is tucked around me, I bellow. I am the god of the winds, and I hate confinement. Shame on me! I fear it. Hannu and Arduk name me Olus. I call them by their own names, as is the custom. Soon I can see and hear and smell across great distances and through objects, just as the other Akkan gods can. I hear the prayers of our worshipers, which are like the rattle of pebbles in a pan, too numerous to sort out. When I am a month old, I smile from my parents' bed at the faces of the other Akkan gods and goddesses as they pass by above me. Meanwhile my merry wind tickles their ankles. But when Puru, the god of destiny, tilts his head down at me, my merry wind fades away, and I wail. His face is swathed entirely in orange linen, as is the rest of him. I can see through ordinary linen, but not Puru's. Perhaps he can peer through his linen, or perhaps he smells me or only knows I'm there. When he speaks, no constant breath pushes his words, so he stops after each one. "Olus . . . will--" "Hush, Puru," Hannu says, frowning. "He's too young to hear about his fate," Arduk adds. Puru says, "Olus . . . will . . . have . . . no happiness until he gains what he cannot keep." Ever . Copyright © by Gail Levine . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Ever by Gail Carson Levine, Gail C. Levine All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.