Review of Ever Day
Posted: 05 Jan 2022, 09:14
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ever Day" by Jason A. Plott.]
In Ever Day, a fantasy novel written by Jason Plott, readers follow the adventures of Avery Hall, an ordinary young man who is markedly out of shape and bored with his life. As the story begins, Avery suddenly finds himself in a strange place. He doesn't know where he is or how he got there, though. At first, he’s in a field of very tall and extremely green grass, and soon he realizes that inanimate objects come to life in this new context. He meets Lree, a small and weird creature with massive yellow eyes, covered by cloth and leather scraps. She was a miserable creature, full of bruises, scars, scabs, and cuts. Together, Lree and Avery, who strongly dislike each other, wander through strange places that often reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Starting with the positive aspects, it is markedly imaginative and creative. The flawed protagonists are clearly on a journey of self-discovery, a hero’s coming-of-age journey of sorts. Throughout their adventure, Avery and Lree come across things such as giant skeletons made of garbage, a dragon man, a giant insect, the largest display of food Avery had ever seen, monsters that set fire to people, and artistic ghosts, among others. The author’s imagination is admirable, and it was what I enjoyed the most. I particularly appreciated the language Plott used to describe the unusual settings. For instance, the Garden is “the most lovingly manicured landfill in existence,” with colorful flower petals and aggressively sweet fragrances.
On the other hand, a bothersome element for me was the author’s sardonic writing style. Although the book is filled with metaphors and symbolism (there’s a tree called Fortune and a tower called the Truth), the author’s tone was a bit smug, in my opinion. It was what I disliked the most about the book.
At first, I was ok with Plott directly addressing the readers in a good-humored, sarcastic fashion throughout the book, calling their attention to elements of importance in the story, such as Avery's bag. However, I sometimes disliked the tone he used, for I thought it was borderline aggressive and unnecessarily displeasing. For instance, “I mean, clearly you have nothing better to do so what’s the point in skimming?”
All things considered, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I’m taking a star away due to the negatives previously mentioned. It seemed professionally edited, for I found no errors in it. I recommend it to readers who enjoy realms of fantasy and young protagonists on journeys of self-discovery.
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Ever Day
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Ever Day, a fantasy novel written by Jason Plott, readers follow the adventures of Avery Hall, an ordinary young man who is markedly out of shape and bored with his life. As the story begins, Avery suddenly finds himself in a strange place. He doesn't know where he is or how he got there, though. At first, he’s in a field of very tall and extremely green grass, and soon he realizes that inanimate objects come to life in this new context. He meets Lree, a small and weird creature with massive yellow eyes, covered by cloth and leather scraps. She was a miserable creature, full of bruises, scars, scabs, and cuts. Together, Lree and Avery, who strongly dislike each other, wander through strange places that often reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Starting with the positive aspects, it is markedly imaginative and creative. The flawed protagonists are clearly on a journey of self-discovery, a hero’s coming-of-age journey of sorts. Throughout their adventure, Avery and Lree come across things such as giant skeletons made of garbage, a dragon man, a giant insect, the largest display of food Avery had ever seen, monsters that set fire to people, and artistic ghosts, among others. The author’s imagination is admirable, and it was what I enjoyed the most. I particularly appreciated the language Plott used to describe the unusual settings. For instance, the Garden is “the most lovingly manicured landfill in existence,” with colorful flower petals and aggressively sweet fragrances.
On the other hand, a bothersome element for me was the author’s sardonic writing style. Although the book is filled with metaphors and symbolism (there’s a tree called Fortune and a tower called the Truth), the author’s tone was a bit smug, in my opinion. It was what I disliked the most about the book.
At first, I was ok with Plott directly addressing the readers in a good-humored, sarcastic fashion throughout the book, calling their attention to elements of importance in the story, such as Avery's bag. However, I sometimes disliked the tone he used, for I thought it was borderline aggressive and unnecessarily displeasing. For instance, “I mean, clearly you have nothing better to do so what’s the point in skimming?”
All things considered, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I’m taking a star away due to the negatives previously mentioned. It seemed professionally edited, for I found no errors in it. I recommend it to readers who enjoy realms of fantasy and young protagonists on journeys of self-discovery.
******
Ever Day
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon