***spoiler alert: the final book in the Everworld series***

While Book 11 really held the final battle between Senna/Sennites and April, Jalil, Christopher, and David, this book is the wrap up; the conclusion.

At the end of the battle in Book 11, Senna is deemed no longer a threat. The gateway is closed. But now what? With the gateway closed, will April and her friends ever get back to the real world? Do they even want to anymore?

They are fading away. Jalil, David, and Christopher are fading in the real world. They've made their choice; they belong in Everworld. Jalil simply put it, "how can we live in the real world after experiencing Everworld?"

In this book, after leaving Ireland completely defeated, Etain along with April and her friends realize they need to free Baldur and Thor from Hel's domain if they're ever going to beat the Sennites and Ka Anor. They venture to Dwarven lands, where Etain offers her hand in marriage (breaking Christopher's heart) to the Dwarven king in order for help building a tunnel into Hel's kingdom. With the help of the Dwarfs and Merlin, they reach Hell and rescue the imprisoned Gods. For the first time, they are in charge and the Gods aren't fighting over who gets to kill them.

Ka Anor is still a big problem, as are Senna's minions. The only slightly disappointing thing about the end of the series is the lack of closure. It ends with the Gods realizing they have to unite to save Everworld. It sparks hope, but not victory. It leaves the end open for each individual reader. But in a way, I like that. You see how the main characters have grown since the first book, and how they've all found their place.

Everworld ends with hope. While there are open ends (didn't they mention a scroll that wrote the framework of Everworld? What happened with that? With the goddess Brigid?), individual readers can decide if April, Jalil, Christopher, and David disappearing forever from the real world good or bad, and if they'll take part in changing Everworld and putting the Gods back in charge.

All in all, I rated the Everworld series rather high, and that's mainly because of the emotional attachment I had with them from my early teen years. However, I can see why they get rather low ratings on Goodreads. They are not brilliant stories; far from it actually. But you have to realize they are written for 8th - 10th grade. So they were easy reads, but really enjoyable once you get into them.

Everworld is a story about fantasy; a story about adventure and finding out who you are. It's a story about Gods and Goddesses and mythological folklore, who can't possibly exist, but do. Welcome to Everworld.

Mystify the Magician, again told in Christopher's point of view, was probably the best book so far in this series. As I've said in other reviews for the series, Christopher is one of my favorite characters, and with this installment, the reader can really see how he's grown as a character throughout the series. He's matured, but has maintained his wit.

This book starts with the crew finding themselves in the Everworld version of Ireland. Yes, Ireland. Complete with faeries and an elven queen. This is literally the best place they've found so far, and the irony of it shows its ugly face in the end of the book. Christopher is smitten with the princess, Etain, who nurses him back to health when he's injured in battle.

We see more of Senna. We see how far her greed has taken her, and how she's turned into a true monster. She's been busy recruiting Neo-Nazi "losers", as Christopher puts it, to do her dirty work for her. And the reality that a gateway can be used both ways comes into play.

A good chunk of this book has to do with battle between the Nazi's and the Fae and Christopher, April, Jalil, and David. While straight battle doesn't usually entertain me, it certainly does from Christopher's point of view. The battle scenes are specifically what make you realize how far he's come, and how he'll be a better person for it all.....if he can survive Senna's bewitchment.

We're nearing the end of the Everworld journey!

In this book, we're in David's point of view again. After escaping Egypt and the very angry and defeated amazons, David, April, Jalil, Christopher and Senna find themselves victim of Neptune's rage, and are sucked below the surface of the ocean. David is familiar with the seas, so he automatically fears he's drowning. But no! W.T.E. (Welcome to Everworld) They find that because of Neptune's magic, they can all breathe underwater. The adopt their original cover, minstrels, and put on a show for the watery, and psycho, God to save their lives. Eventually Merlin shows up, and they need to escape. But as we know in Everworld, one danger always leads to the next, and you are never safe. After escaping Neptune's guards, they find themselves arrested for illegally entering Atlantis, where they meet a very "real-worldish" mayor who, surprise!, is from the Real World.

This book was okay for me. Not quite as exciting as some of the other novels, but that's okay. I enjoy reading from David's point of view, but I'd say Christopher's is probably my favorite.

It was a good book...very much like the others. Not great works of literary genius, but entertaining reads in very vivid detail and color.

Finally, this book is told from Senna's point of view.

I love Senna. She is cruel, calculating, and no-one's friend. She is basically brilliant, and has the whole game figured out, or so she thinks.

Inside the Illusion begins with Senna, April, Jalil, Christopher, and David insulting a minor Egyptian God, Sobek, who has been outcast by Isis. Senna is on her way to find her mother to try to find a way to get the Coo-Hatch home, and figure they'll help Sobek in exchange for their lives. They free the Nile, which has been dammed by Dwarfs (funny how these kinds of occurrences are starting to seem...normal) but find the Egypt is not the glamorous Egypt it used to be. The Gods are nearly statues and forgotten by all except their priests. The Goddess Isis is described as huge, sitting on a throne, but cob-webbed and observant-not taking any part in ruling. The Pharoah is a four year old in diapers in the body of a twenty-nine year old, thanks to generations of in-breeding and genetic mutations. The Amazons have taken over.

The teenagers find Senna's mother, but also find that they really can't leave. The Amazonians are in control, and are extremely lethal. Will seeing Senna's mother for the first time in 10 years melt some of her frozen heart?

Not likely.

Brave the Betrayal begins with Jalil, April, Christopher and David leaving Olympus in search for Senna's mother, who may be in "Egypt", and who can possibly send the Coo-Hatch back to their own world. The book follows their journey through the Sahara desert in the Everworld-Africa. They meet an old man called Eshu, who beings as their guide but soon Jalil and the others discover Eshu is not who he appears to be.

All in all, the group is collectively tired of dealing with Gods and demi-Gods who are self-centered, selfish, and treat mere mortals as play things. While the Olympians were by far the best of the Gods we've met, the Orishi Gods demand sacrifice to appease them. When April refuses a sacrifice to a God who is not her own, and Jalil refuses to be bullied out of his beliefs, the group finds themselves in an upside down land where the grass is blue and the rivers are purple, and everything is literally upside down.

We see the Vikings again, who I just love. They are so funny, and really the only decent set of beings in Everworld. The book ends with a battle of wits and determination that nearly kills Jalil, April, Christopher, Senna and David. Now, they're on their way to find Senna's mother, who is a priestess of Isis.

Gateway to the Gods follows April's point of view again. At the end of the previous book, April, Christopher, David, and Jalil find themselves on their way to Olympus. Yes, Mount Olympus, home of the great Greek gods. In the way that Enter the Enchantment touched me with Galahad's story, I also went through high school (and college) fascinated with Greek mythology. So this was really fun. We see how the teenager's perspectives of the Gods is both proven right and wrong. The Gods are spoiled, selfish, and ruthless. But for the first time, April and her friends aren't in direct danger. They're actually safe, for once! Well, for the most part.

In this installment of the Everworld series, they find themselves placed in a war between the Olympians and the Hetwan. With Ganymedes' death still fresh in their mind, they apply modern day technology to the Olympians battle methods and try to defeat the Hetwan. Senna is still an issue, but once she relinquishes her control on David, he proves to be a good general in battle.

This book follows the splendor of Mount Olympus, the wrath of Zeus, and the pettiness of the Gods. Most of it is battle between the Greeks and the Hetwan. April, Christopher, Jalil, and David are now seeing that what they're going through in Everworld is much bigger than the four of them. Can they ever get home, and if they can, what price will the world pay?

So far for me, this has been the weakest book in the series. I still read it very quickly, but it wasn't as exciting. Yes, there was immense danger at every corner, but the majority of the book involved running from the Hetwan. Run run run, almost die, run run run, meet a Greek god, run run run. Now, I'm trying to remember what it was like to read it for the first time when I was 16. It was exciting then, so even though this wasn't my favorite book so far, it was still important in telling the story.

This story is told from Christopher's point of view. Christopher is one of my favorite characters: he's witty, extremely cynical and very jaded. So hearing his thoughts is always entertaining. He's also found himself in trouble in the "real world", and for the first time we see that maybe his home life isn't as perfect as other may think, and because of this, he may be on a destructive path.

I won't give away any spoilers, but there are certain events that occur at the end of the book that really help one understand Christopher's character a bit more. It makes him a bit more likable, and it also makes the reader feel bad for him.

I'd rate this book three stars. It was okay, but not quite as exciting as the other books. Dionysus is a funny character, though...and his banter helps bring some laughter to the story. Still, important to the storyline and a fast read anyways. And I think I've said this every review so far, but the cover art is incredible. That (above...the big bug thing) is exactly how I see the Hetwan in my mind. Kind of like giant ants. Where this book may lack in excitement and storyline, the sharp crystal clear images are still amusing and vivid.

The Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick cover was just released. I think it's gorgeous. Can't wait for this sequel to Hush, Hush...but it seems I'll have to wait until November 16th.

Book III of Everworld, told from April's point of view.

The covers and inside illustrations are also really awesome in this series. Now that I'm re-reading, I'm finding that I've forgotten most of the details from 10 years ago, but I remember the covers!