***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.