cover image Nevermore

Nevermore

Kelly Creagh, S&S/Atheneum, $17.99 (560p) ISBN 978-1-4424-0200-3

Isobel and Varen come from opposite ends of the high school social order: Isobel is a popular, blond cheerleader; Varen is a goth loner. Paired for a project on Edgar Allen Poe, their bare tolerance for each other turns to grudging respect after Isobel dumps her possessive, violent boyfriend. But as she spends more time with Varen and learns about the life and works of Poe, gruesome creatures start to stalk and threaten her. Poe's horror stories originated from his trips into the realm of dreams, and Varen's own dreams and writings have led him there, too. Now Varen is being held prisoner, and only Isobel can rescue him from his nightmares and keep the supernatural creatures from overrunning the real world. Though the characters eventually grow beyond clichés, the romantic chemistry is faint, and the storyline often shrinks behind the book's infatuation with Poe. But first-time novelist Creagh effectively builds tension, and those with an interest in the literary figure will savor allusions to his oeuvre and mysterious death. Varen's plight is left unresolved, presumably to be continued in later books. Ages 14–up. (Aug.)