The book's cover was beautiful and the premise so interesting. The imagery was gorgeous! And there are my two stars. The rest of the book put me to sleep twice. Several chapters begin and end with waking up and sleeping, which is annoying and a sign of weak writing. Some chapters have recaps of the previous one directly in the middle of the chapter. I feel like the author was capable of doing much better. This was apparently a middle-grade read but doesn't feel like it at all. It feels like "this is a wannabe YA and I am going to treat my audience as stupid because I am not used to writing middle grade." I did not appreciate this. Despite wanting otherwise, I just didn't care and wasn't attached to anyone. I feel like I should write more but...there's nothing. There's a sense of lack of fulfillment for the book and the review. I might look up her other works to see if this is indeed her style or this book didn't work. ( )

What starts out as a desire to meet family and gain footing after the loss of a mother turns into a trip to another realm, where death and magic refuse to let anyone go.

After her mother's passing, Eden has finally convinced her father to take her to meet her mother's side of the family. Her mother avoided returning to her home on the island, despite Eden's father claiming they are kind, warm-hearted people. And he isn't wrong. The family is more than excited to meet Eden and accept her without a second's thought. The island is also a wonderful place, where tourists enjoy frequenting. But when Eden discovers her mother's old sketchbook, the nightmares begin. The family claims they are nothing more than her mother's imagination, but also admit that the island and it's mansion, no doubt, hold too many tortured souls. Little do they realize that a witch has taken over the spirit world, which runs parallel to reality on the island. When Eden takes a walk between the trees, she accidentally stumbles through a rift between the worlds. Now, she's stuck in the Everdark and the witch refuses to let her go.

The setting is a real treat with the moss, trees, and humid climate that only the South can offer. This not only lays the perfect background for the haunted mansion and wild surroundings of the Everdark, but also makes meeting family for the first time a true adventure. The author has built a nice contrast between reality and the Everdark, one full of life and warmth, while the other holds darkness and evil. It was fun to venture through the different scenes. Plus, the Southern foods and culture were like added icing to a cake.

Eden comes across like a nice, down-to-earth girl, and it's no problem to understand her desire to learn more about her mother's family. The positive atmosphere the family and their neighbors radiate is inspiring, and makes the reader wish they could visit the island, too. They support each other and offer words of wisdom, which make everything feel like home.

This is a spooky read, but it doesn't feel like one until more than a few chapters in. So, horror fans of this age group might be a bit disappointed, at first, while fantasy/paranormal fans might be surprised at how creepy things get. I think the slide into the scarier side was nicely done and let the reader get a handle on Eden and her reality first. I would have liked some scenes more built out than they were (such as the festival happens but we never really get to see it, or the days in Everdark fly by, at first, but it's not clear what Eden's doing the entire time), but this is a well-written read and does flow smoothly with a quick-pace. It does keep the reader at the edge of their seat, wondering how Eden will make it through.

Fans of paranormal and fantasy with a creepy twist will enjoy this one quite a bit. I received a DRC and enjoyed diving into Eden's world quite a bit. ( )