Closed • In a kingdom by the sea

My beautiful, my Isobel. My love. This blog is dedicated to the "Nevermore" trilogy by Kelly Creagh. {My stuff} all graphics + fanart / updates on Oblivion (Nevermore #3) Personal blog → cyborg-cinderella / affiliates: one || two || three || four

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[dailytypographies]

Dailytypographies’s September event: Literature

The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

[sanellydicarmens]

Edgar Allan Poe + Favorite Literature quotes, for anonymous. 

[emiiva]

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe - Illustrated by Gris Grimly

[lasheeda]

“The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame.”

— Edgar Allan Poe

[effulgentpoet]

books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them. (moodboards for my favorite classics)

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (Edgar Allan Poe)

And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who revelled.

[books-in-a-storm]

Nevermore By Kelly Creagh

Book One: Nevermore (Nevermore #1)

Pages:543

Synopsis: Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look. Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it.

Book Two: Enshadowed (Nevermore #2)

Book Three:Oblivion (Nevermore #3)

Goodreads: Here

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

“I think I am the victim of a dream.”

— Anaïs Nin, from a diary entry featured in Trapeze: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1947–1955

[brightbeautifulthings]

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

“Much like books, Isobel could tell how voiceless things had provided a brand of companionship more compatible to Varen’s nature than human friendship had ever been. These things, locked in their inanimate ways, fed him ideas, she thought. They whispered their tales to him through unmoving lips and he listened, opening himself to their world so much more than any normal passerby.”

Year Read: 2017

Rating: 3/5

Context: There are spoilers ahead for Nevermore.

About: Isobel is still searching for a way to free Varen from the dreamworld. She’s discovered that Reynolds is the famous “Poe Toaster” who visits Poe’s gravesite each year on his birthday, and she’s determined to find a way to get to Baltimore to intercept him. Things at home have gotten more difficult though, as Isobel’s parents no longer trust her and worry for her sanity. She’ll do anything to keep her promise to Varen to save him, even if it means risking her own life.

Thoughts: With a few exceptions, my feelings about series books tend not to change throughout, and Enshadowed is about on par with Nevermore. Again, I think I would have liked it more when I was in high school and closer to the target audience. It’s slow-moving, and so little happens that I’m not sure it actually needs its own novel. It could have picked up with Isobel already in Baltimore and gone straight to the main action of the story without losing much. There isn’t even a lot of significant character development, since Isobel is still stubbornly stuck on the path to saving Varen no matter the cost. It’s fortunate she has Gwen, who’s clearly the brains of the operation. I’ve wanted to challenge people to plastic fork duels for putting sugar in my tea too, girl.

Keep reading

[cantinho-da-nizz]

endless list of favorite books: Nevermore (Kelly Creagh)

“You’re a dream. Like everything else.” 

[brightbeautifulthings]

Oblivion by Kelly Creagh

“‘How can you write me out,’ she whispered, 'if you never made me up to begin with?’”

Year Read: 2018

Rating: 3/5

Context: There are spoilers ahead for Nevermore and Enshadowed. Trigger warning: death.

About: Isobel’s heart actually stopped when Varen threw her out of the dreamworld, and her most recent disappearance combined with this near-death experience has caused problems in her home life. She’s on house arrest except for school, and her parents’ marriage is dissolving. Heart-broken, she thinks it may be time to let go. Varen clearly doesn’t want to be saved, but when the dreamworld starts overlapping with reality, Isobel may not have a choice. Will saving reality mean sacrificing the boy she loves?

Thoughts: Oblivion is probably my favorite out of the trilogy because it takes place mostly in the dreamworld, and I’ve been dying to see more of it from the first book. It’s creepy, with a bit of an Alice in Wonderland vibe when it comes to what’s real and what isn’t, and Creagh has a good eye for the uncanny, which is at times more frightening than straightforward horror. If it were done right, this would make an incredible movie just for all the highly visual details she includes in her descriptions. I can see some readers being frustrated by the constant moving among the dreamworld, the gray in-between, and reality because it’s not always obvious which one we’re in, but I enjoy an off-kilter universe.

I finally learned to tolerate Varen in this book and, believe me, it was a long time coming. Compared to the insider’s look we have of Isobel–all the details of her life and thoughts–we hardly know Varen at all, and what we do know of him isn’t very flattering. He’s the kind of person who manages pain by destroying everything around him, and it makes him difficult to like as a leading male. By comparison, Isobel is that much more admirable. Her faith in him never wavers, and she’s braver and more stubborn than I gave her credit for in earlier novels. I wasn’t always certain that Varen was worth saving, but I admire her commitment to saving him anyway. Naturally, my favorite character is still Pinfeathers, and the Nocs in general are one of my favorite aspects of Creagh’s world; I always seem to love monsters the most.

The ending is satisfying without being too much of a deus ex machina. While I wasn’t overwhelmed by the series, it’s an enjoyable read. Creagh’s world is fresh and fascinating with a strong helping of surreal and creepy. I’d recommend it for lovers of paranormal romance who are looking for something a little different.

[lussekatter]

[lauramakabresku]

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Art by Arthur Rackham (1916) from FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

[pagewoman]

Black Crow

by Arthur Rackham

[giada-rose]

[pagewoman]

The Thief ~ Bill Mayer