Review: Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it. Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe. Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

I've never read fan fiction before ~ always kinda wary of it ~ but I'm completely obsessed with the show, Supernatural, and upon discovering that there were and endless choice of books (and I DO love to read), I decided to finally give it a shot.

Verdict: It wasn't horrible but it wasn't fantastic, either.

I loved all the Edgar Allan Poe parallels, but the rock band drama? I didn't see where it fit. The Poe murders, imitating scenes in good ole Edgar's gruesome stories and poems, were pretty insane, but I felt like it didn't get the attention it deserved what with all the cheesy "rock" concerts that Dean and Sam felt they needed to attend to gather info on a crazy woman haunting their friend's friend. Honestly, it didn't sound like the boys at all ~ stopping people from dying would be first priority. It felt like the author had too much going on at once and couldn't focus on one situation, half-assing them both.

The writing wasn't bad, but the descriptions were a little over the top. "Dean turned left on [insert street], then made a right up [insert another street I don't know], then took the one-way up [okay, now I'm completely lost]." I'm all for creating a realistic scene, but it was a little much. And the endless lists of bands and songs that Dean was obsessed with filled quite a few long paragraphs. Descriptions are awesome ~ they build the world we are drawn into and allow us to know our characters ~ but I felt, in this case, they began to take attention away from the story.

As for Dean and Sam, there were some moments that I knew who they were and others where I couldn't recognize them. These guys are supposed to be overflowing with suppressed feelings and hidden angst ~ emotions that seep out throughout their story ~ but I didn't feel as if they were experiencing anything other than slight annoyance on Dean's part because an amateur rock band was slaughtering one of his favorite songs. BUT they did sound like themselves for the most part, digging into each other with sarcastic remarks and making you grin at the ridiculousness that can sometimes be brotherly love.

It sounds like I was really disappointed, but really it wasn't THAT bad. I think being a fan of the show increases the value of this book in my point of view. Will I read more fan fiction? Probably, depending on reviews, but only because I'm a huge fan of the show.


Happy Reading Everyone :)




~ Keely ~