NEVER THIRTEEN

In this sequel to Forever Twelve (2023), the Evers face threats from their own kind and from seers.

The book opens with Abigail giving Ivy a deadline for finding a way to become mortal again, Ronan learning more about the conflict between seers and shadow people, and Juliet appearing at Gigi’s funeral. Most of the story takes place at West Archer Academy. Ivy and Abigail find a clue in Grace’s notebooks that leads them to the Ever who turned Grace mortal, and Ivy learns that there is indeed a second way to become mortal—but it’s as unthinkable as the first. In flashbacks, Este tells Ivy more about her past. Ronan’s family of seers discovers that he’s associating with shadow people at school, and they threaten to destroy them. Each of the Evers wrestles, rather repetitively, with their immortality—what it means to keep it, and what it means to relinquish it—knowing costs are involved, both for themselves and for others in the chain. For Ivy and Abigail, a theme throughout the story is the tension between providing mutual help and seeing the other as an enemy. Following a dramatic clash between Ronan’s family and the Evers, the conclusion feels satisfying, but in order to get there, the audience must first navigate a hectic and overly stuffed narrative. Readers need to be familiar with the earlier volume to follow events in this entry.

A busy plot that circles the same central problem.