Everhaven

The Reaper Trilogy #1

by Elizabeth J. Rekab

17-year-old Abigail Walters knows that after an Everhaven resident dies, they will come to her, just as she knows she will always be an outcast due to her late father’s crimes and her close relationship with the Dead. What's more, she can't leave Everhaven no matter how badly she may want to; no resident can cross its border into the Outside world.

When a string of random deaths and missing corpses plagues the town, Abbie begins to wonder whether her own father’s death was truly accidental, or if he was punished for seeking something he was never meant to find. Unable to trust the authorities, Abbie embarks on a mission to finish what her father started; uncover the truth of a terrifying town conspiracy that threatens a fate far worse than becoming a restless corpse.

Genres: Fantasy

435 pages, Paperback

Published July 24, 2020

About the author

Elizabeth "E.J." Rekab is an author of YA & NA fantasy romance, science fiction, and paranormal, including THE REAPER TRILOGY which international best-selling author E.E. Holmes calls, "A truly unique paranormal thrill ride."

She has also published as E.J. Rekab.

You can visit Elizabeth at her website at www.elizabethjrekab.com

You can also follow her on BookBub for all new release alerts: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/eliza...

Reviews

[Ashlee Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don’t know where to start with this book. It was honestly one of the best reads I’ve read in quite some time. It has something for everyone. It was wonderfully written and flowed so well. It was so hard to put down.

First off, the characters. It doesn’t matter if you loved them or hated them, they feel like real people. Each one is struggling with something. Whether it’s faith, confidence, or their sexuality, it’s there and it feels so real. Abigail is our heroin and Rester. She is called a shunner and freak everyday. She’s conflicted, losing faith in the Provider, grieving, sarcastic, but also brave and strong without her realizing it. Marcie is her best and only friend. She keeps Abigail sane. She’s a hoot. Preston, what can I say about him? He captures my heart from the start. He’s compassionate, brave, strong, loyal. He’s got the most gorgeous green eyes and of course is attractive. Apart they are a force to be reckoned with, but together that make one amazing team. I can’t forget to mentioned my absolute favorite Ringer, Dean. I absolutely love him. He’s a riot. He had me laughing so much.

This story has so much going on that it keeps your attention. We honestly learn right along side the characters. Fitting more and more puzzle pieces together. There’s murder, death, cult members that are so suspicious that you don’t know who to trust and who not to, the silent, which is a wacky bunch of people all in there own. There’s freaky creatures that are invisible to the human eye and vicious. What’s not to love? I definitely recommend it. You won’t regret it one bit.

This author is absolutely amazing at what she does. This will NOT be the last book I read by her. This book was absolutely brilliant!!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, thank you to BookSirens and the publisher for granting me access to this title.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It was such a fascinating and unique story that truly felt like something I’ve never read before. The characters were relatable and more importantly believable. I really loved the main character Abigail. She was a spitfire that I was able to relate strongly to.

The writing in many parts did come off a little sophmorish but I was able to look past it as the story had me entranced.

It ended in a way where it could be one and done or have a sequel and I really hope there is a sequel. I enjoyed the journey I went on with Abigail.

[Chelsey DiBacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a read!

I was so entranced with this book and I couldn't put it down. I really felt connected with Abbie and Preston. The big twist with the provider shocked me. I can see this turned into an awesome series !

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everhaven" by American author Elizabeth J. Rekab is a young adult thriller set in a remote town where the dead don't always stay dead.

When residents of Everhaven die with unfinished business, they will seek out the help of the town's Rester, seventeen-year-old Abigail Walters. While helping the dead is highly important to the residents, their grudges against Abigail's father prevents her from being well-liked.

But the town's grievances against Abigail and her family are the least of her concerns when corpses go missing and residents begin to commit suicide. These unusual occurrences force Abigail to question the circumstances around her father's death and whether it was truly an accident or if something more sinister happened. Despite the risks, Abigail begins where her father left off: trying to uncover the truth of the town's history to prevent more people from meeting a fate worse than death.

Spooky, hellish, and absolutely horrifying, Everhaven is an enticingly dark novel that will draw readers into the strange inner workings of the town where they will be led down a gruesome path to a whole other realm no one would wish to visit. It's the perfect read for Halloween season or for those who enjoy being spooked. Rekab's stunning prose details the everyday life of Everhaven's citizens and presents a unique and terrifying world.

I absolutely loved this story. It didn't fall into cliches or feel like hundreds of other stories that tried to be genuinely scary. Everhaven is unique, from the residents themselves to the average joes forced to become heroines, and to the mystery shrouding the town itself like a dark ominous cloud. I'm really hoping there will be a sequel in the works!

Thank you BookSirens for giving me the opportunity to read a free e-arc and write a review on this novel! Everhaven by Elizabeth J. Rekab is out now! Read, read, read!

[BookD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by Zoe Mikel-Stites, an indie, self published, small author book reviewer. She runs a YouTube channel, and a blog on her Ko-Fi page. Anyway, she raved about how great this book is. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how right she was! I was hooked right from the beginning and loved it!! The whole creepy town thing, with the Provider, is so cool in a weird way. There’s a YA Paranormal theme going on here, plus there’s a gradually budding romance that is very heartwarming. There’s so much going on all the time, that it never slows down at all and you just want to keep reading! I’m really looking forward to book two, which I ordered and am waiting to arrive. Meanwhile I’m going to read “The Silents” novella!! Being in their world will be interesting!!

I HIGHLY recommend this book if you like young adult books, that are a weird kind of creepy and have a lot of twists and turns, and I nice little romance that slowly develops.

[Symone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this story. The world building kept me very interested and it was a perfect blend of suspense and action. I thought the writing flowed well, and the storytelling itself was well paced. Definitely recommend for anyone wanting a suspenseful read.

[Sueorlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

This book is like nothing I ever choose to read, however I was draw in like never before. I loved this piece of fictional work and lol forward to more books from this brilliant author!

[Joey Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because the blurb drew me in, a unique story on its own, and I was hooked from the first page. I ended up trying to read it in one sitting and found that the need for sleep became too much and yet I was so desperate to read more. Abbie is the Rester, the dead come back in Everhaven and yet there’s something about the whole perfect thing, that seems off to her. The characters were well-rounded, the writing beautiful in places, tugging at the heartstrings and also painting a vivid picture of the world and town of Everhaven. It was a terrifying and chilling read in places, and at the same time, one you don’t want to put down. I adored it and will be looking for more from this author. Recommended!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Everhaven as an ARC from BookSirens in return for an honest review.

Wow! This book is good! Like so incredibly good! After reading many books, I find it hard to come across a book that doesn’t remind me of another I’ve read before. Until Everhaven. I was hooked from the first sentence until the last. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t predict how this story would turn out for our heroine and Rester Abigail and her partner Preston. Every plot twist had me gasping with shock, think Pleasantville written by Stephen King with a dollop of Beetlejuice and an “I see dead people” vibe from The Sixth Sense. It sounds absolutely absurd and it is, but in the best way possible.

This is a must read, an absolute winner. I can only hope a sequel is in the works.

Thank you Elizabeth J. Rekab, you’re a fictional writing magician.

[MRS G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Rekab is going to be an author to watch. Her stunningly beautiful, soulful writing wraps around you and pulls you down into the eerie story of Everhaven. A picture perfect town, no crime, no illness. But instead what's lurking in the core of this town is FAR more terrible than any nightmare your imagination would allow.

Part of a superbly written trilogy.

[OldBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to stress this point before I review any further: This is not a bad book. The writing is creepily compulsive and the darkly imaginative world was a definite draw. It just turned out in a way that in the end did not appeal to me as an adult reader of YA.

It's the story of a strange and insular town called Everhaven, where the teenage Abigail acts as "Rester" - the chosen one who can hear the voices of the deceased and help their shambling corpses finish off any unfinished business before setting them to sleep in their graves awaiting to coming of their saviour. Because Everhaven has more than just the walking dead to make it stand out, it has a pact with "Him", otherwise known as The Provider. The residents of Everhaven never sicken, protected as they are by His power. He will come again to take the restless souls of Everhaven to paradise after 150 years of waiting, and the time is nigh for His arrival. Everyone's in a fervour... except Abigail. She's not much of a believer after the untimely death of her father. Since his death, she can't help but see the cracks in the facade of Everhaven's supposed perfection, and now more than ever all she can think about (cute guys, bully-boys and uncaring mother aside) is peeling away the lies to find the truth.

The writing is very YA. I mean the obvious kind that you can't fail to miss what a character is trying to tell you. It's the same across all aspects of the story, from how heavy handed the romance is to an event where a character is so obviously acting strangely it's even stranger that Abbie's response is to think mildly that something's being kept back from her. I'm usually put off by this sort of thing, but I really enjoyed Abbie's narration none the less; her sardonic deadpanning combined with the overall eeriness of the setting drew me in and kept me hooked. There's also that exploration of creepy cult mentality, that while toned down for YA-ness, it always an interesting theme.

The thing I did struggle with in the end was just how the paranormal element resolved. I expected something a bit more in the vein of urban fantasy/paranormal or even sci-fi, but what it turned into was a kind of dark and outlandish fantasy that tested my suspension of disbelief. Characters just accepted things in a way that I couldn't, and I felt vaguely sad that the plot went down this out-of-nowhere mythology route (e.g. when Abbie and Preston discover there's an alternate Hell beneath their town after being magically transported through dark... stuff? And instead of being shocked/afraid/generally freaking out, they just go explore. The existence of this "King Ivan" character seemed out of the blue, so maybe some foreshadowing of his being an established legend of the Everhaven world - even if just by Outsiders telling scare stories - would have helped me feel like he belonged rather than just being created out of nothing. It was obvious there was something evil behind the religion, but I'd expected it to be based on real-world mythology). I couldn't help but feel that the plot lost some of it's magic for me as soon as it started relying more on "real" magic, if that makes sense. It seemed very young YA logic (though you could argue if you just accept the walking dead exist, why not everything else). Conflict resolution seemed easy enough in the end (because magic loopholes? How come Preston couldn't die when technically he had been floating outside his stabbed up body? How could Abbie be "free" when she'd only been chosen as Rester at 14? She wasn't part Guardian before that, and she only picked up the Reaper pendants when her dad died so... Sorry, I got confused.). I was a little sad some aspects, such as Abbie's sudden need for rebellion after so many years, her Rester duties and The Silents existence, didn't get more explanation.

I think this would be a great for the YA reader who likes the weird and macabre (there's some late on gore and psychological horror that kinda freaked me out given the YA-ness), and has no issues with accepting the bizarre in a "real world" setting.

Maybe it was a bit too young or too weird for me, but if you like YA with creepiness and snark then I'd recommend this open-ended series starter.

[Wendy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Book Sirens and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book.

The beginning was a little slow and the conversations seemed stilted, to a degree that made me think that I wasn't going to like this much. But it picked up and I was intrigued to find out what was going on and how Abigail was going to come through in the end. The story premise is quite good, a town beholden to an unseen Provider, who grants them good health and long lives as long as they keep faith. The faithful are to be rewarded with an afterlife in Paradise at the end of 150 years of the town's existence.

Those who die sometimes return from the dead if they have unfinished business, and as a Rester, Abigail has to help them resolve their issues, so their souls can rest easy until the final reward is provided.

The characters are interesting and it's a well-written book, no cringy grammatical errors or head-hopping. But I hesitate to give the book five stars because of my issues with the world-building (SPOILERS AHEAD)....

1. Why does the Provider make the townspeople wait 150 years before offering them paradise? If it was explained I missed it, but it's a very specific number and I wanted some reasons for it.
2. Why do Abigail and the others have to go through high school? The town appears to be rather backward, and the indication is that the less knowledge of things the people have the easier it would be to control them. So it would seem more plausible that they would have less educational opportunity. History has shown that controlling people by making them labor harder or starve more works for a despot and at the end that is what the Provider and the mayor and her cronies are trying to do. So why go through the whole school charade? What's the point?
3. Why allow Outsiders to come in to town at all? The Provider has made it impossible for townspeople to leave and again, there's a loss of control by allowing others to come to town and possibly spread doubt. The book would have been stronger if the "rebels" came by this on their own as it is human nature to have doubt and the author could have spread clues throughout that lead up to the reasons for so many to try and figure out the Provider's true intent. It didn't make good sense in the world-building for the Provider to allow this to happen. It was just a way for the author to allow certain things to happen and could have been done better.
4. The trials that Abigail and Preston go through to get to Ivan's tower just seemed too easy to defeat. I would have preferred for a cliff-hanger ending and a duology at the least so that Abigail had to work harder for her reward. This would also have allowed more time for Abigail and Preston's feelings to develop which would have been more believable.

Overall it's a good book, but it could easily have been a great one.

[Yaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everhaven By Elizabeth J.Rekab

My Rating:9.7/10

☠Today I am going to tell you the most interesting thing that I did in last two days. A novel Everhaven Written By Elizabeth J.Rekab

☠It's an amazing story. When I read it, it was like I was watching these scene with my eyes, because I was able to feel every moment.

☠It's a story of a nuclear family ie. Abigail Walter who is a playing an immense role , Mr. Alexander Abigail's father and third one is Abigail's mother.
But there were many more characters too in this story..
Abigail Walter's who firstly telling us about his father grief. How the freak incident become the cause of separation of his father and their family. But Abigail's mother still takes comfort in knowing that her husband will be with the Provider soon, but Abigail couldn't able to feel the same comfort.
Was Alexander came? 🤔
Go through this novel and get to know about the whole concept.
And I really appreciate the concept of The Dead always ring three times.

☠And the same I would like to suggest you to read it once, enjoy this read and I am dam sure you will be very excited to know what will going to happen next.

☠Overall it was a wonderful read. The reader can easily maintain a visual content of events in his mind while

[Chey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting

Abbie is the Rester in Everhaven, the person responsible for making sure the dead finish any unfinished business they have when they die and are finally laid to rest. But the town isn't what it seems, and Abbie must unravel the truth of who the Provider is, and what will happen when he comes back for his souls.

This is a mix of two troupes: cult town with a hidden secret, and the outcast girl who can communicate with the dead and must fix everything. The town is bound by their fear and adoration for the Provider, when they have no clue who he is, what he wants, or why he keeps them safe. They blindly followed him, making him a god, and it's caused anyone who speaks against him to be outcasted or even murdered. The story is full of mystery and keeps you wondering what is really going on.

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Dead always ring three times."

I absolutely adored this book. It grabbed me from the first line and kept me fixated til the last page. Of the many books I have read ARC's for there are only 2 that I have every intention of purchasing as soon as they're released to keep in my library and Everhaven is one of those two books.

It's a hard book to pinhole. Is it a Young Adult with a plucky female heroine? (yep!) Is it horror? (well, it has sorta zombies, so, yes.) Is it mystery? (yes) Is it a book on cults and religion? (sorta, yes) Is it sci-fi/fantasy? (well...yes?) The easiest description is that it grabs you and makes you re-examine how you perceive your reality, and what you inevitably want your reality to be.

I WILL be purchasing this book and I will definitely be bookmarking the author and searching out any previous/new books she releases!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marty Tool · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I'm hoping will have a sequel! Loved this book. Abigail has been appointed the Rester in her odd perfect town, she has been doing it for 3 years. Because of her status there is jealousy, appreciation, avoidance and loneliness, on top of that she's finishing high school. Belief in a higher being is what has separated this town for almost 150 years from the outsiders, they can come in, but the towns people can't leave. All leads to a story of finding the truth, friendship and suspense of whats really happening in the town. The book moves quickly and its hard to put it down. I received an advance review from Booksirens for an honest review.

[Inger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very unique book for me. And I read A LOT. Very interesting characters. I was a little disappointed in one of the main male characters until he redeemed himself. This book is well written and keeps your attention. No sexual content or foul language and only a little violence. Though the premise of this plot is a little creepy it still only had a small amount of violence. I guess it could be considered a mystery. I enjoyed it and recommend it for teens and up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[EVELYN ANN · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it first started out, I knew it was going to be an in-depth, crazy, scary at times story. 👏 Almost felt like Hawthorne's 'Lottery', then as you read further, you know something "other" is definitely happening here. Some of the scenes reminded me of 'Hellraiser', while others felt more like 'Needful Things'. Overall, author has some real game and I will be following her on my reading accounts.

It is a very good read, the ending could have had an epilogue; just my 2 cents.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ATE THIS SHIT UP!!! Wow. What an amazing book.

The creepy cult mentality and the eerie descriptions literally transported me into their bizarre town. The small romance aspect of it was so satisfying and cute. The mystery kept me hooked the whole time and the action gave me full chills.

I felt like the narration was amazing because it came from the FMC and her personality really showed throughout it. I think this is definitely appropriately older YA and yet could for sure appeal to adults as well.

I love love loved this and WILL DEFINITELY be reading more from this author.

[Marie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written supernatural coming of age that reminds me of The Giver. Abbie is the Rester, a necessary role in Everhaven. She helps the dead finish their unfinished business and puts them to rest to wait for the Provider to come collect their souls. The day of collection is coming soon, but Abbie starts to notice strange things happening with both the dead and living members of the town, which might not be as much of a paradise as she had been taught.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the setting for this book, a perfect town where the dead have a chance to finish unresolved business before finally resting. The story was bit of The Good Place meets Dead Like Me, and even though the ending seemed like it was pulled from the script of a tv action movie, it was still an interesting read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kelsey Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a page turner!

This was great right from the start. Such a good narrative with someone who basically deals with dead people daily ha. Awesome character development from more then just the main characters which I love. Lots of twists and turns. Kept me on my toes. Great read!!

[Latisha’s Low-key Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everhaven is a science fiction book written for young adults and teens, but as a fifty-year-old, I enjoyed it. It begins with this sentence, “The Dead always ring three times.” Abbie, as the Everhaven’s Rester, knows what that means. The Dead have unfinished business..... Read the full review at latishaslowkeylife.com

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for review from voraciousreadersonly.com and what a treat it was! I'm so happy I had the opportunity to read this novel. It was so engaging that putting it down was practically impossible!
The story itself sucked you in while making you feel like you were another character in the book cheering on the main characters!
I highly recommend this book!

[Sally Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me at the first sentence, and it kept me intrigued right to the very end.
There was no cliff hanger but I definitely finished wanting to know more, so I hope there could be a sequel, Abbie and Preston have more to tell I think.

[Laura Gimbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why can’t anyone leave the town of Everhaven?
An amazing story of ghost, hauntings, strange occurrences that can’t be explained. People die unexpectedly. It’s up to Abigail Walters a 17 year old to try and figure out where missing bodies are and to save the town and the souls from the devil.

[Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I like the story of this book. It was unlike anything I've read but would have liked an adult version. Strange since I read a lot YA. Happy religion was left out of the book. Characters were cute though.

[Susan Whitmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Interesting concept done well. The writing and editing were good, the characters complex and engaging. I enjoyed it and will probably read the next book in the series.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting series opener

Enjoyed this book. First in a series of Reaper based YA stories. Excited to see where the author takes it from here given the ending

[EVELYN ANN · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it first started out, I knew it was going to be an in-depth, crazy, scary at times story. 👏 Almost felt like Hawthorne's 'Lottery', then as you read further, you know something "other" is definitely happening here. Some of the scenes reminded me of 'Hellraiser', while others felt more like 'Needful Things'. Overall, author has some real game and I will be following her on my reading accounts.

It is a very good read, the ending could have had an epilogue; just my 2 cents.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.