Book Review: Endless by Amanda Gray

In Endless, Jenny Kramer and Ben Daulton discover they share something in common, past lives. As they dream of their past, Jenny becomes captivated with a man in her past, Nikolai. When she sees Nikolai in the present, she realizes that much more is at stake than her sanity.

Endless is at times endless. Although the synopsis is intriguing, sometimes the author fails to capture the excitement in the actual novel. I felt reluctant to keep on reading through so many pages that weren’t interesting. Add that with my annoyance with Ben, Jenny, and Nikolai, and you get possibly the world’s biggest headache.

Let’s start with Jenny. As the main character of the story, readers spend quite a bit of time in her point of view. Unfortunately, if you don’t like Jenny, you’re going to run into some problems. I did not appreciate her weak personality. She doesn’t speak up for herself or interest me. In my opinion, Jenny is pretty boring.

As for Nikolai and Ben, I seriously don’t see why Jenny is interested in Nikolai. Persoanlly, Ben is the better of the two. Nikolai gives off a cheesy air. I genuinely can’t get into his behavior and his supposedly good looks. While Ben does have flaws, he’s real. He has some good speeches and gives off the air that he’s a real person.

I think the way Amanda Gray set up the plot ultimately contributes to my dissatisfaction. The idea of Endless‘ plot is quite brilliant, but the author wasn’t able to match up to the plot. By the end of the novel, all the suspense and interest decreases drastically. What initially seemed interesting now is bogged down with romantic mush and cowardly actions.

However, Endless does have redeeming qualities. Jenny’s passion for visual arts is depicted extremely well. Although I loathe drawing, Jenny’s passion for it made me want to draw as well! Jenny’s love for drawing allowed for me to overlook some problems I had with her personality, which is an impressive feat in itself.

I will note that Endless‘ cast seems to boil down to three characters. (Guess wihch three!) Although the author introduces many more characters, only htree are central to the overall plot. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I guess that depends on what type of novel you like. As for me, I prefer fewer characters so I can truly connect with them.

I definitely suggest giving Endless a try. This novel has the potential to be your favorite!

Rating: 6 out of 10

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC (September 10th, 2013)

Source: Netgalley

Genre: YA, Romance, Fantasy

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