Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Publisher: Atheneum
Pages: 543
Publication Date: August 31, 2010

from Goodreads:
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
--from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

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.

Review:
Cheerleader, Isobel is assigned to goth-boy, Varen, for a half-of-your-grade, really-important-English project.  They decide to do the assignment of Edgar Allen Poe (who I love, so I was all for this book).  Varen has a bit of an obsession with Poe as well.  So, when in reality, Isobel and Varen find trouble meeting and can barely concentrate on the project, because it seems that Varen always is disappearing.  Varen has entered a dreamscape that holds Poe's most famous stories.  Varen learns to control the world and accidentally brings Isobel into the mess of things.  When Isobel has the power to destroy the tie between the worlds, will she do it and risk her life in the process?
I really don't know how to put into words how much this book means to me.  It's become one of my favorites.
The characters were so fantastically developed.  It was what made the story richer and more admirable.  The oddest relationship in the novel has to go to Gwen with Mikey.  I mean, Varen and Isobel seems like an odd pairing, but also an overly cliche one as well.  Where as Gwen- the preppy, broom-skirt-wearing, locker-buddy-of-Isobel's- and Mikey- who had not even ten minutes of fame in the entire novel- still struck such a strange chord within me that I thought I would like to share.    
The ending irked me, because I had an impression Creagh was just leaving it like that, but, rest assured, there will be a sequel (and another sequel after that) which makes me very happy!
This book should just become a movie.  Right now!  It should have already been made into a movie- that was how amazing this book was... I know I'm babbling, but I really don't know what to say-
I adore the cover as well as the book.  I had just realized, staring at the cover for quite a while, that the characters on the front (one must assume they are Varen and Isobel) are wearing the exact outfits that they wear at the end of the novel.  However, I miss that Varen does not have a lip ring on the cover.  I think those who created the cover, they went to all the trouble of making the characters wear the same as the book.  The least they could do was have Varen wearing his lip ring.
Lovers of Edgar Allen Poe will enjoy every minute of it.  And if you don't like Poe, if you like the movie, Inception (without the confusing, in-depth plot) this book is definitely for you.

Cover: 4

Characters: 5

Writing Style: 5

Ending: 4

Plot: 5

Overall: 5