Title: Evie and the Upside-Down World of Evermore
Author: Birgitte Margen
Pub Date: January 4th 2019
Pages: 272
Goodreads|Amazon

AFTER FALLING INTO a dark hole when she was running through the forest, Evie finds herself trapped in a strange new world that mirrors our own. Her only guide is a compass stick given to her by an angry gnome who lives in an ancient knobby tree. As she travels through the lands of this upside-down world she happens upon creatures that are twisted versions of fairytale folklore. A place where fairies bite, unicorns charge, mermaids are menacing, and nightmares are more than dreams. A world where the souls of those who could not follow the unspoken rules are trapped forever.

As a southern girl born on the wrong side of the tracks, Evie relies on the wisdom passed down by her grandpappy and the haunting memories of her mama to teach her perseverance of the soul. She learns that things are rarely what they seem as her world is turned upside down. 

Enter a different kind of adventure.

One that bites.

Evie is unprepared for what she finds in the strange Upside-Down World. With distorted otherworldly plants, animals, and other beings of fairy and myth out to get her, she’ll have to fight her way out of danger if she wants to go home again.

Whatever the outcome, Evie will have to adapt and overcome. There’s a lesson in everything.

I’m surprised Evie and the Upside-Down World of Nevermore hasn’t reached a much wider audience. I found the story to be a unique weaving of familiar fairy tale beings and stories mixed and blended to create both a suspenseful, fantastical tale. It will remind a lot of readers of Alice in Wonderland (but I’m not that big on Alice—shhh).

I loved that Evie is a ‘Trailer Park Alice’ because I can relate to her on that level. I’m also in that same socioeconomic level and no stranger to trailer park living. I always feel like impoverished girls aren’t visible in fantasy often.

The only part which left me wanting was the ending. I wanted a little more closure on how Evie would move on. It was bittersweet to me, thinking about all those other children left in the Upside-Down World.