Photo from samanthasotto.com
Before Ever After would have never gotten my attention if not for the great recommendation from my Boss. Is the cover exuding of maximum sappiness? Yes, I think so. But I didn’t expect to read history lessons in this book. It’s like Somewhere In Time repeated in several lifetimes. 
This is what I think how I should’ve interpreted the book:
That Max & Shelley’s feelings for each other level the unconditional peace, joy and love that only the eternal paradise can bring us.
This is how I thought of the book:
Let’s start with how it captured me… Of course, if you’ve read other reviews, you’ll see one major uniform reaction — that knowing who and what Max is, is what they’re yearning for. So I kept on flipping the pages, reading generations and generations of stories (not actually reading, but skimming) just to find out who and what Max is. You see, if you give me something that’s mixed with the supernatural, I become technical. I need laid-down explanations, not metaphors (which we’ve got loads in the book).
So what did I think of the book? Yes, it’s lovely, it’s romantic, it’s what was supposed to happen with Romeo and Juliet if only they’ve met Gestrin, who purposely changed his name to Mihael. But all the feelings of love and sacrifice and acceptance were stripped from me when the book presented a riddle of who and what Max is.
So was it answered? Spoiler alert, Max is immortal. But what is he? What kind of creature is he? Is he a leprechaun? A mythological god? A serpent from Mt. Vesuvius? A faerie? A jinn? He’s neither a vampire nor an angel, alright. How can a human be immortal without falling into a taxonomic classification of the immortals? Maybe it’s the consequence for not reading all of the words written in the book, but somebody needs to explain to me what he is. Haha.
And fine, you may think lesser of me for not knowing what Max is even after reading the book.
I should’ve just accepted the spoilers when my Boss offered them to me. LOL! Anyhoo, thanks so much for a wonderful addition to my mental library, Boss!
Reading Challenge: 5 out of 35
