Neal Shusterman's Everlost starts strong when two children are killed in a car accident and lose their way before making it to the light. Instead of passing on to the next plane or phase or whatever, they wake up after nine months and find themselves in a limbo state of existence for children.

Getting around Everlost can be a chore in itself. Walking anywhere large-scale disasters occur is easy enough — a dead forest, a destroyed bridge, or the Twin Towers. But special measures have to be taken to walk anywhere else in the living world. If not, the consequence is quickly being overcome by Gravity Fatigue and sink to the earth's center.

It's unexpected imaginings like this that make Everlost enjoyable. The discovery of it and its inhabitants make for an entertaining read. Protagonists Nick and Allie are likable enough guides, even if they are a bit one-dimensional (and the constant reminder that Nick died with chocolate on his face can be annoying). Their allies and adversaries (often the same) tend to be conflicted enough to make up for it.

Overall, Everlost works well as an afterlife adventure. It's entertaining and enduring on the light side, with my daughter enjoying the story as much as I did — until I become a little less satisfied with a relatively tidy albeit bittersweet conclusion. Suffice to day without spoils that Shusterman ultimately gives us less when he should have given us more.