Evergreen by Marissa Doyle, is a jumbled mix of YA, Fantasy, & historical drama which leaves me a bit perplexed about how to review it.
Set in 1901, the story follows Grace, a Dryad, as she spends the summer with spoiled, frankly annoying, Alice Roosevelt. The book gets off to a slow start & reads like a predictable, slightly boring coming of age, ordinary girl getting a glimpse of her friends fancy lifestyle story. The fact she is a magical being is an after thought & hardly worth mentioning it seems.
But about a 1/3 of the way in the story starts to become more interesting, slowly delving into the fantasy realm, as Grace begins to fall in love with the Adirondacks and the mysterious Kit. This is the strongest part of the book, Fantasy & historical drama weaving together with undertones of mystery & suspense. It offers a interesting glimpse into the lives of the Roosevelts & had me googling names to read about the real life people.
Finally the book ends with a crash. It was going so well up til the last paragraph which ended in such a weird abrupt non stopping point I seriously rechecked several times to make sure I didn't miss a sentence, or paragraph, or page.
The idea is interesting, some of the book is really well written, & I do want to see what the next part of the story is but I cant help wishing the magic in the middle had spread to the beginning & end. Received as part of the Librarythings early review program for my honest opinion. ( )

This book was a unique combination of well-researched historical fiction, YA romance, and light fantasy. The fantasy was the most interesting part but sadly secondary to other aspects. In short, the main character Grace can have conversations with trees and is just beginning to learn about the breadth of her powers in communicating with nature. The historical fiction side of things is well done. The conversations between the characters and descriptions of the setting were vividly realized and seem true to the period. The romance is slow-moving but definitely a focal point and angsty in a YA sort of way. I was initially charmed by her friendship with Alice (based off of the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt) but some moments between the pair irked. The enemies-to-friends to something more between Grace and one of the main male characters evolved in a natural way with a well-handled ending. My only problem with this title is how thin and dry the plot sometimes was, tangled in more trivial and less interesting matters. Tension and pacing picks up toward the last quarter of the book. ( )

I'll admit that my attention was caught right away, but then there was a third of the book that established it's position as a YA novel with 17-year-olds and their teenage drama. For me, this meant I couldn't give this book a 5 because it took so long to get past the drama and to the meat of the story. This portion took place in Newport, RI. There was even a luncheon at Rosecliff which is my favorite mansion. After a summer in Newport, the girls travel to the Adirondacks in New York to spend family time. This part of the book is when things really change. Grace starts to truly understand what being a dryad means. In New York, we encounter mystery and suspense and my hope for a second book. :)
P.S. I loved the historical aspect of the book. It sent me to the internet to see if I could find out more about Alice. I especially love a book that can teach me something. :) ( )

This book is about a girl fresh out of school who wants to go on a fun trip with her friend the summer before her parents send her off to France to find a husband. Oh, and she’s also a dryad. And her friend is the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt! This book was an interesting combination of historical fiction and fantasy, and I did like both aspects, but I wish they had been a bit more integrated. The first half is more the historical fiction side and the second half gets much more into the dryad part of things. I loved the dryad stuff! I wanted more of it. But I also learned a lot more about the Roosevelt family that I had never known and that was interesting too! And there’s an afterward so you can find out what parts of Alice Roosevelt were pulled straight from history. A solid story, even if I wanted more magic! ( )

This story combines fantasy and history while seen through the eyes of a young adult Dryad girl. It is not quite what one expects with a friendship between Grace Boisvert and Alice Roosevelt. The dynamic of their friendship is similar to many best friends, yet with a magical thread running like a river's current, it takes them on a tumultuous journey full of adventures and challenges. At times Alice dominates the story leaving Grace as the side kick and the fantasy elements take a back seat until late in the book. When they do become the focus however, the pace is ignited. The historical setting and characters do enhance and the love triangle between Kit, Alice and Grace delivers a pretty fun read overall.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )