Title: Evermore (The Immortals #1)
Author: Alyson Noel
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: February 3rd 2009
Rating: 3,5 stars
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Evermore starts with the reader meeting the main protagonist, Ever Bloom. Ever was in a tragic car accident that killed both her parents, the family dog and her little sister, Riley. Miraculously, Ever survived. But she was never the same again. You see, when she died, she saw her parents crossing a bridge, while she chose to linger around for a while. And by then, it was too late. The bridge had vanished and she could never be with her parents again. From the moment Ever woke up in the hospital, she saw people’s aura’s, bright, colourful shapes hovering above their head. She was able to read people’s moods instantly, to hear other people’s thoughts, and to see their very emotions. Things get particularly bad when she touches people. Yep, she’s pshycic now. And on top of that, she can also see dead people, for example her little sister Riley.

Moving from Oregon to Laguna, to another life and another high school, Ever left behind the popular girl she was once was, and now joined the crowd of social rejects, including her best friends Haven and Miles. But that’s until the day Damen shows up at school. Damen is everything every girl could dream of: mysterious, gorgeous, intelligent, witty, funny, adventurous…But there’s also something off about him. Something Ever can’t really place. But as the evidence starts to pile up against him, Ever must find out whether or not she can really trust Damen…

First of all, I like Ever, the main protagonist of this story. I like her because she’s a different. Before she had the accident in which both her parents and little sister got killed, she was popular, outgoing, social and all that. But seeing her beloved family die right in front of her eyes made her stop caring about those superficial things in life. Now she cares about having real friends, friends who love her and trust her, and getting along with her aunt Sabine, who’s now taking care of her. But Ever hasn’t just changed because that’s what people do after a traumatizing experience. She’s also changed because she now has abilities she couldn’t dream of before. Abilities like mind reading, seeing auras, etc. Abilities she never asked for. So when we meet Ever at the start of this book, she’s a bit of the odd one out, even when taking her friends in the perspective as well. She hides behind hoodies, not just because she wants to keep all the noise, thoughts and opinions out, but because she wants to hide herself from life as well. She is a spectator of life, rather than a person actually living it. It’s an intriguing point to start out, and Ever’s emotional journey throughout this book is intriguing as well. She tries to embrace her new self, and we all know that isn’t always easy.

As for the side characters, they’re interesting. Damen is gorgeous, seriously. Even the way he describes and acts – a mix of hot and cold that would totally fit Katy Perry’s song – everything about him screams mysterious, sexy and drop-dead gorgeous. On the scale of book boyfriends I want to appear in real life, he rates very highly. The problem is though that I have absolutely no idea why Ever would ever want to date him. I know, that totally contradicts what I just said. He’s gorgeous, true, but he’s also a liar, he leaves at the most inappropriate moments, he disappears when Ever needs him the most, and the list goes on like that. So yes, more than good enough for a fling, but Damen isn’t really boyfriend material. Nevertheless, Ever keeps forgiving him, going with him to disneyland, etc. although the nagging feeling in her mind that he’s hiding something is always there. I can see why she wants to give him a chance, but halfway through the book even she has to realize that Damen isn’t telling her the whole truth, and that people who hide things generally can’t be trusted.

Aside from Damen, there are two other characters often mentioned: Miles and Haven. Miles is gay, and overly so. I have some gay friends, and none of them really acts or behaves the way Miles does. Then again, I imagine that some people might act this way. I have to admit that I do like Miles; he reminds me of the gay character in Ugly Betty, whose name I temporarily forgot, but whom I liked as well. Ever’s other friend is Haven. Now, that girl is something else altogether. I don’t like her. I hate her. In fact, I want to burn her right here and now and be done with it. Haven is obnoxious, boring, undeserving of two such good friends as Ever and Miles, and constantly friend hopping. I never understood people who alternate between groups of friends as easily as if they were changing their clothes. But I think Haven is supposed to be this way. She’s supposed to be the person we all hate, but can slightly relate to anyway. She’s misunderstood, lonely, and thinks she’s unloved as well. We all feel like that sometimes, but not to the extent Haven does.

As for the storyline, I thought it was intriguing. A tad bit predictable with Ever falling for Damen and he having a big secret and all. But this is only book one in the series, and its purpose is to lay out the setting and introduce us to the characters. Keeping that in mind, the book is very enjoyable, the writing is fluent and the pacing is fast. Definitely recommended for all lovers of the young adult paranormal genre.

This book counts towards the Finish The Series Reading Challenge, the Fantasy Challenge, the Speculative Romance Challenge and the TBR Reading Challenge.

Do you want a chance at winning your own copy of Evermore? Check out The Immortals Giveaway to win the entire series!