The Immortals - Book 1 - Evermore

Evermore by Alyson Noel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The end of last week brings us to the end of the read-along of Evermore, the first book in the Immortal series. I must admit that whilst I was not nearly as wowed as I was the first time around, I was once again firmly impressed by the picture painted by Alyson Noel in this book. When I read the book the first time it was almost directly after having finished the Twilight series and I was suffering from a slight sort of depression from having been ripped from a world that I had loved. I was looking for a similar fix and certainly found it with Ever and Damon. Whilst the Immortals world is so similar to many YA stories out there, the storyline still has so many fresh and unique elements which can be enjoyed and admired and it is clear that it was written with care and love.

This first book in the Immortals series follows Ever, a high school girl who was the stereotypical popular girl until she lost her family in a tragic accident. After having some sort of a near death experience, she is now forced to take much more in of the world around her than she ever imagined. Ever “hears” the thoughts of those around her and can “see” a person’s past and present with a simple touch. Enter Damon... the new guy in school and the one person who Ever cannot read. Damon immediately gravitates to Ever and whilst she feels uncertain initially, Damon is just too much of an enigma to ignore. The rest of the story is a journey of discoveries, with Ever learning why she can read minds and sees her dead sister Riley and realising that her and Damon have known one another in one form or another during many of their past lives. Of course there were some challenges for Ever and Damon to face, particularly the wicked Drina, who has also been with Ever most of her lives, bringing them to a tragic end just as it seems a life was working out beatifully. The ending is not a cliff hanger by any means but many questions are left unresolved... a perfect beginning to a story which is clearly going to bring many more surprises.

Reading Evermore again I realised that there were so many more nuances that I had missed the first time around, specifically the mysticism which is ever present in the world of Ever and Damon. I truly loved the ideas of rebirth which is not so much different from the cornerstones of many popular religions and the concept of visualisation which I have tried myself once or twice. Whilst the story of Ever and Damon is in no way unique, I did feel that Noel brought some interesting elements into the mix which made the story of Ever and Damon hauntingly compelling. The characters are realistic and the secondary characters specifically became good friends of mine. Miles’ realistic approach and openminded approach to everything is in my view a perfect balance to Riley’s sarcasm and Haven’s drama.

I though the writing was solid and flowed beautifully from page to page. Whilst intellectually I would have loved to have experienced more challenges, I think the book is just perfect considering the audience for which it was written. It leaves you with just that right bit of nostalgia and endearment for how you experienced your first loves and the whirlwinds of emotion it brought with it. I read many positive and negative reviews when I read Evermore the first time and whilst I understand the view of those very critical of the book, I truly believe it is an enjoyable read which if one considers that it was written for a much younger audience, certainly should enjoy a primary position on any young adult’s bookshelf. I will certainly take the time to read it again in future.

I would love to read some of your thoughts and comments on Evermore as we move along to the next book in the series, Blue Moon, which I shall be reading for the next two weeks. I hope many more of you will join me in following the series and don’t forget there are still a beautiful box-set up for grabs for those who join me in the read-along and who share their thoughts on the story. Happy reading fellow bookaholics!

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