Retro Review {2} Evermore by Alison Noel

Evermore
AUTHOR: Alyson Noel
SERIES: The Immortals #1 | OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES: Blue Moon, Shadowland, Dark Flame, Night Star, Everlasting
EDITION: Paperback, 301 pages
ACQUIRED: Own / Purchased
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: February 3rd 2009 by St. Martin's Griffin
CATEGORIES: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
RATING: 3.00/5.00  | Goodreads: 3.59/5.00
ADD TO GOODREADS

WHAT THE BACK OF THE BOOK SAYS: The first book in Alyson Noel's extraordinary new Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies...

After a horrible car accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school - but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

MY THOUGHTS: I originally read this back in 2009 when it first released. It was one of my first YA Paranormal titles, and I literally found it on Goodreads and left my house immediately to go and buy it at Borders. The cover, which I think is done wonderfully, also helped to pique my curiosity. 

There are many things going on in this series, though I still need to read the last two books. I enjoy Ever's character, however I felt her relationship with Damen was too "insta-love". While I wasn't a huge fan of that, it didn't really take away from the book too much once you get to the second book and things change drastically for the duo.

Ever's two BFFs, Haven and Miles, are good sidekicks. Miles is a decent comic relief, if not a bit of the token, stereotypical gay kid. Think Kurt from Glee. At her old school, Ever was popular, a cheerleader, and surrounded by friends at all times. Now, she is reclusive, keeps to herself, wears a hoodie and her iPod at all times, deeming her the weird freak new kid at school. Ever is fighting with seeing auras and reading thoughts, which really plague her. She's also having trouble adjusting to her new life living with her aunt after her parents, sister, and dog die in a car accident that she survived. Her deceased sister, Riley, comes and visits her, and those tend to be lighthearted, heartwarming, comedic scenes - which lead to the development of her own spin-off series. 

Just when Ever thinks things can't get any worse - relief in the form of a gorgeous guy named Damen appears. Damen is just what a lot of YA love interests are, a bit cliche, in that he's hiding deep, dark secrets about who and what he truly is. Especially when his ex, Drina, is around stirring up as much trouble as she possibly can. Also, Damen has unlimited wealth, which was a turn off for me. But ultimately once we start getting Damen's back story, it's easy to forget about the material possessions.

Overall, this was a decent first-in-the-series book, leading to even more action, drama, and adventure in the subsequent books to come. 

LITERARY AWARDS: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Favorite Book & Young Adult Series (2009), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2011)

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY THIS: Stargazer by Claudia Gray | Dark Visions by LJ Smith | The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz | Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler | Need by Carrie Jones

Happy Reading!