Review & Contest: Evermore by Alyson Noël

Evermore (The Immortals) by Alyson Noël
St. Martin's Griffin
301 pages
February 3, 2009


Originality: 18!
Characters: 15
Writing: 17
Setting: 8
Plot: 16
Passion: 8
Grade: 82/100!

Here's the blurb from the author's website:

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.

Damen Auguste 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 see 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. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Read an excerpt HERE.

And now for my review. Please don't hate me!

Okay, immediately I started comparing this book to Twilight. Of course it's not like Twilight in every aspect but I couldn't help myself.

Originality:
The author was original, I think. The whole teen love, weird stuff going on, isn't too original but Ever had more as a character involved in the story that made it a bit more original to me.

Characters:
Ever's character was the best out of them all. Obviously she's the main character so we'd hope so. She's not just a regular teen. She's been through hell, losing her entire family in a horrible accident. Her friends are a bit odd. Haven and Miles are the other "odd" students of her school which I guess makes sense that she would be their friend but I didn't love them. Does that make sense? Damen's character is a whole other thing. I felt that I really didn't know him. He is very mystical and secretive and we come out knowing very little about him. And there are a few minor characters, one major character I can't describe or I'd give it all away, just suffice it to say that she's a bitch, entirely predictive and I could have done without her in this book.

Writing:
The writing was very today, very teeny, and very California. I didn't have many issues with it. I did, however, find it very predictive. There were only a few LOL episodes, one being my Tuesday Teaser from today.

Setting:
The author did great in this department but it could have been better. The setting is in Laguna, California, and it's proudly used as the setting. There's surfing, beaching, big houses, expensive clothes, etc... The author even goes fantasy with Summerland, an alternate reality for the Immortals.

Plot:
This is where it fell short for me. The entire plot was predictable, for me anyway. The only thing that had me wondering was what Damen really was. I shouldn't have been even thinking he was something else, it's clearly spelled out but I was hoping for something else, something more exciting. It didn't come.

Passion:
Lastly, passion. It's not a huge thing in this book. Of course there's the teen love story, which is essentially a by-product of the story. It's assumed and not really expressed in the story. There are a few scenes of kissing but I didn't feel the emotion. All because Damen felt like a stranger to me. Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, the 8/10 is being generous. It was more like a 5 or 6.

In Closing:
So, did I like it? It was okay. It could have been better. Will I read the sequels? Sadly, probably not. I did read the preview at the end and the steaminess of the love story might get better but I'm betting it won't.

Now, I'm ready to hand this book over to someone else! I'm thinking a teen would probably enjoy this more than me, who's slightly older than teen aged.

CONTEST!

You have the opportunity to win my copy (used) of Evermore by Alyson Noël. The book is paperback and I've managed to bend the front, right corner of the cover but other than that it's gently used.

CONTEST RULES!

This contest is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.
Entries must be received by Tuesday, March 24, 11:59 p.m.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 25.
You MUST leave a comment to this post letting me know that you've filled out the Contest Form.
You MUST fill out the Contest Form. All information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used to contact you if you are the winner and of course to ship you the book.
Extra entries are included in the form, just fill it out completely to ensure your extra entries are included!

Good luck!