Ick, another lackluster installment of the Immortals series by
Alyson Noel. This is the third book in the series and they should be
read in order. However, that being said, the only one I remotely liked
was the first one. Both the second book and this one left a lot to be
desired.
At the end of the last book we found Ever and her
boyfriend Damen unable to be together because of a curse (genetic
mishap, etc.) that was placed on them by a rogue immortal. Now, Ever is
determined to find the antidote that will fix it, but is heavily
distracted by her new job, boss (who's someone from her very distant
past), and the fact that her aunt is dating her history teacher. Not to
mention that the twin girls from the Summerland are also stuck in her
dimension and she and Damen must care for them. When the rogue immortal
decides to play even more tricks, she finds herself having to make some
very tough decisions.
Ever never does the right thing. Ever.
And it gets kind of exasperating sometimes. For someone who's supposed
to be smart and read motives she's either very dense or in such a hurry
to do things she doesn't think them through correctly. Meanwhile Damen
is his usual perfect self, striving to be even more perfect, and I have
to agree with Ever that he is quite boring in this book. Granted, he's
no longer lying to her for her own good, but he's making other decisions
for her that he really shouldn't be. No wonder the girl can't make a
decision correctly when he usually does it for her. The new character
Jude, I couldn't figure out if I liked him or not. He has some good
qualities, but there still isn't enough known about him. And Roman,
well he's just as evil as ever, albeit in a charming way.
There
wasn't much of a plot in this book. Little story lines yes, but not one
big plot. In fact, it was so jumbled and rushed around that I had a
hard time reading it and keeping my interest. Most of it was just
talking but not the type that's a progression to anywhere. And really,
the main goal was Ever finding a cure for Damen so she could finally
sleep with him. Which for a young adult novel might be an accurate
representation of what teenagers think about, but perhaps not the best
goal for a book. The only saving grace of this book was the little
hints of alchemy and other fantasy elements.
I can't say that
I'll be seeking out the next book anytime soon. I hate leaving things
unfinished, no matter how much I don't enjoy them, but maybe I'll delay
reading the next in the series.
Shadowland
Copyright 2009
339 pages
Blue Moon is the sequel to Evermore and part of the
Immortals series by Alyson Noel. Now it is important to read these
books in order, otherwise you will be completely lost in this second
book. Although really, while the first one was mildly entertaining, I'd
have to say this one was a bore for me, so it's a read at your own risk
type of book.
Ever is happily enjoying life with Damen, learning
to be an immortal. But then Damen starts behaving mysteriously, and
she thinks it is linked to the new kid at their school, Roman. But
she's not sure how to prove it, and as Damen slips further and further
away from her, she knows she has to visit the Summerlands in order to
save Damen. But even there, she's unsure of whether or not she'll find
the answers she needs.
Ever goes from somewhat likable character
to bumbling idiot in this book. Her reactions to things and the ways
she makes decisions just don't make sense. She goes against all
possible logic. Damen isn't really in this book that much so at least I
didn't have to watch him try to save Ever from herself. Because that
irritates me nearly as much as Ever acting on her own. Thankfully her
aunt Sabine is still level-headed and caring, and at this point my
favorite character in the book. Even her friends go more into obscurity
in this book than they did in the first book. They could have not been
mentioned and it probably wouldn't have even mattered in the plot
line. And Roman, the antagonist of this book, could have really used
some more mystery. When you know he's the bad guy from the first
paragraph he's in it makes the book less interesting.
In the
Immortals universe I do like how Noel includes alchemy and astrology and
other mythic elements. It's clear she's given a little thought to her
fantasy world and tried to develop it. But when you get to the actual
plot of the book it just doesn't work in this one. Everything is so
rushed and hurried that it's hard to make sense of what Ever is actually
doing and some of the things she does do seems to be un-needed and plot
filler. We go from her deciding whether or not she'd like to sleep
with Damen to needing to save him in only a few pages time and it's not a
smooth transition. This book might have had a shot if the plot was
more developed and the bad guys not so predictable.
I've got the
third book so I will be continuing on in this series. And even though I
did find the first book entertaining this one has certainly put me off
of the series. I can only hope that is redeemed in the next book,
Shadowland.
Blue Moon
Copyright 2009
284 pages
I'm a little sick of the young adult novels coming out
where the plot includes a boyfriend who's allowed to lie (amongst other
creepy actions) to his girlfriend to protect her or hide a secret of
his own. Like a certain vampire who rates high on the abusive boyfriend
scale the main man in this one disturbs me and sets off some alarm
bells as well. Which is why it is with great shame that I actually have
to admit I was pretty engrossed in this book and found it
entertaining. And it's the first in the series, so I'm guaranteed more
books to read in sequence.
Ever hasn't been the same since a car
accident that killed all of her family except for her. It merely
changed her into someone who can see auras and hear people's thoughts,
and oh yeah, communicate with her dead sister who likes to come around
every day. It's made her go into her own little shell which is made up
of a hooded sweatshirt and ipod to drown out the thoughts of those
around her. But when Damen comes around things change. The voices
aren't so loud and he's attracted to her, although he has an odd way of
showing it and is incredibly mysterious.
So let's talk about the
characters since they were probably the weakest part of this whole
book. I've already mentioned Damen and his habit of lying to Ever for
her own good. Nevermind the fact that it's entirely creepy and
controlling. Apparently he is handsome, rich, and has tons of talents
in other areas so it more than makes up for it. But I can tell you
right now I don't care if he looked like Brad Pitt, I would be entirely
uninterested myself. Ever is a little better, she has a tragic story
and her way of coping seems real. However, her life of luxury is a
little unbelievable. Why is it the girls always have to be beautiful
and rich in these things? I did like her little sister although she
wasn't used very effectively. Mostly she bounced around commenting on
Ever's clothes. And I didn't really feel anything for either of her
friends as they were just there to comment on her love life. Her aunt
Sabine, who is just the token adult in the book, actually had a lot more
promise of being an interesting character than either of her friends.
And as a side note I couldn't help but noticing that almost every
character in this book had a very uncommon name, which struck me as
slightly unrealistic.
Somehow the plot drew me in despite my not
liking the love connection. I liked the concept of the secrets around
Damen and hope to learn more about them in future books. And as I said
before, I liked the way Ever copes with her new-found abilities as it
seems realistic. The writing is pretty tame too since it is for a young
adult audience. Just some kissing and that's about it. I can't even
recall any cussing in this book, although there is some violence and
battle towards the end. I do have to point out that in this book the
meaning of flowers are discussed, and as much as I searched the
Internet, I couldn't find the same meaning for a white rose as what the
author says it is in this book. In fact, it seems to be the opposite.
But I did like the concept of the dark red tulips and it was accurate
according to an Internet search. Although there isn't really any setup
for the next book as far as bad guys, plot struggle, etc. (the
antagonist is taken care of pretty quickly and easily in this book) I'm
still interested in reading it because maybe we'll unravel a little more
of Damen's mystery.
Not a fantastic series but still pretty entertaining. I'm hoping as I read the next few books the characters will improve.
Evermore
Copyright 2009
301 pages
