Evermore
By Alyson Noel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publish Date: February 3, 2009
Format: Paperback, pp 320
Age Demographic: Young Adult
b&n // amazon
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste . . .
Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.
*Summary taken from Goodreads.
I found Evermore to be a really quick and fun read, that was somewhat interesting. Ever isn't your normal stereotypical teenager that you find in most young adult books, these days. She's a bit different, unique in her own way. It's not hard to relate to her character at all and while she is likable on some levels, there were times when I found her a bit frustrating. She goes from being one of the more popular girls, to a pony-tailed freak who gets visits from her dead little sister and tries to block out the rest of the world with loud music filtered through her i-pod.
I wasn't incredibly thrilled with the insta-love developed between Ever and Damien, but I did like the fact that his touch could calm the noise inside her head and at the same time, give her shivers. There was a definite connection there and I found myself wanting to see it explored a bit more, it was sort of sweet and romantic.
Riley, I have so much love for this character, and she was only secondary but one of the most important things to Ever. She was totally adorable and was able to provide just the right amount of comedic timing when needed. I also enjoyed her purpose for being there and for showing Ever that she needed to move on, that some things were meant to happen and you just have to deal with them - that you can't change them no matter what you do.
In a way Riley represented Ever's past, while still giving her the strength and push to move on and live her life the way that she should be doing, instead of clinging to what was. Riley's final moment with Ever in the book was one of the most emotional for me, personally. I couldn't help but ache for Ever in relation to the lonliness that she felt.
There was good character and plot developments, the imagery and world building that Noel sets up is quite interesting, as is the otherworldly elements as well. If you're looking for something light and interesting, something akin to the House of Night series or The Vampire Academy, then I would suggest the The Immortal series most definitely.
