Review #17 Evermore - Alyson Noel

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.


Published: 2009
Pages: 306 (Paperback)
Genre: Paranormal Romance

LONG STORY SHORT:

Although I tend to be disappointed by every Paranormal Fantasy novel I read, I fell in love with Evermore. I liked how you didn't need to pay attention so much to any kind of background information, the story was easy to understand. I didn't like some of the characters but all in all they were okay and I especially liked the plot and how reasonable the ending turned out to be. This is a series I'd turn to whenever I want a contemporary with a paranormal twist and a cute love story that doesn't become overwhelming and over the top.

REVIEW:

I bet everyone who has ever set a foot in the world of YA literature has heard of Alyson Noel and her Immortals series at some point. And so have I. I was skeptical at first, again bought the book only because I got  it for a very good deal and then found myself so glad that I eventually picked up Evermore, Blue Moon and Shadowland.

I know myself. I know that I was not a fan of the Twilight Saga, Hush Hush or Evernight. Why now do I like Evermore? The reason is plain and simple: It wasn't too much. With the paranormal Fantasy novels I mentioned above my biggest problem was how there were two persons and the male character was sarcastic and after some time they fell in love and were happy together and - of course - couldn't live without each other and then have to (live without each other, I mean) because otherwise the book would end after the first 50 pages.
Evermore was different in that way that the above happened here as well, but the author didn't forget that the characters were still normal (okay, almost) human beings. Noel ( I have not the slightest idea how I can do the two dots on the e) created a love story and still considered that the world surrounding the love birds might actually keep existing. And that there was a Before.

Apart from those romantic elements there were also some really tough issues not only the main character, Ever, but also her friends have to face. They have a life. And things happened and still happen that they have to deal with. A big part of especially Ever's story didn't even involve Damen, her love interest.

What I didn't like so much, though, was how Noel approached the problems the side characters had - especially Haven - but never went further. While Ever was able to develop and grow I felt like Haven just had some problems but she never came a step further to solve them and I thought that made her a bit more flat than she would've had to be. Then again, Evermore is only the first novel in a series of six ( I believe).

Talking about the plot the action really picked up at the end and a few times I wondered who to trust which I never had to with other Paranormal Fantasy novels I've read. Everyone's motives weren't always clear and - most importantly - the ending of the book wasn't clear. I kept guessing how everything would turn out until pretty much the last page.

All in all I liked Evermore a lot more than I expected, because it was different from other Paranormal Fantasy novels. As much as I loved the depth that the plot and Ever's character development had,  I would've wished for more of said depth in the side characters.

RATING: 2 out of 3 Smarties