Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noël

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): 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.

MY OPINION:

Evermore has a good premise, but it does not develop it to its full potential. 

There are a number of things that bother me:

• Names: Ever (really, Ever?), Damen (no, it is not similar to Damon at all, nope), Drina (a little research shows it has nothing to do with Italian poverina, instead it is a version of Adriana, and Drina is also a river in Bosnia).
• Just like his name, Damen’s Latin appearance, behaviour, and wearing black do not ring a bell for any other character. Or do they? Oh, wait. The author may want Damen to resemble Damon but is light-years away from him.
• Ever taking forever to figure out Damen is not mortal and to reveal why she feels responsible for her family’s accident. (This is not a spoiler, it is pretty much clear both from the blurb and from the first page onwards).
• Teenage boyfriend drama. No explanation needed here.

I think this book would be so much better if it was not YA, if Ever’s character was older, perhaps in her twenties, if she was someone who could think more clearly and reflect on the important issues the book opens but does not fully develop, the most important being mythology.

Evermore is a fast read. The ending is conclusive, so the book can be read as a stand-alone. I do not think I will continue reading this series since I am not invested enough in the characters to really want to know what happens to them. Although, I might pick up another book in the series when I just want to read something fast and light.

RECOMMENDATION: This is an undemanding YA read with quite a few shortcomings, perhaps best read when you want to kill some time and give your brain a vacation.