Evermore: The Immortals [Paperback]

Alyson Noël (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 3, 2009 | Series: Immortals (Book 1)

Don’t miss the first book in Alyson Noël’s #1 New York Times bestselling The Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world where true love never dies. . .

After a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people’s auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone’s entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen 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 peer 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. And she has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she’s falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This opening book in a new series, The Immortals, will thrill many teen fantasy-suspense readers, especially fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. Seventeen-year-old Ever survived the car crash that killed her parents, younger sister, and their dog. Now she lives with an aunt in Southern California, plagued not only by survivor guilt but also by a new ability to hear the thoughts of all around her. She tries to tune out all these distractions by keeping her hoodie up and her iPod cranked loud, until Damen, the cute new boy at school, convinces her to come out of her shell. Damen, however, is frighteningly clever—and has the strange ability to produce tulips from nowhere and disappear himself at critical moments. Noël (Saving Zoë, 2007) creates a cast of recognizably diverse teens in a realistic high-school setting, along with just the right tension to make Ever’s discovery of her own immortality—should she choose it—exciting and credible. Grades 8-10. --Francisca Goldsmith

Review

"Evermore is addictive.  When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about how I could sneak away to read some more.  I couldn't put it down.  I dreamt abuot this book.  And when I was finished, I couldn't get it out of my head.  This book was simply breathtaking." --Teens Read Too

"Teen angst and the paranormal make a combustible mix as Noel utilizes typical themes and gives them a dangerous and eerie twist. Getting hooked on this new series, The Immortals, is guaranteed."--4 stars!  Romantic Times Magazine

"Readers who enjoy the works of PC Cast and Stephenie Meyer will love this outstanding paranormal teen-lit thriller." –Midwest Book Review

“Get ready for a wild ride that is filled with twisting paths and mystery, love and fantasy. . . The writing style, story, and characters are a bit like Meyer and Marr's popular books, but written with a new twist and voice. And after reading the book, you too will probably want your own Damen, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.”  --5/5 stars! The Book Queen

"I found myself unwilling to put the book down, even though I had to at some points, because I wanted to know what was going to happen…Ever was so real and her emotions were so believable that it was a little creepy. It's like Alyson Noël is actually a grieving, lovestruck teenager. She got Ever completely perfect. And by perfect, I mean delightfully flawed and deep.” --The Frenetic Reader

"Evermore is a wonderful book that I believe would be a lovely addition to any library . . .Definitely a book that fans of Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Marr should add to their collections. Definitely engaging and will catch your attention the minute you open to the first page!" - Mind of a Bibliophile

“Alyson Noel creates a great picture of each and every character in the book. I am a fan of the Twlight series and I recommend this book to those who like the series as well. It is a very quick read, with all the interesting twist and turns.” –Flamingnet Book Reviews

"I loved this book. It really keeps your attention though out the story, because the puzzle gets pieced together bit by bit, but you don't know exactly what happened until the end. The only thing that disappoints me is that the second book won't be published for a while. I would definitely recommend this to my friends." --Portsmouth Teen Book Review

"This is the first installment of The Immortals series. Ms. Noël pens a well-detailed story that makes it easy for the reader to visualize both the characters and the world around them. Evermore has a familiar theme that attracts readers, but inside this book you’ll find that the author has added some unique details that sets it apart." --Darque Reviews

“Evermore’s suspense, eerie mystery, and strange magic were interestingly entertaining…I found Ever to be a character I could really respect…Recommended.” –The Bookworm

“Beautiful main characters, tense budding romance, a dark secret, mysterious immortals—what more could you ask from this modern gothic romance?” –Justine Magazine

“Evermore was a great way to lighten my reading load this winter and provided me with a creative, magical story that I really enjoyed. This is the first in a series for Noel and I think she may have a hit on her hands . . . Evermore has good and evil, likable characters, vivid descriptions and a good story.”- Planet Books

“I fell into it easily, and loved the world Noel created . . . The fact that Ever had psychic powers was truly interesting. They flowed neatly through the book and I felt Ever's pain . .trust me, this book was really good. I couldn't put it down. Alyson Noel created an amazing new world, and after this book I am so curious to see where it heads because honestly, I have no idea.” – Reading Keeps You Sane

“Ever is an easy character to like. I really felt for her because of all she lost and what she struggled with daily…Evermore was a really fast, engaging read with some great characters. It is the first in a series, so I'm eager to see if we will learn more about Ever, Damen and friends in the next one…it's sure to be a great read.”- Ninja reviews

“The writing here is clear, the story well-defined and narrator Ever has an engaging voice that teens should enjoy."- January Magazine

"Alyson Noël created a well-detailed story that makes it easy for the reader to visualize both the characters and the world around them. Evermore has a familiar theme that attracts readers, but inside this book you’ll find that the author has added some unique details that sets it apart and will surprise you."- The Ravenous Reader

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031253275X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312532758
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (481 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alyson Noël is the #1 New York Times best selling, award-winning, author of FAKING 19, ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS, LAGUNA COVE, FLY ME TO THE MOON, KISS & BLOG, SAVING ZOË, CRUEL SUMMER, FOREVER SUMMER (a LAGUNA COVE/CRUEL SUMMER 2-in1), KEEPING SECRETS (FAKING 19/SAVING ZOE 2-in-1), THE IMMORTALS series including: EVERMORE, BLUE MOON, SHADOWLAND, DARK FLAME, NIGHT STAR, & EVERLASTING, THE IMMORTALS spin-off, RILEY BLOOM series including RADIANCE, SHIMMER, DREAMLAND & WHISPER), with short stories apearing in the anthologies: FIRST KISS (THEN TELL), KISSES FROM HELL, & DEAR BULLY. She is currently working on a new series for teens, THE SOUL SEEKERS: including FATED & ECHO- in stores now-, MYSTIC (05.07.13), & HORIZON (11.12.13).

With over 8 New York Times bestsellers in 2 years, and over 7 million copies in print, her books have been translated into 37 languages, sold in over 50 countries, and have made the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, NCIBA, Walmart, and numerous international bestsellers lists. And have won numerous awards such as: the National Reader's Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Stuff for the Teenage, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, Reviewer's Choice 2007 Top Ten, appeared on the CBS Early Show's "Give the Gift of Reading" segment, and selected for Seventeen Magazine's "Hot List" and Beach Book Club Pick.

The dramatic rights for all 4 books in THE SOUL SEEKERS series were optioned for film by Cheyenne Enterprises--and her adult novel, FLY ME TO THE MOON, was optioned by Ridley Scott's, Scott Free Productions, with Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones' Diary) set to write and direct.

Born and raised in Orange County, California, she's lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled in Southern California where she's working on her next book.

Photo by Nancy Villere.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#63 in Books > Teens

#63 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

323 of 393 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I've already read this book! March 22, 2009

By La Coccinelle

Format:Paperback

A young girl moves halfway across the country to live with a well-meaning but somewhat distant relative. She's forced to go to school (even though she already knows everything) and to sit next to a mysterious, physically perfect boy who is the object of everyone's attention. Of course, he has eyes only for her. The girl eventually learns that this boy is more than what he seems: he's incredibly fast, he can read minds, and he's lived for a long, long time. This boy is not like other boys, and the girl knows it. She doesn't think she's worthy of his perfection, even though he doesn't seem to be bothered by her normalness. Eventually, one of the boy's own kind shows up to threaten the heroine, who somehow manages to survive, even though, logically, she shouldn't.

Sound familiar? It should. Evermore is basically Twilight, only much more poorly written, with a dash of "quantum physics", a pinch of a glossed-over theory of reincarnation, and a dollop of The Secret for good measure. When I saw that this book was recommended for fans of Stephenie Meyer, I assumed that it would be similar to Twilight. But I didn't think it would be an outright rip-off.

The stories are structured the same, so you can pretty much guess what's around every turn. There are no surprises. And the only time when some real suspense was attempted, it quickly became tiresome. Ever blames herself for the accident. Then she blames herself again... and again... and again. And we don't find out why until almost the very end. I found this tedious and frustrating. It really only needed to be mentioned once, especially if it was going to be dragged out for so long. Show, don't tell... Isn't that the rule?

The writing was also atrocious. The author actually used "envelopes" when she meant "envelops". Once again, we have a young adult novel without an editor. There were run-on sentences galore. Then there was the annoying first-person, present-tense point of view that occasionally lapsed into a first-person, past-tense point of view... when it really shouldn't have. Evermore was difficult to read, and it didn't need to be.

If you know how Twilight ends, you can guess how Evermore ends. Instead of a ballet studio, it's a kitchen. Instead of people getting thrown against mirrors, they're thrown through French doors. And there's a wonderful failure of logic when Ever defeats the villain by throwing a fatal, revenge-fuelled punch at her heart chakra, only to be told moments later by Damen that revenge makes you weaker while love makes you stronger. Wait... what?

When I saw the last couple of pages and took note of the title of the sequel to Evermore, I became further convinced that this series is some sort of satire intended to mock the awfulness of the Twilight "saga". Twilight's sequel was New Moon. Evermore's sequel is... Blue Moon.

The pattern is clear. I'll save you some time and fill you in on the rest of the series:

Blue Moon: Damen decides he's ruined Ever's life enough for one lifetime, so he disappears into Summerland on an extended vacation. Meanwhile, Ever discovers that her friend Miles is also an immortal, who has just landed his dream gig starring in an all-gay revue sponsored by VitaminWater.

Ellipse: An evil immortal from Damen's past comes out of the woodwork and creates a whole bunch of new immortals who do nothing but drive around in Ferraris and act like spoiled brats. But they're a threat, you know? Ever must use her newly acquired skills in "quantum physics" and Transcendental Meditation to make the immortals not so immortal, thus saving Orange County from vapid materialism on a grand scale.

Breaking Wind: Ever finally has sex with Damen, which results in a baby. Unbeknownst to Ever, this baby houses the reincarnated soul of Drina, who wants nothing more than to kill Ever and to marry Damen... who's now her father.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

63 of 76 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Will Meyer sue for copyright infringement? November 13, 2010

By S. McKinney

Format:Paperback

Sometimes I wish I hadn't decided to become a teacher. I'm very glad to be the mother of two daughters, but the double-whammy of teacher/mother means that I feel like I need to read the books the kids are reading so that I'll be able to offer considered opinions.

With the Harry Potter series, it was all a delight. The Series of Unfortunate Events was clever satire and fun to read. Thankfully my students and my daughters were too old for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but then I got stuck with the Twilight books and spent a lot of time wanting to eat my own head, they were so incredibly fundamentally awful.

And now I get to read them again! With different character names, to be sure. And in these Immortals books, we are now dealing with, well, immortal beings rather than vampires. But honestly? Everything else is exactly the same. Even the cover of the book is a blatant rip-off -- there's even a similar FONT STYLE.

In Evermore, we have a girl with an evocative name (I still haven't stopped rolling my eyes over "Bella Swan," and now I have to deal with "Ever" and I may never get my eyeballs back to where they should be and that was only, like, the FIRST PAGE.) The girl with the evocative name has to move across the country to live with an adult who is completely incompetent in the care of a teenager, but that's okay because the girl has no need of supervision. She is a woman of the world. Luckily for Ever, her weird lawyer auntie is rich, so Ever gets to drive a speedy little Miata instead of a rusty old truck AND she gets to live in a cool mansion in a gated Orange Beach community instead of in Charlie Swan's dumpy house in damp Forks, Washington. You should note that both vehicles are red, though.

Ever is also more fortunate in that she does have a couple of friends, but they're losers in the out crowd (we take a brief foray here into ripping off The Princess Diaries) and she feels as much veiled contempt for them as Bella feels for the young folk of Forks.

And then a NEW BOY shows up at school. Everyone is just flat-out crazy about him. He's obviously wealthy, has looks that could shame Adonis, is brilliant at all subjects without the apparent need to study, is mysterious, is hot and cool by turns (which drives Ever nuts - too bad she wasn't able to read the Twilight series in her world; she could have dealt with Damen's nonsense with a snap of her fingers.) And strangely enough, despite the fact that there is nothing special about Ever, he is immediately and irrevocably attracted to her.

We have to hear a lot about how awesomely awesome-tastic Damen looks. A LOT. Not quite as much as we had to hear about flipping Edward. Alyson Noel managed to restrain herself from telling us about the sweet fabulousness of Damen's breath, a small mercy for which I was very thankful.

A bunch of stuff happens, but if you've read Twilight, you already know the plot. There are parts that make sense and parts that make no sense at all and the message of the book really sucks -- lots of underage drinking and drunkenness, lots of lying to authority figures, lots of cutting school; like Twilight, it's a list of Things Teenagers Can Do to Eff Up Their Lives, only of course there are never, ever, ever any consequences. Noel threw in some reincarnation and some chakras and some transcendental meditation and....a psychic? Hmm. Okay, whatever. Anyway, she tried to throw us off the Twilight scent, but we all have that stench coating the inside of our noses and we can recognize it from miles away, as far from Washington state to southern California, I'd say. Wouldn't you?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I might be the only one saying this, but I liked this book. June 4, 2011

By Jasmine Jones

Format:Paperback

Wow. Not many Amazonians (is that the word?) seemed to have liked this book. Funny, because it has critics' praise coming out of its ears (my copy of Blue Moon that I bought with this one has 4+ pages of critical praise at its beginning, mostly for this book).

I agree with the reviewers who say it is very similar to Twilight: A girl moves across the country to live with a relative (Bella's father Charlie, Ever's Aunt Sabine) where she finds this guy who's different (Edward can't read Bella's mind, Ever can't see Damen's aura) and then they fall in love at first sight.

That's where the similarities end. Unlike Bella, Ever was the only survivor of a car accident that killed her parents and her little sister Riley after her father swirved out of the way of a deer. When Ever wakes up in the hospital, the nurse is all pink. She is seeing the nurse's aura; pink means love and compassion. When she begins to hear thoughts of others and get visits from her dead little sister Riley, she keeps it all under wraps.

Ever, she's not my favorite narrator I've ever read. Bella will always be at/near the bottom of the list. Damen, on my list of favorite male characters, sits somewhere in the middle. I liked him, but I've read better. But I've also read worse. Much worse (Edward!)

Plot line: Other than the whole Twilight stuff, I did like the immortals and the auras and psychic powers. Unique and creative.

All in all: I can't guarantee you'll like it. But I did.