Evermore by Alyson Noel

The trend for supernatural romance continues with this new series by Alyson Noel known as The Immortals. For the first half I prayed it wasn't another vampire novel and while I'm not going to give away whether it is or isn't, it turned out to be an enjoyable read and hopefully an interesting series.
Ever is a teenager who lost her entire family in a car accident. She would have died too, if she hadn't become distracted by the beautiful scenery on the way to the proverbial Light. Now left behind, Ever acquired two new "gifts" - the ability to see people's auras and read their minds, therefore preventing her from leading a normal life without becoming overwhelmed by everyone else. She also sees her dead sister Riley, but that's one ability she doesn't mind. Ever does anything and everything, though, to stop her other gifts from making her feel like a freak, and then she meets Damen, a new boy in school who has the ability to create silence around her. Something, though, is fishy about him and a girl named Drina who is taking Ever's friend Haven down a dangerous path. Soon the truth about Damen and Drina comes out and Ever learns that they also have a mysterious and deadly connection to her life. Will things work out for Ever or will the thought of immortality scare her away.

This novel didn't turn out how I expected but I think it worked in the novel's favor. While it is an interesting interpretation of immorality (maybe vampire, maybe not, I'm not saying) but I felt like some of the explanation was a little fuzzy. To me it really sounded like a lot of fancy language to sound important and logical but it really just left me confused. I chose just to accept the character's state as it is and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Immortal aspect aside, the novel is full of interesting character. Ever's friends really help define her as a character and give the story more depth. I really liked her sister Riley and how the novel handled the idea of death, the afterlife, and guilt.

A lot of this novel is setting up the characters for the next novel. There's a lot about Ever accepting and learning to deal with her gift and the aftermath of the car accident. There's also a great deal spent on the mystery of Damen and Drina, therefore leading up to whole aspect of The Immortals. Even with that necessary setup, it proved to be an enjoyable novel. It will be interesting to see what happens with the sequel now that all of the inital problems in Ever's life are solved.
MMK