Review: Evermore by Alyson Noel

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Author: Alyson Noel. Website, Twitter
Published: 3 October 2009 (Macmillan Children's Books)
Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon, Waterstone's, Book Depository

Source: Bought from The British Heart Foundation charity shop.

Plot 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 . . .

My Review:
I picked this book up a few weeks ago after I saw it in a charity shop, having seeing it online and adding it to my to-read list the night before - it was a sign! I had a few books I needed to read but after picking this one up and scanning the first few pages I was hooked in and so I set about reading it straight away.

This is the first book in Noel's The Immortals series and tells the story of Ever, who has lost her parents and little sister in a car accident and since then has been able to see people's auras and hear their thoughts. She is also receiving visits from her dead sister Riley. Then the mysterious Damen starts at her school and sits next to her in English, and suddenly things start to happen around her.

I really liked Ever and her abilities. I liked that she could see auras and hear people's thoughts, and her relationship with Riley was really funny and sweet. I loved the trio of her and her friends, too, them being the misfits at their school who don't fit in with anyone but each other. They made me laugh and felt very true to life. They even reference the TV show Friends (which is something I do all the time with my friends) so I loved that!

It took me a while to warm to the relationship between Damen and Ever, but I didn't hate it. I can be a bit sceptical with relationships so that's not an unusual feeling for me! And as more information began to reveal itself I think it's something that worked out nicely towards the end of the book. I like that Ever is feisty and doesn't always take rubbish from him!

The writing style kept me interested throughout (although my one niggle is the author's repeated use of the phrase "she pressed her lips together"). I was sometimes a bit confused as to what exactly was established in the world in which the story takes place. Ever knows she has powers but as far as she's aware, nobody else knows about them or has powers like hers. She refuses to share her secrets with anybody but Riley, but it's obvious that there other things happening that Ever is refusing to acknowledge. I didn't know if I as a reader was supposed to believe in other supernatural powers existing around her. Because it's all from Ever's point of view, I think it made you follow her train of thought about what was happening instead of what you thought yourself which was distracting.

Other than that, though, it was a really enjoyable read. There's plenty of action to look forward to near the end of the book and I was really interested in what happens to the characters. I think the world this story is set in has plenty of potential and as this is the start of a series, it left me really excited to know more in the following books. This book mainly establishes the characters and the world but it does a really good job of making it exciting and gripping.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Blue Moon by Alyson Noel, the second book in The Immortals series.
Books like this: Intangible by J. Meyers.

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Author: Suzanne Collins. Website, Goodreads

Published: 10 October 2009 (Scholastic)

Pages: 464

Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.My Review:

Haven't read a book this fast in a long time, I just couldn't put it down! This story takes place in Panem, a dystopian America where each year twelve districts must enter a boy and girl to take part in the annual Hunger Games. It's a pretty brutal concept - only one person can win and it's a fight to the death; kill or be killed.

The book is narrated by Katniss, who has to support her mother and younger sister after the death of her father. She's learnt how to live and adapt in the controlled society she lives in but she's now faced with a tougher challenge than ever before. I know not everyone warms to Katniss as a lead character but I found her to be fascinating. She's intelligent, strong and knows how to get what she wants, and underneath she's incredibly protective of those she cares about.

There's a lot of action in this book and it's very intense given the subject matter, and once you start it's impossible to stop reading. I found myself saying "just one more chapter" every time I came to put it down.

Totally gripping and faced paced without feeling rushed, never a lull in the action. Wonderful characters and such a brilliantly created albeit disturbing world. A must read I'd say, thought provoking and action packed.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.
Books like this: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling

Review: The Awakening (Darkest Powers book #2) by Kelley Armstrong

Spoiler warning! This book is the second in the Darkest Powers trilogy, so if you haven't read The Summoning then look away now! (or even better, check out the review of The Summoning here!)

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong. Website, Twitter

Published: 4 May 2009
Pages: 368
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. I’m a living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I can raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. I’m running for my life with three of my supernatural friends and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

My Review:
With Chloe and her friends on the run from the Edison Group, battling their powers and trying to stay alive, The Awakening makes for a pretty exciting story. Picking up from The Summoning we follow the group as they hide out, and make a break for safety.

This book is pretty much The Summoning continued, with very little break between the two books, and this entire trilogy feels like one story in three parts. This is probably the weakest book just because it's the transition between the beginning of the whole story and the end, so whilst The Summoning was all about discovery and getting to know the characters, this book stumbles a bit. The entire book is pretty much the characters travelling from one place to the other, but we get some really great moments nonetheless. There's still plenty of action scenes, and Chloe and Derek's friendship really develops. The two of them spend a large chunk of the book together, and find common ground as both of them battle against their powers. You really end up rooting for the characters in this urban fantasy, action adventure road trip!

If you liked The Summoning then grab this as soon as you can!

Rating: 4*

What to read next: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong, the third book in the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Books like this: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

Review: Evernight by Claudia Gray

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Author: Claudia Gray. Website, Twitter
Published: 1 April 2009
Pages: 327
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

My Review:
This book tells the story of Bianca, who is just about to start at Evernight Academy, a creepy Gothic boarding school in the middle of nowhere. I picked this book up at my local library, not having heard of it before. After looking it up on Goodreads (the fountain of all book knowledge!) I decided it looked worth a read.

My first reactions to this book were based on Bianca and how likable she is. She's shy and awkward after a life of being stifled by over-protective parents, and terrified about starting somewhere new with people she doesn't know where her parents are just about to start work as teachers. I think it's a situation that's very easy to sympathise with (even empathise with, for those of us who are still shy and awkward!) and so that got things off to a good start. I really liked the descriptions of the school, and the author references novels such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Dracula which adds to the whole background of the story. The first half the book had me eager to know what would happen, as the tension was building and it was clear there'd be a big reveal.

Unfortunately, that's when things fell flat for me. About halfway through the book you get to the big dramatic moment and it was completely ruined because the reader had been misled, in my opinion. The book is written in the first person from Bianca's perspective, and to keep huge chunks of her life (that become important to the rest of the story from that point on) secret for the first half and then throw them in halfway through as a dramatic reveal felt really jarring. The second half of the book then seems to be narrated by a completely different character to the one I'd come to know in the first half. It wasn't the reveal I was expecting which I suppose says something, but it disappointing to feel mislead like that as a reader.

I can't totally write this book off though. I really liked the story (minus that reveal) and there were further twists in the tale that worked really well and I still want to read the next book in the series after finishing Evernight.

If you like teenage romance, high school drama and books about vampires then it's still worth a read.

Rating: 3*
What to read next: Stargazer by Claudia Gray, the second book in the Evernight series
Books like this: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson