Evermore by Alyson Noel {Review}

So, I'm sorry about this second post in one day but I always wanted to give my hand at book reviewing and since this is one of the recent books I've read that is YA fantasy-romance, I will blog about this, just to get the hang of book reviewing.


What is the book about?

What if you had it all, and then, in the blink of an eye, everything that you knew and loved, was gone?

Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom lost her entire family in a horrible car accident. Everyday she has to live with the fact that she is the only one that survived. And that isn't the only thing she has to live with.

After the accident, obtained the ability to see people's auras, hear people's thoughts or life stories just by touching them. The girl who used to be popular and outgoing was now fighting hard to become invisible, so she wouldn't feel like a freak. But everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste. The gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy new student who can tame the powers that Ever possesses. As she comes to know more about this mysterious guy, Ever is drawn deeper into a world she never knew existed. But as she tries to figure out who or what Damen is, she falls deeply and helplessly in love with him.

What did you enjoy about this book?

This was a really good but what really sold it's plot was it's ability to seem real, like these were real people we were reading about. Alyson Noel, who is known for several YA novels such as Faking 19 and Cruel Summer, incorporates teenage angst with a fantasy plot that is not completely original but it takes on a life of it's own. That would be one of the many things that I enjoyed about this book.


What have you read that is similar to this book?

You know, I've read other reviews on this book and the reviewers all seem to say that Evermore walks hand in hand with Twilight. Well, let's see, Damen is wealthy, handsome, very talented and mostly a lot of traits that lots of characters before Edward Cullen possessed. It certainly has it's moments where you'll feel that, ok, I've read something like this before but you have to give this book a chance. There are many ways to turn an already done plot into your own. Alyson Noel is a promising author and I swear to you that you won't be disappointed when reading this.


What are some of the major themes of this book?

I think the biggest theme of this book and probably the underlying mantra is that, true love never dies. I'm not sure that others would feel that this was the biggest theme but it certainly is an evident one.


Who was your favorite character? What did you appreciate about him/her?

Ever Bloom was an excellent main character. Her thoughts weren't cliche and though she could have been emotional at times, I think that she embodied someone who was trying to outlive what people said. She was labeled as a freak, but she certainly wasn't. I appreciated the fact that the author didn't make her into the typical popular beautiful blonde where they have everything- well she was the typical popular beautiful blonde but what she went through changed her. She grew stronger as the story progressed.


At the end of the book, do you feel hope for the characters?

Damen is one of the characters you love to read about because he's exotic and because I'm a girl I can't help but swoon over a hot guy, but aside from his visual beauty, his countenance was kind of hard to pin down. Sometimes he seemed flirtatious, other times he was serious and he just kept changing, and you're like who is this guy? But where he goes with Ever has so much promise. The author has so many choices to make and hopefully she makes the right ones, for they are really a great match. So yes, I do feel hope for these characters.


What is stronger in the book: plot or character development? Why?

I'm going to say that the character developement was stronger. Even though I feel that Damen was kinda hard to understand, the plot isn't over, seeing as this is the opener to a series. I think that the author was more concerned about introducing these characters than actually setting a stage. Though the plot was great, it wasn't done. It's one of these ordeals where you have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next. When you finish reading it, you'll feel like you feel when you're getting into a good television show and then they say to be continued...
But the characters, especially Ever, were developed well and if she continues to build on what she has, Alyson Noel could possibly have a good series.


Did you find any flaws in the book?

The plot went kinda slow but I finished it in a decent amount of time. I think that Mrs. Noel should give some thought at getting to the point at times. It starts out really slow, picks up and goes really slow again. But it's barable once you get to all of the good parts.


Overall review of the book.

I'd give this a 4/5 stars because it is well written and though it has one or two faults to it, those flaws can be overlooked. Alyson Noel is a great writer and this is her first time exploring the fantasy realm and for her debut, she did a wonderful job.