Evermore, by Alyson Noel

Evermore, by Alyson Noel. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009. ISBN-10: 031253275X; ISBN-13: 978-0312532758. 320 p.

Plot Summary
After the car crash that killed her entire family and nearly killed her, Ever Bloom is able to read people's thoughts, see their auras, and know their whole life story just by touching them. She works hard to avoid other people and suppress her abilities, but when she meets Damen, everything changes. He has no aura, and his mind is a blank to her. As Ever grows closer to Damen, she finds she has more questions than answers about Damen's strange abilities.

Critical Evaluation
Evermore seems highly derivative of the Twilight phenomenon. Damen, like the vampire Edward, affects Ever strongly, and his touch is like no one else's. Damen has lightning-fast reflexes and has to deal with an unnaturally prolonged life, and it seems unclear why Ever affects him so strongly. But Noel's book succeeds in developing strong relationships between Ever and the people in her life, and it's refreshing to read a paranormal romance where the love interest isn't the sole focus of the protagonist's life (although it is still what the book spends the majority of its time on, sadly). While it will never be mistaken for an intellectual novel, Evermore will appeal to readers who loved Twilight and can't get enough of paranormal romance. Additional reader reviews can be found at goodreads.com.

Reader’s Annotation
Ever is a mind-reader who lost her family in a terrible accident. Although she isolates herself to suppress her powers, she can't hide herself enough to keep from falling in love with Damen. But Damen isn't a normal boy...he's an Immortal.

Author Information

Alyson Noel was born and raised in Orange County, CA. After high school she wanted to get away from suburbia, so she moved to Mykonos, Greece, where she lived for several years. She wrote her debut novel while she was a flight attendant, during long layovers and weather delays that kept her from home. She and her husband live in Newport Beach, CA. More information about Alyson and her books can be found at http://www.alysonnoel.com/.

What gave Noel the idea for her Immortals series? She says, "Grief. Pure and simple. I’d lost three people I loved in five months, and shortly after that I nearly lost my husband to leukemia (he’s in full remission now!). Experiencing that sort of intense grief and fear got me thinking a lot about life and death, mortality and immortality, the bonds that tie us even after a loved one is gone, and how our youth loving culture sort of seeks physical immortality by trying to remain youthful looking for as long as we can—and yet, what would happen if we really could achieve it? What would it mean for us, our loved ones, society in general? And since I’ve been interested in all things paranormal since I was a kid, Ever and Damen’s story seemed like the perfect vehicle to explore all of those themes."

Genre
Fantasy; paranormal romance

Curriculum Ties
None.

Booktalking Ideas
-Compare it to Twilight
-Ever's sadness at losing her family

Reading Level/Interest Age
High school.

Challenge Issues
Minimal. While Damen would like to have sex with Ever, she stops his advances before they go too far, and there are no other language or violence issues.

I included this book because it was included on YALSA's list of 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations. I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I can see why teens like it, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.