Evermore (Immortals #1) by Alyson Noel

Evermore is the first book in the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel.  When I first saw these books, I thought they were about vampires.  (Hey, my sister in law did the same thing!!)  The books are not about vampires.  Not at all.  The Immortals are just that- immortals.  They don't drink blood and the whole thing is more science and magic than paranormal. 

Evermore is the story of Ever Bloom as she is beginning her new life with her aunt in California after the death of her parents and sister in a car accident.  Since the accident, Ever has had the ability to hear people's thoughts and if they touch her, she hears far more than she ever wanted to.  She hides in hoodies with her ipod turned up to try and down out all the "noise" from her schoolmates' internal monologues.  One day, Ever meets an intriguing new student- Damen Auguste.  Immediately, she feels drawn to Damen almost as if she's met him before.  As she begins to get to know Damen, Ever is introduced to his world- one that she never thought could have existed.  Damen is centuries old thanks to alchemy.  He can make things appear and disappear.  He has tons of money, a great car and he excels at everything he does.  What could he see in Ever?  Is there really a chance for them to be together? 

I liked this book.  It was an interesting new world that I had not yet seen in YA.  It was refreshing that it wasn't what I was expecting when I started to read.  I appreciate trying new genres and new ideas in books.  The idea of immortal beings who are kept alive and well for centuries by alchemy is an interesting one. I don't really know much about alchemy (other than the few episodes of Full Metal Alchemist- which probably don't count) but it was interesting to see Alyson build her world of alchemists and the rules that govern it.  I can't say that I love the series but of the books, this one is my favorite.  For me at least, Ever is the most accessible in this book.  I felt like I could relate to her and understand where she was coming from.  Damen makes a great male love interest.  Hot and rich, you can never go wrong with that but he is not at his best in this book.  I love Ever's friends in this book, they are funny and again this is the best book for their characters in my opinion.

I recommend this book for teens.  I think young teens could probably handle it as the sexual references, teenage shenanigans and metaphysics are kept to a minimum.  You can find out more about the Immortals series and Alyson Noel on her website.

Evermore earns 4 Fairies for being an interesting story of immortals.