Fated by Alyson Noel

Fated (The Soul Seekers #1) by Alyson Noel

YA Fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she's never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she's encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she'll get to know her grandmother-a woman who recognizes Daire's bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers-but it's an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter who's out to steal her powers. Now Dair must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one one guy she's meant to be with...or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

First Thoughts: Really? Who wouldn't just fall in love with this cover? It is just brilliant! I was excited fro this series from the beginning and when I got it from St. Martin's I went nuts! The synopsis just draws you in. I have never heard of a Soul Seeker and it really got me interested in finding out what exactly that was and what that would make the story to be.

Writing Style: I have to say the writing style in the Immortal Series was a little bit easier to deal with than this one. The size of the words on the pages just seemed really small like they packed so much in. The only good thing about that is they packed in a lot of the good things like imagery and descriptions that seemed necessary. Not overdoing it.

Characters: Daire is a neat character to fall into. She's strong from the beginning because her mother made her that way but she just didn't have the courage. That would come from the sitting on the sidelines and being treated like crap by the "superstars" around her. Alyson did really well in building this character and showing us how she became who she is. I would like to see more of Dace though. This is obviously about Daire and how she fits into this new life but I know he is important to the story yet we didn't get much from him.

Final Thoughts: I loved the book. It was very exciting and very interesting. I may not know exactly what a Seeker is yet but that could have been done purposely so we grow with Daire and not know all the answers. I have to admit though I am liking this book better than the Immortal Series, way better. Cannot wait for the next one.

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Shadowland (Immortal Series #3) by Alyson Noel

YA, Fantasy

Rating: 5 Stars

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world's darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just as their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen...one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into a bleak afterlife in the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source...Jude Knight.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soul mate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them from the darkness inhabiting his soul, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before...

First Thoughts: This is my favorite cover so far. I love how the necklace looks with all the stones and it's just so beautiful. Reading the synopsis made me excited then a bit skeptical. I was excited for the curse set on Damen and Ever, it's something new and very interesting. The introduction of Jude is okay but kind of expected. What kind of YA novel would it be without a love triangle?

Writing Style: I still love Alyson's writing style. It's easy to read, understand, and sympathize with the characters.

Characters: The characters I haven't mentioned yet are the twins, Romy and Rayne. I love when people create twins. As a twin myself, I can relate to them. They are complete opposites but of course the same at the same time. It's awesome. I definitely like them more than Haven. Next is Jude. He is new and he creates the love triangle everyone loves so much. Jude and Ever's whole story is a great twist and it is fantastic to read more about it.

First Thoughts: I was disappointed in the last book,the I hate high school drama but this book brought me back into this series. I love the twists and plot. I'm glad I didn't give up on it because of the high school drama. The love triangle adds to it and the 'twist' of that relationship is not something I have seen yet and I love it.

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Blue Moon (Immortal Series #2) by Alyson Noel

YA, Fantasy

Rating: 3 Stars

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen's past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...

First Thoughts: The cover is setting the pattern for the series. The girl in the back holding something. It's a very beautiful cover. I like this synopsis better than the first one. I bet if I had picked up this book first it would have made me buy the series sooner.

Writing Style: Alyson's writing stayed the same I think. I still felt exactly how Ever felt with all the drama that was happening. Besides the story itself, I think Alyson is going to become one of my favorite writers.

Characters: The characters were the same except of course the issues with Damen but it's not really him because he is having 'issues' in this book. I have to say I really do dislike Ever's friend, Haven. I forgot to mention in the first book but I felt the need to add it here. Honestly I don't really understand that relationship and how they could even be friends. Of course I really hate Roman but he is a really confusing character. It's hard to catch on to him. He is so annoying and cocky I just want to slap him! OK...now that I got that out.

Final Thoughts: I am pretty surprised I disliked this one so much. I know exactly what it is though. The high school drama. The whole bullying and not knowing who you friends are issues. Of course Roman was manipulating everything but I still couldn't stand it. That drama just got to me and it was super annoying. I wanted to know the ending though so it didn't make me drop the book even if it bugged me.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Evermore (Immortal Series #1) by Alyson Noel

YA, Fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.

Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head—wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

First Thoughts: I love this cover. The girl is pretty and the flower fits with the novel very well (well, after you read it). The synopsis really got me into this one. I have seen the book around for awhile so I finally decided to grab it as well as the next two in the series.

Writing Style: I tend to not like YA writing styles but can muddle through it and end up loving the story but I could actually deal with Alyson's writing. She is a fantastic writer and it was easy to fall into the story and into the character's lives.

Characters: Ever is so easy to sympathize. She was a normal person who got gypped of her life by losing her family. She was easy to connect with. Damen...not so much. That may be because he is a guy and I'm not but everybody is into the mysterious guys lately and he was definitely mysterious. He continued to go about not hiding the things he could do, it was kind of annoying that he was showing off.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It makes me want to hurry up and read the next in the series, I was really glad I grabbed the next one when I bought this one. The thing I like best is it's not another teen vampire book. That is what I had assumed when I saw the word 'Immortals' on the cover. It's just about immortals though, not vampires. Happy face!