Who Wants To Live Forever?
In the past few weeks there have been quite a few books released with the theme of immortality. Here are three that I really enjoyed. I've been a bit under the weather so I've had a lot of time to read, so I will be back soon with more reviews. For now, enjoy these!
*livejournal messed up my cut somehow. again. I have no idea why. Sorry about that.
Raven by Allison Van Diepen:
Nicole has been in love with Zin since the first time she saw him dance. There is something about him that pulls her deeper and deeper into his soul. It's in the way he moves, the way he talks and the way he can be everything without saying anything at all. He is the one who makes her feel safe and normal when her life is anything but. When her addict brother causes trouble, Zin eases her pain. He has even inspired her to do some dancing of her own. As close as they are, they have only been friends. This is fine with Nicole because she needs to be near him and it is obvious that Zin needs to be near her. Zin believes in Nicole. Nicole loves Zin.
Sometimes, things that seem too good to be true, truly are. There has always been something that keeps Zin from completely giving himself to Nicole. When she gets a job in the nightclub where Zin works, she will learn that there is a dark secret that binds the other employees together. Nicole will find out about Zin's past and discover that it goes back much farther than she expected. The burden of this secret is dangerous but it brings them together. They will have to decide if their love and passion are more important than the consequences of eternity or if maybe, they are one and the same.
Raven is one of those books that you don't quite know what to expect from, but it will leave you breathless. The story is dark, mesmerizing, mystical and romantic. You will feel an attachment to each character, no matter how small a part they play. This is one book I will remember, evermore.
Ironically...
Evermore by Alyson Noel:
Not too long ago, Ever Bloom lived a very happy and normal life. One night, terrible accident takes away her family in the blink of eye and everything changes. For some reason, she survived but she's left with horrible guilt and a few other side effects. Ever may have gotten too close to the other side because she now has the ability to see peoples auras and hear their thoughts. She can't even walk down the halls of school without becoming overwhelmed by the voices around her. The only way she can deal with all of this is to hide under a hooded sweatshirt, crank up her music and avoid people at all costs. That is, until Damen walks into her class. Not only is he gorgeous, but for some reason he has the ability to make the noise stop.
Ever tries to get Damen out if her mind, but she he's the only thing the school is talking and thinking about. Even her new freaky friends are gossiping about him. She's got enough problems to deal with, one of which is her dead sister who is driving he crazy at home. Ever doesn't know why she's sticking around and not moving on, but how can you reason with a ghost? Especially one you don't really want to leave you. There is no room in Ever's life right now for romance, but there is something between her and Damen that she can't deny. He's got power, passion and more than his share of secrets. More than anything, Ever wants to be the one to unravel them. When her best friend begins to act strange, Ever begins to suspect that there are dark forces at work and she desperately hopes that Damen is not a part of it.
Evermore completely put me under it's spell. It is a wonderful beginning to a series that I will eagerly anticipate each new installment. It's got ghosts, supernatural powers, romance, immortal love and unspeakable evil. I'd say it's a delicious paranormal parfait. Yum.
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith:
Miranda has always wanted to be the center of attention. She dreams of being an actress but her shy personality holds her back. Her not-so-shy friend Lucy is always there to back her up and provide a little trouble along the way. This is where Zachary comes in. Zachary is Miranda's Guardian Angel. He's been there to watch over and protect her from the day she was born. All the time he has spent keeping her safe has made him become very protective of her. He realizes that he just might be in love with her. Zachary must keep his distance, but that is becoming more difficult by the day, especially since he can sense the approach of a dangerous evil.
A particularly bad day for Miranda leads her and Lucy to a graveyard and a date with a vampire. Zachary does everything in his power to save Miranda, but in the end he not only loses her, but he falls from grace and gets in some pretty big trouble. He is now in human form, confused and sent on a mission to save his beloved from harm. Too bad she might not want to be saved.
Now that Miranda is one of the undead, she has everything she ever dreamed of. She is a Princess living in a castle and she is immortal. Her new outer strength has given her confidence to be what she never could before. She's the one in charge now and nobody will ever forget it. If only she could forget her old life and get used to this whole being a vampire and drinking blood thing. In time she believes she will shed this nasty conscience and embrace her new royal "blood". That is, until her former guardian angel catches up with her and forces her to question her new life.
Miranda and Zachary each take turns telling the story and letting you in on their thoughts. Zachary's adorably naive nature, innate goodness and heavenly body will charm even the most fiendish hearts. He's got his work cut out for him if he wants to break through to MIranda's humanity.
Eternal is witty, fun, sweet and sad. It takes place in the same world as Cynthia Leitich Smith's previous book, Tantalize, but the story and characters are new and different. If you have not read Tantalize, you can still enjoy Eternal without missing anything. In a future book, the characters from Eternal and Tantalize will come together. I can't wait to see how!