Evermore by Alyson Noel

Evermore is the first book in the Immortals series.

"Sometimes love is eternal. For good...for evil...for ever.

Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom is the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her family. Exiled to sunny California, Ever is haunted by her little sister and by the ability to see people's auras, hear their thoughts and know their entire life story by touching them. She wants to hide from the world, but when a stunningly handsome new guy arrives at school, she can't seem to keep away. Falling in love with Damen is dangerous - he's not what he seems. But if Damen is her destiny, how can Ever walk away?"

I really liked this book! There are a lot of young adult books out there right now with sappy, passive female protagonists who suddenly find themselves the love interest for a too-hot-for-words, centuries old immortal being. And suddenly he's all she can think about and no matter what he does, how strange he is, she'll do anything for him. I tire of reading about girls like that quickly. I like protags who kick ass, or at least call the guy out on his 'weirdness'. Which Ever does.

There is a lot more to this book than just a love story as well, something else I like. It's also the story of a teenager battling the pain, grief and guilt of being the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her family. Something that is sensitively and realistically handled. It also doesn't help Ever that she can see auras, hear other peoples thoughts and is visited most days by the ghost of her little sister, Riley.

Then enter Damen. The super hot new guy whose aura and thoughts Ever can't see or hear. With Damen around things start to get even stranger for her and Ever finds herself finding out that seeing auras isn't the only thing some people can do. And the more she discovers, the harder she's pushed to make some tough decisions.

This book is a pretty fast read, filled with angst but without dragging. And there are some good funny moments as well to break the tension. Ever is a pretty well rounded, realistic character and you can really see where she's coming from and why. She's smart, but still makes mistakes, and is very much a typical teenager in many ways, stubborn, rebellious, and obsesses on the hottest guy in school a fair bit. Damen and the side characters aren't quite so well rounded, but there is enough to them to make them stand out and add depth to the book as well.

Overall, I thought it was a very good read. Well written, fast paced and some good twists I didn't see coming as well. Really looking forward to picking up the rest of the series!! If you like Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, Lili St. Crow's Strange Angels or Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series, there's a good chance you'll like this one! Or if you liked this, then I'd really recommend you give those others a shot too. 8/10