Evermore by Alyson Noel

Summary:
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste ...

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies. (From GoodReads)

Review:
I've had Evermore on my shelf for years and I've just finally gotten around to reading it. I was really hoping that it would be some good paranormal romance but unfortunately it was very formulaic and not that great of a novel.

We shall start with what I liked since there's not a lot. I liked Ever and her character. I felt the loss of her family as strongly as she did and I liked that she at least tried to stay away from Damen when he was acting creepy and weird. I thought her abilities were really awesome, but that being said, she had way too many! She was clairvoyant, could hear people's thoughts, know their history if she touched them and saw their aura which told her what kind of mood they were in. Oh wait, she could also see/talk to ghosts!! It was overwhelming and I think the author should have just picked one or two abilities and fully developed them. No wonder Ever was constantly suffering from sensory overload.

I didn't like that Evermore was very formulaic and predictable: girl with strange abilities, new boy comes in, he's super hot and mysterious and shows instant attraction to protagonist. Then they fall in love with few interactions and without knowing what makes the main guy tick. The only thing we ever learn about Damen is that he is hot. And surfs. And cooks. And does everything perfectly. Damen wasn't fleshed out that much and it caused his and Ever's relationship to suffer.

The plot was okay but looking back, nothing really happened. There is the typical antagonist, who wasn't that evil and a subplot with Ever's younger sister who appears as a ghost.

I wouldn't say that Evermore was terrible but it wasn't that great either. It's a typical light paranormal romance so if you like that type of thing, I would say go for it. Evermore was similar to a lot of other books that I've read which is probably why I didn't enjoy it as much.

Rating: 5 out of 10.
FTC: won in a contest.

2009/St. Martin's Griffin/306 pages.

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel

Summary:

It's been a year since her older sister's murder, and Echo is still far from being completely okay. Since Zoe's untimely demise, Echo has been trying her hardest to be the strong one, while her mother takes too many antidepressents and her father works too much. But at the start of her freshmen year of high school, Echo receives an unlikely gift from Zoe's old boyfriend: her diary. Echo is hesitant to read it, but can't put it down after she gets caught up in Zoe's secret life. Will Echo be able to learn to separate her and Zoe's lives, all while saving Zoe's memory?

Review:
I thought that Saving Zoe was an extraordinary novel. It was sad and tragic, but remained full of hope until the very end.

My favorite parts were reading Zoe's diary along with Echo, because she was very enigmatic and mysterious. She also got into quite a bit of trouble, like partying, drinking, hooking up with guys, but it just made her a better character, in my eyes. Zoe did the things most people wish they could do and get away with it. Even from journal entries, you could tell that Zoe had a zest for life unlike anyone else, which makes her murder even worse. Unfortunately, Zoe's reckless behavior is also what led to her death, but I'll let you guys figure that one out. What's also sad is that Echo learns more about her sister from the diary than she did living with her for thirteen years. But Echo comes to understand Zoe better than ever, and I loved how Saving Zoe showed that the bonds of sisterhood could actually be strengthened after death. I do wish there was more about Zoe and Echo and their relationship before Zoe's death, because that's something I think was lacking.

It might seem that Zoe stole the show in this novel, but Echo was also a well-written and developed character on her own. From the beginning, you can tell that Echo looks up to her older sister, and when she starts to read her diary, Echo even begins to act like Zoe. But soon Echo realizes that she doesn't need to actually be her sister in order to remember her and love her and preserve her memory. I loved seeing Echo accept her sister's death and come to terms with the mistakes she made.

All in all, I though that Saving Zoe is very well-written and poignant, and will appeal to fans of books about sisters, life, death, and everything in between.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

FTC: reviewed for Flamingnet Student Review program.

2007/St. Martin's Griffin/240 pages.