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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Title: Immortal
Series: Immortal Book 1
Author: Gillian Shields

Release Date: 14th September 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 2/5


Blurb:

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, exspensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl- a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she can not control. And as the extraordinary elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

My Review:
Immortal is a suspenseful mystery based on elemental magic that spans generations.

I really like that the story is based on magic and witchcraft, and that the chapters alternate between present day with Evie and then pages from Agnes' diary (Agnes is the ghostly-girl mentioned in the blurb), allowing us to see a comparison between the two.

I wish that there had been a little more depth to all the characters. Agnes is the most interesting of all but Sebastian is rather irritable and difficult to like (not unlike how I felt about Daniel in Fallen). I also feel that the relationship between Evie and Sebastian has been fast tracked too much and they are all of a sudden madly in love, making it unbelievable.

The last chapter felt a little hurried as an attempt to tie up some loose ends and there are still quite a few unanswered questions. I'm guessing the sequel, Betrayal, will tie those up. Some scenes though just seemed pointless, such as the appearance of a local stable boy. I feel there should have been at least a little bit of an explanation as to why he was brought into the story. And if he isn't going to make an appearance in Betrayal, then why include him at all?

My initial impression at the beginning of the story was that it seemed like a mix of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Fallen by Lauren Kate. I don't think I was that far off in my predictions. I feel that if you are a fan of Fallen then maybe you will like this story. Personally, I am indifferent to it, but everyone has their own tastes.

An easy, semi-predictable read.

For a second opinion: Black Nailed Reviews, Bookduck, Secretly Captivated

1 comment:

  1. I wasn't very happy with this book when I read it. There could have been more, I would think, story wise.

    ReplyDelete

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