Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Title: Immortal Beloved
Series: Everlasting Life Book 1
Author: Cate Tiernan

Release Date: 1st October 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
New name, new town, new life. Nastasya has done it too often to count. And there's no end in sight. Nothing ever really ends ...when you're immortal.

'After some of the events I've witnessed I felt like I was a shell with nothing alive left in me. I hadn't been going around killing people, but people were hurt -- the memories just kept trickling in like rivulets of fresh acid dripping into my brain until I wanted to scream. It was in my blood, I knew. A darkness. The darkness. I had inherited it, along with my immortality and my black eyes.'

My Review:
I was very skeptical when this title arrived on my desk as I thought it would be another story where "a 'normal' high school girl finds out she is a vampire/witch/wolf and then meets the mysterious boy who also happens to be a vampire/witch/wolf. Blah blah blah" The only reason I picked it up, the blurb didn't really appeal to me and neither did the title, was because I had read Tiernan's Sweep series when I was younger and thought I would give her new writing a try. Boy am I glad I did because what I found was an original take on the life of an immortal.

Nastasya, Nasty to her friends, has lived every kind of life possible in her 450 years. She's not a vampire, she's just... immortal. Yes she can tap into some magikal abilities but she rarely does and prefers to have her fun the 'old fashioned' way; partying with her friends, hooking up with random people and drinking herself into oblivion.

After witnessing her friends conduct unspeakable acts of in-humanity, Nasty has a wake up call. She decides to disappear, and, remembering the kindness of a stranger in a chance meeting decades ago, she heads off to River's Edge in Massachusetts. Here she finds a kind of immortal boot-camp/rehab/retreat; so not her thing, but where else can she go?

Nasty has a mysterious past that she does her best to block out and we slowly (but not too slowly) peel back the layers to discover her secret. We get to see back to different decades of her life and I love the little snippets of finding out what she has been doing for the past 450 years. As usual, there is major sexual tension between Nasty and another character, we get to see Nasty developing a conscious, there is good old fashion rivalry, an interesting cast of characters that you care about, and also the tension of the friends she left behind as they close in on her.

I'm not really a fan of the title and I think it is pretty unoriginal but maybe that's just me. There are quite a few loose ends but that's what you get in a series but it doesn't matter as the sequel is going to be amazing! I can not wait to read it!

Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment
Series: Fallen Book 2
Author: Lauren Kate

Release Date: 30th September 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

Lucinda is sure that she and Daniel are meant to be together forever. Now they are forced apart in a desperate bid to save Luce from The Outcasts, immortals who want her dead. As she discovers more about her past lives Luce starts to suspect that Daniel is hiding something. What if he has lied to her about their shared past? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?


My Review:
For those of you who have read my review of Fallen, you will know that I had mixed opinions about the story. Once again I am in the same frame of mind.

First off, do not read Torment until you have re-read Fallen. I read Fallen more than 6 months ago and have read at least 50 books since so I spent the first few chapters trying to remember what had happened, what the mythology was and which side different characters were on.

In Torment, Daniel sends Luce off to Shoreline, another school, to keep her safe while he focuses on keeping away those who want her dead. Shoreline is nothing like Sword and Cross and Luce manages to actually have a good time and make new friends, especially with Shelby and Miles. These characters are great and I love the time she spends away from Daniel.

I enjoyed Torment more than Fallen and I think the main reason is because I really dislike Daniel's character and he isn't in this book as much as he was the first. He is still very secretive and cryptic and it's so frustrating! I feel as if I am Luce and all the secrets are being kept from me because, as the reader, we don't know much more than Luce does. The suspense is built up a lot as we have to wait until the end to really find out any big revelations, but even then we are still left in the dark about many things!

Also, for those who pay attention to fantastic book covers, we once again have another stunning cover.

This is a frustrating series and I can't decide if I love it or hate it. As you know, I don't post spoilers, but I will give you a little something to keep building the suspense until this is released...I am totally Team Miles...

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Series: Fallen Book 1
Author: Lauren Kate

Published: 7th December 2009 (Australia)

My Rating: 2/5

Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant, even evil, history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here, though she doesn’t know what it is, nor does she understand Daniel’s frosty demeanor towards her. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.

I have mixed opinions of this book. I feel the first half just took too long and I just wanted something major to happen or for something to be explained. It took too long for the revelations to start. That said, the last 150 pages had me speed reading to see what would happen next.

I feel the sequel will be a lot more interesting and engaging now that the ground work has been laid, almost like this was a prequel. Keep an eye out for it in September 2010.

Essentially, not enough was explained, leaving me with many unanswered questions, and what was explained, took too long.

I really liked all of the characters except for Daniel as I just wanted him to help Luce understand what was happening. I found it frustrating!

Also, I think the cover is absolutely stunning, one of the best I have seen in a long time, and I think it will get people to pick it up in the first place, it's what made me.