ALA Booklist (Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2009)

This opening book in a new series, The Immortals, will thrill many teen fantasy-suspense readers, especially fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Seventeen-year-old Ever survived the car crash that killed her parents, younger sister, and their dog. Now she lives with an aunt in Southern California, plagued not only by survivor guilt but also by a new ability to hear the thoughts of all around her. She tries to tune out all these distractions by keeping her hoodie up and her iPod cranked loud, until Damen, the cute new boy at school, convinces her to come out of her shell. Damen, however, is frighteningly clever d has the strange ability to produce tulips from nowhere and disappear himself at critical moments. Noël (Saving Zoë, 2007) creates a cast of recognizably diverse teens in a realistic high-school setting, along with just the right tension to make Ever's discovery of her own immortality ould she choose it citing and credible.

Kirkus Reviews

Shallow stock characters barely mar the breathless allure of this formulaic supernatural romance, the first in the Immortals series, though feeble explanations wreck the ending. Ever (her very name a clue to immortality) lives the life of the wealthy in Orange County. Sister Riley visits daily in ghost form, having died with their parents in an accident that Ever perplexingly survived. Deluged by everyone's thoughts and auras, Ever wears hoodies and iPod earbuds as shelter from psychic clamor, until mysterious hottie Damen silences it. This genre's core ingredients are all present: a new school, paranormal events the heroine doesn't understand and a deadly enemy fought by an irresistible, possibly-dangerous boy. Ever's vernacular voice (description via negation: "it's not like I haven't had my hand touched before") and amorous fixation will gratify romance fans. However, Noel's metaphysics makes no sense. Manifestations are "simple quantum physics," Ever is murdered lifetime after lifetime but escapes this time due to the serial murderer's " lack of love " and the narrative never explains the prime ontological poser of how Ever reincarnates with a new body and consciousness yet remains herself. (aura color chart) (Fantasy. YA)

School Library Journal (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 9 Up-After surviving a car accident that killed her entire family, 16-year-old Ever gains the ability to see auras and read thoughts. The overwhelming nature of her new powers and her guilt about the accident turn the once-popular teen into a loner at school. She makes friends with stereotypically gay Miles and mega-Goth Haven, and does everything she can to drown out the din of psychic energy around her. Her loner status comes under siege, as does her friendship with Haven, when a new boy, Damen, shows an interest in her. By accident, Ever learns that he has no aura, a fact that pushes her to uncover more about the mysterious newcomer. Some obvious clues, like the red liquid that Damen drinks instead of food, lead Ever to conclude that he is a vampire when in fact his true nature is more complex. Teens will identify with Ever, who not only has to deal with relationship and friend issues, but also with a dead sister who refuses to cross over and crippling psychic powers that make it hard to cope with everyday life. Though the familiar premise may hook many paranormal romance fans, none of the plot elements receive the thorough treatment they deserve, and the revelation in the end relies too heavily on backstory. Not a first pick in this ever-expanding genre. Kim Ventrella, Ralph Ellison Library, Oklahoma City, OK