The Immortals Series by Alyson Noel

The Immortals series begins with Alyson Noels’ book Evermore. It continues with the Blue Moon, which picks up where Evermore left off. Both books are available at the Library in the Young Adult section, as well Art Geeks & Prom Queens, which is a previous publication by Noel.



Evermore
16 year-old Ever loses her family in a tragic accident. Soon after, as she mourns their loss, she discovers she can hear people’s thoughts, see their auras, and can know a person’s entire life just by touching them. She avoids her classmates and general human contact because of these new abilities and is ostracized at school. When she meets Damen, who can make things disappear and reappear, she is drawn to him because of the calm he brings her. Unsure of what he is, Ever discovers he is a part of an enchanted world where no one dies. She will soon discover how she fits into this new world.



Blue Moon
The sequel to Evermore continues with the story of Ever, who is learning more about her abilities as they strengthen. However, as she grows more powerful, Damen, the man she loves, seems to be weakening. In order to save him, Ever must travel to Summerland, another magical place. While there she uncovers Damen’s painful past and the ability to turn back time. Will Ever chane the past to bring back her family, or will she remain in the present and save the man she has grown to love?

This series will be enjoyed by any fans of Twilight and other mystical storylines. Noel is a strong writer, who is able to capture the imaginations of the readers with her descriptive words. Shadowland, which is not yet published, will be the follow up book to Blue Moon.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Fans of the Twilight series and Melissa Marr’s faerie series Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity will devour Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take, the first book published by HarlequinTeen, a division of the legendary romance publisher. My Soul is the first of the Soul Screamers series.

High school student Kaylee Cavanagh seems to have a gift, but how special that gift is could be debated. The ability to predict things would be cool if you weren’t predicting when people were going to die. What makes this “gift” even more regrettable is the blood-curdling scream that accompanies it. Kaylee, although she doesn’t consider herself beautiful or extraordinary, just wants to try live normal life, which includes hanging out with her best friend, Emma, and finishing high school. Her young life has already faced the obstacles of her mother’s death and her father leaving her with her aunt, uncle, and snobby cousin and classmate, Sophie. Kaylee’s life veers far left of normal when she begins predicting the deaths of strangers and classmates, who just seem to drop dead for no reason.

Further complicating this issue is Nash Hudson, a gorgeous jock, who takes an interest in her on the same night as the death premonitions begin. Kaylee, a social zero at her school, wonders why Nash, one of the hottest seniors, would want to hang out with her. What could they possibly have in common? (More than you know.) And, why does he have such a calming effect on her, especially when the premonitions take place?

There are many secrets that have been kept from Kaylee, and her ability to predict death will soon force the truth to be revealed.

My Soul to Take will interest Twilight fans, but this story contains no vampires or werewolves. Instead Vincent uses legends in Irish folklore to shape her series. The book is a healthy mix of romance, paranormal, and mystery, and the author keeps the reader in engaged with plenty of twists and turns. The topic of death is in the forefront of the novel; therefore, it may not be appropriate for younger teens. The physical romance is fairly limited because of the age group for which it is intended and the heavy topic of death.