The Immortals by Alyson Noel

After a horrible accident that claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someones' entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school - but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste. Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he his. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Does that last line sound familiar? I found Evermore to be unsettling similar to Twilight, at least at first glance. Damen isn't a vampire, but his theme song should be "Hot 'n' Cold," the way he treats Ever. Despite their deeper connection, it felt wrong for her to fall for el jerko so unquestioningly.

Despite the predictability of the supernatural boyfriend, there were enough unique elements to keep my interest. Ever's aura-reading increased the mysteries of Damen, mostly because she couldn't read his. Plus, her conversations with her dead sister made me laugh - becoming a ghost doesn't change sibling rivalry. Overall, I'm pretty neutral on the first book in the series...

...but it just so happens that I bought both books on my last Borders run. And I am truly glad that I did, because otherwise I would have missed out on some serious immortal drama.

Blue Moon picks up a while after Evermore ends. Ever is exploring her new powers as an immortal and cuddling up with Damen, always keeping their relationship relatively chaste. But as Ever grows into her abilites, Damen's powers seem to be waning, along with his memory. Ever must travel to Summerland, the mystical in-between place, to discover the secrets to saving him.

Finally, some original plot! I enjoyed discovering the powers of the immortals, both good and bad, and Roman is just made to distrust. The drama in this installation is much more original: instead of trying to figure out if a mysterious guy likes her or not, Ever has to deal with Damen acting like she's some stalker he's never met before!

My opinion of The Immortals is mixed, but I will definitely pick up the third book when it comes out next year... from the library.